“I’m on my way. Do you want to call the police, or do you want me to?”
“I’ll do it. I’ll see you there.” His heart pounded in his chest as the alarm alerted that the intruder had breached the back door. He called 9-1-1 and explained the situation.
“The police are on their way, sir. The homeowner called and is on the line with another dispatcher. The alarm company also notified us.”
“I’m coming from Knoxville, but her brother is on his way to the house. He’s about fifteen minutes out. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
He panicked and forced himself to take a deep breath to keep the fear at bay. Please, God, keep her safe. Maverick would protect her, but what if the guy was armed?
He hit the accelerator and moved down the highway toward Ridgeview as fast as he could. “Please, keep her safe,” he prayed. The police were on their way, but what if they didn’t get there in time? Who was this guy who was so determined to mess with them?
“Watch over her, Trevor. Keep her safe, please. I need you to be her guardian angel,” he said out loud.
After getting to Ridgeview in twenty minutes instead of the thirty it usually took, Rob drove backstreets. He wouldn’t have the patience to sit through some of the endless stoplights on the main streets near the courthouse. Not while MJ was in danger.
He turned the corner near MJ’s house and saw blue lights flashing. He pulled into the driveway, and ran from the car through the back door, into the kitchen. MJ sat at the kitchen table with Nick by her side. Dressed in her yoga pants and a sweatshirt, she sat across from a police officer, who was writing in a notebook. She looked up with a tear-streaked face as he rushed toward her, pulling her up into his arms.
“Are you okay?” he asked searching her face and looking for signs that she’d been hurt.
She burst into tears, and he cradled her body against him. “I was so scared, Rob. He got into the house.”
“I know. I nearly had a heart attack when I heard the alarm signal that he’d breached the back door.”
He stroked her hair and gazed into her eyes. This woman meant everything to him. Pulling her against him, he turned and studied the police officer. “Did you catch him?”
“Yes. He was trying to break into the bathroom where she and the dog were hiding.”
He looked down at Maverick who lay at MJ’s feet. “Good boy, Maverick.” The dog’s tail thumped against the kitchen floor.
“Do you know who it was?” Rob asked the police officer.
“He’s not talking, but we have a good idea of who he is, even though he’s refusing to give his name. My partner recognized him. He’s already had some other problems with the law, and we’re verifying his identity through his fingerprints. They’re on file, so we should know shortly.”
“Is it Kent Barnard?”
The police officer looked surprised. “How did you know?”
“He’s been harassing us, and somebody tried to poison our dog by leaving poisoned hamburger meat under a bush near the back fence. That’s what led us to get the alarm system.”
“Well, he seems to have an issue with your dog, but this goes way beyond that. He had a knife and tried to get to Ms. Van Buren. I’m glad she locked them both in the bathroom. It slowed him down long enough to allow us to get here.”
Rob exchanged looks with Nick over MJ’s head and pulled her in tighter, stroking her back. “You’re okay, sweetheart. I’m glad you’re safe.”
They heard the front door open, and Sheriff Daniels joined them in the kitchen. He leaned in toward MJ. “Are you okay? I heard on the scanner you had some excitement tonight.”
She peered up at him and nodded. “Yeah. Kent Barnard broke in.” She took a wobbly breath. “I don’t understand it. Why would he target us?”
“I suspect he blames Rob and Maverick for calling the police when he approached his ex-wife and daughter in the park.”
“Yeah, he thinks we interfered with his relationship, even though she had a restraining order against him.”
“He’s obviously not playing with a full deck,” Nick offered.
“Yeah well, diagnosing him is above my pay grade,” Bo replied, sharing a look with the Ridgeview police officer. “I suspect he’ll be doing some real jail time now.”
“I hope so,” MJ sniffed. “He scared us to death.”
Rob agreed. He would do whatever they needed to do to keep Barnard away from them.
***
MJ stifled a yawn. Bo’s friendly face had left a half-hour ago. Officer Ryan asked her once again to go through her statement, but frankly, she was sick of telling the story and watching Nick and Rob share furtive glances. Rob’s tight-lipped, tense facial expression matched her brother’s and underscored what a close call she’d had.
Rob sat next to her and held her hand, occasionally squeezing it to give her moral support. It comforted her, but she was ready for this to be over so they could get some sleep.
She glanced at the kitchen clock. After eleven. She had work in the morning. A huge yawn escaped before she could swallow it.
Rob noticed. “Officer, MJ’s exhausted. Can we finish this tomorrow?”
Officer Ryan studied MJ’s face as if she’d grown an extra nose or something. “I guess so. You look pale, Ms. Van Buren. It would probably do you good to get some rest. I need you to come down to the station and sign your statement sometime tomorrow.”
“Can it wait until after work? I’m the librarian at the Ridgeview Public Library. I have to open up in the morning by eight, and there isn’t anybody who can cover for me during the day.
