7. Dig Up Some Dirt
CHAPTER 7
Dig Up Some Dirt
I sla watched Marcus disappear beneath her barn. Despite Levi’s reassurances, she wasn’t convinced the barn wouldn’t collapse on him with the stones they’d taken out of the foundation.
Levi was leading Hopper through the grass around the barn. She wasn’t sure if he was simply teaching the dog to follow commands or if he was looking for evidence that someone had snuck into her barn.
In hindsight, she probably shouldn’t have called Tansy. Her questions had led to her explaining the reasons behind them to her friend. Now, Tansy and Sam were on their way.
Her peaceful little life was spinning out of control. Part of her wanted to laugh because this really wasn’t anything new. Another part wanted to cry because she’d wanted it to be different this time. She’d wanted to fit.
Marcus emerged from the barn and motioned to her. She had to give the man credit. He focused on her as the property owner, and not his friend.
It was Isla who turned to make sure Levi was coming, too. It wouldn’t be fair to exclude him, and his presence made everything feel safer. Plus, she liked him. Far more than she should.
When they neared the opening, Marcus gestured inside. “Someone has definitely been inside. Boots prints are clear, and while it looks as if he’s made at least a couple of trips in and out, I got a clear photo of one print and a mostly clear one of the second.”
“He?”
Marcus nodded at her. “Only one set and it looks like a size ten print, so the odds lean male, although it’s not a hundred percent.”
She forced herself to ask the question she wasn’t sure she wanted to ask. “Any indication of when he was inside?”
Marcus shrugged. “Nothing definitive. The prints disturbed a heavy layer of dust and dirt, but they don’t have a new coating. Recently is the closest I can come.”
Levi grunted. “Recent, as in the past few weeks or the past year.”
Marcus shrugged. “Can’t tell.” He looked at Isla again. “Do you mind if I follow his path into the barn?”
“Go ahead. Can I see?”
He nodded and headed back through the stones. Levi took her hand. “You sure? You were nervous about the foundation holding.”
It was her turn to shrug. “Nothing’s happened so far and it seems secure.”
“I’m coming with you.”
His gruff statement had her smiling. “I’d like that.”
Levi squeezed her hand. When they reached the barn, he turned to Hopper. “Stay. Wait.”
The dog sighed, then turned in a circle and flopped to the ground.
Levi stepped through first, then helped her climb over the stones. Marcus had set up two flashlights on stands, and the interior was lit at this end but disappeared into the gloom, like a scene from a gothic novel. No way was she venturing into the gloom on her own.
Marcus showed them the prints, then said he’d taken enough photos so not to worry about walking over them. “In fact, try to stay on the same general path. If he returns, we don’t want him to realize we’ve figured him out. Sam texted me that he’s going to bring out a couple of cameras that work in the dark and are motion activated.”
Forget the gothic novel. Her life was turning into a high-tech thriller movie.
The path of boot prints was easy to follow, and it didn’t appear as if the rest of this area had been disturbed. Marcus led them to an area that had to be about halfway through the barn. An old ladder rested against a beam that appeared to be one of many holding up the barn. That reinforced her belief it wasn’t about to collapse.
When Marcus shone his light up at the ceiling above them, he drew the light along the edges of a rectangle. “A trapdoor?” Her voice drifted into the gloom.
Marcus nodded. “This is how he got in and out. Do you want to go up this way or go back in the regular way?”
That would mean they would have to search for the trap door underneath all the clutter in the barn. “Let’s go up.”
He nodded and turned to Levi. “Let’s make sure these rungs are solid.”
The two men took the ladder down and checked. When they were sure it was secure, they replaced it, and Marcus headed up. At the top, he pulled out his gun, and Isla shrank back into Levi. He wrapped his arms around her and leaned down to whisper. “It’s just precautionary. Better to have it out and not need it than to need it and not have it.”
That made sense, but it didn’t make her feel better. Especially when Levi angled them so that he was closer to the potential dangers. She wasn’t brave enough to protest.
Marcus shoved up the board, and it lifted easily. No noise came from up top, and soon, he pushed the board to the side and climbed out. In only a few moments, he called down. “All clear. Come on up.”
Levi gestured for her to go first. Protecting her back. Rubber boots weren’t the best for climbing, as she’d discovered, so she focused on going slow and steady. This time, she wouldn’t have a preventable accident.
At the top, Marcus reached down a hand to help her onto the barn’s floor. Levi followed immediately after.
The barn wasn’t huge but far larger than a house. From this viewpoint, she could see they were below the hayloft. The floor below their feet was dusty, but footprints were fairly clear, like the ones below. Marcus moved along the path, videotaping the route with his phone.
Tarps and blankets covered items on all sides, and the footprints seemed to check everything out. Isla wanted to do the same. Instead, she and Levi followed Marcus as the prints eventually led to the ladder where she’d fallen.
Damn. It was looking more likely that the saboteur was aiming at her. Maybe not her specifically, but whoever owned the barn.
Voices called from outside. Sam and Tansy. Marcus moved outside to greet them, but Isla didn’t move. She needed a moment to control her thoughts and her reactions.
She wasn’t surprised when Levi moved in front of her and ran his hands up and down her arms. “It’s going to be okay, Isla. We’ll figure this out.”
Would they? Or would she be running again?
As if he read her depressing thoughts, he leaned down and kissed her forehead, then wrapped her in a gentle hug. “Trust me, Glass Farmer. We’ve got this.”
L evi could feel Isla trembling as he held her in the quiet barn. Whoever had done this was going to pay for scaring her. And if the jerk tried to hurt her again, he was going to find the hounds of Hell on his heels.
When the voices approached the barn, Levi eased back from the hug. He kissed her forehead again and squeezed her hands, then released her.
Marcus returned with two people. A tiny woman full of concern and a man who could probably bench press the tractor that had saved Isla.
Marcus introduced them while the woman hugged Isla. “Levi Connors, meet Tansy Cheveyo and Sam Young. Tansy is a scientist and friend of Isla’s. Sam is her partner and runs Midnight Security.”
The men shook hands and then he shook Tansy’s. Sam immediately got down to business. “We got the basics from Isla’s call to Tansy. Walk me through it?”
A howl set up at the back of the barn, and Isla ran to the door. “Hopper.”
Levi thought the dog sounded lonely instead of scared, but rather than saying that he hustled out the door on Isla’s heels.
Sure enough, Hopper stood near the barn’s rear door, howling like a werewolf. When he spotted them, he stopped and raced toward Isla with his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth. He jumped up to place his paws on her shoulders and lick her face,
She laughed, and Levi figured the dog had earned himself a massive treat at the earliest opportunity.
Isla patted Hopper. “I’m sorry, boy. We shouldn’t have left you there. Good dog for listening, though.”
The lab rubbed himself against Isla’s legs again, then loped to Levi to do the same. After he’d rubbed down the dog, he settled and eyed the new people, who were both grinning.
It didn’t take long for them to earn Hopper’s approval, and then Sam turned his attention to the hole in the barn's foundation. “Just like the sawmill.”
Marcus nodded and returned to the opening, discussing the situation with Sam.
Isla shook her head when Marcus asked if she wanted to head in again. “I’d rather not go back in that way. I’m going to head around to the front entry. Do you mind if I uncover that tractor?”
Marcus shook his head. “Go ahead, but stick to that area, and keep your eyes open for any clues.”
She nodded, eyes still sad, and turned to head around the barn. Tansy moved with her, and Hopper bounced along beside them.
Levi hesitated but stuck with Marcus and Sam. The man ran a protection business, and Levi wanted to see the cameras he’d brought. He also wanted input into how else to keep Isla safe.
Once under the barn’s floor, they decided where best to place the cameras. They were battery-powered from solar energy, and Levi was fascinated. Apparently, Tansy loved to improve anything she could and created all kinds of inventions that didn’t harm the planet. With these, they would need to run a wire to the outside to leave the solar battery outside. The tiny gaps in the barn boards would be enough.
The idea of pulling his own farm operation off the grid was appealing. Another thing to add to his list. Along with learning about the hops, which should be a priority.
But with Isla’s safety in question, it wasn’t even in the top five items on the list.
As they worked, Levi realized that Marcus had made something of a team here in Phail. From everything he heard, Marcus, Sean, and Troy had become tight with all the people at Midnight Lake. He was glad his buddies had found their place.
He was also glad he’d kept heading north despite the logistics of farming in Vermont. Everything about this place felt right.
Especially Isla.
He kept telling himself to stay away because she was his neighbor, but for the first time in his life, he wasn’t listening to sensible. Which was as terrifying as it was enthralling.
“Any chance I can buy some cameras from you to install upstairs in the barn? I want her to be safe.”
Sam grinned at him. “Got it covered. Tansy and Isla own the property together, so no one’s paying for anything.”
He hadn’t known that. Isla had only talked about her plans for the land. And not even much about that.
“Tansy’s interested in farming?”
Both men laughed at that before Sam answered. “Tansy’s interested in everything. Especially if it improves life for people or the planet. Isla’s been creating strains of various food items to make them more drought resistant.”
Hell. He didn’t know that either. Not that they’d known each other long, but it made Levi itch to know more. And he wanted Isla to be the one to tell him about her plans and dreams.
Damn it.