Silence surrounded them.
He nodded toward the only other door leading off the combination living room and kitchen. “That your bedroom?”
“Yes,” she said.
He pinned her gaze with his. “Will you stay here while I check it out?”
She nodded and sniffed. “Yes.”
He ducked into her bedroom, checked beneath the bed, in the closet and the bathroom, stepping around or over drawers that had been pulled from the dresser, clothes that had been ripped from the closet and the mattress that hung halfway off the bed.
He returned to the living room where Amelie stood as if shell-shocked, her face pale, her arms wrapped around herself.
The wail of a siren sounded in the distance.
Maurice pulled her into his arms. “It’s just stuff,” he said.
She rested her cheek against his chest. “I know. But it’s terrifying that someone could get in so easily and destroy so much.” She shook her head. “I’ve only been gone a couple of hours. What if I’d been home when he’d busted in?”
“You weren’t here. He probably knew it.”
Her fingers curled into his shirt. “Oh, God. He could’ve been watching me. That’s even creepier.”
“The important thing to focus on is that you’re okay. You’re safe.”
She leaned back and stared up into his eyes, frowning. “I won’t be able to open the shop tomorrow. I don’t know how long it’ll take to clean up this mess, and I’ll need all new supplies.”
“When the sheriff gets here, you’ll need to look through everything and see if you’re missing anything.”
She glanced around her apartment. “I don’t own anything of much value except for the ovens and refrigerators. It’s not like he could abscond with them that easily.”
When a sheriff’s vehicle pulled up outside the bakery, Maurice and Amelie descended the stairs and met him out front.
Stewie took pictures, dusted for latent prints and took Amelie and Maurice’s statements. “I’m sorry this happened to you, Amelie. You know how much we all love your bakery. We’ll do our best to find out who did it.”
Stewie was just wrapping up when Deputy Shelby Taylor arrived in her personal vehicle.
As soon as she parked, she jumped out and ran to Amelie. “Oh, sweetie, we were just leaving the Crawdad Hole when I heard, or I would’ve been here sooner.” She hugged her friend. “You should’ve called me.”
Amelie grimaced. “I called 911. You’re not even on duty. You should be on your way home to your baby, not here.”
“I’m always there for my friends. Besides, Remy relieved the babysitter. Jean-Luc is in good hands.” Shelby tipped her head toward Maurice. “I’m glad you didn’t come home alone like you wanted. I’m sure it would’ve been even more of a shock. And dangerous. What if the vandal had still been here?” She shook her head. “I don’t like it.”
“Whoever did it was gone by the time we arrived,” Amelie said. “But I’m glad Maurice was with me. I...” she shook her head, “it was like a punch in the gut.”
“I’ll bet it was.” Shelby stared around the interior of the bakery. “Remy and I can come over in the morning to help clean up. I’m sure you’ve already given your statement, but was anything missing?”
“Not that I could tell,” Amelie said.
Shelby frowned. “By the way, all the drawers are pulled out and the doors to the cabinets are open. Could he have been looking for something?”
Maurice frowned. “I had the same thought.”
“I really don’t own anything of value,” Amelie said. “I don’t wear expensive jewelry, mostly because I don’t own any. I don’t keep wads of cash lying around. I make daily deposits to avoid that. The cash register wasn’t even opened. All the bills and change appeared untouched. If stealing something had been the goal, they would’ve taken the money.”
“Any missing paintings, coin collections, electronics?” Shelby asked.
Amelie shook her head. “None of that. I put every bit of profit back into the business or in the bank.”
