But you don’t know who it is, a tiny voice in her head nudged.
I will find out and when I do, so help me they will suffer for what they’ve done.
While Ebony cried into her shoulder, Ryder pulled her phone from her top pocket and made a call. “Jake, I wonder if you could come out to the farm? There’s be an incident I want you to see if you don’t mind. I think it has to do with the cases I’m looking into.” She paused. “Thanks. See you soon.”
Eventually the crying jag came to a halt and the questions started. “Who would do that to her? Did it hurt? What would happen to the babies now? Are we going to have a funeral for her? Will the nasty person come back for us?”
Ryder answered all of her questions and tried to be as honest as she could. The sound of a car on her driveway made her sit up. “Honey, I have to go and talk to Jake about what happened. Can you go into your room and play for a moment? I won’t be long, I promise, and I’ll try and find the kittens for you.”
Ebony looked at her with huge red-rimmed eyes and slid off of her knee. She turned and walked away, her little shoulders slumped.
“I won’t be long, promise.” A knock sounded at the back door and Ryder hurried to greet Jake.
“Sorry to call you out.”
* * *
“Don’t apologize, just tell me what’s going on.” He leaned on the porch and looked at the paleness of her skin, the pinched lips, and fire burning in her eyes.
“Come with me.” Ryder brushed past him and led the way down to the barn. “I had a phone call at work warning me to stay away from the cold cases. Nothing spurs me on more than being told not to do something, but this is taking it to a whole new level. Nobody comes to my home and does something like this and gets away with it.” She stormed down to the barn, stopping just shy of walking in.
“Oh hell.” Jake looked at the animal’s body pinned to the ground and shook his head. Definitely a personal message.
“Yes, oh hell is right.” Ryder took out her phone and started taking photos of the scene. “This poor cat didn’t deserve this.” She leaned in and looked at the pitchfork. “Probably from my shed but I couldn’t be sure. Not like a burglar would bother to bring his own. If he wanted to send me a message I got it loud and clear.” She pulled the fork out of the ground and lay it down to release the body of the cat. “No point taking fingerprints, handle is too cracked and old.”
“Point me in the direction of a shovel and I’ll go and bury her. Then you and I need to talk.”
Ryder nodded her head at the open door to one side. Jake walked over and looked inside what passed for her tack room/garden tool/junk room. He selected a shovel and headed out into the paddock near the chook pen to do the right thing.
When he was done, he found Ryder clamouring over the hay bales, a black and white bundle of fluff in her arms. She launched herself into a crevice between the bales and cried out, “Got you.”
When she surfaced, she held two kittens in her hands with a smile of satisfaction on her face. Jake watched her climb down again. Her lips twitched as she stepped over to him.
“Eb was worried about how these two would survive without their mumma. I think she needs to be the one to look after them now after witnessing that.”
“Probably not a bad idea.” He reached forward and pulled a strand of hay from her hair, flicking it on the ground. “How do you want to deal with this? I know I’m not happy putting you in the line of fire. You have to take some precautions after this, Ryder.”
“Yeah I know, but I refuse to be chased out of my own home.”
“Funny, I knew you’d say that. I suggest you seriously take up the idea of a dog. Might be enough to scare someone away if nothing else. Doesn’t have to be huge and I advise against a puppy even though my father has offered you one.”
He walked out of the barn with her and reached to take one of the kittens, scratching it behind the ear. “Pretty tame.”
“Eb’s been feeding the mother and had them all in the kitchen the other day. Look, I don’t know if I’m ready for a dog. I know we have to do something but…”
“Be sensible, Ryder. We can’t put a guard on you and I doubt you’d take it anyway even if I could arrange it. Someone has been here and will likely come back if you don’t lay off the case.”
“I know and I refuse to back down. I have a job to do and a responsibility to those parents.”
“You should go to the shelter and get a dog then. Something that will make plenty of noise. I can arrange it if you like.”
“Do you think I’m not capable, Jake?”
“Not at all. I know damned well you are. It just so happens I have contacts. My sister runs it and I know she’d be thrilled to rehome an older dog. What do you say?”
Ryder looked at him, her eyes shuttered and cool. He had yet to see any emotion from her. Perhaps it was the way she coped—fell into cop mode when things went wrong.
“Fine. Thanks. If you don’t
