Page 68 of Shattered Sanctuary

They were both armed, and Kaely kept checking her cellphone, hoping service would be restored, but it was still out. It was almost nine o’clock when Erin reminded her that they hadn’t eaten.

“I’ll get us something,” Kaely said. “Maybe some cheese slices and crackers?”

“Sounds good. And some Mallowmars?”

Kaely nodded. “Cheese, crackers, and Mallowmars. Sounds like a well-balanced meal. Just the thing for two growing girls.”

Erin laughed. “The approved meal for those being stalked by a serial killer.”

Kaely shook her head. “I’ll have to remember that. Of course, this isn’t my first time.”

“I... I’m sorry. That wasn’t a crack about your dad.”

“I didn’t take it that way at all,” Kaely said with a smile. “No worries.”

“You know, I honestly have no idea what I would have done without you,” Erin said. Her eyes grew shiny, and she cleared her throat. “Maybe after we get through this, we could talk some more about... God. I’m coming to the conclusion that maybe you know something I don’t.”

“I can’t imagine that,” Kaely said with a grin.

Erin shook her head. “Point taken. The way I was raised...”

Before she could get the rest of her sentence out, Chester stood up and faced the front door. He began to bark. It was then that Kaely heard the sound of a motor. She quickly turned off the lantern and grabbed her gun. As she pulled the drape back just a little, she saw a vehicle pull up to the road in front of the cabin. The driver turned off his lights. It was difficult for her to see anything through the darkness, but then someone inside the vehicle turned on a flashlight. As he opened the door and got out, she was able to see that it was a dark pickup. Timothy Johnson. He began to walk toward the house but suddenly stopped. Then he turned around and headed toward the woods. Seconds later he disappeared behind the tree line.

Kaely turned her head and saw Erin’s face highlighted by the flames from the fireplace. “Who is it?” she asked.

“Tim Johnson.”

“Maybe he’s here to help us,” Erin said.

“Then why did he go into the woods? We may be wrong. It’s possible that our first assumption was correct. Timothy Johnson may be our killer.”

FORTY-FIVE

Erin and Kaely sat in the dark while Chester whined. No matter how hard they tried to calm him, he wouldn’t settle down. Finally, Erin got up and went back over to the window. She was trying to be very careful so that no one could see them. The snow was coming down even harder, and she couldn’t make out Timothy’s truck now. It was too dark outside.

“I can’t see anything,” she said to Kaely. “Between the snow and the dark, I can’t make out Tim’s truck. I just want to see if it’s still there. We need to know.”

Kaely shook her head. “I think it’s too dangerous.”

Erin felt frustrated. “I promise, I’ll only take a quick peek. I doubt anyone is waiting for us to open the door for a moment so they can shoot us.”

Kaely sighed. “Okay, but make it fast. I’m not sure what difference it makes.”

“If Timothy is the killer, why would he park where we could see him? And why would he walk into the woods? Why not stay warm inside his truck where he can get a better shot?” She shook her head. “Something doesn’t feel rightabout this. I mean, what if Timothy actually came to check on us, and he saw or heard something in the woods? What if he’s in trouble?”

“Like you said, he’s a trained officer. He should be able to take care of himself.”

“So was Scott.”

Kaely stared at her for a moment. “Okay. But just a quick look, okay? Don’t go out there. If the truck is still there, close the door. We’ll decide what to do from there. Deal?”

“Deal.”

As if he understood their conversation, Chester stood to his feet. “No, Chester,” she said. “Stay.”

Erin grabbed her coat. Although she only planned to step out on the porch, it was really cold out there. She pulled her gun from its holster, even though she didn’t think she’d need it.

She pulled the door open and stepped out into the storm. It was clear very quickly that it was going to be hard to see anything through the falling and blowing snow. She held the flashlight out in front of her and held her gun in the other hand. She still couldn’t see the truck, so she put the small flashlight in her mouth while she held onto the porch railing so she wouldn’t fall. The steps were slippery, and she almost lost her footing a couple of times.

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