Wow, simply wow. It had been a long, long time since Aubrey had been kissed, but she was pretty sure she’d never experienced anything like this before. Maybe it was because Jonah held her so carefully and treated her with such care. It only lasted a few seconds, but she was pretty sure she would still be feeling the impact for a long time.
Even after she broke off the kiss, Jonah continued to hold her. With her head tucked against his chest, Aubrey sensed he was smiling as he asked, “Well, should I apologize?”
That had her laughing. “Do you hear me complaining?”
“It was unprofessional.”
She was caught between him and the car, so she gave him a gentle push to give them each a little room to breathe. “Again, I won’t tell if you don’t.”
“Fair enough, but it probably shouldn’t happen again.”
“Ever?”
She’d meant that as a small tease, but Jonah evidently took it seriously. “That would be a real shame, but any kind of personal involvement would muddy the waters right now. I need a clear head if I’m going to protect you. And we both know that right now, you’re not safe.”
The flash of grief in his eyes was a powerful reminder that he was still dealing with the loss of his friend. Logic said that neither of them was at fault for what had happened to Marta or Gino, but they both still carried a burden of guilt from their loss.
She reached up to cup Jonah’s cheek. “Then we’ll revisit this moment when it’s safe. Until then, we should place our trust in God to see us both through this. With His help, we’ll both find peace and safety.”
Jonah closed his eyes as he leaned into her touch. “Amen, Aubrey. Amen.”
Then he stepped back. “We should get you inside. We both have work to do.”
She closed the garage door and let Jonah lead the way into the house. Once they were in the kitchen, she entered the code on the security system while Jonah did a quick scan of the kitchen, dining room and living room. “I’m sorry if it feels like I’m invading your privacy, but I should check the bedrooms, too.”
Having someone else go through her house like this wasn’t comfortable, but she knew she should let him do it for his peace of mind, as well as hers. “Do whatever you need to do.”
He was back within a few minutes. “Everything looks good. Is there anything else you’d like me to do before I leave?”
“No, I’m good.”
“What time are you leaving for work in the morning? I’ll come here, then follow you.”
She hated to ask him to do that but suspected she had little choice in the matter. “I have to be there by eight o’clock, so we should leave by seven thirty.”
“Got it. If I can’t make it for some reason, I’ll text you and ask a patrol officer to do the honors instead.”
Aubrey unlocked the front door for him. “I guess I’ll see you in the morning.”
He brushed a lock of her hair back away from her face. “Call if you need me.”
“I will.”
She watched and waved from the front window until he drove away.
The next morning, Jonah arrived at the diner twenty minutes late. He paused right inside the door to scan the crowd for George Swahn. As soon as he spotted him, he wended his way through the cluster of tables and chairs to a booth in the back next to the window.
“Sorry I’m late. I followed Aubrey Sims to school first, and traffic was worse than I expected.”
George had been about to take a drink of his coffee, but he set the mug back down on the table with a thud. “What’s happened now?”
Their server appeared before Jonah could answer. They waited to continue the conversation until after they’d given their orders. As soon as they were alone, Jonah launched into a summary of what had happened since they’d last spoken.
By the time he’d finished catching him up, George was looking pretty grim. “This guy is ramping up fast.”
Jonah nodded. “Yeah. He’s locked in on Aubrey as his target, but he’s not ready to make his final move quite yet. It’s impossible to know why that is. Maybe he gets off on having all of us running in circles or knowing that Aubrey is living in fear, never knowing when he’ll strike again.”
George had been taking notes, probably out of habit from when he’d been on active duty. He looked up from his notebook. “And the lab hasn’t been able to pick up anything useful from the original note, the coin or the spike?”
“Not so far. They didn’t get the tire until late yesterday, so I doubt they’d have had a chance to get to it as yet. I’m not holding out much hope, though.”
“How is Aubrey holding up? This has to be taking a toll on her.”
Jonah stared out the window, not wanting to look at the other man in case his expression would reveal more than he wanted it to. “She’s stronger than she looks. It’s amazing she’s doing as well as she is considering how little support she’s had from her family over the years.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Her parents were furious when I first showed up at their house to review the facts of the original incident in light of the new threat. They actually ordered me not to reopen the case and to stay away from their daughter. I happened to be at Aubrey’s house later that day when they showed up. They can’t understand why she can’t simply forget about what happened and move on. They won’t even let themselves believe there is any reason for concern. It’s like hiding their heads in the sand is the only way they can cope with any of this.”
That encounter hadn’t been fun for any of them, but he couldn’t help but admire the way Aubrey had stood up to her parents. “Aubrey fought back and then ordered them out of her house for insulting me. Like I said, she’s stronger than she looks.”
Their food arrived, interrupting their conversation again. Jonah took a few bites and then set down his fork. “I also talked to Ross Easton and the Pynes. Did you know that Ross used to stalk Aubrey?”
George looked up. “Seriously? She never mentioned that to me. Could he be behind this?”
“I don’t think so. He’s gotten sober in the interim. He also didn’t strike me as the kind of guy who would be an accomplished liar. When I told him there was a new threat to Aubrey, he seemed genuinely shocked and angry.”
They stopped talking long enough to finish their meals. As they relaxed and drank their coffee, Jonah said, “It wasn’t easy, but at least I’ve convinced Aubrey to take a leave of absence for the rest of the school year. She really wanted to finish out the last week with her students. I think she might have been having second thoughts about taking off work until she saw the tire last night. Knowing he followed her to school pretty much clinched the deal. I suggested she stay with her parents, but that was a definite no-go.”
George briefly grinned. “I’ve always known she was stubborn. Most people would’ve given up looking for answers years ago.”
“True enough. Did you know she hired multiple private investigators over the years to look into the case?”
“Yeah, although she never told me herself. A couple were former cops themselves and reached out to talk to me about the case. As far as I know, none of them found anything useful.”
“She gave me the files, but I haven’t had a chance to read through all of them yet. What I have read is pretty much what we already knew.”
“I could read the rest of them for you, or anything else that might help. My wife’s out of town visiting her sister for a week, so I’m free.”
That was just what Jonah had been hoping for. There were only so many hours in the day, and his gut feeling was that the hours before this guy struck again were ticking down rapidly. “That would be great. I’ve also been doing searches for similar cases over the past twelve years. Nothing local fits, so I need to search farther afield. I talked to the captain yesterday, and he said it was okay if I brought you on board if you were interested.”
“I’m in. Did you learn anything new from talking to Easton or Marta’s parents?”
Jonah flipped back through his own notes. “Yeah, actually I did. It’s likely nothing, but their stories don’t line up on one small detail. I asked Ross what he could remember about what the girls were involved in back then, other than going to class. He mentioned that Marta had a job at the college library she would have had to quit at the end of the term because she was leaving to study abroad. But when I went over the same info with her folks, they insisted she’d already left her job before she was abducted. Evidently something happened that caused her to quit sooner than expected, but why Ross wouldn’t have known or remembered that, I don’t know.”
George frowned. “Funny, I don’t remember anyone mentioning any of that in the original reports.”
“They didn’t. Maybe there’s nothing to it, but it makes me wonder how they missed it.”
“Does Aubrey know anything about it?”
Chagrined, Jonah shrugged. “I haven’t asked her. With everything that’s happened, I haven’t had a chance. I will when I see her later today.”
Back at the station, they got started on the files Aubrey had given Jonah. For the most part, they didn’t contain anything that they didn’t already know. Frustrating, but not surprising.
Jonah stood up and stretched. “I need to walk around a little to stretch my leg.”
George gave him a considering look. “How’s the knee?”
“Actually, better than I thought it would be, especially after changing Aubrey’s tire last night.” He picked up his coffee mug. “I’m going to go top off my coffee. Want some?”
“Sure. One sugar, no creamer.”
When Jonah returned, George was leaning back in his chair, his fingers entwined behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling. “I’ve been thinking about what happened in that parking lot. It could’ve been a random act, but I don’t think so. Not when that’s how the original kidnapper immobilized Aubrey’s car twelve years ago.”
He glanced at Jonah. “Here’s the thing. The original investigators were pretty much split down the middle on whether the guy picked those two girls at random or if he’d gone after one or both of them for a specific reason. Without any proof either way, that line of investigation never went anywhere.”
“But you’re thinking that if the same guy has spiked Aubrey’s tire again, either she or Marta was probably targeted. If so, he probably hung around last night in case he could grab Aubrey again while no one was around.”
George sat up straight again. “Yeah, seems likely. The question is, how did he know that she would work later than usual yesterday? Because even if he’d somehow managed to sabotage her tire during the day without being seen, there would have been too many people around to snatch her out of the parking lot if she’d left at her regular time.”
Jonah sat down and rubbed his aching leg. “What’s more, he also couldn’t have known that she’d have someone watching her as she left the building, or that I was coming to follow her home.”
“Well, unless he was watching from somewhere close by.”
“The school is on a side street, but it’s only a block or so away from the main drag. Most of the staff get off work by four o’clock, and Aubrey left the building a little after six. That means the tire was most likely slashed in between those hours. I’ll see if there’s any traffic cameras in that area and get any video that covers that time period.”
“Good idea. If you do manage to get video, let me know. That’s something else I can help with.”
“Not that I’m not grateful for the assistance, but didn’t you retire to get away from all this?”
If anything, the other man looked even more determined. “I told you before I left that certain cases will hit you harder, especially the ones where you never get justice for the victims. This is one of them.”
He paused to point at some of the other files on Jonah’s desk. “If we can finally catch the guy who did this, I’m thinking it will make it easier for me to live with all those other unsolved cases. That’s because it will give me hope someone, someday will find the answers for those, too. The bottom line is that I’m yours as long as you need me.”
“Fair enough.”
Jonah understood all too well what George was telling him. He was also thankful for the older man’s advice. He’d been praying for God’s guidance ever since Gino died. Maybe He had led Jonah to cross paths with both George and Aubrey, knowing having them in his life would help ease the burden of Gino’s death. He liked to think so.
He checked the time. “I’ll need to leave in half an hour to follow Aubrey home from work. I’m not sure how long I’ll be gone.”
“No sweat. If I run across anything important, I’ll call you. Tell Aubrey that I said hi.”
“I will.”
The day had been a long one. The kids in her class had been upset when she explained that it was going to be their last day with her as their teacher. At least the sub who had been assigned to the class was familiar to them. Mrs. Denisi had come in to spend the afternoon with Aubrey and her students to help smooth the transition. Between the two of them, they’d finished the day’s lessons with enough time left over for a small goodbye party. Aubrey hadn’t wanted to stop at the store on the way to work, so she’d had some treats delivered to the office.
The kids and Mrs. Denisi had left for the day, leaving Aubrey alone to finish a few odds and ends before locking up. She’d already texted Jonah to say she was ready to go home.
She locked up and headed for the office to check in with the school secretary and Principal Peale, if he was available. Viola came around the counter to hug Aubrey. “When things settle down, we’ll get together for coffee. I’ll expect a full explanation as to how you met that good-looking guy you’ve been keeping secret from me.”
It still hurt to lie to her friend, but there was no way she wanted to entangle anyone else in her situation. “Give me a couple of weeks. I’ll even spring for some of those chocolate pastries you like so much.”
“It’s a deal.”
Aubrey nodded toward Lyle’s office. “Is he around? I wanted to check in with him on my way out.”
“No, he’s at the district office. You know how it is at this time of the year. Nothing but meeting after meeting. I’ll let him know that you tried.”
Viola stopped to glance through the window that faced the school entrance. Her expression turned a bit wicked. “Speaking of your fellow, he just walked into the building. I have to admire your taste in men. Such bright blue eyes and that blond hair...not to mention those broad shoulders. He’s a real cutie. It makes me wish I was twenty years younger and single.”
Aubrey snickered. “You’re not wrong about him, but you’ve got your own guy. You’d never trade David in for another model.”
“No, I wouldn’t, and I’m grateful for each and every one of the thirty years we’ve had together. Now, you get going. Don’t keep the man waiting.”
“See you soon.”
Aubrey joined Jonah out in the hall. “Thanks for coming inside. I have to admit that I was a bit reluctant to walk out to the parking lot alone today.”
“No problem. I thought you might need help carrying all your stuff out to the car since it’s your last day.”
“It’s already in my trunk. I got a couple of friends to help carry everything out during lunch today.”
As they walked out and started toward the parking lot, he studied their surroundings, watching for any possible threats. He paused to give her a sympathetic look. “I know turning your class over to someone else is probably hard for you, but it really is the best thing for both you and your class under the circumstances.”
“I know. At least it’s almost summer anyway, and it helps knowing that I’ll be back in the fall.”
“That makes sense.” He glanced at her again. “By the way, George Swahn asked me to say hi for him. He and I had breakfast this morning after I followed you to work. Then he insisted on coming into the office to go through the files you gave me.”
She winced. “Is that going to get him in trouble with Mrs. Swahn?”
“I wondered the same thing, but evidently she’s out of town visiting her sister.”
They’d reached her car. Before letting her get near it, Jonah did a quick inspection to make sure there weren’t any more unpleasant surprises. “All clear.”
“Good. I’ll see you at the house?”
“Yep, and I’ll check inside the house for you again.”
“I appreciate it,” she said, allowing her gaze to linger on his face for a second too long. She mentally checked herself and got into her car before he could see the blush rapidly spreading across her cheeks.
Once they got to her place, Jonah made good on his promise to do a quick walk-through of the house. After he gave it the all clear, it took them several trips to carry everything she’d brought home from school inside. She dumped all of it on the dining room table to sort through later after Jonah left. It would give her something to do other than worry.
As soon as he drove away, she did her own inspection. It wasn’t as if she didn’t think he’d done a thorough job, but old habits died hard. As soon as she’d reassured herself that all was as it should be, she went online and ordered groceries. She was low on a few things, and she’d promised Jonah she’d handle her errands remotely as much as possible.
With that done, there was one more thing to take care of before she settled in for the evening. She had a few flowerpots on the front porch and a couple on the small patio in the back that needed watering; the sprinkler system took care of the rest.
She waved at her neighbors as she watered the plants in front. Since there were several people within sight, she took advantage of the opportunity to spend a little more time outside pulling a few weeds. She had just finished when her phone rang. Seeing it was her mother, she answered it as she let herself back into the house.
“Hi, Mom. What’s up?”
“Dad and I haven’t seen you since...well, when we had to cut the visit short. We’ve missed you and were wondering if you’d like to come over for dinner one night next week after you get off work.”
Heading for the bathroom to wash her hands, Aubrey considered how much, if anything, she should tell her folks about what was really going on. The truth would only upset them, but she thought it would hurt them even more to learn that she was keeping secrets from them—especially the potentially life-threatening kind.
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea, Mom.”
Nothing but silence.
“Mom?”
“What’s happened now, Aubrey?”
She hated the fear in her mother’s voice. “First of all, I’m fine, and Detective Kelly is working hard to make sure I stay that way,” she said as she washed her hands in the sink, the cell phone tucked between her shoulder and her ear. “With that in mind, we decided I should take a few precautions. He suggested I stick close to home as much as possible, so I’ve taken a leave of absence from school. I’ll be temporarily ordering my groceries online. Stuff like that.”
That went over as well as she had expect it to, judging by the anger in her mother’s voice. “Which means there’s more going on than you’ve bothered to tell us.”
Aubrey dried her hands and walked back into her bedroom, wishing she had easy answers for her mother that wouldn’t set off another firestorm. But as she was debating what to say next, she saw something that made her heart turn over in her chest. She took a step closer the window on the far wall to make sure of what she was seeing and then went into full panic.
Someone had paid her another visit, this time armed with a can of spray paint.
“Look, Mom, something’s just come up. I need to hang up, but I’ll try to call you later.”
Her poor mother was still sputtering in protest as Aubrey disconnected the call. Meanwhile, her knees were shaking so badly that she had to lean against the wall for support as she called Jonah, counting the seconds until he answered.
“Aubrey, what’s happened?”
“He left me another message. Spray-painted it on the outside of my bedroom window. The words were written backwards, so I could read them from inside. The paint is still dripping down the glass.”
“What’s it say?”
“You can run, but you can’t hide.”
“I’m on my way.”