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“So, you’re going to be our protector,” Bettye said, nodding her head. “We’ll explain all of this to Mrs. C in the morning. She’ll certainly agree that this is the safest place for both of you right now.”
“I don’t want to put you or her in any danger, Granny,” Alisha said. “This is just for a couple of days.”
“Until after Christmas,” Bettye said. “Remember, you have the whole week off.”
“Maybe until the New Year,” Nathan repeated again.
“I hope it won’t take that long,” Alisha replied, a stubborn glint in her green eyes.
“No matter,” her feisty grandmother replied. “As you know, Alisha, the center will be closed for the next few days and we have lots of baking to do and packages to wrap. We go visiting the Amish during Christmas. You can help with all of that.”
“Okay, Granny,” Alisha said. But her voice held little enthusiasm. She would work day and night to solve this thing.
“I’ll take a room in the main house,” Nathan said to Bettye. “But at least I’ll be on the premises.”
“I feel better already,” Bettye replied. “Now, let’s get you both settled in. I’m sure you are exhausted. We’ll continue this discussion in the morning.” Getting up, she added, “You two must not have been hungry.”
“I’ll save my cookie for later,” Nathan said.
“I’m sorry, Granny. Hard to eat.” Alisha took her own sandwich to the sink. “I’ll do the dishes and then I’m going to my room.”
Nathan lifted his eyebrows, questioning.
“Relax,” Alisha said. “My room is right across from Granny’s. This place has three bedrooms. The big suite where Mrs. Campton stays and two smaller bedrooms across the hallway, with a bath and small sitting room between them.”
“It’s quite cozy,” Bettye said with a shrug.
“Yeah, cozy. I vaguely remember the layout.” Nathan thought of all the things that could go wrong. “Do I need a key or a code to get to the main house?”
“I’ll show you,” Alisha said, her tone anxious.
“I’ll wait here then,” Bettye said, her grandmotherly gaze taking in all the undercurrents flowing around them. “Then we’ll lock up tight.”
Nathan nodded and thanked Bettye for the food. “I’ll be close if you need anything.”
Remembering the house from his time here before, Nathan guided Alisha to the glass door that led to the enclosed breezeway, where two rows of windows provided views of the big front yard and the sprawling tree-lined backyard and lighted pool area.
“Too many windows,” he said, holding her elbow while he scanned their surroundings.
“I’ve never worried about that before,” Alisha admitted. “Granny will feel better, having you close by.”
They made it to the matching set of doors on the other side of the breezeway, bypassing wicker chairs and tall parlor ferns.
Alisha keyed in the code and the doors clicked open. Then they moved into the upper hallway of the estate house, now a center to help the Amish and anyone else who didn’t have the money to pay for doctors, lawyers and counselors.
“The elevator is to the left if you ever need it,” Alisha reminded him, her words echoing over the big upstairs floor. Then she pointed to the right. “There are two bedrooms on the front of the house. And two more on the back. The master is up here on the other side down another hallway. It faces the backyard. We put mothers with children in there.”
“I’ll take one to the front,” he said, “since the back should be fairly secure, but the front yard could be compromised.”
Alisha nodded and took him to a bedroom that had a direct view to the street and to the carriage house. The yard was well lit, at least.
“Sheets and towels are in the linen closet in the bathroom,” she said, pointing to the adjoining door. Then she turned at the main door. “I guess I’ll see you in the morning.”
Nathan reached for her arm. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
Alisha nodded but he could see the fatigue and worry shadowing her eyes. “I’m good now that I’m here. I doubt I’ll sleep but I’ll be okay.”
“I can walk you back across,” he offered.
“You don’t need to do that.”
“I’ll go as far as the doors to the breezeway, to be sure.”
She nodded and they walked back up the hallway together.
“This is an amazing house,” he said once they’d reached the breezeway.
Alisha nodded. “The Camptons founded this town over a century ago. It’s sad to think the Admiral and Mrs. Campton lost their only son Edward. He was killed in Afghanistan. He was a navy SEAL.”
“I’ve heard about him,” Nathan replied. “I still have friends around here who tell me the latest news.”
“And family?”
Her question threw Nathan. They never discussed the past.
“A few,” he said. “My parents will always be here.”
He was about to tell her good-night when he heard a noise outside and then saw a flash of light.
Without thinking, he pushed Alisha down beneath the windows and went with her, shielding her.
“Someone is in the front yard,” he whispered, his heart hammering. “Don’t move.”
Alisha nodded. “Granny—”
Nathan put a finger to her lips, his grip on her so tight he felt her heart beating against his. “I’m going to check it out. You stay right here.”
Alisha gave him a wide-eyed frown. “Nathan, don’t do that.”
When they heard another noise, he gave her a quick nod.
“If I’m not back in five minutes, call 911, okay?”
Then he turned and headed back across the breezeway so he could sneak out the garage door downstairs, the beat of Alisha’s heart still racing through his pulse.
If these goons had found her here this quickly, how did he have any chance of protecting her and keeping her alive?
FOUR
Alisha huddled underneath the windows, the cold floor making her shiver while fear for Nathan made her shudder. Should she go after him? Alert her grandmother? Find a weapon?
Granny. What if someone hurt her grandmother?
Deciding a weapon would be good, just in case, she hurried back into the big, dark house and went to the master bedroom. Moving past the eerie glow of all the sconces, she stood at the bedroom door and spotted the big fireplace inside. Then she hurried to find the fire poker.
The wieldy iron poker in her hands, she slipped to the windows lining the room and checked the sloping backyard. Shadows cascaded out over the grass and shrubs to reveal a quiet stillness. The yellow glow of the security lamps gave her courage. But she needed to get back to the front of the house and check on her grandmother and Nathan. Had it been five minutes?
Alisha moved quickly back up the wide hallway, going past the stairs. When she heard a noise coming from the front yard, she stopped. Should she go down or call 911?
Before she could decide, a strong arm pulled her close. She tried to scream but the sound caught in her throat. Then a hand clamped down over her mouth and a man breathed close.
Frantic, she tried to raise the poker.
“Be still and don’t make a sound.”
Nathan.
He released her and touched his finger to her lips. Then he whispered close. “I’ve got this.”
Relieved but wanting to kick him for scaring her, Alisha whispered, “Who was out there?”
“Carson,” he said. “He was done with the search and decided to drive by to see if we’d made it here safely. But he did spot a prowler. We met up in the front yard. He’s still out there rattling around.”
“Why didn’t you just say that instead of scaring me?”
“I didn’t want to startle you and cause you to scream.”
“What makes you think I’d scream?”
“Why didn’t you stay put?”
Tired and still shaking, she glowered at him. “I went to get this,” she said, holding up the poker. Her hand shook so she held it down again.
Nathan’s frown darkened. “I told you to stay where you were.”
“I was worried about you and my grandmother. I had to do something.” Then she checked him over. “What happened?”
“I’m fine. The prowler ran away and got in a vehicle about a block from here. Carson’s off-duty, working on his own time to see if he can find any prints.”
He took the poker from her. “Are you all right?”
Nodding, she turned toward the breezeway. “I need to check on Granny.”
“I went over there when I couldn’t find you,” he said. “Her door is closed. The lower door is still locked. Everything’s okay over there.”
Nathan’s phone buzzed. “Carson, all clear inside. I’ll meet you at the front door.”
Alisha followed Nathan down the stairs and put in the code to unlock the door.
The deputy came in, shivering and nodding. “So we had a visitor.”
“Yep.” Nathan turned to Alisha. “Alisha, this is my friend Deputy Carson Benton.”
Alisha shook the man’s hand, noticing he was about the same age as Nathan but his hair was clipped and close-cut and he was built like a linebacker. “Thank you for all of your help, Deputy Benton.”
“Call me Carson,” the deputy said with a smile. “Nasty business, but we’ll get things going. The town police will want to get your statement, Miss Braxton. We can do that in the morning.” Then he glanced toward Nathan. “And we can talk more in the morning. I want to help but I’ll need information.”
“Why not now?” Alisha said. “I can’t sleep and it’s quiet here. We can go in the office.”
Carson’s stern expression never changed but his gaze moved to Nathan. Did he have to get the PI’s approval? “I’ll need to call the officers who worked the scene where your car went over. They’ll be the ones working this side of the case.”
“I would expect all of you to follow proper protocol,” Alisha replied, daring Nathan to argue with her.
“You heard the woman,” Nathan said. Then he turned to Alisha. “I know you’re antsy but you’re gonna crash and burn if you don’t get some rest.”
“I want to find these killers,” she replied, moving ahead of them. But she couldn’t deny that she was sinking fast. Turning at the stairs leading down, she waited. “The sooner I get this report done, the sooner I can rest.”
Carson shook his head and shrugged at Nathan. “We all agree on that.” He walked aside to call in one of the officer who’d been on the scene earlier.
Alisha motioned them along the downstairs central hall. Soon they were settled in the big office that used to belong to Admiral Campton. She kept the blinds closed and turned on a desk lamp while she wondered if someone could still be lurking around out there.
Once the other officer arrived, they all sat down across from the desk, quiet and observant until they got down to business.
Officer Cantor looked sleepy, his salt-and-pepper hair thick and unruly. “Once I take your statement, I can work with the state police to get on with this investigation. They’ll put out an APB on the vehicle Nathan described, the same one you saw. The Philly police issued a BOLO on the two suspects who are now wanted for the double homicide that you witnessed and for murdering a police officer and injuring another one, and for your attempted murder. We’ve got men searching the woods but I have to believe whoever showed up here tonight had to have been one of those men. Or both.”
“They might not even realize we came here since my truck is hidden in the garage,” Nathan said. “Maybe they were looking to steal a ride.”
“Or finish the job,” Carson pointed out.
“So let’s start at the beginning,” Officer Cantor said. “I know you told the LEOs back in Philadelphia what happened but whatever information you can give the town police will help them to coordinate with Philly to make sure we’re after the same driver and shooter, got it?”
Alisha nodded. “I’m a lawyer. I’ve got it.”
Carson’s appreciative glance eased her worries a little. She had to wonder what Nathan had told his friend about her. She wondered about a lot of things regarding Nathan Craig. He was back in her world in a big way so she needed to handle this with a logical approach. Not a good time to get all tangled up in the past and what might have been.
For the next few minutes, she talked about what had happened hours ago in Philadelphia. When she was finished, she had no energy left. Retelling the horror of watching two people die had outdone her.
Nathan held up his hand. “That’s enough for now. Alisha needs to get some rest. I’ll stand guard.”
“You need to sleep, too,” she said, glad he was here but still holding out reservations on how this was going to work.
“I don’t sleep much,” he said, his tone quiet, his eyes shuttered.
“Okay.” His friend stood and crossed his arms over his chest while Officer Cantor gathered his things. “You two work out the details on who’s more tired and I’ll get back with you tomorrow to see how you’re doing.”
Alisha didn’t argue. “Thank you, Deputy Benton and Officer Cantor.” Then she added, “You’ll probably hear from the Philadelphia FBI field office. I’m more than willing to talk to them, too.”
“We can arrange that,” Officer Cantor said. “Bring you into the station.”
Nathan walked them to the side door and then came back to where she stood in the hallway. “Okay, upstairs. You need sleep.”
Alisha wanted to fuss at him but fatigue made her dismiss that idea. She had a feeling they’d have lots of discussions before this was over.
When would it be over?
Nathan walked her back to the upstairs door to the carriage house. “Alisha.”
“I’m all right, Nathan. I just want a shower and sleep.”
“Okay.” He turned to go across the breezeway, but pivoted to stare outside, checking. “It’s snowing,” he said.
Alisha looked through the windows on both sides of the wide room. “So it is. I used to stand here on nights like this, waiting for the snow to fall. This has always been a beautiful place, the one place where I felt loved and happy.”
“Alisha,” he said again, something raw in the way he said her name. “I know you don’t want me here but... I can’t leave now. This is dangerous, too dangerous. You have to know that we might not be able to stay here.”
“I might not be able to stay here,” she retorted, her heart battling a mighty war. “You can go on about your business.”
“No, I can’t,” he said, his tone sharp. “I’m in it now. They know my vehicle and they must know I brought you here.”
What if they hurt Nathan? She hadn’t considered that he was in trouble, too. “I shouldn’t have involved you. I wasn’t thinking straight.”
“I don’t mind being involved and I want to find these people, same as you. We have to work together and that means we might have to leave together.”
So he could protect her and seek justice, not because he wanted to be near her. She wished she’d never called him. “But we don’t know who was out there in the yard.”
“Yes, we do. They sent someone here because they know everything about you now. The minute you looked into that hit man’s eyes, they started digging and now you’re on their list.”
“So you believe this was a professional hit?” She’d suspected that herself.
He lifted his chin. “The way you described it, the way they came after you, yes. It had to be.”
Alisha leaned against the door jamb. “This is bad. I should have left and gone far away from here.”
“But you didn’t. I’m glad you didn’t. Now I can help you and protect you... That is, if you let me.”
With that he turned and went to the other side of the rambling old house.
Alisha shivered and closed the door between them, thinking there was a lot more between them than just a hallway in a house.
More like a lifetime of regret and longing across a broken bridge that couldn’t be mended.
God, if you had to send me a hero, thank you for sending this one. Even if I didn’t want him here. Thank You, Lord.
With that prayer centered in her head, she went into the tiny room with the window alcove she’d always loved, showered, threw on some old pajamas then sprawled across the purple chenille spread her grandmother had turned down.
And promptly fell into a troubled, nightmarish sleep.
Nathan sat in a chair by the window in the room across the house from Alisha, his eyes burning from fatigue while he noticed every little thing in the muted darkness below. The snow silenced most of the noises, but years of stakeouts and doing surveillance that kept him up in the wee hours made him tense and alert. He’d told Alisha the truth. He never slept well.
While he sat in the shadows, he remembered the girl he’d fallen in love with. He’d been willing to give up his way of life for this girl but as it turned out, he’d had to give up the Amish community for another reason. That reason had opened a chasm between Alisha and him, all of their dreams shattered and broken in one long horrible night.
A night so different from this one but full of the same kind of fear and angst.
Summer. With a full moon and the world at his feet.
Sitting there, he drifted into sleep, his memories an aching reminder of the family he’d left behind. Just a few miles from here but so far away.
He thought of Alisha with her long golden-brown hair and bright green eyes, laughing in the wind, her sundress long and flowing. He’d been out in the garden right here helping his father work the soil and plant a butterfly garden for Mrs. Campton. Alisha had been visiting her grandmother and she’d been sitting by the pool, reading a book but also watching them at work.
He’d met her briefly once before when her grandmother had come calling at his family’s house. And he’d never forgotten looking into her pretty eyes.
Now she was staring at him, smiling at him.
After he’d clumsily dropped a whole crate of plants and sent dirt flying everywhere, she’d hopped up to help him salvage what he could before his father saw what had happened. They’d become fast friends and Nathan had gone home with a big crush on a girl he was forbidden to like.
“You’re different, Nathan. You’re like no one I’ve ever met.”
He’d felt the same about her. Always.
We were so young and carefree that summer.
And so naive.
Nathan came awake with a start. Had he heard something outside? Or had he been dreaming?
Standing, he grunted in pain, every muscle in his body protesting. Wiping at his eyes, he noticed the time on his watch. Four in the morning. He’d slept in this cushioned chair for over an hour.
Wide awake now, he studied the front yard and saw that it was now covered in snow. No alarms had sounded and the motion-detection lights hadn’t triggered.
He was imagining things.
But his gut told him to be cautious so he washed his face and decided he’d do a walk through the old house and wait for the sun to come up.
For good measure, he grabbed his weapon. He’d been licensed to carry a concealed weapon for years now but he rarely had to use the thing. Still, he’d learned that being out alone in the wee hours could be dangerous.
He padded in his socks up the wide upstairs hallway, the wooden floors creaking here and there underneath his weight.
He made it to the master bedroom and took his time checking on the backyard. It stretched like a white blanket down to the deep creek that ran through this town. He remembered swimming and fishing in that creek with his younger siblings.
“Tag, you’re it.”
“I’ll find you,” Nathan would call to his two younger brothers. He’d always been the one who looked after the kinder.
Then he thought of Hannah.
“Nathan, do not leave us. We love you. You must not leave. What about me, Nathan? I won’t have my big brother. Don’t go. Please don’t go.”
Tears formed in his eyes. He’d left his little sister crying. “I’ll find you, Nathan. I’m come and bring you home.”
Only she’d become the one who’d never returned.
Too many thoughts crowding his mind. He’d never planned to be back here under these circumstances.
Nathan turned back and went downstairs, amazed at the size of this mansion. He checked two other bedrooms and then moved toward the large den where a massive fireplace took center stage. Beyond the den with all of the family portraits and fancy trinkets and treasures, he saw the sunroom that formed a rectangle at the back of the house.
More windows here, rows and rows of them, with two sets of French doors leading out to the terrace and a huge pool that was covered for winter.
The yard looked the same from the lower floor, white and stark against the security lights. But he knew a criminal could be hiding out there, alarms or no alarms.
He headed to the front of the house and went to the dining room window to peek through the heavy curtains.
Then he saw something that had him on high alert again.
A fresh set of heavy footprints had marred the beauty of the new-fallen snow. Someone has passed through the front yard while he’d been moving through the house.
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