the house.
He wondered if Sheriff Fischer was now explaining to that nice woman about the hunters and hikers who sometimes strayed too close to private property, and the teenagers who liked to party in deserted rental cabins.
Jordan turned the car around and glanced at the house in his rearview mirror.
He could almost hear the good sheriff telling the frightened woman that she and her little boy would be all right—right as rain.
CHAPTER TEN
Outside the sliding glass door, the handsome, husky blond deputy held his hands up in the air. Wearing the deputy’s cap—which came down almost over his eyes—Mattie stood in front of him on the porch. He pointed his finger at the deputy and kept his thumb extended. “You’re under a dress!” he proclaimed.
The deputy got a big kick out of this, but kept his hands above his head and played the part of the crook to the hilt.
Barely cracking a smile, the sheriff ignored the skit going on outside. He was a tall, paunchy man in his early fifties, with a thin grey mustache that had turned brownish-yellow at one corner—maybe from smoking a cigar or something. Hairy arms akimbo, he stood near the sliding glass door in the sunroom, beside a chair that had a basket of dirty laundry in it. At the top of the heap were Susan’s bra and a pair of panties. She might have been a bit embarrassed if she weren’t so worried right now about Allen’s disappearance—and that creepy man in the army fatigues who had paid them a visit earlier.
Sheriff Fischer seemed to think she was overreacting about Allen. After all, her fiance had been gone less than two hours. “Ordinarily, he would have phoned you by now, right?” Fischer said. “You know, it’s too bad they yanked the landline phones out of this house when they converted it into a rental. And I’m sorry about the cell phone reception around these parts. But in some ways, it’s a blessing. Just imagine how many accidents we’d have around here with kids trying to maneuver these winding roads while yakking away on their cell phones and texting and Twittering and what have you.”
Sitting in one of the dining room chairs, Susan nodded. At Rosie’s earlier, she’d already given the sheriff a description of Allen, what he was wearing, and his car. He’d jotted it down and told her not to worry. They’d keep a lookout for him. “I’m sure he’s fine,” the sheriff had said back at the store.
He was saying it again now: “I bet, any minute, your fiance will be pulling into the driveway in that fancy black BMW of his. In the meantime, I wouldn’t let this Peeping Tom business upset you, Ms. Blanchette.” He put a strange emphasis on the
“Ah, it was an Arby’s,” Susan gently corrected him. “Why do you think—”
“Arby’s, right,” he nodded, interrupting her. “Nevertheless, we will keep our eyes peeled for this—” he consulted the notes he’d scribbled down at the store earlier, “Ah, red MINI Cooper you told me about.”
“Thank you,” Susan said. “But why do you think it couldn’t be this man who followed me from Mount Vernon? As I told you, he was awfully familiar and pushy….”
Sheriff Fischer tucked his little notebook in his back pocket, then cleared his throat. “Well, Deputy Shaffer and I had a good look around here, and there’s no sign of an attempted break-in. It’s obvious someone has recently been in the woods surrounding this house. But I don’t think he’s after you or your little boy. And I don’t think it’s this fella you’re worried about. Let me show you what I mean.” The sheriff turned and called over his shoulder. “Corey, would you like to come in here and join the adults? Bring in what you found.”
The blond deputy took the police cap off Mattie and put it on his own head. He reached for something on the porch step and lugged it into the sunroom. It was a big rock, at least ten pounds. The bottom of it was covered with dirt.
“What is that?” Susan asked, getting up from the dining room chair.
“It’s a mineral rock, a salt lick,” the deputy explained, setting it down on the sunroom floor—dirt side up. “Some hunters use them as bait to lure deer or antelope. I found this in the woods over there….” He pointed in the general direction of the forest bordering the driveway. “There was another one just like it about a hundred feet away.” Stepping toward the sliding door, he nodded at the forest on the other side of the house. “And if you check those woods south of here, you’ll find one just beyond that first set of trees near the water there….”
But Susan wasn’t looking toward the trees. She noticed the sheriff, staring at the basket of dirty laundry. His stubby fingers casually brushed against the top of the load, touching her bra and panties. He didn’t seem too conscious or sneaky about what he was doing—just curious.
Her mouth open, Susan numbly gazed at him. She thought about saying something, but just then he took his hand away and hooked his thumb in his pants pocket. He turned to gaze out at the section of forest bordering the bay.
“You see, ma’am,” the deputy was saying. “This guy’s obviously been using these woods as his own little hunting ground, and he—”
“What we have here, Ms. Blanchette,” Sheriff Fischer interrupted, “isn’t a stalker or a Peeping Tom. We have some amateur hunter who’s using this land unlawfully. And that’s a serious offense around these parts. But I don’t think you or your son are in any real danger.” He frowned at the mineral rock on the floor, then turned to his deputy. “Get rid of that thing. And then you can go, Corey.”
The younger cop seemed a bit perplexed. “Well, I can get around Ms. Blanchette’s car, but your prowler is blocking me in.”
With an impatient sigh, Sheriff Fischer dug into his pocket and tossed the keys at him. “Then move it, and park it back where it was after you’ve backed out.”
“Yessir,” the deputy muttered. He shoved the keys in his pocket and then hauled the rock out to the back porch. “Hey, want to help me carry this back into the woods, partner?” he asked Mattie. “Then you can ride in a police car….”
“Cool!” Mattie exclaimed, chasing after him.
Outside, Mattie let out a labored grunt as he put his hands under the rock, though it was clear the deputy was toting all the weight. “We’ll need to wash our hands after this,” the handsome cop was telling him as they moved down the porch steps together.
“Anyway, I doubt this hunter character will be back,” the sheriff said. “I saw what was left of that barrel you shot with the flare. If this joker was anywhere near there, he’s not about to make a return appearance. It’s kind of ironic, but most hunters I know don’t like being shot at.” He laughed at his own remark.
Susan tried to work up a smile.
“Anyway, you probably scared him more than he scared you.” Sheriff Fischer chuckled. “I’ll tell you who got the biggest fright. It was Chris over at Bayside Rentals. You really had him going with that e-mail you sent. He thought for sure you were a goner.”
“So did I for a while there,” Susan said. “I’m very grateful he called you.”
The sheriff nodded. “Well, you got to us first. In the meantime, Ms. Blanchette, I wouldn’t worry about your fiance too much. I’m sure he’s close by. If he’s not in town, maybe he swung by the winery to surprise you with a bottle of wine. I know I wouldn’t stray too far if I had such an attractive lady waiting for me at home.”
“Well, thank you,” she said coolly. She might have been flattered if he hadn’t been touching her under-things two minutes ago.
“So—do me a favor,” Sheriff Fischer said. “Once your fiance turns up, I’d appreciate it if you’d pop on over to Rosie’s and give us a call. Let us know he’s okay. If I don’t hear from you in a couple of hours, I’ll be sure to check in.”
Susan nodded. “I’ll do that, thank you again.”
“Can I ask for another favor?” He smiled and licked his lips. “You wouldn’t happen to have something cool to drink for a thirsty policeman, would you?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Where are my manners?” Susan started backing toward the kitchen. “Would you like bottled water? I also have some Coke—
