Page 84 of Stormswept Colorado

My heart lodged in my throat.

I reacted with a heart to his message but didn’t write back, simply because I had no clue what to say. Instead, I squeezed my phone in my fist and held it to my chest.

Every time I left Colorado, I felt like I was leaving a piece of myself behind. Before, it was about Maisie. The O’Neal family. And that emptiness was still there right now, because I would never be able to participate in their lives as much as I’d have liked. Not if I wanted to keep the career I’d fought so hard to build.

But after this weekend, Hart County had carved another chunk out of me. The part that wished I was someone else.

A girl who belonged with a man like Teller Landry.

I wouldneverforget what we’d shared. He’d said he wouldn’t either.

But it would’ve been easier for us both if we did.

TWENTY-NINE

Teller

Two.Weeks.

Fourteen days.

No, make that fifteen days since I’d last seen Ayla. Today was a new day.

Work had been keeping me busy, at least physically. But that was no blessing. Another vandalism had occurred last night, this one on the outskirts of Silver Ridge.

I was sitting at a kitchen table across from Donna Zanetti, a young mother whose husband had gone to visit his sick father out of town. She had a baby carrier strapped to her chest with her six-month-old asleep inside.

“Take your time,” I said. “Tell me what happened.”

“I heard the noise at 2:15 in the morning. Breaking glass. I grabbed my phone first thing. Called 911.”

I reached across the table to place my hand on Donna’s arm, but that didn’t stop her trembling.

Susan had been on duty, and she’d made it here within ten minutes of the call. She’d called me after she confirmed that the suspect was gone and the scene was secure.

Donna rubbed her daughter’s back. “I stayed in my bedroom with the baby. She must’ve known something was wrong. She wascrying. And then I saw the shadow moving outside the bedroom door. I knew he was out there.”

Shit. This was much worse than any of the previous vandalisms around the county. No one else had reported that the culprit went inside an occupied house.

“Did he try to open the bedroom door?”

“I don’t think so. I had it locked anyway, since my husband is gone.”

“Was it one person? Could it have been more than one?”

“Definitely just one. I heard his footsteps.”

The vandal had left red graffiti in the shape of a flower on the outside of the house, exactly like the previous incidents. He’d broken windows and smashed some toys and equipment the family had left outside. Nothing was missing, either outside or inside the house. This hadn’t been a robbery.

This behavior was designed to scare the homeowners. Always women alone.

But actually going inside the home? That was new and extremely concerning.

“I never thought…” Donna shook her head. “I’ve heard about those other incidents lately, but I never…”

I patted her arm gently. “I know. That must’ve been terrifying. But we’re going to find who did this. We’ll have someone check for fingerprints and other forensic evidence. The sheriff’s office and the other departments around the county are involved in the investigation. We’re taking this very seriously.”

I finished interviewing Donna. Susan and our other officers wrapped up their photos and notes, and I had someone stay behind to wait for the crime scene techs. As a rural county, we didn’t employ any of our own. The forensics techs worked for the state and traveled to scenes in the region whenever they were needed.

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