Page 9 of Out of the Shadows
“I’ll send you a bill,” Jack said with a smile.
Logan’s brows furrowed. “Of course.”
Sometimes, the brilliant Logan didn’t understand humor.
When Jack returned to the kitchen, Laura was gone. He stepped out back and found her unlatching the ramp to the chicken hutch. One by one, the chickens descended, until an impatient brown one jumped off.
The pen was secure from predators. Part of it sat beneath the squat, barn-like hutch. The rest provided space to roam roosting rods, and an awning for shade. Misters in the corner, off for now, would cool the air during sweltering Arizona days.
Laura scattered pellets and chunks of watermelon. The chickens rushed over, clucking all the way, and devoured their breakfast. Then she unlatched a side door and lifted it to reveal the nesting boxes. She filled a basket with at least twenty eggs.
“Need help?” Jack said.
“Coffee’s ready. I’ll be in shortly.”
The two Labs ran around Laura, then went off into the field behind the barn. A chunky beagle sat in the shade near the barn door, his tongue out.
“Laura, I know you don’t want to hear this, but you and your kids need to take precautions, until we can figure out if the break-in was an isolated incident, or if they still think you have something they want.”
“I can’t imagine they’ll be back. There’s nothing here for them.”
“You don’t know that.”
“What?” She waved her arms around to indicate her land. “I have horses and some equipment in the barn that they could have taken. They didn’t. They didn’t take any electronics or my shotgun. They went through mythings. It was a violation, but not a theft.”
“Then what were they looking for?”
“I don’t know!”
The chickens closest to Laura squawked and scattered.
She took a deep breath, slowly let it out. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. You have every right to be angry and scared.”
She didn’t say anything and he couldn’t read her expression. He hated that someone had shaken Laura and her family; he hoped he could find answers.
He said, “Do you mind if I look around the property?”
“Go ahead,” she said, putting the basket of eggs on a worktable and opening the barn doors. The smell of hay and horse wafted out, and several horses whinnied when Laura walked in.
While Jack walked around getting the lay of the land, he called Margo.
“Is our favorite gazillionaire alive and well?” Margo asked.
“He is. “His sister had a break-in last night.” Jack told her about the accident, the break-in, the lack of obvious motive.
“Hmm,” Margo said. “So you’re on babysitting detail?”
“For now. I’ll call in Lu to help. I need you to find out everything you can about Laura’s ex-husband, Charlie Barrett.”
“Think he’s behind it?”
“Doubtful, but he’s had some financial trouble in the past. Also, Logan is going to make a list of business concerns—anyone who might not be happy with his decisions, disgruntled employees, things like that.”
“Seems weak.”
“And we need to talk to Brittney.”
