Page 23 of The Other Lady Vanishes

Relief washed through her in a disorienting wave. She lowered the gun to her side and hurried to open the door. Jake glanced at her with hard, cold eyes and then looked past her, searching the shadows.

“Jake,” she said. “You don’t know how happy I am to see—” She froze when she caught the glint of metal in his hand. She looked down and saw the gun he was holding alongside his thigh.

Aside from the new accessory, he was still dressed as he had beenfor the theater, although he had discarded the fashionable drape-cut evening jacket and his tie. His crisp white dress shirt was open at the collar. His hair was tousled. It dawned on her that he had run the distance between his cottage and hers.

“What’s wrong?” he demanded.

She realized he was looking at the gun in her hand. She tightened her grip on it and took a step back, raising the weapon as she did so.

“First, get rid of your gun,” she ordered.

“All right,” he said. Crouching, he set the weapon down on the floor just over the threshold. He straightened slowly but made no move to force his way into the hall. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you. I just wanted to be sure you weren’t in some sort of trouble.”

“What made you think I was?”

His brows rose. “How about the fact that I glanced out my window and noticed that you were going through this place, turning on every light in every room? I’m assuming something scared the living daylights out of you.”

She exhaled slowly. “I think someone broke in here while you and I were out tonight.”

“Anything stolen?”

“Not as far as I can tell. I haven’t done a complete search but nothing important seems to be missing.”

“What about food? Transients sometimes break in just to get a bite to eat.”

“I thought about that, but I don’t believe that whoever broke in was after food. Nothing was disturbed in the kitchen.”

He glanced meaningfully at the pistol. “Would you mind pointing that gun in another direction while we sort this out? You’re making me nervous. I’m not supposed to allow my nerves to get overstimulated, remember?”

She lowered the pistol. “I apologize. I’m a little nervous myself at the moment.”

“Call the police. I’ll wait here on the front porch. They’ll send an officer out to take a look.”

She struggled with that for a few beats. The last thing she wanted to do was draw the attention of the local police. She was new in town, after all. Complaining about a break-in might cause the cops to ask questions about her past. She would have to lie, and that would lead to more lies, and then things could get complicated.

“What would I tell them?” she said. “That Ithinkthere was an intruder? That nothing was stolen? That all I’ve got to show for proof is an unlocked window? They’ll tell me I most likely forgot to lock it.”

“May I come in and take a look around?”

She thought some more. Common sense finally descended. There was no way he could have been the intruder. He had been with her all evening.

“First, tell me why you showed up on my doorstep with a gun,” she said.

He gave her a faint, ice-cold smile. “I used to be in the import-export business, remember? I traveled to some dangerous places around the world and met with some dangerous people. Years ago I started carrying a gun for protection when I traveled. It became a habit.”

“You consider Burning Cove a potentially dangerous town?”

“I don’t think there is any such thing as a crime-free town.” He paused a beat and glanced at the pistol in her hand. “I would also point out that you seem to have the same opinion of Burning Cove.”

“I’m a woman living alone. It seems sensible to take precautions.”

“I won’t argue with that. So, what’s it going to be? Do you want me to take a look around or leave?”

If he wanted to do her any harm, he’d had ample opportunity earlier in the evening when he had brought her home. She was overreacting.

She stepped back, opening the door wider. “Pick up your gun and come on in. Yes, I would appreciate it if you would take a look at thelaundry room window and see if you think it could have been opened from the outside.”

“The intruder used a window in the laundry room?”