She tried again. “It’s okay, boy. Do your business then come inside.” She forced a smile, hoping Sherlock decided to make the most of his moment of freedom.
He didn’t move.
She looked at the mixing bowl, then back at Sherlock. With Chapman at the police station, the chance of anything happening was about as high as being attacked by a bear.
A couple of minutes outside wouldn’t hurt.
The infrared beam across the front door twinkled like a Christmas light. Gabe would already know she’d opened the door. What he wouldn’t realize was why she’d gone outside. Before he panicked, she sent him a quick text. She looked around the kitchen, turned off the oven, and peeked inside Caleb’s office.
Four monitors displayed what the external security cameras were seeing. There were no vehicles or people in the driveway, the barn was clear, and the only activity along the side of the house was two geese waddling across the grass.
Caleb’s home had every high-tech gadget known to mankind and, just for once, she wished she didn’t feel like a goldfish in a plastic bowl.
Sherlock barked. She ran out of the office, grabbed her backpack and closed the door. As soon as he saw her, Sherlock ran toward the trees, his black coat gleaming in the sun.
Taking a deep breath, Natalie followed him. It was another hot, airless day—the kind where your lungs burned as if you were living inside a furnace. By the time she was halfway across the yard, sweat was trickling down her spine.
She gave Sherlock a few minutes before calling him back. When he didn’t appear, she kept walking. He was probably chasing a rabbit or chewing on a stick. In all the time she’d known him, he never went too far from where either her or Gabe were standing.
After the unbearable heat in the open pasture, it was a relief to step under the shade of the trees. In a lot of ways, Caleb’s property was similar to the land around her cottage. It had the same sense of timeless energy, the same peaceful, pine-scented landscape that she’d longed for when she lived in Europe. But unlike her property, the closest lake to Caleb’s home was a two-hour hike away.
She stood still, listening to the sounds around her. “Sherlock! Come!” She waited a heartbeat before repeating her command. Somewhere ahead of her a branch snapped.
“Sherlock! Come!” Still no answer. Glancing over her shoulder, she peered through the forest. Caleb’s home was hidden behind the trees. If Gabe knew she was here, he wouldn’t be impressed. And he’d be even less impressed with Sherlock. The big German Shepherd enjoyed exploring, but he knew better than to stay away when he was called.
Walking farther into the trees wasn’t what she’d had in mind when she left the house, but leaving Sherlock out here wasn’t going to happen, either. “Sherlock!”
Another rustle of leaves had her heading slightly to the left. Sherlock ran toward her. When he skidded to a stop, his tail was wagging so hard that it was a wonder his bottom didn’t fly off his body.
“Where have you been?”
He tilted his head toward the sky and barked.
“Well, wherever you’ve been we need to go home.”
Instead of following her, Sherlock’s ears pricked up.
“Come, boy.” Natalie patted the side of her leg. It was so unlike Sherlock not to move that she searched the area around them. Something must be worrying him.
She knelt on the ground and looked into Sherlock’s eyes. “Show me.” Gabe used that command when he wanted to know what Sherlock had buried or seen. She didn’t know if it would work, but anything was worth a try.
Sherlock turned around and moved slowly through the trees.
Keeping two steps behind him, Natalie followed, making as little noise as possible. Sherlock stopped when he saw the shelter they’d found the other day.
With her heart racing, Natalie crept closer. No one was inside, but a small circle of blackened stones and charred wood was about five feet from the entrance. It wasn’t there the other day. Reaching out, she touched the wood. It was stone cold. Whoever had lit the fire hadn’t been here last night.
Gabe and Caleb would want to know if someone had been close to the house.
Slipping her backpack from her shoulders, she opened a pocket before realizing she’d left the satellite phone on the dining table. She shook her head, annoyed that she hadn’t remembered it.
After studying the trees around her, Natalie took out her cell phone and snapped a picture of the campfire. At least she’d have something to show Gabe when he returned.
“We’d better go home,” she said quietly to Sherlock. “I don’t want to be here if whoever built this comes back.”
Natalie kept close to the trees, taking whatever protection the forest could give them. If Chapman had lit the fire, his arrest this morning meant he wouldn’t be back. At least that was one thing she didn’t have to worry about.
But what if Chapman hadn’t been here? What if everyone had ruled out another person who was the stalker?
Before they’d moved to Caleb’s home, only three people knew they were in Sapphire Bay—her mom, a detective in the NYPD, and Gabe’s literary agent. Since then, that number had grown. All it took was one person to say something they shouldn’t and the whole world would know where they were.
Sherlock froze.
Natalie studied his raised tail and alert ears. “What is it boy?” Crouching low, she peered through the last few feet of forest. From this angle, the only view she had of the house was half-hidden behind the trees.
With Sherlock beside her, she crept forward, carefully making her way toward the edge of the forest.
Her hand tightened on Sherlock’s back. A white SUV had parked in front of the house. A whole lot of possibilities rushed through her mind—and not one of them was good.
She bit her bottom lip and gave Sherlock a quick hug. “It’s time for plan B,” she whispered. “Let’s go.”
