Page 273 of Cold Case, Warm Hearts

“I’m sorry. I don’t like scaring you, but you need to understand what we’re up against. This monster could be anyone: a neighbor, a friend, a co-worker, or someone who attends your church. Worst of all, he probably looks normal. He’s going to be someone nobody would suspect of such heinous crimes. That’s how he’s gotten away with it this long.”

“I figured as much.” A tear slipped from her eye, and she brushed it out of the way with a fierceness that bordered on anger. “When Nora disappeared, the police explained she most likely got in the car with someone she knew and trusted.”

He nodded. “They weren’t wrong. Will you let me know if anything out of the ordinary happens, so I can do my best to protect you?”

“Like what?”

“Anything. The killer could toy with you by sending you a gift, or you might get a creepy feeling of being watched.”

“When I get that feeling, I look up and it’s you.”

“Funny.” He leaned forward and took both of her hands in his. “This is serious.”

“I get that. I’m sorry.” She sighed. “I received a note the day after I found the skull.”

“And you didn’t tell me?” He released her hands.

“Our relationship was strained enough already. Besides, I didn’t want to exaggerate the threat by getting the state police involved. It warned me to stay away from Boulder Field.”

“Do you understand the concept of a serial killer?” His palm slammed the wheel harder than he’d planned. “I care about you. I’m sorry, but there it is.” He couldn’t turn his emotions off.

Emily reached for his hand. “Why did you do that?” She rubbed the spot on his hand that was turning red. The sensations running through him had nothing to do with the pain in his hand. His gaze pierced hers.

The notion that she’d been in danger and hadn’t told him was like a knife to the chest. If something happened to her, he’d be devastated. “Did you throw the note away?”

She released his hand. “No. It’s at home. I kept it in case anything happened to me, so the police would be able to connect the dots.”

“Which means you understood exactly what the threat meant.”

She looked down at her coffee again. “I guess.”

“I’ll drive you back to the park to get your car, and then I’m following you home, so I can collect that evidence.”

She nodded and slowly sipped her coffee. He wanted to scream for her to communicate with him. There was something going on in that pretty head of hers, but she was too stubborn to share her thoughts. Maybe he deserved her animosity after the way he’d left, but Jamie was right, they’d been kids. He’d made a mistake, but it was time for them both to get over it.

When they arrived at her car, she didn’t give him time to open the door for her. She sprung out of his vehicle and hopped into her own.

He followed her to a development in White Haven, parked behind her, and trailed after her as she made her way up the walkway to the front door. It was painted barn red, as was the old-fashioned milk jug sitting beside it. “Would you like to come in?”

He nodded. Her home was neat and clean, but devoid of personal touches. She lived there, but she clearly hadn’t turned it into a home.

“Make yourself comfortable. I’ll go get what you came for.” The reminder was helpful. This wasn’t a social visit, so he shouldn’t be tempted to overstay his welcome or to try to jog her memory of how good they’d been together and show her how great things could be if she’d give him a second chance.

He needed to keep her boyfriend in mind. His relationship with Emily wasn’t simple, and Austin further complicated it. Her boyfriend was a good guy, and he didn’t deserve to have another man make a move on his girl. Under no circumstance would that be the right thing to do.

“Here it is.”

He pulled on the rubber glove he kept in his pocket. She handed him the envelope, and he slipped the letter out and scanned it. “Wow. Creepy.”

“Agreed.”

“Thanks for this. Do you have a plastic bag?” She disappeared into the kitchen and returned a minute later with a food storage bag. “We’ll dust this for fingerprints and forensics will examine the ink and printing to see if they can get any information, but I’m not hopeful they’ll find anything.”

“I appreciate your trying.”

“Do you have an alarm system?”

“No. I guess I should, but until recently I felt safe in my home.”

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