Danger on the Mountain

Maggie got up and walked toward the closet where she had a small portable file box. As she passed the window, movement caught her eye.

Stopping, she glanced out. The bedroom was in the back corner of the house. The view from the window was part lake to her right and part woods to her left. The sheer curtains allowed light to flood the room during the day. But now, Maggie wished she had something heavier and more concealing over the windows. She shivered and waited. Watching. Her mind flashed to the robber’s threat that he would kill her.

Would he really? She remembered the look in his eye as he spewed the threat and decided, yes, he really would.

Fear trembled through her and she pulled in a deep breath. For the next few minutes, she simply stood and watched the area outside the window, then she moved to Belle’s room and looked out. Again, she saw nothing that caused her concern. Before she left Belle’s room, she checked the window latch. It was fastened securely.

Feeling a bit better, thinking it was just an animal or something that had captured her attention, she let herself relax slightly. Returning to her office, she went straight to the closet. The file box she wanted sat on the top shelf.

Maggie pulled it down and brought it to the desk.

Before she went any further, she couldn’t resist one more glance out the window.

Nothing.

She turned back to the box, opened the latch and lifted the lid. Ever since the attempted bank robbery, she’d been troubled by the fact that she could have been killed. She wasn’t ready to die, of course, but it wasn’t so much the act of dying as it was dying and leaving Belle to face the world without her.

Maggie sorted through the files until she came to the one she wanted. The one marked WILL. When she’d lived with her husband, she’d learned fast to hide things she didn’t want him to know about. He was suspicious and mean and went through her things often, accusing her of hiding money from him.

Guilt pulled at her. Well, he’d been right about that. She’d been hiding things from him. She’d been planning her escape from the man for several months because she knew if she didn’t get away from him, she would eventually wind up dead. And now she had more than herself to think of. She had to take care of Belle.

Maggie pulled the one sheet of paper labeled LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT from the file, sat in the chair and simply looked at it. She really had to do something about guardianship for Belle in case something happened to her. The attempted bank robbery yesterday had hit home the fact that Maggie had no other living relatives. None.

Except for her deceased husband’s sister, Shannon Bennett. And she wasn’t even a blood relative. The woman was thirty-seven years old, had never married and seemed to prefer it that way. She was listed as the person who would get custody of Belle in the event of Maggie’s death. And while Maggie knew without a doubt that Shannon was crazy about Belle, that she would take care of her, provide for her and love her, Maggie hesitated. She just wasn’t sure she wanted to leave Belle with her. For a number of reasons.

The doorbell rang and she jumped.

Mrs. Adler called, “I’ll get it.”

Maggie relaxed and went back to trying to make a decision about what to do about Belle in the event of her death. Not something she planned on happening, but the bank robbery still had her shaken.

A high-pitched scream echoed through the house. Maggie jerked, bolted to her feet and raced down the short hall to find the woman standing in the doorway, hands clasped to her mouth.

“What is it?” Maggie’s heart thudded as she stepped around Mrs. Adler and stared down at the dead squirrel on her porch. He lay on his back, feet in the air.

The words painted in red next to him read, “You’re next.”

FIVE

Maggie’s shaky phone call still echoed in his mind as Reese stood on the porch looking down at the dead animal. The bright sun in the blue cloudless sky cast a cheery glow around him. A direct contrast to the chilling message next to the carcass.

Eli stepped forward and placed a hand on Mrs. Adler’s shoulder. The woman still trembled as she twisted a tissue between her fingers. “Let me call Jim to come get you,” Eli offered.

“No, I have my car. I’ll be fine.” She bit her lip. “I’d rather he not know about this. We’re going to Asheville day after tomorrow for some heart tests. This wouldn’t be good for him.”

“I’m so sorry,” Maggie whispered, her face pale and drawn.

Mrs. Adler reached over and took Maggie’s hand in hers. “It’s not your fault, honey. Someone is just getting his kicks in a twisted way.” She fluttered her hand as though to say she was going to try to ignore it.

Reese wished he could.

But the would-be bank robber’s threats still rang in his ears. He hadn’t thought the two who’d escaped would have hung around the area. But maybe one had revenge on his mind. Maybe the person Maggie saw running from her home yesterday had indeed been the robber who’d threatened them. But why go after Maggie? Reese was the one who’d shot him.

Then again, if Maggie hadn’t pulled the rope, everything would have ended differently. They would have gotten away with their money and Slim wouldn’t have a bullet hole in him.

Eli looked up from the squirrel. “He was already dead. Been dead a couple of days, I’d say. Our joker probably came across him and decided it’d be a good way to scare Maggie.”

She grunted. “It worked.”

“Where’s Belle?” Eli asked.

“In her playpen.” Maggie glanced through the door and into the den. “She’s content right now.”

Eli looked at Mitchell, one of his deputies. “Anything on that red substance?”

“It’s not blood.” He held up the cotton swab he’d used to test the writing. “Maybe paint or some kind of marker.”

“Let’s get all this stuff bagged.” He looked at Maggie. “We’ll have to send it off to the lab in Asheville. It may take a while to hear back.”

She nodded and ran a hand through her blond hair. She looked tired, the gray smudges under her eyes attesting to the fact that she hadn’t gotten much sleep since the robbery. She asked, “What do I do now? If this person is determined to get to me, how do Belle and I—” she shot a glance at Mrs. Adler “—and everyone else in my life, stay safe?”

Reese’s jaw firmed. “I live right across the lake, so I can help keep an eye on things.” He looked at Eli. “Would it be possible to have deputies on duty drive by every couple of hours for the next few days?”

Eli blew out a sigh and was quiet while he thought about it. Then he said, “Fortunately, we’re not short-staffed anymore. At least we won’t be when Cal and Abby get back from Washington. They’re due home any time now.” Reese nodded. Cal McIvers was also a deputy on the small Rose Mountain police force. Abby, Cal’s wife, was Reese’s former sister-in-law. Their unconditional love and support had been instrumental in influencing his move to the mountain.

“That’ll help.”

Eli pulled out his notebook again and wrote as he spoke. “I’ll set up a schedule for the drive-bys.” He looked at Maggie. “And we can set up a check-in schedule for you.”

“What’s that?” she asked.

“You call either Reese or me throughout the day at designated times to let us know you’re all right. It doesn’t have to take long, just a simple, ‘I’m fine.’”

Reese nodded. “She can call me.” He looked into her eyes. “I’ll be available, day or night. If you even feel uneasy, call.”

He saw her throat work, the protest form on her lips. Before she could utter a word, he stated firmly, “It’s not an imposition. Let me do this. If something happened to you—or Belle—I’d...probably blame myself for letting you talk me out of it. So let’s just save me the guilt, okay?”

“Let him do it, honey,” Mrs. Adler chimed in. “With the crazy stuff happening in this town lately, it wouldn’t hurt.” She shook her head. “First Eli has to take over for a crooked sheriff, then drugs being funneled through the elementary school then someone chasing down that sweet Abby McIvers and trying to kill her...” The woman trailed off, her muttered words making Reese wince.

He’d been part of Abby O’Sullivan McIvers’s grief. His sister-in-law. He’d blamed her for his wife and daughter’s deaths and she’d run from him. Straight to Rose Mountain, where she’d met and married Cal McIvers, one of Rose Mountain’s deputies. Now she had a flourishing pediatric medical practice and the residents of Rose Mountain kept her busy enough that she’d started looking for a partner. Thankfully, Reese had been able to be friendly with her and Cal.

Maggie looked confused. “Dr. Abby?” So she hadn’t heard the story of how he’d come to Rose Mountain.

He nodded. “Yes.”

Before Mrs. Adler could add to her dialogue about all the bad things happening recently on the mountain, a cry sounded from inside the house.

Belle.

Maggie darted inside while Eli walked Mrs. Adler to her car. “Why don’t you call it a day?”

“I believe I will.” She climbed in and drove down the drive that would lead her to the two-lane mountain road.

Reese watched her go. The storm door squeaked open and Maggie stepped outside with Belle on her hip.

His heart flipped then settled.

Why was he reacting this way? He hadn’t felt anything like attraction for a woman since Keira’s death. And now this. He was developing feelings for the mother of a baby. He shook his head at himself and decided he’d better focus on her safety and not the fact that he wanted to push aside his insecurities and fears and lose himself in the possibility that God might have something planned for him and Maggie.

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