Page 684 of Cold Case, Warm Hearts

“What do you want?”

He loomed even closer and pointed the knife in her direction. “I want you to stop meddlin’. That’s what I want. You need to go back to where you come from. Your guard dog won’t be around forever to protect you.”

The man pushed past her and darted down the steps and into the darkness.

Sydney’s handsshook uncontrollably and she fumbled to open the door. After she managed to get inside, she dropped her briefcase on her office floor and headed to the restroom. Her stomach turned summersaults.

Guard dog? What did the man mean by that? What guard dog? Was there someone looking out for her that she didn’t know about? Was it Walter?

She didn’t know how much time had lapsed before she heard someone in the hall.

“Syd, is that you in there? Are you all right?” Sean’s voice boomed from the other side of the door.

“Yeah, I’m in here. I’ll be out in a minute.” Sydney splashed cold water on her face and blotted it dry.

Sean was waiting for her when she came out. “You’re white as a sheet. What’s wrong? Are you sick?”

Sydney shook her head and walked past him to her office where she sat down behind her desk. Her stomach was still lurching, but it was more than nausea. It was a gut-wrenching feeling that cut clear to the bone.

Sean sat in one the chairs in front of her desk. He studied her face. “What’s going on?”

His eyes met hers and held them until she looked away. What good would it do to tell Sean? What good would it do to call the police? She couldn’t tell them about Avery. She couldn’t tell them who she really was.

Sean closed the door. “Syd, something happened to you, and I need to know what it was.”

She had to tell somebody. “I was threatened this morning on the porch outside the office by a man holding a switch blade.” Her explanation sounded flat and emotionless.

“What?” He came out of his chair and went around her desk and stood beside her. “By who?”

She pushed her hair away from her face. “I don’t know. I’ve never seen him before.”

“What did he look like?”

“He was a big man with stringy hair and a gap between his teeth.”

“What was he wearing?”

“Overalls.”

“He had a knife?”

She closed her eyes and shook her head. “He was using it to clean his fingernails.”

“What did he say?”

“He told me to stop meddling and that I should go back to where I came from.” She bit her lip. “He also told me that my guard dog wouldn’t be around forever to protect me.”

Sean’s face went black at that last part. He shook his head. “This is incredible. It doesn’t make any sense.”

Sydney couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Are you saying you don’t believe me?”

“It’s not that. I just can’t believe that it happened. That’s all I’m saying.”

“Well, believe it!”

He knelt beside her. Any other time his close proximity would have been disconcerting, but under the current circumstance, she was oblivious. “Look Syd, I promise you, I’ll get to the bottom of this.” His handsome face was a mixture of compassion and concern, causing tears to well in her eyes and trickle down her cheeks. Ever so softly, he touched her cheek andbrushed away a tear. Before she realized what was happening, his lips met hers in a tender kiss.

Without another word, he stood and left her office.

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