Page 58 of Snowbound Threat

“Whoever did this sure made a mess of the place,” he said in a tight voice before stepping back outside. “We’ll dust for prints. It could be some local kids or. . .”

Or something far worse. Something that had been fifteen years in the making.

Chapter Two

“You think this has something to do with Pete’s investigation?” Ryan asked while the wind howled with renewed force as the storm continued to increase in strength. “The message wasn’t there when I found him the other night.”

“This is for me,” she said so softly he almost didn’t hear. “Someone doesn’t want me to come home.”

The words settled uneasily between them. Why would someone want her to stay gone? The only explanation was they believed Pete had told her something he’d discovered.

Ryan’s gaze wandered over the woman who would always have a piece of his heart. Seeing her tonight had brought that home in spades.

Her raven hair hung over one shoulder in a thick braid. It was longer now than he remembered. Blue eyes held what he could only describe as fear in them though he couldn’t associate fear with her. Charlie had always been fearless. Even after everything she’d been through.

“You’re staying anyway, aren’t you?”

That stubborn independence he knew too well was set on her face. “I’m not going anywhere. I came here to settle things for Pete and that’s what I’m going to do. If this is about what happened to Abby all those years earlier—if Uncle Pete died because of something he learned—then I’m going to find out what. I’m not going to let a little warning stop me.”

Ryan didn’t like the idea of her being someone’s target. Yet he knew it would be pointless to argue.

His gaze shifted to the mess inside. “Why don’t you wait in your vehicle where it’s warm? This is a crime scene now. I’ll get your statement once I’ve called the sheriff and see how quickly we can get crime scene tech out. You won’t be able to stay in the house tonight, Charlie,” he added softly.

Her reaction was to argue but he held up his hand. “It’ll be hours before the house is cleared. You should plan on going into town for the evening.”

Frustration set on her face. “Fine. I need to call Lila and let her know I’m here. Maybe I can stay with her tonight.”

“Hang on a second. Don’t leave just yet.” His words stopped her when she stepped from the porch.

Charlie slowly faced him. “Why?”

“Because we don’t know who did this or what their motives were. They could be waiting for you to leave. I’ll escort you back into town and then come back.”

The thought hadn’t occurred, and it clearly didn’t sit right. “Very well. I’ll be in my car.” Charlie struggled along the icy path using the SUV to guide herself to the driver’s door. Ryan waited until she settled in before hitting the mic on his jacket

Boone Randall answered immediately. “Heck of a storm. Is everything okay out there?”

“No, it isn’t. Someone broke into Pete Wells’ place.” Ryan briefed the sheriff on what happened.

Boone’s tone immediately changed to concern. “Who on earth would break into his place?” Boone had been a deputy under Pete’s leadership. They’d become good friends through the years. Like Ryan, Boone had taken Pete’s death hard.

“We weren’t expecting anyone up there until the niece arrived. I don’t like the sound of this.”

“Yeah, well, Charlie’s here now. She came in and found the place tossed. I did a walk around. Looks like they broke in the back window. There’s glass everywhere. Apparently, whoever did it wasn’t aware Pete kept the key in the light fixture.”

“It couldn’t be someone who knew Pete then. Everyone around the area knew he kept his spare key there.” Boone huffed out a breath. “Anything missing that you can tell?”

Ryan glanced over to where Charlie spoke on the phone before answering. “Nothing but the cabinet where Pete kept his journals. I was careful not to disturb any evidence that might be left behind by the perp, but the cabinet is gone. They took the whole thing.”

“That’s strange. I know he kept a lock on the file cabinet, but anyone could bust it off.”

“And they did. The lock is lying on the floor in Pete’s study. I guess they wanted to make sure the journals were inside before they took it.”

A long pause followed. “Why not just take the journals? Why the cabinet?”

Ryan blew out a breath and watched it fog the night. “I don’t know. Maybe there wasn’t time to empty the cabinet. Something might have interrupted the robbery.” He paused. “There’s something else. They left a message behind.”

Boone grunted. “What’d it say?”