Page 44 of Out of Time (Undaunted Courage #3)

That wasn’t how she remembered it.

Moonlight leaked through the canted shutters of her room, creating a ghostly pattern on the ceiling, and she tucked the blanket higher as a shiver snaked through her.

The sequence of events wasn’t the only piece of the picture that didn’t fit.

There was also the bandage.

Steven still wore the same one Brad had applied, securely affixed. Yet he claimed it had come loose, that blood had leaked around the edge onto the pillow.

But the edge of the bandage remained pristine. No seepage was apparent.

Why would he fabricate such a story?

More troubling yet, if he wasn’t being truthful about the blood, could his claim about her faulty memory also be disingenuous?

Again ... why would he be deceitful?

She bunched the blanket tighter in her fingers, the soft velour a sharp contrast to the hard, thorny questions shredding her peace of mind.

Could his aberrant behavior have anything to do with his head injury? Was he more hurt than he’d let on, to the extent that the blow had interfered with his thinking?

What other explanation could there be for his apparent confusion?

Because the more she thought about it, the more certain she was that if anyone was mistaken about the order of events on Friday morning, it was her cousin.

But how could she suggest that without upsetting him?

Maybe he should go to the ER and—

She stiffened.

What was that noise?

Staying as still as possible, she listened.

Five seconds ticked by.

Ten.

Nothing.

Had she imagined the slight thud that had sounded as if someone had dropped an object somewhere inside the—

A floorboard creaked.

Her pulse picked up speed.

She had not imagined that.

Had someone broken into the house?

Should she call the police?

Perhaps, if her phone wasn’t charging in the kitchen.

But she could alert Steven. If there was an intruder, her strapping cousin was far better equipped to deal with the situation than she was.

Natalie threw back the covers, grasped her cane, and stood. After shoving her arms into the sleeves of the robe draped over the foot of her bed, she took a fortifying breath and crept toward the door as quietly as she could. Cracked it and peeked into the dark hall.

No one was there. Nor were there any more noises.

If someone was in the house, they were in the living room or study, not the bedroom wing.

Staying close to the wall, she crept down the hall toward Steven’s room.

As she approached, it was apparent he was up. Light leaked from under his door.

Had he heard the noises too and risen to investigate?

She continued forward. Sounds of movement came from inside the room, and she gave a soft knock.

The room went silent.

She knocked again, a quiet rap hopefully only he would hear.

The thin band of light by the floor disappeared, and a few seconds later the door on the now-dark room cracked open.

“Natalie? What are you doing up at this hour?”

“I heard a noise in the house.” As she whispered the words, she scanned the hall over her shoulder. “I thought maybe you did too. I saw the light under your door.”

“No. I got up to get an aspirin for my headache. I didn’t hear anything.” He sounded a tad agitated. And annoyed.

“I’m sorry to bother you in the middle of the night, but would you mind taking a walk-through?”

“Sure. I can do that. Let me throw on my clothes. Go back to your room and lock the door. I’ll knock after I finish.”

“Thank you.”

She retreated to her room, slipped inside, slid the bolt—and waited on the edge of her bed, in the dark.

Ten minutes later, a knock on her door announced his return.

“Natalie? All clear.”

She rose and crossed to the door. Unlocked it and twisted the knob. The light in the hall was on now. “Did you see anything?”

“No. I checked all the rooms, the windows, and the doors. No signs of forced entry or any disruption.”

“I wonder what I could have heard?”

He shrugged. “Old houses make noises.”

That was true.

But she was accustomed to all the noises in this house, and the ones she’d heard hadn’t been in the usual mix.

“I’m sorry to have bothered you.”

“No worries. Go back to bed.” He turned and walked down the hall toward his room.

As he retreated, she homed in on a streak of dried dirt that ran down the back of his jeans, above his left knee.

The hall went dark after he flicked the switch as he passed, and a moment later he entered his room. Shut the door.

Natalie remained where she was, a shiver racing through her.

The dirt on Steven’s jeans hadn’t been there at dinner.

Where could it have come from?

Unless...

Her lungs locked, and she pressed a hand to her chest.

No.

She quashed the sudden, ridiculous suspicion that skittered through her mind.

Steven wasn’t wandering about the premises at night. Why would he do that when he had full run of the place during daylight hours?

Only someone involved in an underhanded activity would prowl around in the dead of night.

Like the man the sheriff had chased.

And that man wasn’t Steven, despite the niggle of doubt polluting her mind. Why would a fine, successful young man skulk around in the dark or be involved in anything dishonest or deceitful?

That was crazy.

Nevertheless, a shroud-like sense of foreboding settled over her as she slowly closed her door. Locked it again. Returned to her bed.

And as she slipped under the covers and pulled them up to her chin, only one thing was clear in these predawn hours.

There would be no more sleep for her this night.