Chapter 14
FOURTEEN
As Autumn drove away from the ranch, gripping the steering wheel tightly, she battled anger and guilt.
More of the latter, to be honest. She’d told the doctor she’d watch over Jordan.
Yet here she was driving back to her house.
Twice she almost turned around to go back, but didn’t.
She was tired, hungry and had sore muscles from trying to get that saddle off his horse, Durango.
The animal had shied away from her, over and over.
She’d grabbed his reins, but he’d jerked away from her and ran around the corral.
Using several carrots she’d found in Jordan’s fridge, she’d finally been able to approach him.
Even then, though, getting the saddle off the horse’s back wasn’t easy.
The minute she’d worked the buckle, he’d danced away.
It had taken a full ninety minutes to get the task accomplished.
Not to mention, the saddle was so heavy she’d staggered beneath its weight and almost dropped it.
And rather than appreciate her efforts, Jordan had defied doctor’s orders by going out to handle the rest of the chores. What if his condition changed for the worse?
He was pigheaded and stubborn and…
Maybe he blamed her for the accident. The realization gave her a jolt. Was that why he’d told her to go home? He was sick and tired of being in danger? Getting thrown from his horse, followed by a hospital visit, may have been the last straw.
Really, she couldn’t blame him. The accident was her fault, not directly, but he’d been hurt just the same. She felt terrible about how he’d suffered. Her biggest fear had come to fruition. Someone wanted to kill her, and Jordan was nothing more than collateral damage.
Swallowing hard, she loosened her grip on the steering wheel. Knowing the source of his actions put their interaction in perspective. Maybe Jordan didn’t really blame her but he needed space. Like a wounded lion that lashed out at anyone trying to help.
The danger would end the moment she figured out who was responsible.
A task proving to be much easier said than done.
She still hadn’t identified the dagger tattoo suspect.
And that was a conundrum. Would Jordan be safer with her staying at the ranch or with her being gone?
She honestly didn’t know. Yet, she made a mental note to park outside so that if the assailant was keeping an eye on her vehicle, he would know she was at the house. Not the ranch.
It was the only way she could think of to keep Jordan safe.
Prior to the crack of gunfire and Jordan’s accident, she had found three different men with dagger tattoos but hadn’t had time to dig into their backgrounds to see which one might have been recently released from jail.
One of the suspects, a man named Gerald Delbert, was dead, having recently been killed in a prison brawl. But the other two, Timothy Alden and Howie Klatz, were still alive.
Pulling into her driveway, she was surprised when the outside light turned on.
It took a moment for her to remember the new security system.
The guy who had installed it had called to ask for a code and to basically run her through the mechanics of how the system worked.
That had also been before Jordan’s accident, and she’d forgotten until now.
Could she convince Jordan to stay with her for the night?
Her security system would keep him safe, and she didn’t like the idea of him being alone with a concussion.
Then again, if he wanted space away from her and the never-ending danger, she doubted he’d go along with the idea.
Swallowing hard, she decided she still needed to make the offer.
She took a moment to pull up her email on her phone, which also included the instructions on how the system worked.
After releasing the hatch for her K-9, Autumn went up to the door and punched in the four-digit code—Bear’s birthday backward. The lock disengaged. She opened the door and stepped inside.
Bear followed, sniffing with interest. No doubt picking up the scent of the installer. “It’s okay, boy.” She entered the four-digit code to relock the door. “He’s not a suspect.”
Bear continued to make his way around the house before coming back to sit by the table. She had taken the laptop from Jordan’s home and took a moment now to connect to her internet service and to log into the police database.
Then she reached for her phone. Better to call Jordan now than to wait.
To her surprise, he answered after the first ring. “Is something wrong?”
The concern in his voice eased some of her anger.
She was touched he’d asked about her. “No, but thanks for asking. Jordan, my new security system is up and running. I’d really like you and Cutie to stay here tonight where you’ll be safe and I can keep an eye on your head injury symptoms. I’ll gladly come and pick you up. ”
There was a brief pause, as if her offer had caught him off guard.
“No thanks. I have the trail cameras to keep an eye on things and I feel better. Take care of yourself, Autumn.” Before she could press the issue, he ended the call.
And that was that, she thought as she set her phone on the table. Jordan was done with her. A sense of sadness hit hard. They’d grown close in the short time they’d spent together.
Or so she thought. Obviously, Jordan hadn’t felt the same way.
It was as if their sizzling kiss hadn’t happened. And maybe for him, it didn’t matter.
Yet, she never felt so alone. Not even after Steve had left her. After a long moment, she shook off the despondency. She’d survive, the way she always had. Autumn didn’t need a man to complete her life.
Even though she’d secretly envisioned spending time with Jordan once the case was over.
Whatever.
She hadn’t had time to eat the soup she’d made for Jordan’s lunch, so she found a frozen pizza and tossed that in the oven. Glancing at the clock, she decided it was close enough to feed Bear, too. As always, her K-9 wagged his tail with excitement when she filled his bowl with food.
After caring for her K-9, she settled down to work. She’d only gotten partway through digging into Timothy Alden’s background when the oven chimed, indicating her pizza was ready.
She took a moment to say grace, specifically asking God to watch over Jordan, before taking a bite. As she munched on her dinner, she used one hand to work on the laptop.
The problem with Timothy Alden was that he had been released from prison well over three years ago. She scowled at the screen, wondering what would have triggered Alden to come after her now.
The anniversary of her mother’s death? From what little she could see about Alden’s past criminal record, he was released early due to good behavior. That didn’t seem to gel with carrying a grudge against her, much less making multiple attempts to kill her.
Alden had one son, who was living in Texas. After a few minutes more, she decided Alden wasn’t her shooter. That left Howie Klatz.
She quickly realized her perp couldn’t possibly be Klatz. The guy was huge, weighed over 250 pounds and was over six feet tall. He was bald and the dagger tattoo on his arm didn’t resemble the one Jordan had sketched for her.
Still, she went through his family to see if any of them may have been involved. He didn’t have kids and his wife had divorced him when he’d been sent to prison.
With a sigh, she went back to the dead man, Gerald Delbert.
He was interesting as he had the dagger tattoo in the exact same position as the one the assailant had sported.
And his last name nagged at her memory. Hadn’t she known a girl with the same last name?
Meredith Delbert? She was sure she’d gone to summer camp with a girl by that name.
It could be a coincidence, but her pulse spiked as she found the connection.
She was trying to find information on Gerald Delbert’s family and had just pulled up his obituary, which confirmed Meredith was his daughter, when the spotlight outside her back door flashed on.
Someone was out there! Her ploy to keep her vehicle parked out in the driveway had worked!
Instantly, she jumped to her feet and pulled out her weapon. Enough was enough. Bear scrambled to his feet. She gave Bear the hand signal for heel, and he took the position near her right side. She moved swiftly to the door, then stood off to the side and peered out through the window.
The bright light made it impossible to see. So much for the new security system. Before she could move to open the door, the intruder opened fire.
Bullets slammed through the door. Her heart in her throat, she fumbled for her phone and quickly called 911.
But even as she told the dispatcher about the gunman, she knew it would be too late. Unless there happened to be a squad car nearby, she was on her own.
The gunfire stopped and for long seconds there was nothing but silence. She was debating her next move when the window to her right shattered beneath the onslaught of more gunfire.
Autumn knew it was only a matter of time before one of the bullets met its mark. The shooter could keep firing at the house until she was dead. She needed to get Bear out of there.
How much ammo did the assailant have? Was it possible he’d go through it all, giving her a chance to go after him?
Or her?
Was the shooter Meredith? Had she gotten the same tattoo as her father? When there was another pause in the gunfire, Autumn made her move.
“Come, Bear.” In a low crouch, she darted away from the back door to the front door. Of course the light went on when she used the code to go outside, but she hoped the shooter wouldn’t notice. Outside, she darted along the side of her home, holding her weapon up.
Thankfully, Bear stayed at her side. She didn’t like putting her K-9 in danger, but he would be safer with her than inside.
She hoped.