6. Chapter Six
Chapter Six
H e was gone.
A roar of emotions churned within her.
The most dominant emotion was fear—fear for Odie’s safety.
Belle couldn’t believe someone had taken her puppy. It just didn’t make any sense for anyone to break into her house and take her dog. Did someone hate her that much?
Now that the police had finished collecting clues, and everyone had left, Belle set about straightening up the house.
She needed something to do. She couldn’t sit still.
And so, she tried to erase any sign of this awful evening, but try as she might, every time her gaze strayed across one of Odie’s toys or his blanket, it all came rushing back to her.
She needed to be doing something to help find him. But where did she start? She didn’t have a clue why he was taken. Maybe she could start calling people. Yes. That was a good idea. If news of Odie’s kidnapping got out, the townspeople could help keep an eye out for him.
She grabbed her phone and was about to call Merry Kringle when she heard a knock at the door. Who would that be? She wasn’t expecting anyone.
Then her body tensed. What if it was the dognapper? As soon as the thought passed through her mind, she realized how ridiculous it would be for a criminal to come knocking on her door. Still, she was hesitant to answer the door.
Knock-knock.
“Belle, it’s Parker!”
She expelled a pent-up breath. She moved to the door and unlocked it. She peered out at him. “I thought you left.”
“I did momentarily. Can I come in?”
“Oh. Sure.” She opened the door wider. Once he was inside, she closed it against the frigid night air. Then she turned to him. “Did you forget something?”
“No. I’m staying.” In his hand was a dark duffel bag.
“Staying?” It took her jumbled mind a minute to figure out what he’d meant. “You mean here?”
“I do.”
She struggled not to gasp. They were, well…she wouldn’t exactly call them enemies, but they certainly weren’t friends. “But why? I mean, I’m fine.”
His gaze searched hers. “Someone broke into your house this evening. This isn’t something that happens in Kringle Falls.
” He frowned. “It doesn’t help that you have a broken latch on a back window that they could come through again if they wanted.
I’m not saying this to scare you. I just want you to realize that my concerns are legitimate. ”
She opened her mouth to argue with him, but before the words crossed her lips, she realized whether she liked it or not, he was right. She wordlessly closed her mouth. She couldn’t believe the man who’d been writing her tickets regularly wanted to stay in her home.
“Maybe one of your deputies could keep an eye on things.” Still not comfortable with the idea, she said, “Maybe one of your deputies could do increased patrols.”
A small smile played at the corner of his mouth as he dropped his bag to the floor.
He slipped off his coat, and then he took off his boots.
He moved into the living room. He paused next to the Christmas tree, which wasn’t much taller than he was.
Parker looked right at home as he stood there in her living room in a navy-blue sweatshirt, jeans, and his stockinged feet.
His gaze lifted and met hers. “You sound like you don’t want me around. Should my feelings be hurt?”
Was that a teasing tone in his voice? As a little smile played at the corners of his mouth, she realized he was just having a little fun. So, he isn’t a total grouch. Interesting.
She tried again. “Don’t you have work to do?”
He shook his head. “I have the night off. So, I’m all yours.”
Belle stifled a gasp as her heart skipped a beat. All hers? Surely, he hadn’t meant those words the way they sounded to her ears.
She also got the feeling he wasn’t going anywhere. She didn’t know how she felt about that. This whole evening had her struggling to keep up with the unexpected.
She crossed her arms and looked at him. “Is there anything I can say to change your mind?”
“No.”
She was too tired to argue with him. “Fine. I’ll make up the guest room.”
“That won’t be necessary.”
Her eyes widened. “Why is that?”
“Because I’ll sleep right here on the couch.”
Her gaze moved from him to the couch, with its lumpy cushions, before returning back to him. “Trust me, you’ll be more comfortable in a guest room.”
“I don’t doubt you’re right, but I’m not here to get a good night’s sleep. I’m here to protect you. I want to be down here where I can stop anyone who breaks in.”
It had been a long evening, and she was too tired to argue with him. “I’ll get you a pillow and a blanket.”
As she walked away, she didn’t know how she felt about having the sheriff under her roof.
Knowing her luck, he’d find something else to ticket her for, but she couldn’t even begin to know what it might be.
Besides, the tickets were the least of her worries.
She just wanted to know where Odie was and if he was okay.
She grabbed a blanket from the linen closet and a pillow from the guest bed. When she ventured back downstairs, Parker was no longer in the living room. She wondered where he’d gone. Maybe he came to his senses and left.
Then she heard a noise in the dining room. “Parker?”
“Yeah, it’s me.” He appeared in the doorway. “I was checking the other windows to make sure they were secure.”
“And were they?” When he nodded, she said, “I’m going to make some phone calls to let people in town know that Odie is missing.
Maybe someone has seen him.” She doubted it because she was sure one of her friends would have already contacted her, but it was worth the effort.
She just couldn’t sit around here doing nothing.
“Have you eaten dinner?” he asked.
She shook her head. She didn’t have a chance before her evening went totally off the rails. “I don’t really have an appetite.”
“Are you sure?” His concerned gaze searched hers.
She nodded. “But feel free to help yourself to anything in the kitchen. I’m just going to go upstairs and make those calls.”
When she reached the steps, she paused to glance back toward the kitchen.
She couldn’t see Parker, but she could see the refrigerator door was open.
It was so odd to have him in her house and she hated that it made her feel better to have him there.
All she wanted was to wake up from this nightmare and find Odie next to her.
Her gaze moved to Odie’s spot on the couch. It was so sad to see it empty. Tears burned the back of her eyes. She blinked repeatedly. She wasn’t going to fall apart again.
She had work to do. She was going to make sure that everyone in Kringle Falls knew her furbaby was missing. Hopefully, someone would have a lead for her to follow.
As she started up the stairs, she heard what sounded like the clanging of pans coming from the kitchen.
Apparently Parker had taken her at her word when she’d told him to help himself.
She wondered what he was making. She was tempted to turn around and go investigate, but her concern for Odie kept her moving toward her bedroom. She’d check in on Parker later.
For living alone, the kitchen was well-stocked.
Parker stood in front of the stove, stirring the red sauce he’d made to go with the rotini pasta he’d just drained, oiled, and set aside.
He’d made a marinara sauce because he couldn’t find any meat to put in it.
That was fine with him. He loved marinara.
Now he had to hope that Belle liked it too.
She might not have an appetite, but she needed to eat something.
He reached for a spoon and then tasted the sauce. Not too bad if he did say so himself.
Buzz.
He reached for his phone, which had been unusually quiet for a Friday night. When he checked the caller ID, he saw it was Deputy Paula Stark. He pressed the phone to his ear. “What have you got?”
“Aside from Belle’s fingerprints, we have one other set. I ran them through the database but didn’t get any hits. So, either this person never committed a B&E before, or this is the first time they left prints.”
He thought about it for a moment. “I’m thinking this was their first. It certainly didn’t seem like a sophisticated crime.”
“Agreed.”
“Anything else?” Parker braced himself for more problems.
“No. It’s a quiet Friday evening.”
After Parker ended the call. He served up two plates of food and carried them to the kitchen table.
He moved to call up the stairs for Belle to join him when he heard her footsteps.
He glanced up the stairs to find that she’d changed into black leggings and an over-sized gray sweatshirt with Santa on the front.
She rushed down the stairs. “I’ve got news.”
“Why don’t you sit down with me? You can tell me what you learned over dinner.” He started toward the kitchen.
She followed him. “You made us pasta?”
He nodded. “Come on.” He moved to the table and pulled out a chair for her. “Have a seat.”
She hesitated. A frown settled over her face. Perhaps she didn’t like the pasta. He was about to tell her she wouldn’t hurt his feelings if she didn’t like it. But before he could vocalize his thoughts, she took a seat.
After he sat across from her, she said, “I made some phone calls—okay, a lot of phone calls.”
“So, what did you learn?” He hoped that she’d uncovered a thread they could pull on and see where it led them.
She picked up her napkin and spread it on her lap.
“When I phoned Candi to see if she noticed anything because you know that she’s been staying at your brother’s place just down the road a little way.
” When Parker nodded in understanding, she continued.
“Candi said that she stopped by around five. She wanted to see if we could have a pup date.” When he sent her a confused look, she said, “You know a puppy playdate. Anyway, she noticed some of the lights were on. That’s why she stopped.
She thought I got home early from work. She knocked on the door, but after a while, she gave up when there was no answer.
She said the strange part was when she got back in her car, the lights were suddenly off. ”
“That’s good information. It tells us that she interrupted the suspect. And what time did you get home?”
Belle paused as though to give it some thought. “I usually get home at seven minutes after five. But this evening you…uh, we, um, talked.” He noticed how her cheeks took on a rosy hue. “So, it would have been closer to a quarter after.”
He cleared his throat. “And you said it was quiet when you got here?”
Again, she stopped to consider her answer. Then she nodded. “Yes.”
“So, no faint sounds of any vehicles, snowmobiles, or ATVs?”
She pursed her plump lips as she searched her memory. “No. I don’t recall hearing anything.”
“That must mean that once Candi left, they grabbed your dog and left as well. The question I keep coming back to is: did they come here for the express purpose of stealing your dog? Or was that an afterthought?”
“You think they came here for something else?”
“It makes sense. If they only wanted the dog, there was no reason for them to search your bedroom.” He picked up his fork and took a bite of the pasta. It wasn’t too bad, considering she didn’t have any fresh garlic, and he’d had to use garlic powder. The same for the onion.
Belle nodded. As she appeared to consider what they’d discussed, she also picked up her fork and began to eat.
She took a bite of pasta and swallowed. “What do you think they came here for?”
“That’s my question for you?” He glanced around. “Is there anything of great value in here?”
She shook her head. “I can’t think of anything. It’s not like I keep a lot of cash on hand, just some jars of change, but that’s all.”
“And all of your electronics are here? Televisions, computers, that kind of thing?”
She nodded. “There are only two televisions: one in the living room and the other in my bedroom. I have one laptop. Wait.” She jumped to her feet and rushed upstairs.
She returned with a frown on her face. “It’s here.”
“Well, just give it some more thought. Maybe something will come to mind.”
“I hope so.” She took a bite of the pasta. After she swallowed, she said, “This is good. Like really good.”
He let out a laugh at her astonishment. “Thanks.”
“No. Thank you for making dinner. I really appreciate it.”
This was the friendliest they’d been with each other in years. He wondered how long it would last. He had no idea, but he would enjoy the peace while it lasted.
And so they ate in silence. Each of them was lost in their own thoughts. He was trying to figure out a way to find the owner of those fingerprints, but so far he didn’t have a plan.
After they finished eating, Parker started to clear the table, just like his mother had taught him and his siblings from an early age. Belle jumped up and helped him. As he carried the dirty dishes to the sink, he was relieved to find that Belle had a dishwasher.
Together, they cleaned up the kitchen. At last, they’d achieved a companionable silence.
As he worked, he kept thinking about the motive for the break-in.
Was there something on Belle’s computer they wanted?
He doubted it. She worked in a boutique.
It wasn’t like she had top-secret plans or anything. So, then, what were they after?