Chapter 16
Sixteen
After checking in with the owner of the local resort, Merle Hubbard, who once again wanted to lodge a complaint against a customer who’d taken all the towels from their room, Adrian decided to run by Erin’s cabin again.
The problem with the lights still bothered him.
He planned to return to the cabin a little before six that evening to see if the lights came on when they were supposed to, but for now, he just wanted to make sure everything was all right.
Although it seemed like a minor problem, something inside him just wouldn’t let it go.
He was almost there when Jake started to whine. Adrian pulled his Jeep over, put a leash on him, and let him out. He realized he hadn’t been outside since early that morning.
“Sorry, boy,” he said as he followed the golden retriever into the woods where he immediately lifted his leg and relieved himself.
Although he tried to fight the urge, Adrian’s eyes shifted toward an area in the woods where two people died a few months earlier.
Memories of the serial killer who preyed on innocent women fought for a place in his mind, but he pushed them away.
Right now, he wanted to concentrate on Erin’s cabin. Rehashing evil wouldn’t help with that.
He was taken off guard when Jake pulled on the leash, letting Adrian know he was finished and they could go back to the Jeep.
A few moments later, they arrived at Erin’s.
When Adrian pulled up in front of the cabin, he looked carefully at the front of the structure.
Everything seemed okay, but he decided to get out and look a little closer.
He wanted to make sure the cabin was secure and that the problem with the lights was a fluke.
“Stay here,” he said to Jake, who barked and stood up in his seat.
“No,” Adrian said in a stern voice. Jake wanted to go everywhere with him.
In Jake’s mind, asking him to stay in the car was a form of torture.
Adrian couldn’t help but laugh at the expression on his dog’s face.
“I’ll be right back,” he said. He got out of the Jeep and closed the door behind him.
He could hear Jake’s barking, but he just ignored it.
He walked up to the front door and checked it. Locked. He decided to walk around the cabin to make sure everything was secure. Maybe he was being overzealous, but his gut urged him to go the extra mile. During all the years he’d spent in law enforcement, he’d learned to trust his instincts.
He could still hear Jake’s displeasure at being locked in the Jeep as he headed around the back side of the cabin.
He looked through each window, but all of them were covered by shades or curtains.
However, he could see into the living room from the double glass doors that led outside to the patio.
He stared closely at the door handles and noticed scratch marks around the doorknobs.
Someone had tried to open these doors. He took out his phone and started to take pictures when he heard a noise behind him.
Before he had time to turn around, pain exploded in his head, and the world went black.
Erin tried to enjoy the delicious lunch Kaely had prepared, but she couldn’t get Brandon’s phone call out of her head. She hadn’t known him long, but in all the time they’d been together, she’d never heard him sound as worried as he had just now. He was clearly troubled, and now, so was she.
She made an effort to join in the conversation, but it was difficult. Kaely looked at her and frowned.
“Shannon, can you give us a moment?” she said. Then she stood up and gestured for Erin to follow her.
“I’m sorry,” Kaely said to Shannon. “We’ll be right back.”
Although Shannon looked a little confused, she smiled. “Sure,” she said.
Erin went into the living room and found Kaely in the hallway that led to the guest bedroom.
“Okay, what’s wrong?” Kaely asked as Erin walked up to her.
“We shouldn’t leave Shanonn waiting alone,” Erin said. “It’s rude.”
“We’ll make it up to her. I’ve known you a while. I’ve never seen you react like that to a phone call. Tell me what just happened.”
“It’s probably nothing,” Erin said slowly.
“You wouldn’t be this upset if it was nothing.” Kaely frowned at her. “You trust me, don’t you?”
Erin sighed and leaned against the wall. “Of course I do. To be honest, I’m just trying to process the situation.” She repeated what Brandon had told her.
“Oh, Erin. It’s a scam. I’ve heard of people trying to pull this off.
They think publishers will pay them money to avoid a scandal.
There’s no way in the world she could prove you stole those books from her.
” Kaely put her hand on Erin’s shoulder.
“Don’t worry about this. I’ll help. My training with the FBI will come in handy.
And Noah will help too. Might be a good idea to let this woman know you have friends in high places. Hopefully, it will scare her off.”
“Brandon told me not to talk about it,” Erin said. “If it gets out . . .”
“Well, I’m certainly not going to tell anyone.
And Noah won’t either. Now let’s get back to our lunch.
Put this out of your head for now. We’ll talk about it later.
” She smiled. “There’s a Bible verse that advises us not to worry about anything today and to let tomorrow worry about itself.
In other words, just concentrate on today.
This situation may not even be a problem by tomorrow.
The whole thing could easily go away once this woman realizes she can’t possibly prove her claim.
If you spend today upset, it could be for absolutely no reason whatsoever.
” Kaely removed her hand from Erin’s shoulder and gave her a quick hug.
“Let’s just enjoy today, okay? I promise you everything will be all right. ”
“How can you possibly promise something like that?” Erin asked. “You can’t know how this will turn out.”
Kaely let her go and put her hand under Erin’s chin, raising her face so she was looking into Kaely’s dark eyes.
“I can promise that because I know you didn’t steal that story.
Or what you’re working on now. I believe in prayer, Erin.
And I know that God will bring justice out of this.
You don’t know much about who He is yet, but I do.
And I trust Him completely. This will turn out okay. You’ll see.”
Kaely pointed toward the kitchen, and Erin headed that way.
She hoped Kaely was right. Would God really help her?
She wasn’t even sure she believed in Him.
Why would He get involved in her life? Even as she asked herself the question, a spark of hope ignited inside her.
Maybe Kaely was right. Maybe this really would be okay.
For a moment, Adrian thought he was still in bed.
He had a headache and was thinking he should get up and take some aspirin.
But then he realized he was lying on the ground.
He pushed himself into a sitting position.
The pain in his head almost took his breath away.
It was then he realized he could hear Jake’s frantic barks.
He waited a minute or two until the world quit spinning.
Slowly, he got to his feet and looked around.
No one was there. He was alone. He leaned against the side of Erin’s house, trying to get his bearings.
He wanted nothing more than to get back to his Jeep, but he realized that before he made another move, he had to call the station and ask for help.
Whoever hit him could still be nearby. His radio was on the ground, and he didn’t want to reach down to get it.
He was afraid he wouldn’t be able to get back up.
Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone.
He clicked on the station’s number. Seconds later, Lisa answered.
He mumbled into the phone, asking for assistance and praying she understood him.
“We’re on our way, boss,” she said. “Stay put.”
He could hear the concern in her voice, but he had to get to Jake. The dog was clearly panicked, and the fear he heard tore at his heart.
Adrian slowly moved around to the side of the house, using his arm to keep himself propped up.
He finally reached the front of the cabin.
The distance from where he was to the Jeep seemed like a million miles, but somehow, he had to get there.
Jake needed him. It was then that he noticed the blood.
It had dripped down onto his shirt. He put his hand up to his face and found it damp and sticky.
When he pulled his hand away, all he could see was red.
He stared at the Jeep for a few seconds and then launched himself off the side of the cabin and stumbled toward his vehicle, barely making it before he felt like he would pass out.
He opened the driver’s side door and flung himself inside. Jake was all over him, trying to lick up the blood on his face in an attempt to help him. Adrian didn’t want to push him away, but he had to. He was still battling with Jake when he heard the sirens. Help was here.
As he slipped into the welcoming darkness, he knew he would be all right.