Chapter 25
Max pulled in behind Sheriff Sutherland’s SUV and shut off the engine, the torn upholstery beneath him scraping against his jeans as he shifted.
He glanced down at the ripped seat for a second, his jaw tightening.
He needed to get it fixed. It was just one more thing to deal with and not a true priority.
Right now, he had more important matters to attend to.
He pushed the door open and stepped out, his gaze lifting to the cabin ahead.
Sheriff Sutherland waited near the porch, his expression set. “I swung by here on my search and saw signs that someone had broken in.”
“Kenny . . .” His jaw tightened as he said the man’s name.
“That’s what I’m thinking.”
Max glanced toward the trees then back at the cabin. “He’s not staying anywhere long.”
“That’s what it looks like. He’s clearly spooked and paranoid about being caught. Hopefully that will work in our favor.”
“Hopefully.” Max jerked his chin toward the door. “You already been inside?”
“I have.” Sheriff Sutherland crossed his arms and blew out a breath. “There are signs someone has been in there—someone uninvited. There’s furniture out of place, a broken window, and some missing food.”
Lyndee had been here. He felt sure of it. And she was still on the move.
“So what’s next?” Max asked.
Sheriff Sutherland glanced at the back of the property. “I want a second set of eyes on this place. My other deputies are wrapped up with a hunting accident on the other side of town. Let’s check the yard for any clues about where they might have gone.”
Max nodded. “Got it.”
They paced around the perimeter of the cabin. Max’s gaze swept the ground as they walked, and he was careful where he stepped.
The back of the property opened into a small clearing. He paced it, searching for anything that might tell the story of what happened here.
A few minutes later, something toward the back of the property caught his eye. “Sheriff Sutherland.”
The sheriff turned. “What is it?”
Max pointed toward the ground near the edge of the clearing. “Back here.”
Sheriff Sutherland stepped up beside him, and they both stared at the ground.
Two sets of tire tracks cut through the snow.
One was deeper, clearer—recent.
The second set crossed it at an angle. These tracks were fainter and partially covered.
Sheriff Sutherland crouched, studying them without touching.
“This one—” he nodded toward the deeper tracks “—matches what we pulled from the first cabin. Same width and tread pattern.”
Max’s spine straightened. “It’s probably from Kenny’s truck.”
“Exactly.” Sheriff Sutherland studied the second set. “But this one . . . I have no idea.”
Max followed his gaze.
The second set didn’t match the first.
It had a different tread and spacing.
If these tracks didn’t belong to Kenny, then who?
His jaw tightened as an unwelcome thought formed. “What if Kenny’s not doing this alone?”
He hadn’t even considered that possibility.
Sheriff Sutherland didn’t answer right away. He stared down at the tracks instead.
If Kenny had help, that would explain so much.
How he’d stayed ahead of them. How he kept moving before they could find him. How law enforcement kept missing him.
Max straightened and glanced toward the forest.
Lyndee was somewhere out there, and she was in danger.
They had to find her.
The rest of Hadley’s day passed in a blur.
Appointments kept coming. Not as many as she’d normally expect, but enough to keep her moving from one exam room to the next without much pause.
Between patients, she made calls—first to follow up with her insurance company about the broken window. Then to a window company that promised they could come out within a couple of days.
Susie had followed up with a few clients who hadn’t shown the day before. Each one had told her they got messages about their appointments being canceled.
Then her thoughts shifted to her phone call with Ethan yesterday. Who had filed a complaint against her? And why? How far would the board take this?
Panic rippled through her at the thought of possibly losing her license. She didn’t want to think that could happen. But if someone was a good enough liar then she feared it could.
One thing was certain: Someone had gone out of their way to make Hadley’s life difficult.
Her phone buzzed just after she finished her last appointment. Was it Ethan calling with more bad news? Or maybe the state board had decided to contact her?
Instead, she saw Max’s name on her screen.
“Hey,” she answered.
“I wanted to call before it got too late. I hate to do this, but I don’t think I’m going to make it back in time for dinner. I’m really sorry.”
She leaned against her desk, glad he couldn’t see her frown. “Are you still out with the sheriff?”
“I am. We’re following up on a lead, and it’s taking longer than we thought.”
Hadley nodded, even though he couldn’t see her. “That’s okay. I understand.”
“I don’t want to cancel. I just don’t think I can get back in time.”
“It’s fine. Really.” Though Hadley was disappointed, Max’s reasoning was valid.
A brief pause stretched before Max finally said, “Thanks for understanding. I’ll call you later.”
“I look forward to it.”
Maybe they’d finally find some answers about Lyndee.
Hadley prayed that was the case.
After Hadley finished at the clinic, she stepped outside and headed up the narrow wooden staircase that ran along the side of the old building.
The apartment above had once been part of the antique store’s storage space. She’d renovated it, and now it was a cozy living area.
As she unlocked the door at the top landing and stepped inside, she shrugged off her coat. Her gaze swept the room as unease crept in again.
Everything looked the same as she’d left it that morning. Nothing was out of place, and there were no signs that anything had changed.
Still, she double-checked the locks.
Dinner was simple, a salad with some baked chicken. Then she went to bed.
For a while, she lay under her covers listening to the faint hum of the building and the distant sound of a car passing outside. Gradually, she began to relax as the tension of the day loosened its grip.
Then . . . a sound cut through the silence.
Hadley’s eyes opened.
She didn’t move. She lay still, listening, her heart beginning to pick up speed as her mind tried to place what she’d heard.
Another sound followed, closer this time.
Her breath caught.
She pushed herself up, every sense sharpening as she listened harder.
A soft creak whispered through the air.
That wasn’t the building settling or the pipes moaning.
This was something else.
Someone else. Or was she being paranoid?
Hadley grabbed her phone. She needed to call for help.
Before she could dial, the noise came again.
That definitely hadn’t come from outside.
No, it had come from inside her apartment.
Her chest tightened as the realization hit.
She slid out of bed, her feet barely making a sound as they touched the floor. Her entire body was on edge as she strained to hear anything that would tell her where the person was.
Then she saw the faintest shift of light under her door.
A shadow.
Hadley’s heart slammed against her ribs.