“I’m in my truck in the driveway. The door was open and the front porch light was off.”
“Dad’s on his way. I’m calling 911.”
“I should have done that.”
“You did the right thing. Stay in the truck. Doors locked.”
“They are.”
Her mom talked to her until her dad arrived. He had his gun but waited until the cops arrived, along with her cousin, Jacob, who worked with the National Parks ISB. They checked her house and found that it was empty.
“We need you to come in and make sure nothing was taken,” Jacob said.
Her dad hugged her tight and then offered to hold Gracie while she went with Jacob to inspect the house.
Her hands were sweating even though it was below freezing. Now the one place that she’d always been comfortable felt scary. They went room by room through the house and when she got into the kitchen, her blood ran cold.
Someone had rearranged her canisters in size order. She’d had them scattered around, but they’d been moved to the center of the counter underneath the cabinets.
“See something?” Jacob asked.
She pointed at the canisters, wrapping her arm around her waist. “Daniel did that at my apartment.”
“Daniel Wayne? Isn’t he still in jail?” Jacob asked.
“Last I heard,” Ava confirmed.
“I’ll check on that. This is more than likely tied to Annie Ross and her baby. Even though she died of natural causes, there’s a lot of suspicion around the circumstances. Your dad’s insisting you go home with him tonight. The house is safe if you want to go pack a bag for yourself and Gracie.”
Her dad was sitting in the rocking chair in Gracie’s room, the baby sleeping against his chest.
“Everything here?”
“Yeah…but the canisters in the kitchen were moved around,” she said, catching him up as she shoved a bunch of diapers and clothes into a bag for Gracie.
“I hope this doesn’t affect Gracie,” she said to her dad as she finished gathering her stuff. “She’s just started to feel like this is home.”
“It’s just a few nights. Mom called a friend and found a portable crib, so she’ll be sleeping with you in a safe place.”
“Thanks. I should have just called the cops, but you guys were my first thought,” she said.
“As we should be.”
“Ava, you okay?” Ryan’s voice echoed through the house.
“In here,” Dad said.
Ryan came over and gave her a hard hug. “Sorry I was a brat earlier.”
“You were justified.” Her voice was muffled against his winter coat. Now that her family was here with her, she didn’t feel as panicked as she had before. But still…could Daniel be out of jail?
Those canisters…her gut told her it had to be him. Or someone who knew him? She wasn’t entirely sure. She felt scared and unsafe.
“Want to ride with me back to Mom and Dad’s?” Ryan asked.
“I’ll drive your vehicle over,” Dad said. “Take this little angel with me.”
“I can drive, you know.”
