Natalie shook her head. “I nearly went there last week.”
“How about we visit their grave together?”
“I’d like that.” Fresh tears stung Natalie’s eyes. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
Her mom wrapped Natalie in another hug. “I used to say the same thing to your grandma. But no matter how hard it is, you find the strength to put one foot in front of the other and keep going.”
Natalie rested her head on her mom’s shoulder. The thought of ever losing her was more than she could bear. She took a deep breath and tried to see something positive in all the heartbreak. Changing the past was impossible, but she could change her future. And she knew just how to do it.
* * *
After Natalieand her mom went home, Gabe turned on his computer. There was too much going on inside his brain to sleep, so he might as well do something constructive—even if it created more questions than answers.
He opened the spreadsheet Caleb had designed. So far, with Natalie and Caleb’s help, they’d gone through the first half of his book, adding anything that might give a clue to what the stalker would do next.
There was nothing to make Gabe believe the break-in had happened because of the stalker. But that meant diddly-squat when they were faced with something that was unusual for Sapphire Bay.
One of the reasons he’d come here was because of the town’s low crime rate. Petty theft, the odd alcohol-induced bar brawl, and speeding tickets were about as action-packed as it got. Until today.
His finger tapped against the top of his mouse. If the stalker was here, how on earth had he found Gabe? And if it weren’t the stalker, who had broken into the cottage?
Maybe the burglar lived locally. If that were the case, it might have been Natalie’s art that was the target. But why hadn’t they taken anything?
He closed the spreadsheet and opened Facebook. The Sapphire Bay community page relied on the local residents to update the happenings around town. Even the police and fire departments added their callouts to the stream of information flooding the page.
Gabe skipped through the list of weekend markets, a plea for empty plastic bottles for the high school’s art department, and a sale on strawberry plants at the garden center. What he was looking for were the police reports from the last few weeks.
Bingo. Three days ago, the police had issued a warning for the duration of the Cherry Festival. From what the post said, there had been an increase in crime each year the festival was held. Residents were warned to lock their homes and keep watch over neighbors’ properties.
That made perfect sense for anyone living on a traditional street. Natalie’s home, however, was stuck in the middle of nowhere. Three houses, dotted between towering pine, spruce, and oak trees, were her closest neighbors. They were so far away, that if Natalie screamed, he doubted anyone would hear her.
Gabe scrolled farther back, reading more posts about what had happened over the last few months. He jumped when his cell phone rang. “Hello?”
“You didn’t call me.” Caleb’s irritated voice echoed down the phone.
“What are you talking about?”
“The burglary. It’s all over the community Facebook page and you didn’t tell me.”
Gabe flicked to the top stories of the day.Damn.Tanner had asked the police to keep news of the burglary to themselves. They’d kept their word, but that hadn’t stopped someone else from telling everyone.
He read the name of the person who’d posted the story. “How did Mabel know about the break-in?”
“She must have had covert spies operating in your area. You know what she’s like.” Caleb clicked his tongue. “Scrap that. You don’t know what she’s like.”
Reading the post gave Gabe goosebumps. “How the heck did she know about Natalie’s paintings? She’s even told everyone what they’re worth.”
“Mabel is the font of all knowledge when it comes to this town. If you believe what she says, she’s partly responsible for Natalie becoming a famous artist.”
“Do I want to know why?”
“It might come in handy when the news crew from KTMF come visiting.”
Gabe really hoped he’d misheard Caleb. “Who?”
“KTMF. They operate out of Missoula. They’re an ABC-affiliated television station. Someone in their office has liked the post.”
He dropped his head to his chest. “They can’t do a story about the break-in.”
