Page 131 of Noel Secrets

He glanced at Darby and saw fear in her eyes. She didn’t trust the chief, but he still didn’t know why or what he’d done. But Sheriff Malone didn’t trust him either, which gave Clay pause. Malone seemed like an upright man, and he’d claimed ChiefDean had done some bad things. Clay didn’t know if that meant he was involved in what was happening to Darby.

“Give me a sec,” he told Officer Massey.

He closed the door and turned to Darby. “I have no idea what this is about, so it’s hard for me to say whether you’d be safer here or with me at the police station.” At least there, other officers would be around. However, the chief could lock her up, and Clay couldn’t do anything about it.

She folded her arms. He saw her hesitation.

“I don’t want to go. I don’t trust them.”

He was fine with her making that decision. “I don’t know how long I’ll be, but I’ll do my best to keep it short.” He’d secured the house but that didn’t mean someone couldn’t get inside. “Bring one of the dogs in. They’ll alert you if anyone gets near the house and it’ll be good protection for you. Don’t be afraid to call me or 911 if something happens.”

She nodded. “I’ll bring Hercules into the house. He’s very protective.”

He reached for her hand, and she gave it a squeeze, reassuring him that she would be fine. That was so like her. Strong and brave. Amazing. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. Lock the door behind me.”

He grabbed his coat then opened the door. Officer Massey still stood there, waiting. But Clay wasn’t going to let the man haul him in like a criminal to a possibly corrupt chief of police. And he was going to have a way to leave when he wanted to. “I’ll drive myself.”

The officer objected, but Clay had made it halfway to his pickup. He sat inside, waiting, until the officer trudged back to his cruiser and led the way to the Sheraton Police Station.

God, please keep her safe until I can get back to her.

Darby bit her lip as she watched Clay’s truck back out of the driveway then take off down the road behind the police cruiser. She locked the front door, making sure the deadbolt was engaged too then hurried to the backyard and brought all four dogs inside. They barreled toward her, tongues lolling and tails wagging. She ushered all four into the house—an unusual treat, but tonight wasn’t usual. Not even close.

The dogs wove around her legs, eager for attention. She used the distraction to squeeze in some training. It helped steady her nerves for a little while.

Clay hadn’t pressed her to go with him, and she was glad, despite the danger. She didn’t trust Chief Dean. Suzanne had bragged to her that she had that man wrapped around her finger and could make him do whatever she pleased. Then she’d proved it by convincing him not to arrest her for stealing and to discredit the homeowner’s video as fake … until it had disappeared.

No. Darby felt safer here, behind her own locked doors, with her trained dogs at her side, than surrounded by officers loyal to a corrupt chief.

After a few rounds of commands and reward-based training, she gave each dog a treat and let them stretch out on the living room floor. She usually didn’t allow that during training, but today, she’d bend the rules—for them and for herself.

She sat on the sofa, opened her laptop, and pulled up her bank statements. She needed to call Scout, Fish, and Mace’s owners to arrange pickups. With danger looming and her attention divided, she couldn’t keep the dogs any longer. Thatmeant issuing refunds, which her business couldn’t afford. Not now.

The numbers hit her like a punch—boarding fees gone, training paused indefinitely, and the fallout from Mia’s house still fresh. Her finances had already been teetering. This could push her over the edge.

She might have to dip into her inheritance just to stay afloat.

Thankfully, she’d already purchased David’s Christmas gifts.

Her cell phone buzzed. She glanced at the screen and saw it was from an unknown number. She hesitated. Could be a scam … or a new client. She couldn’t afford not to answer it.

“Mrs. Foster, this is Adam at your son’s camp.”

Jason was her son’s counselor. But she didn’t know the names of all the camp staff.

“I work with the riding program at Silver Lake Camp. Your son has been injured. He fell from a horse and possibly broke his leg. His cabin supervisor asked me to call you.”

“Jason?”

“Yes, ma’am. Jason. He said you can meet them at the hospital.”

Everything stopped. Her heart. Her breath. Her thoughts.

David was hurt.

“I’m on my way,” she said, grabbing a pen and scribbling down the hospital address. Her hands shook as she entered it into her phone’s GPS.

She made a quick call to Clay to let him know. When her call went to voicemail, she texted instead, letting him know what had happened and where she was going. She glanced at the message, praying he would respond right away. He didn’t. In fact, the app showed he hadn’t read it.