Page 37 of Out of Time (Undaunted Courage #3)
“No rush on my end to issue the final report. It’s not like we have family clamoring for it.”
“That’s another incentive for me not to walk away from this too fast. If I don’t push for answers, no one will. It’s not like Micah has anyone else to speak for him. And if there was a violent element to his death, justice should be served.”
Rod grinned and gave him a thumbs-up. “I knew there was a reason we elected you sheriff. Good luck with this one.”
“Thanks.”
But as Rod disappeared through the door, Brad wiped a hand down his face and sank back in his chair again.
Luck, good fortune, fate, providence—he’d take any of those he could get with this case.
Bottom line, he needed a lead. Soon. Otherwise, he’d have to drop this. There weren’t enough hours in the day as it was, and beating his head against the wall with nothing to show for it would be foolish, even if his efforts were well intentioned.
All he could do was pray that if Micah’s death wasn’t as innocent as it had initially appeared, he’d get a break that would help him find the person who had killed a quiet, gentle man in cold blood.
CARA BLEW OUT A FRUSTRATED brEATH as she rounded a curve on the winding, two-lane road that led to Natalie’s house.
How in the world could she have forgotten the laptop she needed for tomorrow’s nine o’clock meeting with her doctoral candidate?
Except the constant thoughts about a handsome sheriff that had taken up residence in her mind did have a tendency to short-circuit her usual concentration.
Which also meant the absence of her laptop hadn’t registered until eight o’clock.
That’s what romantic daydreams could do to you.
Cara slowed as she approached Natalie’s driveway in the ten o’clock darkness, cut her headlights, and reduced her speed to a crawl. No sense announcing her arrival and waking up her hostess. If she heard someone driving up to the house at this hour, she could panic. Call the police.
And while seeing Brad would be lovely, a rendezvous under those circumstances would be less than ideal.
Tightening her grip on the wheel, she focused on the edges of the narrow gravel road.
Difficult to discern, with the moon and stars hidden behind a heavy cloud cover.
But it was a short drive, and she’d traveled it often in recent weeks.
She ought to be able to navigate despite the limited visibility.
Nevertheless, when the house came into view over a small rise, she exhaled.
Almost there.
And no way was she retracing her steps to Cape tonight. She’d just have to get up at the crack of dawn and drive back super early for her meeting. Not how she’d planned to spend her Friday morning, but it was what it was.
As she drew close to the house, a BMW parked in front materialized out of the darkness.
Huh.
Steven must have come down for another long weekend.
Must be nice to have a job that was portable.
She pulled in behind his car on the circle drive, grabbed her purse, and closed the door gently after sliding from behind the wheel.
As she circled the dark house, she dug out her key to the cottage, angling sideways when a chilly wind buffeted her.
Fall had definitely arrived.
Key in hand, she started down the murky path, peering ahead toward the shadowy outline of the cottage to stay on track.
Maybe she should pull out her phone and turn on the—
She jolted to a stop as a light flashed in her peripheral vision to the left. In the woods.
Nerves tingling, she swiveled that direction.
All was dark.
Had she imagined the fleeting flare of light? Was her mind playing—
The light bobbed again, and her pulse surged.
No, she hadn’t imagined it.
Putting her feet in gear, she hurried to the door, fitted her key in the lock, and let herself in. Then she slid the bolt into place and dug out her cell.
It was late, but this time she wasn’t waiting to call Brad. If the person who’d been making nocturnal appearances on Natalie’s property was back, this could be an opportunity to catch them. Assuming Brad or one of the deputies was available, and that whoever was here wasn’t in a hurry to leave.
She tucked herself into a corner and peeked out the window as she placed the call. The light was still flickering through the trees, but it appeared farther away now.
“Cara? What’s wrong?”
At Brad’s terse question, she leaned back against the wall. “The person with the light is back.”
A second ticked by.
“Where are you?”
“Natalie’s. I’m in the cottage.” She gave him a topline of her blunder, omitting the cause. It wasn’t his fault her brain was shorting out, thanks to all the electricity sparking between them. “I know it’s late, but—”
“No apology necessary. Your timing is impeccable. I’m on patrol again, not far away. You didn’t see any strange cars around when you pulled in, did you?”
“No.”
“Lock the door and sit tight. I’m going to park out of sight, come in on foot, and scout around in the dark.”
“Will you stop by after you’re finished?”
“It could be late. If I don’t find anything, I may hang around in the woods for a while. See if whoever is there starts moving again.”
“I doubt I’ll be asleep, and I’d like to know what you find.”
“Okay. You may want to try and catch a few z’s while you wait, though. You have your pepper gel?”
“Yes.”
“Keep it handy, just in case.”
“You think I’m in danger?” Her heart picked up speed again.
“No. I’m erring on the side of caution. This person hasn’t bothered you in the past, and I doubt they’ll change their pattern. Hang tight.”
As Brad ended the call, Cara tucked her phone away and pulled out her pepper gel. Eyed the bed.
It could be a long night, and sitting in the dark as the minutes turtled by would be über stressful.
Why not at least lie down, even if the odds of falling asleep were tiny?
Wiping her palms one by one down her leggings, she crossed to the bed, pulled back the quilt, and slid under the comforting warmth, pepper gel in hand.
If fate was kind, Brad would find the person who’d been frequenting Natalie’s property for weeks, at minimum. Perhaps much longer. Who knew how long they’d been around before she’d spotted them?
And if Brad confronted them, maybe they’d finally have answers that would help explain Micah’s mysterious demise.
Except...
She frowned.
An encounter in the dark woods could also be dangerous. If someone was involved in criminal activity, they wouldn’t want to get caught. And if whoever was out there was responsible for Micah’s death, they could still have a murderous mindset.
Meaning Brad—or anyone—who got in their way could be in deadly peril.