Chapter Thirteen

Kate sank to her knees simply because they refused to hold her up. The gravelly voiced threat still echoed in her head. She hadn’t gotten a good look at him; actually, she hadn’t seen him at all.

He’d made her open the passenger-side door to get her handbag and then left her there, facing away from him the entire time, while he’d disappeared into the woods behind her.

Holding on to the car door, she managed to get to her feet and then fold herself into the passenger’s seat. But that was about as much as she could manage.

She needed to call the sheriff. Unfortunately, her cell phone was still in her bag. Okay, Kate, think. Just turn the car around and go back to the campground. You can use the phone there.

But that would mean getting out and walking around to the driver’s side or scooting over, neither of which she could do at the moment. Still, she had to do something. She reached over for the keys, but they weren’t in the ignition. She realized she must have taken them out when she got out of the car. Please tell me I didn’t put the keys in my bag.

With shaky hands, she reached into her jacket pocket.

“Thank you.” She breathed a prayer of relief. Keys in hand, Kate moved over into the driver’s seat.

She jammed the keys into the ignition, then stopped as headlights appeared behind her.

What now? She was tempted to put the Honda in drive and tear out. In the rearview mirror, she saw Lars step out of his Jeep and come toward her.

“His appointment.” She released the breath she’d been holding. “Thank God.” Kate rolled down the window.

“Are you having car trouble?” Lars rested his hands on the window ledge.

“N-no.” She told him about the man who’d robbed her. “I probably should have kept going, but I felt sure I’d hit something, or someone. I had to make sure.”

“I’m so sorry, Kate. Hold on a sec; I’ll put in a call to Sheriff Roberts.” Lars unclipped his cell phone from his belt.

She could hear Lars putting in the 911 call. In the side mirror, she watched him walk back to his Jeep and pull something out of the back. She was shaking now and felt light-headed. She leaned back against the seat and closed her eyes.

Lars opened her door and held open a blanket, which he tucked around her. “You look like you might be going into shock.” He adjusted the seat back down as far as it would go.

“I’m okay.” Her teeth began chattering. “J-just a little c-cold. T-thank you.”

“The sheriff is on his way.”

Kate just nodded.

“Do you want me to call Paul?” Lars asked.

Yes. “Uh, no. He’s out of t-town on a retreat. No n-need to bother him. I’ll be all r-right.”

AN HOUR LATER Kate sat in front of her stone fireplace in her warm and comfortable home, holding a mug of hot chocolate. She had finally stopped shaking, but her hands were still cold.

Thanks to Sheriff Roberts, Livvy was at the house when they’d arrived. She’d already started a fire and made the hot chocolate.

The sheriff had driven Kate home in his SUV, while Lars followed in her Honda.

“Are you going to be okay?” Sheriff Roberts asked.

“Yes. I just wish I could remember more about the guy.” She’d gone over and over the attack in her mind. Kate had told the sheriff all she could remember—the gravelly voice that sounded almost fake. Though she hadn’t seen him, she guessed the thief to be close to her height, around five feet six. She surprised herself by remembering the smell of his breath. It was an odd sweet-and-spicy scent, like gum or candy.

Sheriff Roberts stood at the door with Lars. “You actually did quite well. You might remember more when you’ve had a chance to rest. Just call me or Skip if you think of anything else.” He glanced at the floor, then back at her. “You were lucky tonight, Kate. Might want to think twice before going out there again—especially at night.”

Kate nodded. “I will. Thank you both.”

She sighed as the door closed behind the men. Turning to Livvy, she said, “I suppose I should cancel my credit cards and get a new driver’s license.” She started to get up, then sank back down. “That is if I can get up.”

“I can help you with that.” Livvy took her hand and pulled Kate to her feet.

“Thanks a bunch.” With an exaggerated sigh, Kate went into the office, found the credit-card statements, and made the calls from the kitchen phone.

Livvy took their empty mugs to the sink and rinsed them out. “Sheriff Roberts is right, you know. What were you thinking, going out there alone after dark?”

“It wasn’t dark when I left Copper Mill. To be honest, I really wasn’t thinking.” She bit her lower lip. “Besides, I was never in any real danger.”

“Kate, a thief threatened your life.”

“I don’t think he meant to hurt me. He probably just needed money to buy food. At least, that’s what I’d like to think.” Kate shivered.

“More likely drugs or booze.” Livvy shook her head. “Why did you go out there anyway?”

“I wanted to see the homeless camp for myself.” Kate’s original excitement about helping the homeless rose inside her. “I worked at the Faith Freezer Program all afternoon, and the more I thought about those people out there, the more I felt compelled to do something for them. Lars says there are a lot of families. He thought maybe the Faith Freezer Program could provide food part of the time.”

“Ah . . . I might have known.” Livvy smiled. “As much as I want to hear all about your ideas, I think we should table it until you’ve had a hot bath first and gotten into your pajamas.”

“Mmm.” Kate sighed. “A bath sounds wonderful. I’m still feeling a bit chilled.” And scared.

“While you’re doing that, I’ll boil water for some tea, unless you’d rather have coffee or some more hot chocolate.”

“Tea would be great.” Kate tossed the blanket Lars had given her aside and headed for the bathroom. Tomorrow she’d return the blanket and maybe bring him some cookies.

“Are you sure you don’t want to call Paul?” Livvy asked. “He’ll want to know.”

“No, let’s not interrupt his retreat. He’s been looking forward to it for weeks. I’ll give him a call later, just to say good night.”

“Okay.”

Kate shut the bathroom door behind her and sprinkled in lavender bath salts and bubble bath, then eased into the warm, healing waters. While she soaked, she thanked the Lord for keeping her safe that evening and asked for guidance in helping the homeless who were camped in the town’s own backyard.

Warm and drowsy from her bath, Kate put on her pajamas and wrapped herself in her favorite robe. Livvy had the tea and a plate of cookies ready for her.

Livvy looked up when Kate came into the living room. “Feel better?”

“Much.” Kate settled into her rocking chair and took a shortbread cookie from the plate. For several minutes the women enjoyed their tea and each other’s presence.

“How are you coming with the stained-glass window?” Livvy asked.

“I have it laid out and have most of the glass cleaned, but that’s about it. Would you like to see it?” Kate set her cup down and started to get up.

“Actually, I peeked in your studio while you were taking your bath. Looks like a lot of work.”

“It will be, but you know how much I enjoy it.”

Livvy nodded. “When do you plan to work on it?”

“Good question. I’m overextending myself again, aren’t I?”

Livvy winked at her. “Only the way you always do when you get your nose in a mystery or a project.”

Kate chuckled. “I can’t help myself. Troy Eaton—the guy from the diner the other day—got me interested in doing something for the homeless. Then I met Claire and Ellen, who pose a mystery of their own. Then we had the pharmacy break-in.” Kate paused. “About that, Fred thinks someone from the homeless camp might be responsible.”

Livvy nodded slowly. “Was that another reason you went out there? Besides seeing how many people needed help? You went to the campground to snoop around?”

“I admit the pharmacy break-in was on my mind, but I really did want to check things out, see what tangible things can be done for these people.”

“Hmm. Do you think the guy who took your purse broke into the pharmacy too?”

“It’s possible, but from what Fred told me, the drugs taken were regular prescriptions. Doesn’t really fit.”

“You’re going to try to find the thief, aren’t you?” Livvy pulled her legs up under her.

“I don’t know.” Kate frowned. “Like Lars said, most of the folks out there are honest people. They may have lost their homes, but they’re not criminals. And if one of them is responsible for the theft, it may well be because he felt he had no other choice. Anyway, I am not going to let one negative incident, no matter how scary, interfere.”

“I agree.” Livvy leaned forward to grab her handbag from beside the coffee table. “Speaking of mysteries, I brought you the latest article about Ned Castile.”

Kate took the article from her. “I should probably stop obsessing over this. I can’t do anything, especially if he’s not really missing.”

Livvy smiled. “Maybe...But you have to admit it’s intriguing. Personally, I think we should stay on the case.”

Kate laughed. “Right, Sherlock and Watson solve the case of the missing billionaire by reading about it.”

“Hey, stranger things have happened.”

“You’re right about that.” Kate tipped her head back until it came in contact with the back cushion. “I doubt I’ll have much time for detecting. I’d like to focus my attention on the homeless for now.”

“I hear you. It’s certainly a pressing matter.”

“With the Faith Freezer Program, we’re capable of feeding a lot more people than we do now. Of course, we can’t do anything unless the board approves it.”

“Why just Faith Briar?” Livvy asked. “We could bring in all the churches.”

“I was thinking the entire community. It would be great if we could get everyone on board. Maybe we could have a town meeting.”

“Good thinking! I’ll run the idea of expanding the Faith Freezer Program by Danny. He can approach the other board members.”

“And I’ll talk to Sam Gorman and see if he’ll get the mayor and the town council to join us.” Even though Sam wasn’t on the town council, he had a lot of clout. Kate pulled a pad and pen out of the drawer in the end table and began listing needs like food, clothing, shelter, medication, and personal items. “Something we’ll need to address right away is finding places for them to stay.”

“Maybe some of them can go back to their homes,” Livvy said. “I’ve heard cases where people walked away, thinking things were hopeless, but now there are options in place to help people stay in their homes.”

“Lars says they have to be out of the campground by Memorial Day weekend. That’s only a few weeks away.” Kate tapped the pen against the pad. “Maybe some of our residents will open their homes. Or maybe we can find another place for them to camp.”

“There’s a lot of room out by the old mines.”

“Right.” Kate jotted the idea down. “I thought about that possibility.”

Kate and Livvy brainstormed for another half hour. By ten thirty, both women were ready for bed. Livvy offered to stay overnight, but Kate insisted she was fine. “Your family needs you more than I do.”

LATER THAT NIGHT, Kate wished she’d taken Livvy up on her offer to stay. She was exhausted, but her mind kept going over and over the events of the past few days and over the list they’d made of things that needed to be done. Plus, she couldn’t stop thinking about the thief. She’d tried to take the incident in stride, but now, alone in her bedroom, the terror she’d felt came back in waves.

“No, no, no,” Kate said out loud. “I will not let him get to me. I will not bow down to fear or violence.”

The next day she’d go out to the campground again—this time she wouldn’t go alone. She’d make some initial assessments to determine the greatest needs and talk to influential members of the community. These folks needed help, and Kate was determined to make it happen. Maybe in the process, she could find the guy who’d robbed her.

Kate switched on the light at her bedside and picked up her Bible, turning to the book of Psalms. She read until she felt safe and settled, then turned off the light, snuggled down in bed, and rearranged the covers. It seemed strange not having Paul there beside her. She glanced at the alarm clock, remembering her plan to call him. Eleven thirty. She didn’t want to wake him and decided to wait until morning.

An unrelated thought stormed into her head as she was about to drift off. Claire and Ellen. The next day she would also try to work in time to research the mysterious countess and her daughter.

Sometime after midnight Kate finally managed to put her thoughts to bed and get some much-needed sleep.