Page 51 of Cold Case, Warm Hearts

“We were in town,” Tyler said, voice level. “It’s about a fifteen minute?—”

“I know where town is,” Garrett snapped.

The officer didn’t react to his tone, focusing on Aspen. “Let’s go back downstairs.”

She led the group to the living room, where she sat on the sectional.

Garrett sat beside her and took her hand.

Officer Tyler stood nearby. “You didn’t see anything missing?”

She shook her head. “Nothing. He didn’t even take the jewelry.”

The two police officers looked at each other. Tyler said, “We noticed that. We’ve had some trouble at this house in the past.”

Garrett said, “I told her the story about the previous occupant.”

“After that,” Tyler said. “Kids, I think, wanting to check out the basement. Since the place was unoccupied…”

A voice came through one of the walkie-talkies, and a moment later, Fontier pulled open the front door.

Cote, the chief of police, stepped in. He was an older, heavyset man who’d been on the force since Garrett had moved to Coventry. Considering all the trouble he’d gotten into when he lived with his parents, it was rather astounding that he hadn’t had a run-in with Cote. In fact, they hadn’t met until Garrett had helped Andrew find Grace and Lily that fall.

Cote greeted Garrett with a nod and then introduced himself to Aspen, who explained what she’d found.

“You’re sure there’s nothing missing?”

She sighed, then pushed off the sofa. “I haven’t checked the kitchen. Let me just…” She disappeared through the door. When she came back, her skin looked even paler than it had before.

He wouldn’t have thought it possible.

“My laptop’s missing.”

Cote made a note while Garrett kicked himself. At the hardware store on Friday, he’d suggested she buy a video doorbell, but she’d balked at the idea, arguing that it wasn’t as if her middle-of-the-night visitor was going to knock.

If they’d gotten it, they’d have a recording of whoever’d broken into her place.

He should have insisted. Or bought it himself.

“Your car wasn’t here?” Cote asked. He’d settled on the other side of the L-shaped sectional.

“It should be in the garage.”

Tyler said, “It is. We checked.”

Aspen continued. “I moved it today, but it’s been in the driveway since I got here the other day.”

“So, presumably, the burglar didn’t believe you were home.” He peered at her over reading glasses. “That’s good news.”

None of this was good news.

But he saw what Cote was getting at.

Though she was putting up a good front, Aspen looked shaken, almost on the verge of falling apart.

Garrett slid his arm around her shoulders and pulled her in for a slight hug, just enough to remind her that she wasn’t alone. She gave him a grateful look before focusing on Cote again.

Cote asked a few more questions, told her to be sure and change any passwords at sites that might be vulnerable with her laptop in a burglar’s hands, and promised to keep in touch.

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