The danger would end the moment she figured out who was responsible. A task proving to be much easier said than done. She still hadn’t identified the dagger tattoo suspect. And that was a conundrum. Would Jordan be safer with her staying at the ranch or with her being gone? She honestly didn’t know. Yet, she made a mental note to park outside so that if the assailant was keeping an eye on her vehicle, he would know she was at the house. Not the ranch.
It was the only way she could think of to keep Jordan safe.
Prior to the crack of gunfire and Jordan’s accident, she had found three different men with dagger tattoos but hadn’t had time to dig into their backgrounds to see which one might have been recently released from jail.
One of the suspects, a man named Gerald Delbert, was dead, having recently been killed in a prison brawl. But the other two, Timothy Alden and Howie Klatz, were still alive.
Pulling into her driveway, she was surprised when the outside light turned on. It took a moment for her to remember the new security system. The guy who had installed it had called to ask for a code and to basically run her through the mechanics of how the system worked. That had also been before Jordan’s accident, and she’d forgotten until now.
Could she convince Jordan to stay with her for the night? Her security system would keep him safe, and she didn’t like the idea of him being alone with a concussion. Then again, if he wanted space away from her and the never-ending danger, she doubted he’d go along with the idea. Swallowing hard, she decided she still needed to make the offer.
She took a moment to pull up her email on her phone, which also included the instructions on how the system worked.
After releasing the hatch for her K-9, Autumn went up to the door and punched in the four-digit code—Bear’s birthday backward. The lock disengaged. She opened the door and stepped inside.
Bear followed, sniffing with interest. No doubt picking up the scent of the installer. “It’s okay, boy.” She entered the four-digit code to relock the door. “He’s not a suspect.”
Bear continued to make his way around the house before coming back to sit by the table. She had taken the laptop from Jordan’s home and took a moment now to connect to her internet service and to log into the police database.
Then she reached for her phone. Better to call Jordan now than to wait.
To her surprise, he answered after the first ring. “Is something wrong?”
The concern in his voice eased some of her anger. She was touched he’d asked about her. “No, but thanks for asking. Jordan, my new security system is up and running. I’d really like you and Cutie to stay here tonight where you’ll be safe and I can keep an eye on your head injury symptoms. I’ll gladly come and pick you up.”
There was a brief pause, as if her offer had caught him off guard.
“No thanks. I have the trail cameras to keep an eye on things and I feel better. Take care of yourself, Autumn.” Before she could press the issue, he ended the call.
And that was that, she thought as she set her phone on the table. Jordan was done with her. A sense of sadness hit hard. They’d grown close in the short time they’d spent together.
Or so she thought. Obviously, Jordan hadn’t felt the same way.
It was as if their sizzling kiss hadn’t happened. And maybe for him, it didn’t matter.
Yet, she never felt so alone. Not even after Steve had left her. After a long moment, she shook off the despondency. She’d survive, the way she always had. Autumn didn’t need a man to complete her life.
Even though she’d secretly envisioned spending time with Jordan once the case was over.
Whatever.
She hadn’t had time to eat the soup she’d made for Jordan’s lunch, so she found a frozen pizza and tossed that in the oven. Glancing at the clock, she decided it was close enough to feed Bear, too. As always, her K-9 wagged his tail with excitement when she filled his bowl with food.
After caring for her K-9, she settled down to work. She’d only gotten partway through digging into Timothy Alden’s background when the oven chimed, indicating her pizza was ready.
She took a moment to say grace, specifically asking God to watch over Jordan, before taking a bite. As she munched on her dinner, she used one hand to work on the laptop.
The problem with Timothy Alden was that he had been released from prison well over three years ago. She scowled at the screen, wondering what would have triggered Alden to come after her now.
The anniversary of her mother’s death? From what little she could see about Alden’s past criminal record, he was released early due to good behavior. That didn’t seem to gel with carrying a grudge against her, much less making multiple attempts to kill her.
Alden had one son, who was living in Texas. After a few minutes more, she decided Alden wasn’t her shooter. That left Howie Klatz.
She quickly realized her perp couldn’t possibly be Klatz. The guy was huge, weighed over 250 pounds and was over six feet tall. He was bald and the dagger tattoo on his arm didn’t resemble the one Jordan had sketched for her.
Still, she went through his family to see if any of them may have been involved. He didn’t have kids and his wife had divorced him when he’d been sent to prison.
With a sigh, she went back to the dead man, Gerald Delbert. He was interesting as he had the dagger tattoo in the exact same position as the one the assailant had sported. And his last name nagged at her memory. Hadn’t she known a girl with the same last name? Meredith Delbert? She was sure she’d gone to summer camp with a girl by that name.
