4. Chapter Four
Chapter Four
C hristmas was eight days away.
The following day, business at the boutique had tapered off late in the afternoon, allowing them to close a little early.
Thankfully, it was Friday, and Belle was on her way home.
All she wanted to do was curl up on the couch with Odie and watch a feel-good holiday movie while the snow fell outside.
She parked in the driveway. When she reached for her purse on the passenger seat, she noticed the mess of napkins from the other day when Parker had pulled her over. She would clean them up later.
She got out and headed for the front door. When she stepped up onto the porch, she came to a halt. The front door was open a few inches.
Her heart lurched into her throat. Her mind raced as she tried to come up with a reason her front door would be hanging open. She was one hundred percent certain she’d closed and locked the deadbolt when she’d left after lunch.
Was there someone inside? She didn’t know what to do. If she called the cops and there was some reasonable answer for why her door was open, she’d look ridiculous. But if there was a criminal in her house, she didn’t want to face them alone.
As she contemplated her next steps, she tiptoed to the opening in the door.
She peered inside but didn’t see anyone.
She paused and tried to hear over the pounding of her heart.
There wasn’t a sound coming from inside.
There wasn’t even so much as a whimper from Odie.
If someone was in the house, Odie would normally be barking his fuzzy little head off.
With that thought in mind, she pushed the door open wider. “Hello. Anyone here?”
She paused and listened again. Still no sounds.
Her heart was hammering, and her chest was tight as she took a step into the house. Normally, she took her snow boots off at the door but not today. If she had to flee, she wasn’t running out into the snow in her socks.
“Hello?” She held still, waiting and listening.
There was no sound. No footsteps. Nothing at all. Just the pounding of her heart echoing in her ears.
And then dread blossomed in her chest. It was a suffocating feeling that grew with each breath. Her house hadn’t been this silent since she’d brought Odie home.
Every day when she crossed the threshold, Odie would emit an excited bark. This evening, there was no bark, no yip, no nothing. Belle ran to his crate in the corner of the living room.
Before she even reached it, she knew it wasn’t good. The door was hanging open. She knelt down. The crate was empty except for Odie’s favorite toy—a stuffed lamb that he loved to squeak. Odie and Lambie were practically inseparable.
She straightened. “Odie! Here, boy!” She prayed that he’d come running to her with his little tail swishing back and forth. “Odie! Time to eat.” It wasn’t really, but she’d gladly feed him early if it meant finding him safe and sound. “Odie, please. Come here.”
The only sound was the winter wind whipping through the open doorway. Tears burned at the back of her eyes. What was going on?
There was absolutely no way that she’d left both the crate door and the front door open. No chance at all. Someone had been here. Her blood ran cold.
But who? And did they take Odie? Or had he wondered off on his own? It was unlikely. Odie didn’t like the cold. He’d much rather spend his time stretched out in front of the fireplace.
She continued looking around. It wasn’t until she reached the kitchen that she found her cabinet doors and refrigerator hanging open. But why?
When she went to close the fridge because it was a natural instinct, she came across a note on the kitchen island. The breath hitched in her lungs. It read:
I’ll be in contact.
It was written sloppily on a napkin with a black maker. There was no name. No hints about who had invaded her home and dognapped Odie.
She had to get her furbaby back. She reached for her phone, which was in her coat pocket. She dialed nine-one-one.
“This is nine-one-one. What is your emergency?”
“My house… It’s been broken into. And they, uh…” Her heart ached to say the words out loud. “They kidnapped my dog.”
“Is anyone hurt?”
“No. I wasn’t home at the time.”
“What’s your address?” After Belle told her, the operator said, “I have units dispatched to your location. Don’t touch anything until they reach you. Do you feel safe?”
“I…” Did she? Not really. Someone had invaded her personal space. She felt naked and exposed. “I don’t know.”
“Do you have somewhere safe you can wait?”
Her mind raced. “My car?”
She retraced her steps and put the front door back the way she’d found it. Once in her car, she started the engine and cranked up the heat. Even with the heat blowing directly on her, it didn’t warm her.
She sat there, trying to think of who would take her dog and why. Poor Odie must be so scared and wondering where she was. The tears rushed back to her eyes, and this time no amount of blinking was going to stop them. They splashed onto her cheeks.
This had to be a horrible nightmare, and soon she’d wake up. But no matter how much she wished that were true, it wasn’t. She was stuck in her very own live and in color nightmare.
Flashing lights filled her rearview mirror. A car pulled up behind her. She wondered if it was Sheriff Bishop. She couldn’t decide if his presence would make her feel better or worse.
Belle swiped at her cheeks before getting out of the car, hoping they would be able to help her find Odie. The poor little guy.
Deputies Luke Williams and Paula Stark approached her. Deputy Stark was the first to speak. “Hey, Belle. Are you okay?”
Belle nodded. Physically, she was fine, but she’d been shaken to the core by this break-in. The fact that someone would barge into her house was bad enough, but for them to take her dog was unbearable. Who does such a thing?
“What happened?” Deputy Stark asked.
“Someone broke into the house. They took my dog.”
“Did they take anything else?”
“I…” Her mind drew a total blank. “I don’t know. As soon as I knew Odie was gone, I called you guys.”
The deputy nodded. “Are you sure whoever was in there is gone now?”
“No. I just assumed they were gone because Odie wasn’t there.” She supposed it was possible there was more than one burglar. The thought sent a chill down her spine.
“You stay here,” Deputy Williams said. “We’ll clear the house.”
Belle once more nodded her head. They didn’t have to tell her twice. Before she could climb back into her car and out of the frigid air, another car pulled up to her house.
Her first thought was that it might be the dognapper returning to the scene of the crime.
In the next breath, she realized there was a police car sitting in her driveway.
And even though the flashing lights were off, it was still obvious.
No one would be dumb enough to come snooping around with the cops there.
She squinted into the dark, trying to make out who was in the car, but with a moonless sky, it was too dark to make anything out. She wasn’t sure what to do, so she stood there. Eventually, the person got out of the car. They were tall and had broad shoulders. Definitely a man.
The breath hitched in her lungs as she waited to learn if he was friend or foe. It wasn’t until they were about ten feet away that she was able to make out that it was Parker. The pent-up air whooshed from her lungs. She was never so happy to see him—and that was saying a lot.
“Belle, are you all right?” His tone held a genuine note of concern.
She was caught off guard at his concern. She was beginning to think they would be at odds for the rest of their lives.
She nodded. “I am, but Odie isn’t.”
Just then she heard footsteps behind her. Belle turned to the approaching deputies. What did they learn? A clue to where Odie had been taken?
“The house is clear,” Deputy Williams said. “Whoever broke in is long gone.”
“Hey, boss,” Deputy Stark said. “I thought you had the evening off.”
“I thought so, too, but plans change.” Parker planted his hands on his trim waist.
Belle noticed how he didn’t bother to explain his appearance at her house. She couldn’t help but wonder if he normally showed up at scenes on his evening off. Or was she a special case?