Chapter 21
“Teddy, stop trying to run ahead of me,” Sophia scolded with a slight shake of her head.
She paused to give her dog a pointed look, and he gave her a sloppy grin in response.
Smiling, Sophia returned to the path in front of her and gripped both of the handlebars like her life depended on it.
In a lot of ways, it felt like it did.
She hadn’t been on a bike since she was a teenager trying to find a sport that she could commit to. After a series of mishaps, including one where she ended up pinned underneath the weight of a bike and needing to be rescued by a cute medic, Sophia had given up the sport altogether. For years, she’d wondered if the timing had been wrong.
Now, Sophia was beginning to wonder if the fear was all in her head.
With nothing but a paved moonlight sidewalk in front of her and the sound of the waves crashing against the shore in the background, Sophia felt at peace. Having spent the last hour pacing the entire length of the living room after a series of failed projects and a burnt cake that she’d tossed straight in the bin, Sophia hadn’t known what to do with herself until Teddy had bounded up the stairs to the attic and refused to come down until she’d crawled in after him, pushing past cobwebs and ignoring the creaking sound the floorboards made.
When she’d come across Teddy sniffing her old bike, a strange jolt had gone through her. She’d even remembered what it felt like to be in the hospital after her accident, with her dad and Ian fussing over her.
Things had been simpler then and a lot clearer. Teenage Sophia had been filled with a lot of big dreams and ideas. Why hadn’t she listened to her more?
When Teddy spotted a cat in the distance and barked, he brought Sophia back to the present with a jolt. She nearly lost her balance and tipped over, Teddy’s leash tied to one of the handlebars.
With a frown, Sophia leaned forward and gave the leash a firm tug. Teddy whimpered and tugged, dragging the bike forward with a screeching sound.
“Teddy,” Sophia said, her voice slicing through the air. “Stop it. Leave the poor cat alone.”
Teddy swung his head back to look at her and whined.
Sophia wagged a finger at him. “No, don’t give me that look. You know how overexcited you get about things.”
Teddy lowered his ears and tilted his head to the side.
Sophia sighed. “No, now, come on. Let’s go back to enjoying the night.”
Teddy huffed and stopped trying to tug on the bike. Gingerly, Sophia climbed off, tugged on her shorts, and wrapped Teddy’s leash around her hand. Then she stretched her arms up over her head and ignored the tingling sensation in her legs. While she wasn’t out of shape and tried to do yoga and her stretches on a regular basis, she was beginning to realize that cycling took a lot more than freeing her mind or wanting to take a trip down memory lane.
It wasn’t as easy to get back into it as people claimed.
And she still had a long way to go before she could have Teddy tied to the bike while they moved through the streets of the town.
Every last inch of her stung, and her shorts were chafing against her inner thighs. Teddy weaved in and out of her legs and made another sound in the back of his throat. Sophia bent down to scratch behind his ears and smiled. When she straightened her back, she saw a flash of movement, and a tall, broad-shouldered figure emerged on the sidewalk, a vague outline in the darkness.
Sophia got back on her bike and rolled her shoulders.
Suddenly, she saw the same figure circle one of the smaller cottages overlooking the water, and a shiver of unease raced up her spine. Teddy’s hackles rose, and he drew his lips back in a growl. Without warning, the lone figure had a rock in his hand and threw it at one of the windows, sending shards of glass in every direction. Teddy sprinted in the direction of the intruder, dragging Sophia along behind him.
She wiped her hands on the front of her shorts and yanked back Teddy’s leash.
Her heart was hammering against her chest as she fished her phone out of her pocket and tapped her earpiece. It made a low beeping sound, and Ian’s phone rang a few times before it went to voicemail. She tried again, fingers trembling the entire time, but the line went dead without ringing. Fear, low and cold, unfurled in the center of her chest. Huffing, she tried Darren’s number, and he picked up on the fourth ring.
“Get a flat tire or something?”
“Someone is trying to break into the Maguire cottage. You know the one near the water?”
“Yeah, I know where that is. How do you know?”
“I was riding my bike there. Teddy and I saw him.”
“Soph, please don’t tell me that you’re going after the guy.” Darren’s voice was strained. “I know you love watching murder mysteries, but you aren’t actually qualified.”
The lone figure was getting closer and closer and didn’t seem to notice Sophia and Teddy barreling straight toward him. Although Sophia was terrified to confront the man who might’ve been in her house, she also knew she had to do something. And she was sure many of the neighbors had heard the commotion by now.
Teddy wasn’t exactly making his involvement a secret, given his barking and loud breathing.
“Teddy doesn’t seem to care,” Sophia replied in between pants. “He’s pulling me towards him as we speak.”
“I can’t leave you alone for one night, can I?” Darren muttered something else under his breath. “Have you tried reaching Ian?”
“His phone rang a couple of times. Now, it won’t ring at all. Must be bad cell reception or something.”
“You need to call the cops.”
Sophia snorted, ignoring the tight knots in her stomach. “By the time they get here, it’ll be too late. I’m already close enough to stop him.”
“What if he has a gun?”
“I’ll duck,” Sophia responded, her voice high and breathless. “He’s on foot, anyway. I’m on a bike, and I’ve got Teddy.”
With that, Teddy dragged them over the remaining sidewalk, bringing them to a few feet from where the intruder stood, studying the cottage. As soon as he whipped his head to the side and saw them, his eyes widened. He took off at a sprint, far faster than anything she could anticipate. Sophia realized he’d turned into a blur before she plucked up the courage to go after him.
“Don’t do anything stupid!” Darren yelled, his voice catching toward the end. “For God’s sake, Soph. I’ll be right there.”
Once the line went dead, Sophia’s phone slid down into the small basket between the handlebars. She stared at it for a few seconds before she lifted her gaze and followed the intruder’s path. Once he darted off the beach’s sidewalk, Teddy dragged them along after him, barely losing momentum as he did.
Sophia winced as the metal dug into her flesh.
Her heart continued to hammer unsteadily as she gripped both handlebars in a vice-like grip and allowed Teddy to weave them in and out of alleyways and side streets. After a series of twists and turns through the streets of the town, Sophia was covered in sweat, and they were no closer to catching up to the intruder. Teddy had begun to slow down, and Sophia’s muscles were screaming in protest.
She pulled on the brakes when she realized they were going in circles, and the intruder had disappeared. Shoving her hair out of her face, she glanced around and waited for her heart rate to return to normal. As soon as it did, she spotted Darren’s truck barreling toward her, his headlights making spots dance in her field of vision. He screeched to a halt next to the curb, got out, and covered the distance between them, his eyes tight with fury.
“What were you thinking?”
“I wanted to stop him.” Sophia hopped off the bike and lost her balance. Darren’s hand darted out, but she waved him away and righted herself. “I just need a minute to catch my breath.”
Her legs felt like jelly, and her clothes clung uncomfortably to her skin.
Teddy was panting and wagging his tail.
Darren folded his arms over his chest. “When you’re done playing detective, we can head home.”
Sophia tilted her head back and stared at a spot over Darren’s shoulders. Her vision sharpened into focus, and she frowned at the Wilson Realty sign in big, bold, cursive letters.
What did any of it mean? Were all of the robberies connected somehow?
“…going to have put some kind of tracker in your arm or something,” Darren grumbled darkly. “Or maybe we can add a bell around your neck.”
Sophia gave him a dirty look. “You wouldn’t. Besides, I was trying to help.”
Darren opened his mouth and stopped when Sophia grabbed his arm and squeezed hard. “Is that Amy?”
Darren spun around, and Lily’s stepmother materialized out of the darkness in a large trench coat that was a few sizes too big. Amy tugged on the sash and kept glancing over her shoulder, her eyes wide and unfocused. Before she knew what she was doing, Sophia was crossing the street with Darren and Teddy in tow, a heaviness settling in the center of her stomach.
“Call Lily,” Sophia whispered, her mouth barely moving over the words. “Something strange is definitely going on.”
Amy froze when she saw them, her face devoid of color and her normally lustrous hair tied into a tight bun at the nape of her neck. “What are you doing here?”
“We were out for a walk.” Sophia gestured to Teddy and stopped a few feet away from Amy. “Amy, are you okay? Shouldn’t you be in Provincetown?”
Amy’s tongue darted out to lick her lips. “I was, but I had…I had a meeting. He canceled at the last second, and I started walking around…”
Sophia took a step forward. “Why don’t you come home with us? We’ve got plenty of room, and I can have Lily pick you up in the morning.”
Amy took an involuntary step back, her eyes darting back and forth. “No, I can’t. It’s not safe.”
Sophia and Darren exchanged a quick look.
Darren ended the call and offered Amy a gentle smile. “Amy, you do know that I’m a firefighter, right? And Sophia’s brother is a cop. Whatever it is, we can help.’
Amy took a few more steps back, some of the color draining from her face. She clenched and unclenched her hands. “No, I…I’ve done enough damage. I’ve got to go.”
With that, she darted away and disappeared down the alley.
Sophia took off after her, with Darren and Teddy following close behind. When they got out of the alley, Amy was nowhere to be found, as if she’d disappeared into the night.
During the ride home, Sophia kept turning the situation over and over in her head.
She spent the entire night tossing and turning, wondering what it was that had Amy so spooked and whether or not it had anything to do with the broad-shouldered man who’d tried to break into the Maguire cottage.