Page 28 of Bridge to Safety

She waited a few more minutes. When she still didn’t see them, she pushed open her door. “Stay, Peanut.” The dog had jumped out the window before Shiloh reached the front porch and positioned herself between Shiloh and the front door. “Move, silly.” The hair on Shiloh’s arms stood at attention. Something was definitely wrong. “Hello?” She pushed the door open further. “It’s your neighbor, Shiloh Sloan.”

Peanut whined and leaned against her leg.

Taking a deep breath, Shiloh moved down the short hall and stopped at a bedroom door. She knocked, then pushed it open. A scream spewed from her mouth as she dashed from the house, pulling her phone from her pocket. In the safety of her car, she dialed Rowan.

~

“Hey, Shiloh.” Rowan sent Rachel to the living room and stepped outside to take the call. “Is everything okay?” She was rambling with a mixture of gasps and sobs. “Slow down, sweetheart. I can’t understand you.”

“Neighbors. The Nelsons. Dead.” She gulped. “At the top of the hill.”

“I’ll be there as soon as my babysitter arrives.” He hung up and called Alice who promised to be there in five minutes. While he waited, he unlocked his gun safe and removed his weapon and badge. “Rachel, sweetie, I have to go to work. Alice is coming. You be good for her, okay?”

Without looking away from the show on the television, his daughter nodded. His leaving at the drop of a hat wasn’t new to her.

Alice arrived right on time allowing him to head over immediately. Shiloh sat in her car at the top of the hill, her head resting against the steering wheel. She glanced up with tear-filled eyes. “It’s horrible. You’ll find them in the master bedroom at the back of the house.”

“Stay here. I’ll be right back.” He removed his weapon and entered the house, his heart rate increasing.

In the master bedroom, the couple had been tied to the headboard, their heads bound so they couldn’t move. Their noses had been cut off and placed on their chests.

Rowan almost jumped out of his skin when the man’s eyes opened. He was alive! “Hold on, sir. I’m calling for help.” He stepped into the hall and called for an ambulance before returning and cutting the man and his wife free.

The woman squirmed and screamed as he freed her.

“Please, ma’am, remain still. An ambulance is coming.”

“He said he was cutting off our noses to show us what being a nosy neighbor meant.” Mr. Nelson gagged. “Can we put our noses on ice or something?”

“How long ago did this happen?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“I’ll get some ice.” He didn’t think it would do any good, but if it gave the Nelsons hope, it was the least he could do. On his way to the kitchen, he called the sheriff who said he’d be there in less than ten minutes.

Rowan found a baggie and filled it with ice. He wasn’t a squeamish man, but the thought of picking up the severed noses made his stomach churn. He cast a look out the front door to make sure Shiloh still sat in her car, tossed her a wave, then returned to the bedroom where Mr. Nelson put the noses in the baggie. Rowan set the baggie at the foot of the bed.

“Can you describe your attacker, sir?”

“He wore a mask.” Mr. Nelson put an arm around his wife’s shoulder. Blood continued to pour down their chins and onto their chests. “I’m starting to get cold, Deputy.”

“It’s shock.” He grabbed a crocheted blanket from the back of a chair and draped it over their shoulders. Where was the ambulance? These two were going to bleed to death.

There. Sirens split the air. A couple of minutes later, two paramedics rushed into the house. “In the back.” Rowan stepped into the hall to let them do their job as the sheriff strode toward him.

He filled him in.

“The perp cut off their noses?”

“Yes, sir. They couldn’t give me a description, but my money is on Larson.”

The sheriff’s eyes narrowed. “Why’s that?”

“Because Mr. Nelson reported Larson’s van sitting outside his house on multiple occasions while the man watched Shiloh’s place. The victim also said the noses were cut off because they were nosy neighbors. Who else would think that of them?”

“It’s a good assumption, but we can’t do anything without proof. Get me that proof.”

“Yes, sir.” There wasn’t anything he’d like more than to have current, solid evidence against Larson.

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