Page 12 of Wicked Winter Night
“Thanks, David. Let’s just keep this between us, shall we? Dean already disapproves of me venturing off course a bit. Although I do think he’d understand in this case.” I chuckle.
“Yeah, yeah. Call me if you need anything else.”
The line goes silent, and I slip my phone into the back pocket of my jeans before entering the safehouse.
CHAPTER TWELVE
There’s a knock at my front door, and I rush over to open it. The same two officers stand before me, and I invite them inside. “It’s about time y’all got here,” I huff, irritated at the response time. “I’d be dead by now if someone were trying to kill me.”
“We’re sorry, ma’am. We’ve actually been meaning to come back out here, but the roads have been slick with ice. It’s beendifficult to get out here. Cell service has been spotty. You’re lucky you were able to make the call.”
“Do you have news?” I ask, forgetting about why I called them in the first place.
“We got in touch with the local police station over in your city. They went and talked with your fiancé, ma’am. He’s not left the city since you’ve been here and was able to provide an alibi.”
At the word ‘alibi’, my stomach coils. I know exactly what, or rather,whohis alibi was.
“That’s exactly why I called you. I know who it was. He was here, in my cabin. He helped me in the woods. I was almost attacked by a pack of wolves, but he saved me and carried me back to the cabin. He admitted he was the one who wrote the note. You have to go arrest him, please! I don’t feel safe!” My words are going a mile a minute, unsure if they were even able to keep up.
“You met a man in the woods? And he admitted to writing the note?” Officer Jefferson asks in confusion.
“Yes!” I yell. “He said he lives in the next cabin just through the woods. He heard my screams and came running.”
They both stare at me blankly before Officer Hilton says, “The next cabin?”
“Yeah, that’s what I said!” I yell again, throwing my hands up in the air.
“Ma’am, there is no cabin after yours. Your cabin is the last before it stretches into nothing but woods for the next 10 miles before the next city.”
Suddenly, it feels like the whole world fades away into the distance. My vision tunnels and my heart rate spikes so suddenly, I don’t have any chance to control my breathing before I begin hyperventilating.
“Ma’am, calm down. Breathe. You’re okay. Sit down here,” Officer Hilton directs, taking me over to the couch. “Now putyour head between your legs. There you go, that’s it. Slow your breathing.”
My vision slowly returns, and my heart rate begins to calm.
“If you’d like, we can do another check. We’ll even do a perimeter sweep around the treeline. Otherwise, it might be best for you to pack up a few things and stay at the motel in town.”
“But,” I whisper. ‘It’s Christmas Eve. I… I don’t want to wake up on Christmas in a motel…” My eyes begin to well with tears, feeling utterly defeated about salvaging what little I can of my favorite holiday.
“I’m sorry, ma’am. We’re a bit short-staffed today, as I’m sure you can guess. We don’t get much trouble out here. I can have a few guys swing out this way every few hours just to check in, but I’m afraid there’s not much we can do.”
I hang my head in my hands. “Fine, just please do your search. Whatever that entails.”
“As you wish, ma’am,” Officer Hilton says, tipping his hat.
They both spend the next hour searching every inch of the house as well as the tree line surrounding the outside of the cabin. They left nothing untouched, and I felt grateful for the comfort it brought that at least he isn’t hiding anywhere near the cabin right now. When they’ve both completed their search, they return to the cabin. It’s nearing 6pm at this point and beginning to get dark.
“Everything is normal, ma’am. Again, I would strongly urge you to pack a few things and head into town to stay. We just got word that another storm is rolling through tonight. I know I said I’d have a few patrol cars come and check on things, but that won’t be possible with the storm now. We’re supposed to be getting twelve feet of snow with this one.”
“I appreciate the offer, gentlemen. But I think I’ll be staying here. I’m not going to be chased from my cabin on Christmas.”
“I’ll have someone come out here and check on you as soon as I can. If not myself. You have a nice night, ma’am,” Officer Jefferson states. They both give a tilt of their hats and walk out, leaving me alone once again. I don’t know if I’m making the right decision or not, but I’m not leaving. This is my fucking cabin, and I’m not going anywhere.
The next hour seems to fly by, and I breathe a sigh of relief when nothing of significance happens. A fire burns in the fireplace, and I’m lying on the couch, watching my favorite Christmas movie, having found some old DVDs in the basement and getting lucky that the DVD player still works, when there’s a sudden knock on the door. My heart skips a bit, and there’s a sudden pit in my stomach. Then, there's another knock. The storm hasn’t begun yet, so I get up and make my way over to the door, thinking it’s one of the officers making a final check before it starts getting crazy outside. When I open the door, my face pales.
“Liam, what are you doing here?” I ask, shocked.
“Had an interesting conversation with the police department. They came knocking, asking if I’ve been leaving you notes at the cabin. What the fuck, Ella?” he says, barging in, not bothering to wait for an invite inside. I close the door in annoyance, slamming it a bit louder than I intended. “What happened to your face?” he adds, taking off his jacket.