Chapter 6
If Blake had slept on a harder sofa, he couldn’t remember when. He flipped over on his other side and tried to ease the ache
in his back. The used sofa held the scent of spearmint, and his feet hung over the end. The boys had finally settled down
in the bunk beds around nine, and when he’d checked his phone, it was nearly midnight. His mind wouldn’t shut off long enough
for him to fall asleep though.
The squeak of a floorboard alerted him, and he raised his head to stare in the direction of the hallway. A faint glow came
from under the closed office door. After rising, he unplugged the lamp and took it with him as he moved noiselessly down the
hall. Next time he’d make sure he had his gun with him.
He eyed the door, then tightened his grip around the lamp’s base.
He couldn’t guarantee it would be a good weapon, but the heft of it gave him hope.
The door stood open two inches, and he spotted movement.
He peered through the crack and saw Paradise sitting at the computer.
Her mane of light brown hair curled down the back of her pink pajamas, and she hunched forward as she stared at the computer screen.
A handful of chocolate-covered peanuts lay beside the keyboard.
He noiselessly eased the door open more. His gaze went to the video streaming on the screen. It appeared to be from the security
camera focused on the outside iron staircase on this building. The time stamp in the corner was 12:26 a.m. yesterday morning,
almost twenty-four hours ago.
He shuffled his feet to alert her he was there. “What are you doing, babe?”
She whirled and her hand went to her throat, but she didn’t meet his gaze. “You startled me.” She scrambled to her feet. “I
should go back to bed.”
The darting gaze that wouldn’t meet his, the hurried movements, and her nervous habit of twisting a lock of hair were all
obvious tells. “You’re hiding something. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” She darted a glance at the screen and froze.
And then he saw why her eyes had widened. A shadowy figure in a dark hoodie crept up the steps, pausing halfway up to furtively
glance around. The person went on up to the door at the top where he or she fiddled with the lock, opened the door, and vanished
inside. Whoever it was hadn’t paused much longer than it would take to insert the key and twist it.
He gestured to the computer. “You weren’t surprised. You knew someone had been in the apartment.” She started to brush past
him, and he caught her arm. “Don’t shut me out, Paradise. Talk to me.”
Indecision sparked in her eyes, and she edged far enough away that he released her arm. “Someone left a note.”
He inhaled sharply. “You knew someone had been inside and stayed here anyway?”
“I thought it might have been when the work was being done. That didn’t feel too scary.”
He gestured to the computer screen. “Someone has a key, and I find that very scary.”
She chewed her lip and nodded. “It was a surprise. I wouldn’t have kept the boys if I’d suspected someone had access to the
apartment now. I truly thought someone had come in while work was being done.”
“You would have stayed here by yourself without telling me about the note?”
Her eyes flashed, and her chin came up. “This place is mine, Blake. I’ve faced down bullies in the past, and I will do it again. I won’t let anyone drive me from here. I know how to
take care of myself.”
She was such a little slip of a thing, but her courage was as great as that of any man he’d served with in the Marines. Even
though he wanted to protect her from any more hard knocks, she was wise enough to know she had to stand up for herself. “I
get it, I do. Was this guy the only surprise? Did you see anyone else?”
“No one was on the staircase except this guy. The camera picked up people walking past, but that’s all. Roger Dillard wandered
past on his way to Chet’s BBQ, and Evan stopped by to say hello to Honey. I didn’t recognize anyone else.”
“But grit isn’t enough to face down some guy lurking in the shadows with an unknown agenda. We need a plan, a strategy to
flush him out into the light and keep you safe.”
Her defiant expression ebbed at his lack of anger. “Like what?”
“First of all, you need better security here. I’ll change the locks and the dead bolt too. Add more cameras. Hidden ones he can’t see, so if he breaks in here again, we can identify him. And either a gun or bear spray—maybe both. Have you ever used a pistol?”
“I have bear spray.” She gave him an impish grin. “I’m really good with a tranquilizer gun, and I have one hidden in my bedroom.
It’s not loaded, of course. Not with the boys here. But when they’re gone, I’ll load it and have it ready.”
“A second one might come in handy. I’ll dig out another one. What about a real gun with bullets?”
“I’ll stick with a dart gun.”
He didn’t argue with her. Not everyone was as comfortable as he was with firepower. And the tranquilizer gun would be a good
deterrent. “I’ll install motion-detector security lights along the exterior stairs as well. You might want blinds to block
out the light, but if someone tries to come up here, he’ll think he’s onstage. I’ll have an alert set up on your phone as
well. That way you’ll have a few minutes of warning if someone tries to come up that way.”
It wasn’t as perfect as having her where he could protect her, but Paradise had never been a wilting wallflower. Her spirit
was one of the many things he loved about her, and he wouldn’t strip that away even if he could.
The park was busy today, despite the news of Ivy’s death. Hez had helped them craft a statement she’d put on their socials,
and it seemed to have worked. Paradise counted twenty-eight youngsters mixed in with the adults in the treetop structure overlooking
the giraffe enclosure. This guided tour was all about the tall, gentle creatures so beloved by everyone.
She fanned her face before gesturing for the children to come to the front of the group. Kids had a natural enthusiasm that made talking about the animals more fun. “Who’s ready to feed the giraffes?”
All the hands shot up, and one little boy about Levi’s age waved his hand wildly. “Me, me!” She gave him a frond and passed
more out to the rest of the children as well as to the adults who asked. The air held the scents of the marsh in the distance
and newly mown grass from the fields on the left side of the enclosure.
“What’s the first thing you noticed about the giraffes as they came this way?” she asked the children.
A little girl raised her hand. “Their back legs are shorter.”
“I know it looks that way, but they’re about the same length. How many vertebrae do you think are in that long neck? A human
has seven.”
“At least twenty,” a boy said to her left.
“You think so? They actually have the same number we do, but each one can be over ten inches long. Isn’t that crazy? Why do
you think they all have horns?”
“They are all males?” a boy asked in an uncertain voice.
“That’s a good guess. Those are called ossicones, and all giraffes have them. They are covered with hair, and males use them
to spar. So we have giraffes of both genders.” She let the visitors feed the giraffes, who took turns snatching the treats
with their long tongues. These animals were some of her favorites in the park—always gentle, with intelligence in their eyes.
She didn’t have to worry about one charging at her out of nowhere or a painful bite that took the strength out of her muscles.
She absently rubbed her aching shoulder, then finished up with her talk and waved goodbye to the guests.
She loved this job so much. Working with the animals and being surrounded by Blake’s loving family had allowed light and joy to begin the healing process in her soul.
She glanced at her watch, then headed down the steps from the high platform. She’d scheduled neuter and spay surgeries this
afternoon, so she’d flipped her park and clinic schedules. She needed to grab something from the grocery to have on hand for
lunch since she didn’t think there was much in the fridge in her apartment. The boys had swept through the fridge like small
locusts last night.
She found Blake waiting at her Kia with a small cooler bag. He held it up with a smile. “Yogurt, a couple of mozzarella cheese
sticks, and an apple to stick in your fridge.”
She wanted to kiss him, but the people getting out of the car next to hers were staring. “You are too much. Did you just read
my mind? I was trying to decide if the boys had left even a pepperoni or two.”
“They didn’t, but I dropped them off at Mom’s and raided our fridge for something for lunch. Not much there either, but I’ll
run to the grocery after work.”
The carful of people had wandered off, so she leaned against his muscular chest and gave him a lingering kiss. He tasted of
spearmint, and his hair smelled like hay from feeding the animals this morning. She pulled back reluctantly. “You are wonderful.”
He winked. “I’ve got you fooled.”
“Not a bit.” She opened her car door and was hit with a stench. She wrinkled her nose involuntarily. Manure was in a pile
on the driver’s seat. Cat scat. She reached out for Blake, who hadn’t spotted it. “Blake.”
“What is it?” He stepped closer and froze. “Was your car locked?”
“No. I didn’t think about it this morning.” She stared at the pile of excrement. “I would like to believe it’s a simple prank, but—”
“But with the events that happened at your apartment, that doesn’t seem likely,” he finished for her.
“Exactly.”
“We’d better call it in. We haven’t even reported the break-in at your place.”
“For all the good it will do if Greene is the responding detective.”
“I’ll call Jane directly instead. It would be reasonable since Pelican Harbor PD oversees Nova Cambridge, and I can report
the intruder we saw on the camera first and then mention this act of vandalism. That way she’d have jurisdiction over both
incidents since they’re related.” He pulled out his phone.
She stared at the seat damage. This was going to take way too long, and she had patients waiting for surgery. She put her
hand on Blake’s arm and listened as he left a message for Jane to call him back. “I really need to get to work. Can this wait
until after lunch?”
He nodded. “It may take a while for her to get back to me. We can’t clean up the mess yet though. You can take my truck, and
I’ll have someone bring me to town after I’m done here.”
She took the keys he dug out of his pocket. “I thought we would get a chance to work at building The Sanctuary and start my
new practice without distractions. I can’t even think about what needs to be done.”
His blue eyes softened. “I know, babe, but God’s got this. We’ll get through it.”
She’d seen God’s hand recently for the first time in her life, but it was still hard to trust like Blake did. Right now, all
she could do was hang on to his certainty.