Had she imagined the fleeting flare of light? Was her mind playing—
The light bobbed again, and her pulse surged.
No, she hadn’t imagined it.
Putting her feet in gear, she hurried to the door, fitted her key in the lock, and let herself in. Then she slid the bolt into place and dug out her cell.
It was late, but this time she wasn’t waiting to call Brad. If the person who’d been making nocturnal appearances on Natalie’s property was back, this could be an opportunity to catch them. Assuming Brad or one of the deputies was available, and that whoever was here wasn’t in a hurry to leave.
She tucked herself into a corner and peeked out the window as she placed the call. The light was still flickering through the trees, but it appeared farther away now.
“Cara? What’s wrong?”
At Brad’s terse question, she leaned back against the wall. “The person with the light is back.”
A second ticked by.
“Where are you?”
“Natalie’s. I’m in the cottage.” She gave him a topline of her blunder, omitting the cause. It wasn’t his fault her brain was shorting out, thanks to all the electricity sparking between them. “I know it’s late, but—”
“No apology necessary. Your timing is impeccable. I’m onpatrol again, not far away. You didn’t see any strange cars around when you pulled in, did you?”
“No.”
“Lock the door and sit tight. I’m going to park out of sight, come in on foot, and scout around in the dark.”
“Will you stop by after you’re finished?”
“It could be late. If I don’t find anything, I may hang around in the woods for a while. See if whoever is there starts moving again.”
“I doubt I’ll be asleep, and I’d like to know what you find.”
“Okay. You may want to try and catch a few z’s while you wait, though. You have your pepper gel?”
“Yes.”
“Keep it handy, just in case.”
“You think I’m in danger?” Her heart picked up speed again.
“No. I’m erring on the side of caution. This person hasn’t bothered you in the past, and I doubt they’ll change their pattern. Hang tight.”
As Brad ended the call, Cara tucked her phone away and pulled out her pepper gel. Eyed the bed.
It could be a long night, and sitting in the dark as the minutes turtled by would be über stressful.
Why not at least lie down, even if the odds of falling asleep were tiny?
Wiping her palms one by one down her leggings, she crossed to the bed, pulled back the quilt, and slid under the comforting warmth, pepper gel in hand.
If fate was kind, Brad would find the person who’d been frequenting Natalie’s property for weeks, at minimum. Perhaps much longer. Who knew how long they’d been around before she’d spotted them?
And if Brad confronted them, maybe they’d finally have answers that would help explain Micah’s mysterious demise.
Except...
She frowned.
