Page 19

EIGHTEEN

Erin looked through the peephole. Chief Nightengale. She swung the door open, and Kaely stood behind her as backup. Or so it felt.

“Thank you for coming, Chief,” she said, still a little embarrassed for calling him.

“I looked around outside,” he said. “Everything seems to be okay. If there was anyone out there, they’re gone now.”

Erin noticed that he’d said, “ If there was anyone out there...” but she decided not to mention it. “Thank you, Chief.” The sound of a dog barking startled her. She glanced toward the chief’s Jeep. A large golden retriever peered through the passenger side window and barked at them.

“Is that your dog?” she asked. What a stupid question. Do you think the dog unlocked the car door and jumped inside when the chief wasn’t looking?

“Yes, that’s Jake. And he’s fine in the car. He’s just trying to get you to feel sorry for him.”

“His name is Jake?” Erin asked.

The chief nodded. “Yeah, just like the guy in your book. I don’t think they look much alike though.”

Erin could barely believe it. The chief looked like Jake and his dog’s name was Jake? Strange.

“I love dogs,” Erin said. “Can he come in? I’d love to meet him.” She turned around and looked at Kaely. “Is that okay with you?”

“Of course. Noah and I don’t have a dog,” she said to the chief, “but we have a cat with a lot of personality. Mr. Hoover seems to think he owns our house.” She smiled. “If you don’t let him out, we’ll probably keep bothering you until you do.”

Chief Nightingale shrugged and went back down the steps. When he opened the car door, the dog jumped out and bounded up to the front door, his big fluffy tail wagging so fast it was hard to see.

“Jake!” the chief yelled. “Calm down.”

The dog completely ignored him and, to Erin’s delight, jumped up on her. She laughed as he licked her face.

“Jake!” the chief said again, his voice stern. “Get down.”

This time Jake obeyed, but it looked to Erin as if compliance was almost painful.

“I don’t mind, Chief,” she said. “He’s so beautiful.”

“He’s a pill. He’s not quite a year old, and he has his own mind. He only listens to me when he wants to.”

Erin smiled. “I think he’s trying.” She waved them both inside. Jake followed her into the living room. When Erin and Kaely sat down on the couch, Jake jumped up and wiggled in between them, causing both women to laugh. It was amazing how much better she felt now, after only spending a few minutes with the chief’s beautiful dog. Erin had thought about getting a dog after she left the department, but the responsibility felt like too much for her at the time. Maybe after she went home, she’d go to a shelter and find a dog that needed a home as much as she needed a furry best friend.

“Jake, get down from the couch,” the chief said, his face pink from either embarrassment or the cold.

“Oh, please let him stay,” Kaely said. “Unless it will cause you a problem with his training.”

Chief Nightengale plopped down into the chair as if he’d given up his last ounce of willpower. “It’s up to you. I probably shouldn’t have brought him, but he loves riding in the car.”

“Well, he’s welcome here any time,” Erin said. She smiled at the chief and then realized that her comment could have been misconstrued. “And you are as well, Chief.” It was her turn to feel embarrassed. She felt her cheeks grow hot.

Suddenly, Kaely burst out laughing, and Chief Nightingale joined in. Although she was still somewhat self-conscious, she was relieved that the chief had found her comment humorous. The tension in the room had lessened considerably. Leave it to a dog to lighten up the atmosphere.

“Can I get you something to drink, Chief Nightengale?” Kaely asked the chief. “There’s a one cup-coffeemaker in the kitchen. We’ve got coffee, hot chocolate, cappuccino...”

“Normally, I would say no,” the chief said. “But a cup of hot chocolate sounds perfect. I’m chilled to the bone. And please, call me Adrian. I think we’ve been through enough together that you can drop the title. And to be honest, only the tourists call me Chief Nightengale.”

“Chief... I mean, Adrian,” Erin said, “why didn’t you ask one of your other officers to come out? You didn’t need to drive out here yourself. I’m sure you have other things to think about right now.”

“I actually live closer than anyone else. Besides, I was wondering if you’d come to any conclusions yet.”

“We’re just going through the photos now,” Kaely said. “I’d like to complete that before I write the profile. I’ll try to do all I can tonight. We’re going into town tomorrow to do some shopping. Can I bring what I have by your office?”

“Certainly. I’d appreciate that.” He sighed. “We have other, larger departments reaching out, offering to help. That means they want to take over. When I tell them we have your help, I hope it will give us some breathing room. A chance to solve this thing ourselves.”

After petting Jake, Kaely stood up. “I’ll get your hot chocolate. Then we can talk about what happened tonight.”

Erin noticed Adrian’s jaw tighten. Seems he wasn’t as happy to respond to her phone call as he’d said. “So how long have you been the police chief here, Adrian?” she asked, hoping to keep the mood cordial. It was an obvious conversation starter, but it was the best she could come up with.

“I’ve been chief for five years now.”

“You look pretty young to be in such a position of authority. I noticed that your officers seem to respect you. Not so sure about Dr. Gibson though. I got the impression that he doesn’t have much use for anyone else.”

Adrian’s tight expression relaxed some, and he smiled. “You’re very perceptive. I’m blessed to work with great officers. They might be looked down on some by people who see Sanctuary as a small town with small-town attributes, but I truly believe they could compete with any police department in any city.”

“I used to work in St. Louis, a huge town with a lot of crime, and I was impressed by what I saw this morning. You’re also fortunate to have an officer trained in forensics.”

“Yes, I am. Timothy could get a job at almost any large police department, but he was born here and loves it, just like I do. Like me, he doesn’t have any living relatives. The department and the people in Sanctuary are our family.”

“With the strange story I heard about the man who originally built this place,” Erin said, “I find the name of the town rather odd.”

Just then, Kaely came into the room carrying two cups. She put one down on the coffee table near Adrian and then handed Erin the other one. “I know your tea is cold. I made you another cup.”

“How nice, but you didn’t need to do that,” Erin said, surprised. “I could have taken care of it.”

Kaely wrinkled her nose at Erin and smiled. “I know that, but I think you need someone to pamper you once in a while.”

Erin took a sip. Perfect. Kaely must have watched her make her original cup of tea. It was a small thing, but it meant a lot to her.

“I heard you mention Timothy,” Kaely said. “I noticed that his hand was bandaged this morning. Is he all right?”

“Yeah. He’s a brilliant officer, but he’s a little clumsy. Cut his hand chopping carrots for a salad. Nothing work related. He’ll be fine.”

“You were talking about the name of the town,” Kaely said after sitting down on the couch again. “I’d love to hear how that came about.”

“You’ll probably find the answer surprising,” he responded. “William Watcher was actually the man who settled and named Sanctuary. He’d left New York City because he felt it was growing too quickly and he wanted some place quieter and more peaceful. He bought land and built his home here. It was in town. Victorian, palatial, and impressive. As the first settler in this area, he named it Sanctuary. It was his idea of heaven on earth. But he eventually wanted a place where he could go to be alone. To get away from his wife. He actually built a cabin on this property. Other men would come with him on hunting parties, or getaways, so they could play poker and drink. Of course, the original cabin didn’t resemble this. Steve actually tore down most of the previous structure and rebuilt it.” Adrian pointed at the wall on one side of the living room. “That’s an actual wall from the first cabin. And many of the bricks in the fireplace are original as well.”

“I’m sure his wife wasn’t too thrilled about this place,” Kaely said.

Erin felt something and looked down to see that Jake had put his head on her lap and was looking up at her adoringly. She stroked his soft head.

“You could say that,” Adrian said. “In fact, accounts I’ve read say that she was miserable. It seems that Mr. Watcher was raised in a family known for keeping a tight watch on their wives. The Watcher men weren’t known for their kindness. Wives were created to serve their husbands, and a disobedient wife was beaten if she wasn’t as submissive as her husband expected her to be.”

“Hmmm,” Erin said. “So I take it Mrs. Watcher disobeyed, and her husband dealt with it severely?”

“Yes, unfortunately. He eventually killed her.”

“I hope he went to prison for it,” Kaely said.

Adrian shook his head. “He did not. An inquiry resulted in the judge deciding that he’d been pushed past the point of his endurance by a willful and sinful wife. I have no idea exactly what her sins were, but the judge felt she deserved to have her throat cut. Hard to believe, I know. But back then, people saw things much differently than they do today.”

“So, what happened to the murderous Mr. Watcher?” Erin asked.

“I guess it proves that no sin really goes unpunished,” Adrian said. “William started telling people that the ghost of his wife was haunting him. That she wouldn’t leave him alone. Reports say he became gaunt and nervous, jumping at everything. Eventually, he took his own life. Here, in this cabin.”

“Here?” Kaely said.

Adrian nodded. “Well, in the cabin that used to be here.”

“I thought you said she hated the cabin, and that Mr. Watcher came here because he knew she wouldn’t join him,” Erin said. “I guess she changed her mind?”

Adrian chuckled. “At his inquest, William said that she had decided to follow him every time he came here. She intended to take away the pleasure the cabin gave him.”

“Whoops,” Kaely said. “Guess he shouldn’t have upset her.”

“I guess so.”

“You seem to know a lot about William Watcher and his wife” Erin said. “Mind if I ask why?”

Adrian turned red and coughed. “It’s not something I share with many people, but I discovered I’m indirectly related to William Watcher. I’d appreciate it if this didn’t go any further. People around here take the story about Watcher Woods very seriously.”

“So why did Steve Tremont act so weird about this place the first day I arrived?” Erin asked. “I mean, this stuff happened so long ago.”

“Even though the ghost is said to roam the woods since the incident,” he replied, “no one ever said they saw it except a few children trying to frighten people. But recently, according to some of our citizens, it’s been seen several times. Steve sunk a lot of money into this place, hoping to make money on it by renting it out to tourists. Now, he’s terrified that people won’t want to come if they think a ghost is haunting the place.”

Erin’s stomach tightened. Although she didn’t say it, she completely understood. At that moment, she wasn’t thrilled about being stuck in an isolated cabin in the woods with a serial killer on the loose and a frightening specter hiding behind the trees that surrounded them like prison guards, determined they would never leave this place alive.