Following the Evidence

lion’s share portion of his estate.
It’d taken only one meeting at the lawyer’s office to understand why Uncle Jeb hadn’t left the property he loved so much to his son. Owen bounced from odd job to odd job, from girlfriend to girlfriend and spent most of his time with his hand around a liquor bottle. It would’ve taken him a few months to destroy what Jeb had spent a lifetime building.
Owen hadn’t taken the news well. Her cousin had flown into a screaming rage at the lawyer’s office. Shortly after Emma moved into Uncle Jeb’s home, the hang-up phone calls began. Flowerbeds were destroyed and patio furniture broken. Minor annoyances became increasingly frightening when the phone calls took a more threatening tone and someone attempted to poison Sadie. After that, Emma reported it all to the sheriff’s office. Her complaint hadn’t been taken seriously.
Would Owen go so far as to break into her house in the middle of the night? She feared he might.
She entered Lily’s room. The glow from the night-light glimmered off the little girl’s hair and the curve of her cheek. Emma picked up her daughter, nestling the child’s face against her shoulder. Lily stirred but, thankfully, remained sleeping. As silent as a shadow, Emma flew to her sister-in-law’s room.
“Vivian,” she hissed.
The other woman muttered something in her sleep. Emma placed Lily down gently on the bed before shaking Vivian awake. When her sister-in-law opened her eyes, Emma held a finger to her lips. “I think someone’s in the house.”
Vivian’s eyes widened and her body went stiff.
“Take Lily into the bathroom and lock the door.” Emma pressed her cell phone into Vivian’s hand. “Speed Dial 1 is the sheriff’s office. Deputies are on the way, but you should call them again.”
Vivian grabbed her wrist. “Where are you going?”
“To check it out.” Emma secretly hoped whatever had caused Sadie’s reaction wasn’t cause for serious alarm, but she wasn’t taking any chances.
Vivian’s gaze dropped to the Taser in Emma’s hand. “Please...be careful.”
Emma gave a sharp jerk of her head. “Bathroom.”
Vivian flew into motion. Within moments, the bathroom door clicked closed. Before leaving Vivian’s bedroom, Emma rested her hand against Sadie’s head. The dog’s fur was soft against her fingertips. Sadie glanced at her and Emma could almost hear the animal’s thoughts. Take me with you.
“Stay,” Emma whispered. “Guard.”
If there was an intruder in the house and he managed to get past Emma, he would have to go through Sadie to hurt Lily or Vivian. The Labrador would fight to the death to protect her family—especially Lily. She’d been trained to.
Emma slipped out into the hall on silent footsteps. Her heart pounded against her rib cage. Possibilities played in her mind, the images flashing like her own personal scary movie. She was no innocent country girl—she knew full well the horrors people could inflict on one another. As a search-and-rescue volunteer, she’d seen it up close and personal.
Father, please help me be strong. Give me the ability to protect my family if necessary.
She paused at the top of the stairs. Her senses were on high alert. Warm, moist air washed over her and the rain seemed louder, like a door or window was open. She swallowed hard and gripped the Taser a bit tighter before edging her way down the staircase.
Bang!
She jumped and bit back a shriek. Her hands went numb. The wind screamed through the house, rattling the windowpanes.
Bang. Bang.
Trembling, she took a deep breath and rounded the banister. The sound was coming from the kitchen. She raced down the dark hall, her slippers silent against the wood floor. She paused at the entrance to the kitchen and peeked around the doorframe.
One of the large glass panes on her bay window was broken, the shards scattered across the tile floor. The wind screeched again, rocking a cabinet door forward before slamming it closed. Water from the rain mixed with the glass on the floor. Was that...?
She stepped forward and caught a glimpse of leaves on the floor. A tree branch.
Heady relief washed over her. No one had broken into the house. The storm’s high winds had simply thrown a branch through the glass. She lowered the Taser. A streak of lightning lit up the kitchen, making it as bright as midday. Emma saw them a fraction too late.
Muddy boot prints.
Something moved out of the corner of her eye. Emma spun. The Taser flew from her hand and a cookie jar on the counter shattered as the intruder tackled her.
The storm was a bad one.
Sheriff Reed Atkinson sat in his favorite chair on the screened-in porch and watched the rain batter against the barn. Wind whipped tree branches back and forth, the thunder so loud it vibrated in his chest. Lightning bolted from the sky, striking a nearby tree. Reed sucked in a breath as a limb cracked. It crashed to the ground, narrowly missing the barn’s roof by inches.
Close. Too close. He made sure there weren’t lingering sparks, but the rain drenched any fire before it could start. Reed settled back in his chair. He checked the time. A little after one in the morning.
He’d already called the sheriff’s department and placed himself on reserve. The standard units were working, but with a night like this, sometimes an extra hand or two became necessary. Everything was quiet when he spoke to his dispatch operator, Mona, and he hoped it stayed that way.
Still, he couldn’t manage to sleep. Insomnia and Reed were old friends, albeit grudgingly.
The anniversary of Bonnie’s disappearance was this month. His sister had been gone for a year, and there hadn’t been a single phone call or email from her. Not even a letter. Her social security number hadn’t been used, her bank accounts and credit cards remained untouched. Reed had been a cop long enough to know her case probably wasn’t going to have the happy ending he wanted.
Yet, there was a niggle of hope he couldn’t snuff out that she was alive. It’s what