Chapter 6
Six
After Erin unpacked, she changed clothes.
Her cargo pants were not only wrinkled—she’d accidentally dripped some caramel cappuccino on her lap.
She’d bought the drink at a fast-food place on the way, not actually expecting much.
Surprisingly, it was delicious, but the lid hadn’t fit quite right.
Her pants had paid the price. A fresh pair of jeans, a blue gauze blouse, and running a brush through her hair made her feel much better.
Chester watched, his eyes following her every move.
“Everything’s okay, boy,” she said, kneeling down beside him. “When we’re done here, we’ll go home. I won’t leave you behind. I promise. At some point, you’re going to have to trust me.”
His deep brown eyes gazed into hers. Would the pain of his abandonment ever heal? “I know how you feel, boy,” she said softly. “Maybe we can get better together. How does that sound?”
Chester suddenly licked her cheek, and it made her laugh. “I think we have a deal.”
Mr. Hoover, who had been watching them, jumped down off the bed where he’d gone after Kaely left the room.
He walked over to her and rubbed up against her leg.
She reached down to pet him. Suddenly, he crouched and ran down the hall like his fur was on fire.
Erin giggled. Cats were certainly different from dogs.
When she was little, before her parents died, they would visit their aunt, who had a cat that entertained them with her weird behavior.
She had her own ideas and couldn’t be bothered by anything others wanted her to do.
Erin and Courtney had enjoyed spending time with Cinnamon.
Aunt Karen had named her that because of her coloring.
At the time, Erin had no idea that, when she was ten years old, her parents would be dead, her older sister would take off, and Aunt Karen would take her into her home.
Cinnamon was a comfort to her. Not long before she moved out, Cinnamon died.
Although it sounded ludicrous, somehow, she’d convinced herself that Cinnamon had hung in as long as she could just so she could stay with Erin.
That somehow, she knew she was needed. The thought of that silly cat brought tears to her eyes that she quickly blinked away.
Chester barked and ran to the door, his tail wagging. He looked back at her.
“It’s okay,” she said. “You can follow him.”
Chester gave her another smile and trotted out, obviously wanting to see what his new friend was up to.
Erin breathed a sigh of relief. His reaction was a good sign.
He was actually able to leave her side for a moment.
This trip might end up being good for him.
Hopefully, he wouldn’t be too upset when they went home.
She had no plans to add a cat to their small family.
Clothes changed, her suitcase unpacked, she left the bedroom and headed down the hall. Something smelled great. When she reached the living room, Kaely was there waiting. No sign of Mr. Hoover or Chester.
“They’re in the kitchen,” Kaely said, as if reading her mind. “I put the bag with Chester’s food and bowls in there. Does he need to be fed now?”
“Yeah, actually he does.” She smiled at Kaely. “Are you feeding me too?”
“Yeah, I assumed you’d be hungry after your long drive.”
“Famished.”
“Well, let’s take care of everyone now,” Kaely said.
“I’ll put Mr. Hoover in the laundry room so Chester won’t be tempted to eat his cat food.
” She looked down at Chester. “Not that you would, you sweet, sweet boy.” She reached down to pet him, and Chester quickly licked her hand.
“Boy, you’re really trying to wrap me around your furry paw, aren’t you? Well, for the record, it’s working.”
Erin was a little surprised at how happy she was to be here.
And to be around Kaely again, even though the reason for her visit wasn’t a good one.
Although the cabin was her safe space, getting away for a while gave her a sense of freedom.
Not something she was used to feeling. Maybe she was finally getting better.
Erin wondered if God could actually heal her.
Was it possible? Kaely seemed to believe that it was.
Erin still wasn’t certain that the God of the universe cared about her, but there was one thing she was sure about.
She wanted to find the God that Kaely knew.
She’d seen the effect He’d had in her life.
The peace. The love. She wanted that too. No, she needed that too.
She was also looking forward to meeting Noah. Kaely had told her so much about him, she was certain they would get along. She was happy that Kaely had someone like him. According to Kaely, Noah was a good man. Erin hoped that was true.
While Kaely put Chester’s food in his bowl, she checked out the kitchen.
It was so warm and inviting—just like the rest of the house.
Kaely certainly had a gift for putting her own imprint on her home.
Looking at Kaely’s choices, she was actually getting some ideas that she might be able use back at the cabin.
“I think I need you to come back to Sanctuary,” she said to Kaely with a sigh. “I need you to help me redecorate.”
“We don’t actually have to be there,” Kaely said. “If the pictures of the cabin are still online from when it was for sale, we can download them and then use an app to show you what your changes might look like.”
“That would be awesome. If we get time, let’s do that.”
“Not sure how much of an expert I am,” Kaely said, “but together I think we can figure it out.”
After Chester and Mr. Hoover ate, she and Kaely sat down at the table in the kitchen. Kaely had made baked spaghetti that was so cheesy and delicious, Erin asked for the recipe.
“Since it’s just me, I usually eat these already prepared meals I have shipped to me. But I could make this and freeze some servings for later. It’s so good.”
“Thanks. Noah loves it too.”
“He’s not coming home for dinner?”
Kaely shook her head. “They’re working hard on this new case. Trying to write a profile for the Novel Killer.”
Erin sighed. “Still?”
Kaely shrugged. “Don’t judge me. You have a better name for him?”
“How about a low-down, dirty murderer?”
“That might be a little too long,” Kaely said with a grin.
“What happened to simply calling him the UNSUB?”
Kaely sighed. “I’m tired of calling murderers unknown subjects. It has no flair. No panache.”
“You’re incorrigible, you know that?”
“So you say.”
Kaely stood up. “Sheriff Skinner should be here soon. I thought I’d serve dessert and coffee while we go over the case. We could work in here because we have the table to lay everything out. Or we have a dining room, but we only use it on holidays.”
As if on cue, the doorbell rang. Chester’s ears perked up, and he ran out of the kitchen, headed for the front door.
“Chester!” Erin said. She got up and went after him. When she reached him, she pulled him back while Kaely opened the door.
A man stood there, dressed in jeans and a blue checked shirt. He was blond with eyes that were so blue they almost made her gasp. To say he was attractive was an understatement. Chester started to bark when he saw him.
“Chester, stop,” she said again.
The man smiled and held out his hand. Chester stopped barking and sniffed the extended appendage. Then he looked up at the man and sat down.
“I think he likes you,” Erin said, “but I can put him up if you’d rather.”
He shook his head. “No, please don’t. I love dogs. I think if I ignore him and don’t make any sudden movements, we’ll get along just fine.”
“If you’re sure.”
He nodded. “I’m certain he’ll be okay.”
Kaely motioned to the man to come inside. “Erin, this is Sheriff Nick Skinner.”
“Happy to meet you, Sheriff.”
“It’s Nick. Please.” The sheriff walked into the living room, and Chester followed him.
“I thought we could sit down at the kitchen table,” Kaely said. “I have coconut cream pie and coffee if you’re interested.”
Nick nodded. “You had me at coconut cream pie.”
Kaely laughed and made her way back to the kitchen. Nick and Erin followed behind her. Nick Skinner certainly wasn’t what Erin had expected. He was younger, hipper, and seemed rather casual about being the sheriff for Fredericksburg.
When he sat down at the table, Erin noticed the satchel he held onto with his right hand. He put it down on the floor next to him.
“Can I help with dessert?” Erin asked Kaely.
“Sure. That would be great.”
Erin cut the pie and placed the pieces on the dessert plates already on the counter. She carried the plates over to the table while Kaely poured coffee and brought the cups over.
“I put a little sugar in yours,” she said to Nick.
“Thank you for remembering,” he said with a smile.
With the pie served and the coffee cups full, Erin and Kaely also sat down at the table. Nick took a bite of his pie and shook his head. “This is delicious, Kaely,” he said. “Noah brags all the time about your cooking.”
“I’m sure he doesn’t say much about the first couple of years we were married,” she said.
“I had to learn. Trust me, not everything I made was a success.” She shook her head.
“Noah never complained. I hope his patience has paid off. At least now when he eats something I’ve made he doesn’t have to choke it down while fighting to keep a smile on his face. ”
Nick laughed. “He’s never mentioned anything like that. He only praises you.” His expression changed for just an instant as he looked at Kaely. Although she couldn’t be certain, Erin wondered if he was a little jealous of Noah. She glanced at the ring finger on his left hand. A gold ring.
“Are you married, Nick?” she asked.
Nick cleared his throat and put his fork down, not looking at her. “I . . . I was,” he said. “My wife died about six months ago.”
Erin felt incredible sadness for this nice man who hadn’t been able to take his ring off yet. If he was jealous of Noah, it was for an understandable reason.
“I’m so sorry for your loss,” she said softly. Erin wanted to ask how she’d died, but when she glanced at Kaely, she frowned and shook her head so slightly that only Erin would notice.
“Thank you,” Nick said, obviously not seeing Kaely’s warning.
“It’s an adjustment. I just put one foot in front of the other and try to make it through.
” He put the last bite of pie in his mouth and then washed it down with coffee.
After that, he picked up the satchel on the floor next to him and removed a folder.
Erin’s stomach tightened. She wanted to help catch the man who had killed three women, but knowing that the killer had taken a life based on something she’d written was . . . devastating.
“Nick can share the information from this file with us,” Kaely said. “Noah can’t do that. The FBI won’t allow him to even remove case files from the building.”
“I have to deputize you, Erin,” Nick said.
“Even though you’ll be given some information at the command center, they might not give you access to anything outside of the murder that involves your book.
But once you’re deputized, you’ll be working under my command, and I can show you anything I want to. ”
“I’m hopeful that being deputized will allow you more access to case information at the command. Updates. Things like that,” Kaely said. “But I can’t guarantee it. The Virginia State Police are in charge of the task force. It will be up to them.”
Erin nodded. “I understand,” she said. Having spent several years as a police officer, it felt a little odd to be deputized to work with Nick, but she really wanted to help.
Nick asked her to raise her right hand and swear to carry out the duties of a deputy sheriff for Spotsylvania County, which included Fredericksburg.
Once she agreed, he reached into the pocket of his jacket and handed her a badge.
Erin took it from him but was embarrassed that her hand trembled.
It had been a long time since she’d had a badge.
Her chest felt tight, and she had to remind herself that this was only temporary and had nothing to do with her previous life as a cop.
She was surprised by her reaction. This was clearly a trigger.
She took a deep breath to calm her rapidly beating heart. Thankfully, Nick didn’t seem to notice.
She cleared her throat and smiled. “Thank you,” she said. “I’ll make sure I have this when I’m inside the command center.”
Nick nodded and opened the file on the table.
“A police investigator will want to talk to you. Since these crimes were just linked as serial killings, they’re at the beginning of the inquiry.
We were one of the first departments on the scene.
That’s why I have these. I sent everything to the Virginia State Police since, as Kaely said, they’re the lead agency now.
I printed these photos and reports from the files I emailed to them.
I really don’t want anyone to question why I shared this information with you.
This way there’s nothing online to track.
I’m doing this as a favor to Kaely. Besides, Kaely said you prefer holding paper and photos rather than looking at them online. ”
“Yeah, I do. Not sure why. Might be because I spend so much time on my laptop writing. Having actual copies I can hold in my hands feels . . . more real. Thanks for doing this.”
Nick nodded. “You’re welcome.” He pushed the contents of the file toward her. She was a little nervous about what she was getting ready to see. Right now, she wasn’t certain she could write another book. Ever.