“Elijah, I’ll call you back.”
Thomas folded himself out of the small car and tossed his phone onto the seat as he raced to the town house’s entrance. “Darcy? Are you okay?”
The front door was wide open and inside was nothing but darkness. Thomas stumbled over the threshold. “Darcy?”
A scuffling of feet sounded from the back of the home and then there was silence. Thomas lunged forward, tripping over a mass in the middle of the floor. When he heard the whimpering noise below him, he realized it was Darcy. He spread his arms out over her to keep from landing on top of her.
“Someone’s here,” she whispered.
“I think they just left. Are you okay?”
“Yes, I was just knocked down.” Her voice sounded weak.
“Where’s the light switch?”
“It wasn’t working when I came in. They might have flipped the breakers, which are in the kitchen. All the way to the back,” she said. “Take my phone. It has a flashlight.”
Thomas groped around for her bag. “This is your bag, but it’s empty.”
“I guess whoever was here dumped it all out. Took something and ran.”
Thomas felt around the floor and finally wrapped his hands around her fancy smartphone. “How do I—”
“Swipe up,” she told him.
The bright flashlight illuminated the small entryway. Using its light, Thomas first checked Darcy. He slid his free arm under her shoulder and lifted her from the floor. She clung to him. He wanted to pull her tighter and take away all her pain and fear. He was starting now to understand her anger. She hadn’t asked for any of this. She hadn’t done anything to bring this threat to her doorstep. And yet, here was this horrible danger. And it was sounding more and more like Jesse was to blame for it.
“Here. Let’s get you to a more comfortable place,” he said.
“There’s a couch. This way,” she said, directing him.
He placed her down gently. “Whoever was here is gone now. But I’m sorry I didn’t walk in with you—”
“Don’t be,” she interrupted. “You were here when I needed you. That’s what matters.”
When she looked up at him with eyes of thankfulness, his heart melted. She was so beautiful. So strong and yet so vulnerable. He tore his eyes away. “I’ll go get that breaker.”
He followed her directions to the kitchen, making his way around strangely placed items and furniture. He flipped the switch and the home lit up with soft lighting throughout, revealing a scene of absolute devastation. Ransacked. He made his way back to Darcy, who was already tearing up. “I’m calling the police now.”
* * *
Darcy pulled herself up to a sitting position and swung her legs back around to the floor. Her home looked like a wreckage site. Chairs had been toppled over, drawers opened and emptied on the floor, the contents of closets strewn about. She could barely process it all. Thankfully, Thomas had known what to do. He had called the police and was talking to them now. He’d also called Elijah, who was on his way.
“Did you see who did this?” one of the officers asked Thomas.
“No. I could hear the intruder leaving by the time I came in.”
“And you, Miss Simmons? Can you describe the intruder?”
Darcy shook her head. “No. He was behind me and it was very dark. But it didn’t seem like he was alone. I think one of them had a gun to my neck.”
“And they left through the back door?”
“Yes.”
Darcy was growing tired. It was exhausting to have to answer questions about everything all over again. Thomas tried to intercept as many of the questions as he could. She was thankful for that.
“Miss Simmons, we are almost finished here, but since you’ve been part of the witness relocation program, you’ll have to wait for an agent from the US Marshals to arrive. They’ll take care of you.”
Darcy swallowed hard. She didn’t want to be taken care of. It seemed like the words were hardly out of the officer’s mouth before Agent Danvers was standing at her door.
Just like at the hospital, she came blustering in, taking over the questioning and ordering the local authorities around. Darcy almost felt sorry for them except that at least the agent’s attention was focused on them and what they were doing in her home, instead of on badgering or pressuring her.
“Elijah should be here soon. Blake is bringing him,” Thomas whispered to her. “They will take us back to Willow Trace.”
“You think their offer to stay at the clinic still stands?” She looked over at him. What would she have done through all of this without him?
“For sure.” Nodding, he smiled and the warmth in his expression spread all the way to her own lips, which she felt curl up into a grin.
She reached over and touched her hand to his. “Thank you. Thank you for all you’ve done. You and all of your friends.”
“The police are wondering what has been taken from your house. They want you to look around but I told them you couldn’t.”
“Darcy,” Agent Danvers said as she came up behind them. “Did your father give you anything? Did he tell you about your past or about his past? Did he ask you to do anything for him?”
“You’ve already asked her that.” Thomas stood and turned to face her.
Danvers took a step back. Darcy didn’t blame her. Thomas was physically intimidating, even to someone as tall and fit as she was.
“Mr. Nolt, I appreciate your...help. But I am going to need to get Miss Simmons to a secure facility.”
A secure facility? Darcy had been scared before, but it was nothing compared to the panic that rushed through her now. What is this lady saying? A new identity? Not yet. She wasn’t ready for that. Darcy dropped her head between her hands. The pain seemed to triple. “Right now? I thought I had more time.”
“Miss Simmons, surely this proves that you’re not safe. You need to leave with me. The sooner the better. I was trying to give you more time, but...well, it’s clearly too dangerous.”
“You don’t have to go with her,” Thomas whispered to Darcy.
Darcy shut her eyes tight. If she could have, she would have willed herself to disappear off the sofa and escape all of this. But wasn’t that what Agent Danvers was offering? So why not just go with her?
* * *
Thomas was glad to see Elijah and Blake pulling up behind the police cars in the complex’s parking lot. He hoped they could help convince Darcy not to go with Agent Danvers. Not now that they knew what Wissenberg was after. There was hope that they could get this figured out and everyone would be safe. Both Jesse and Darcy. Without anyone needing to start his or her life over. At least, it was worth a try. Maybe they needed to search Jesse’s cottage again. Maybe they needed to look at the letters Jesse had sent Darcy. But there were clues to follow—things they could do. He didn’t want her to go. What would he tell Jesse when he woke up if he had let his friend’s daughter walk away forever?
Thomas hated seeing Darcy struggle so with the decision. He supposed Danvers was doing her job, but she was such a bully. And he was certain that Blake and Abigail could keep Darcy safe for at least one more night. Thomas filled in his friends on what had happened and why Danvers was there.
“Well, I know how to put a stop to that,” said Blake. He stepped away and headed straight to the US Marshal.
“She’s in shock,” Blake declared. “You can’t expect her to make a life-altering decision like this in her condition.”
“This is exactly how these decisions are made,” the agent insisted. “If everything was all hunky-dory they wouldn’t need to be in the program.”
“She has a head injury and is under my care,” said Blake. “I will not release her over to any agency until she’s had further treatment and an exam.”
If Blake was bluffing, Thomas thought, he was doing a pretty good job of it. Thomas hoped it would work. He at least wanted to have the chance to tell her what Elijah had learned. She would want to know.
“And you are?” Agent Danvers lifted an eyebrow.
“Dr. Jamison, head of ER at Lancaster General,” Blake said.
“I thought Miss Simmons was released yesterday after I met with her,” she said.
“That is correct. However, we are waiting for some of the swelling to go down before doing a second exam,” Blake said.
“So you’re taking her back to Lancaster?”
“Yes,” said Blake.
Danvers sighed and dropped her arms to her sides. She turned to Darcy. “Then I’ll expect a call from you as soon as this exam is over. I’ll pick you up at the hospital.”
Darcy did not respond. She actually did look like she was in shock. Perhaps Blake’s words had been the truth.
Danvers took her leave in a mad rush. Her frustration seemed to be oozing from her hard glare at Thomas and his friends as she walked out. Thomas was not sorry she was leaving alone. Darcy didn’t belong with her. That he was sure of.
“I’m glad you got here when you did,” Darcy said. “Maybe I should go with her, but—”
“No. You shouldn’t. Not today, at least,” Elijah said.
“You have a better idea?” she asked, lifting a hand to her head.
Thomas smiled. His friend Elijah always had a better idea.
“Okay. Okay,” Blake said. “Clearly there are things we all need to discuss. But first let’s get Darcy some fluids. And by the looks of it, some pain meds.”
* * *
The medication Blake administered started to take the edge off her pain. Darcy was able to stand and gather a few personal belongings. She was so thankful she had stayed behind. Saved once again by her three musketeers of Willow Trace. They had even straightened up her town house a little. And she’d learned what Wissenberg was after and why. She even knew Jesse’s former name now. Finlay. Michael Finlay. And her mother had been Margaret Finlay. That would have been her last name, too. Not Simmons. She wondered what her own first name had been.
“Do you think anything is missing?” Thomas queried as he walked into her room. “I know you’ve been asked that a million times tonight, but Elijah says it’s really important and I figured maybe now you’ve had a chance to look around.”
“It’s a mess, but I don’t really notice that anything is gone. Certainly not any of the things a thief would usually target, like my computer or TV.” Darcy blinked and concentrated on his question. “But you’re asking about the things that Jesse gave me?”
He shrugged. “You were going to look for the letters.”
“Right.” She reached around her neck. The locket was still there. “The letters would be in the front hall. I kept them in a basket.”
He followed her to the foyer. The basket had been toppled. Some of its contents were on the floor. But no letters. Darcy crouched and looked around.
“Allow me.” Thomas swept the floor with his big arms. He pulled up a few bills, some junk mail and a magazine. But none of Jesse’s letters.
She opened the drawer to the console table. Empty.
“They’re gone. All of the letters Jesse wrote to me are gone.”