“What if we’ve been looking at this all wrong?” Tessa said.
Lori set down her mug. “What do you mean?”
“Think about the timeline,” Tessa said, leaning forward. “The windbreaker guy had been watching the house since you arrived. Mitch saw him. You saw him. But nothing actually happened for weeks. Just surveillance. Watching.”
“Okay,” Lori said slowly, not sure where Tessa was going with this.
“But it wasn’t until I got here that things escalated,” Tessa continued, her voice gaining urgency. “The very first night I was here, someone left that dead bird on the front porch. Then came the break-in and the blackout. Then Mitch gets attacked on the beach. All of that happened after I arrived at Seabird Cottage.”
Lori looked at her, feeling the blood drain from her face as the implications sank in. “Why would you being here matter?” Her brow furrowed deeper. “Why would you be a target?” She shook her head.
“Because I’m the attorney representing a lot of the people the Stansteads defrauded,” Tessa pointed out. She closed her laptop and met Lori’s eyes. “What if this isn’t about you? What if they’re targeting me?”
Lori’s shock grew as another chilling thought hit her. Her hand trembled slightly as she set down her mug before she could drop it.
“Tessa,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “What if it’s both of us?”
Tessa’s eyes widened even more.
Before either of them could say anything else, the doorbell rang.
They both jumped, the sound cutting through the quiet house like a gunshot. They looked at each other, hearts racing. Then Misty’s head shot up from where she’d been dozing on the floor, and she rushed toward the front door.
Lori and Tessa followed her cautiously, but they noticed that Misty was sniffing at the door with her tail wagging excitedly. Instead of barking, she scratched on the floor in front of it and gave a soft whine.
“I think whoever’s on the other side is friendly,” Tessa observed, some of the tension leaving her shoulders. “If they were hostile, Misty’s hair would be raised, and she’d be barking angrily.”
Lori nodded in agreement, wondering when they had gotten to a point where they were talking about callers as friendly or hostile. She sighed softly and pulled the door open.
A very handsome, tall man stood on the porch. He looked to be about Ryan’s age, with sandy brown hair and warm hazel eyes. He had a friendly smile and carried a toolbox in one hand.
Before Lori could say anything, Tessa stepped past her with a huge smile lighting up her face.
“Jake!” she exclaimed, then launched herself into his powerful arms.
“Tessa!” Jake’s smile widened as they hugged each other. “My father told me you were here on holiday.”
Lori watched the scene with interest. She’d never seen Tessa quite this animated before. They chatted for a few moments about Maggie and that he was home from the Air Force.
“Oh, sorry, Lori,” Tessa said, turning back with a grin still on her face. “This is Jake Brewster, Jim from the hardware store’s son. Jake, this is Lori Carlton, my mother’s best friend, who is staying here for the summer.”
“Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Carlton,” Jake said politely, extending his hand. Lori took it, appreciating his firm but gentle handshake. “My father sent me to have a look at the old fuse box to find out what we need to upgrade it. He wanted to give Chief Ware a proper quote for the work.”
“Oh!” Lori said, alarm bells immediately going off in her head. “That’s very kind of Jim, but...”
Jake held up his free hand, stopping her as he obviously realized what she was about to say. “Don’t worry. My father has already spoken to Chief Ware, and she told him to go ahead and get her a quote. She wants it done as soon as possible.”
Lori’s eyes widened. That was not good. Jim calling Carrie meant Carrie might have heard about the problems at the cottage. The blackout. Maybe even about Mitch getting hurt. No, this was not good at all.
“Okay,” Lori said weakly, her mind already racing through what Carrie might know. “Please go ahead.”
“I’ll take Jake to the basement,” Tessa offered quickly. As she walked past Lori, she said quietly, for her ears only, “You can call Mom and find out what Jim said to her.”
“Yes, I’ll do that,” Lori agreed, grateful for Tessa’s quick thinking.
She turned to Jake with her best hostess smile. “Jake, can I get you some tea, coffee, or a cold beverage?”
“Not right now, thank you, Mrs. Carlton,” Jake said with that warm smile of his.
