Page 40 of Capturing You

“Okay.”

“Or you can go into the spiral staircase, or, in a pinch, the basement.”

She shuddered, and he fought a smile. Spiders.

“I mean the stairs going to the basement, or even just the hallway. The doors on both ends are hidden.”

“Lots of options.”

There were more, but he wasn’t in the mood to show her all the house’s secrets. “Do not leave without telling me. You could set off the alarm.”

“I won’t.”

“You have my cell phone number now. If you can’t find me, text.” Not that he planned on doing much outside the house, but if he got wind of someone at the dock or elsewhere on the property, he’d investigate.

Though it felt like the conversation was over, she didn’t move, letting her gaze roam the office. “I’d love to help you with?—”

“I’m good. Thanks. There’s an upstairs living area. Just go past your bedroom to the end of the hall, where the spiral staircase is. You remember?”

“I remember.”

“There’s a TV in the room on the left, and lots of books.” Forbes’s mother had loved to read. She never met a book she didn’t like—and didn’t need to own, usually in hardback. “Help yourself.”

Brooklynn seemed like she wanted to say something, but after a minute, she backed up.

Halfway to the door, she turned. “I really would like to help.”

“I’ll let you know if I think of anything you can do.” Which he wouldn’t. The only way she could help him was to keep her distance so he could focus.

Maybe she read that in his expression, because hers dimmed, and she walked out.

* * *

The next morning,Forbes grabbed his keys and headed down the long hallway that led to the attached garage.

Attached now, but what held cars had first been a barn, then a carriage house off to the side of the main building. His parents had built a wing connecting the original house to the garage, which added another few thousand square feet to the mansion.

In retrospect, it seemed an unnecessary expense, but Dad had wanted Grandmother to have her own suite of rooms. Mom had talked about turning the place into a bed-and-breakfast someday, though Grandmother had suggested that would have to wait. Forbes smiled as he remembered his grandmother’s words. “Over my dead body.”

Ironic that Grandmother was still alive, while the family home had stood empty and decaying for decades.

Burglar alarm set, Forbes climbed into his truck and maneuvered his phone into its holder, ensuring the proper angle before he exited the garage.

Was it smart to leave Brooklynn here alone?

Maybe not, but there’d been no attacks overnight, no intruders anywhere on his property, and no more unwelcome boats at his dock. He’d checked the multiple video feeds that linked to his phone, just to be on the safe side. If anyone broke in, Brooklynn should have plenty of time to hide before they found her.

Niles and Bernie had searched and turned up no evidence that the brunette they were looking for was at his house. As far as Forbes could tell, they’d moved on.

Even so, as he drove down the long driveway, he prayed for her safety.

As if God might be listening.

The sun was low on the horizon, turning the clouds over the ocean various shades of pink and coral, as pretty a sunrise as Brooklynn had captured the previous morning. But clouds were rolling in from the west, and the forecast called for a stormy evening with the temperature dipping into the fifties.

It would take Forbes a half hour to make the trek through Portland. He should get to the superstore at seven, right when it opened.

He turned onto the two-lane road, not at all surprised to see a police car parked off the edge of the opposite side.