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CHAPTER ELEVEN

E mily awakened to the sun streaming in through the gauzy curtains. She’d turned off the alarm on her cell, so she could sleep in for a change. The past two months had felt like flying in turbulence, fully expecting to crash and burn. Between trying to anticipate the moves of a serial killer who had her in his sights and navigating the emotions Wade brought to the surface, she was near her breaking point. Too many sleepless nights and not enough time with God had left her feeling restless and broken. It was her own foolishness. She knew from whom her help came. If she longed for peace, there was only one place to find it. In the arms of her Savior.

It was time to seek God. She took her Bible to the kitchen table and read from it while she drank her morning coffee. She was two days behind in her annual reading plan, so she had some catching up to do. She read up through Jeremiah 7, and then stood and stretched. Most of her reading had focused on the nation of Israel and their refusal to repent and turn back to God, but she clung to verse eight of the first chapter of the book of Jeremiah. The words were spoken to the prophet, but a spiritual application could be made in her own life. “Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.” She knew from years of Bible reading and study that there was truth in that verse she could apply to herself. She’d long ago memorized verses in Luke where Jesus spoke of the same thing telling his followers not to fear people who could kill the body, but to fear Him who had the power to cast into hell. It was time for her to stop living in fear and trust in God’s protection.

She laced up her sneakers and headed out on her run, waving to Bob on her way past his house. It was uncanny how he always managed to be outdoors when she went out or came home.

As she ran, the tension seeped out of her. Running calmed her but meditating on God’s word grounded her. The serenity she’d been searching for filled her, and she was at peace for the first time in weeks. She slowed her steps to bring her heart rate back to normal. Bob was headed in her direction, so she braced herself for another awkward conversation. It wasn’t that she didn’t like him, but how could she consider dating him when she was infatuated with Wade.

If she believed they could make a life together, she’d jump at the chance to get back together, but her fragile heart barely survived loving him the first time. Fear was holding her back, plain and simple. She was afraid of letting him in and getting hurt again.

“Did you have a nice run?”

“I did.” She stilled and put her hands on her thighs, catching her breath.

“A guy stopped by your house and left a package, but he took off when I asked for a name.”

She couldn’t imagine why someone would run off instead of leaving their name unless they were up to no good. “That’s strange.”

“I thought you should know.”

She turned her head from side to side. “Did you happen to notice his license plate number?”

“He was on foot. I took his picture with my cell.” He handed her his phone so she could see the blurry picture of a guy in a baseball cap wearing a hoodie pulled up over it.

“Would you text it to me, please?”

“Sure thing.”

Emily approached her house with Bob hovering by her side. It was the first time she could remember appreciating his presence.

When Emily pulled her screen door open, a teddy bear was wedged inside. It held a velvet box in its fuzzy hands. She recoiled and took two steps backward. “Bob, can I use your phone?”

He fished it out of his pocket and handed it to her.

It took three rings for Wade to pick up. “Brunner speaking.”

“Wade, it’s me.”

“I don’t recognize this number,” Wade said. “Everything okay?“

“I’m calling from my neighbor’s cell. Mine is inside.”

“Did something happen?”

“You didn’t send me a teddy bear, did you?”

“No. I didn’t.” He paused. “Whatever you do, don’t touch it. I’ll be there as fast as I can.” He disconnected the call.

“Thanks, Bob.” She handed him back his phone.

“Do you want to come inside to wait? I could get you a bottle of water.”

“I’ll wait here. He won’t be long. You can go home if you want.”

Bob didn’t leave, but instead paced nervously until Wade pulled up to her house six minutes later. She rushed over to his truck. “You arrived quickly.”

“Would you expect anything less?” He pulled her to him and kissed the top of her head. When he released her, she noticed the scowl on her neighbor’s face. Guilt ate at her insides, but it wasn’t her fault Bob wanted to be more than friends. Maybe she should’ve told him she wasn’t interested instead of letting him believe there was a chance.

“I wouldn’t have called if I hadn’t known you would come.” The honesty of her words surprised her, but she didn’t want to take them back.

A cruiser pulled up with lights flashing, and Wade strolled over to the window. “Let’s do a thorough check of the house to make sure it’s safe and take the bear into custody.”

The ridiculousness of his words hit her, and she collapsed into giggles. Bob scrutinized her and sneered in displeasure. “What’s wrong with you?”

“He said they were going to take the bear into custody.” She kept laughing until tears streamed down her face.

Bob rolled his eyes. “I think you’re hysterical. Maybe they should take you to the psych ward.” With those kind words, her neighbor stalked off leaving her standing alone.

When Wade finished chatting with the officer and ambled over to her, he took her face in his hands and swiped away her tears with his thumbs, losing all semblance of the professionalism he’d displayed moments before. “Are you all right, Em?”

She managed to calm the quaking laughter. “It struck me funny when you said you were taking the bear into custody.”

“You were laughing?” He shook his head. “I thought you were crying.”

She clung to his hands.

He pulled her close. “I will protect you. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe, you know that, right?”

She nodded against his chest. He would. She trusted him with her life, but trusting him with her heart was terrifying. That was one thing she wasn’t ready to do.

Emily sat in the chair beside Wade’s desk at the state police barracks. They’d been there for what felt like hours.

“Can I go home soon?”

“You’re not going home.”

“What do you mean, I’m not going home?”

“You’ll be staying at my place.”

“I am not staying with you or any other man.”

“There aren’t many people I’d trust with your life and the sole female on that list won’t be back from her honeymoon for a few more days. If you refuse to lodge with me, we’ll take you to a safe house somewhere, but I’ll still be the one volunteering for protection duty.”

“It was merely a stuffed bear, Wade.” She leaned back in her chair and stared at the ceiling. “Get a grip.”

“It’s obvious you don’t get it.” He stood and leaned in close with both hands planted on his desk. “I wouldn’t normally do this because I don’t like scaring people, and we don’t want details leaked to the press, but you’re a member of law enforcement, so I’ll make an exception.”

He stalked to the whiteboard and turned it around so she could see the murder board they’d put together, including the descriptions of the teddy bear gifts given to the victims and the jewelry found on their bodies. He held up an evidence bag with a charm bracelet in it. “The woman found in the park four weeks ago was wearing a charm bracelet with a horseshoe and a horse charm on them when she left home on July 9th. We’ll double check to make sure your gift was the one she was wearing, but there is no doubt in my mind it will be.”

He pointed to a picture on the murder board with his pencil. “Yesterday afternoon, we made an arrest. All our evidence pointed to this man, but he was in FBI custody when the teddy bear and bracelet were delivered this morning.”

“Oh.”

“You are in mortal danger. It’s not a simple stuffed animal. That bear is a killer’s calling card. He’s playing a sick game with you, and I have no intention of letting him win.”

She swallowed past the lump in her dry throat. “Do you have a guest room?”

“I do, but I’m giving you my room, so you’ll have a private bathroom attached to your bedroom.”

“If I’m your only guest, wouldn’t your other bath also be private?”

“While I’m working, you’ll still need protection, so I’ll get one of Gavin’s men to come keep an eye on you.”

“I’ll be working, too.”

“Take a vacation, Em.” He reached over and grabbed her hand. His gaze begged her to comply. “Please don’t do anything to put your life in further jeopardy.”

She didn’t know how to reply, so she stayed silent for several seconds. Then she remembered the picture, so she changed the subject to avoid answering. “Bob took a picture of the guy who delivered the bear.”

“Ever hear of burying the lead?” His eyes searched hers. “Why on earth didn’t you mention that sooner?”

“I forgot about it in all the commotion, but looking at your murder board reminded me.”

“We’ll ask him to come in for questioning and get the photo from him.”

“He texted it to me.” She brought it up on her phone and studied the man with a baseball hat pulled low and a hood over it. She could see he had scruff on his chin but couldn’t identify him. “It’s not clear.”

“It’s better than nothing.” He examined it carefully. “The background should give us an idea of height and build despite the blurriness. We can canvass the neighborhood for other security cameras and see if anyone picked him up. Gavin is already checking the ones installed on your house.”

“There are cameras on my house?”

He nodded.

“How did I not know he put cameras on my house?” She looked up at him. “And why didn’t I see them?”

“The cameras are tiny. If someone with nefarious intentions sees a camera, they’ll find a way to disable it, so the smaller the better. It was all part of the security system Gavin reviewed with us. Maybe you were having difficulty focusing on his presentation.” His eyes lit with humor. She’d been preoccupied that day, so she couldn’t deny it, and he knew full well he was the cause of her distraction. Yet, she couldn’t believe she would’ve missed talk of cameras. She never would’ve agreed to them. They felt like an intrusion, but since their goal was to protect her, she stuffed down her annoyance and tried to be grateful they may have gotten better images than Bob did.

“This whole situation stinks.”

“I know.” He took her hand in his and squeezed. “Is there anyone in your life you could see doing this?”

“No.” She snatched back her hand and ran it through her hair.

“Let me rephrase my question.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Is there anyone in your life who makes you feel uncomfortable when you’re around them?”

She turned her head away. If she gave him names, she’d turn them into suspects in Wade’s eyes. If she didn’t name anyone, she could be protecting a killer.

Wade leaned forward awaiting her response.

“I don’t want to unfairly accuse someone of something they probably didn’t do.”

“You’re not accusing anyone of anything. You’re simply giving me people I can check out and eliminate as suspects.”

“Fine.” She exhaled. “There is one person at work who makes me uncomfortable. Jerry from maintenance. There isn’t anyone else I get weird vibes from.”

“I’ll check him out.” He held out a hand to help her up. “Thanks for this. If you think of anyone else, let me know. Let’s go get you settled.”

Emily stepped into the shower in Wade’s master bath so she could wash off the sweat from her morning run. The scent of his body wash greeted her. She would’ve preferred to use his spare room, but he’d insisted she take his rooms. Being in his space was pure torture.

After her shower, she threw on a pair of leggings and an oversized t-shirt and flopped down on Wade’s king-sized bed. How was she supposed to live in his space surrounded by his stuff and not give in to temptation? It didn’t seem possible. She wanted to throw caution to the wind and agree to another date, but Wade wasn’t looking for a casual relationship. He wanted a wife and children. She’d made the decision years earlier not to give up her career for a man. She yearned for a husband and kids, but the cost was too great. He’d expect her to stay home. They hadn’t discussed it. You didn’t bring up the subject of marriage and babies on your single date following an eleven-year hiatus.

Her traitorous heart wanted Wade despite all the warning bells going off in her brain.

Ruger let out a single bark. “What’s wrong, buddy?” Emily asked as she stroked his fur.

“He’s letting you know someone’s coming up the walk.”

“Most dogs I know would bark incessantly if someone was there.”

“He’s better trained than most,” he patted the German shepherd on the head as he went to answer the door. He opened it before his friend had a chance to knock. “Hey, Gavin. I thought you’d send one of your minions. I didn’t expect you to show up yourself.”

“I like to keep you guessing.” He grinned and slapped Wade’s shoulder. Wade turned around and assured the dog the visitor was a friend.

Gavin eyed the animal cautiously before he recognized him. “No way. How did you get Ruger?”

“He was retiring.”

“Wow.” He squatted down and called the dog to him. “It’s been a long time.” He spent several minutes rolling around on the floor with the German shepherd before rising to greet the humans.

“Sorry. It’s been so long since I’ve seen that dog.” He grinned and pulled a flash drive from his pocket. “I brought the video feed from Emily’s security system.”

“Have you viewed it yet?”

“One of my guys did. Said we got a clear image of his face and gave me the timestamp, so we’d know where to look. Shall we?”

“My laptop is on the desk in my office.” Wade led the way and Emily trailed behind them. Her stomach was in knots. Soon she would see the face of her tormentor.

Emily stood back as Gavin inserted the flash drive and brought up a clear image of the man who’d left the stuffed bear. He looked younger than she’d expected.

“It’s not our man. He must’ve paid this guy to make the delivery.” Wade started pacing.

“What makes you think that?” Gavin asked.

“That kid can’t be more than eighteen. Unless he started killing and finding sophisticated methods of disposing of the bodies when he was a mere twelve years old, he’s not our guy.”

“Isn’t that a good thing? I can go home.” She raised one eyebrow. “You said you have a suspect in custody and all of your evidence pointed to him. That should mean I’m safe.”

Gavin leaned back in his chair. “She’s not wrong.”

“That’s all well and good, but I don’t feel comfortable with you going home yet. Will you give me a few more days to be sure we don’t have the wrong guy in custody?”

She blew out a frustrated breath. “Fine.” She tugged at her ponytail holder. Being around Wade was weakening her defenses. Going home was the only way she could regain her sanity.

After a dinner of takeout pizza, Emily sat beside Wade in the Adirondack chairs by the firepit. Her gaze took in the dark shimmering water of the lake as she listened to the sounds of frogs and crickets. It was an enchanting night made more so by the company.

“I’m glad tonight is cool enough for a fire.” Wade poked a marshmallow with a long skewer and handed it to her.

She grinned. “I haven’t made smores since I was in Girl Scouts.”

Wade stared at her open-mouthed for a moment. “You can’t be serious. You’re a park ranger. Aren’t you around camping and campsites all the time?”

“I’ve seen other people make them, but I haven’t done so myself since before Nora disappeared.”

“Your life changed in an instant.” He took her left hand in his. “I should’ve been there for you.” She removed her hand from his, and silently roasted her marshmallow, refusing to allow the past to ruin the present. She forced a smile and concentrated on slowly turning the stick to get the perfect golden-brown consistency. Once she toasted it to her liking, she assembled the s’more. “Voila.”

“Proud of yourself, I see.”

“I am.” She devoured the treat before turning to face him.

He ate his marshmallow, set his roasting stick down, and pulled her chair closer to his, so his knees were brushing against the outsides of hers. “You have something on the corner of your lip.”

She brushed at it but missed.

“I’ll get it.” He wiped away the offending crumbs with his thumb, sending tingles all the way to her toes.

“What happens when you catch this guy?” she asked.

“What do you mean?”

“When the tension from the case is over and emotions cool, isn’t it possible our feelings for each other will do the same?”

Instead of answering, he stood and stalked into the house, emerging moments later with a dusty velvet bag. Settling back into his seat, he held her gaze with his own and pulled out a ring box. “This is how I know, Emily.” He opened it, and she saw the tiny diamond. “I bought this before Nora disappeared and our lives dramatically changed. I wanted to propose before I enlisted in the Army, and you went away to school. I had it all planned out.” He sighed. “I’ve taken this with me every time I’ve moved. If I could’ve stopped loving you, I would’ve gotten rid of it by now.”

Her eyes filled with unshed tears, and she fought to keep her emotions in check. It was a sign that he cared. She couldn’t deny the truth of it even if she wanted to. Part of her mourned for the life they could’ve had if he’d have given her the ring and she’d accepted his proposal, but she knew she wouldn’t have said ‘yes.’ She’d closed herself off to everyone including him. He’d protected his own heart by leaving. What choice had she left him?

She took the ring from him now and examined it by firelight.

“It was the best I could afford back then.”

“It’s lovely.” She handed it back, and he slipped it into the box and shoved it back into the bag. After setting it on the table, he skewered a marshmallow and held it in the fire. When it caught fire, he blew on it and then devoured the burned thing.

“That makes little sense to me. All that does is burn the outside and leave the inside cold and nasty.”

“My impatience prevents me from making perfect toasty ones.”