The voice coming from Emma’s cell phone sounded mechanical and distorted. It’d been half an hour since the attack, and she’d changed out of her wet pajamas, but chills still raced through her. She clasped her hands together to keep her fingers from trembling.
“The phone calls started shortly after I moved here. They weren’t all like that one. In the beginning it was just hang-ups, sometimes heavy breathing. I brushed them off, but then things started happening on the property.”
A muscle in Reed’s jaw worked, and his shoulders were tight. He looked furious but when he spoke, his voice was calm. “What kinds of things?”
“Equipment was moved, flowerbeds destroyed. A couple of my patio chairs were broken. Small stuff. Annoying but not necessarily threatening.”
He scrawled something in a small notebook.
Reed’s chestnut-colored hair was darkened from the rain but still carried the faintest impression of a hat indention. A dusting of stubble hid the cleft in his chin.
She’d often thought of Reed over the years, but it’d been a surprise to discover he was the sheriff. Reed always talked about the day he’d leave Heyworth in his rearview mirror. It was one of the many things they’d fought over—her desire to return to the small town, his eagerness to never to see it again.
“You didn’t report the phone calls or the things happening on the property?” he asked.
She bit her lip. “Not at first. It sounds foolish, I know, but I thought my cousin was doing it. Owen was dealing with a lot. First the death of his father, then the shock of learning about the inheritance.”
“You felt bad for him.” Reed’s expression was sympathetic and nonjudgmental. “You were trying to give him the benefit of the doubt.”
The understanding in his expression eased the guilt and shame pressing down on her shoulders. “Yes. I figured if I ignored him, Owen would eventually tire of it and stop. But last week, things took a more serious turn. Someone left poisoned hamburger meat near the back patio.”
“Why would Owen do that?”
“I think he was trying to kill Sadie.”
At the sound of her name, the dog raised her head. Emma reached down and stroked her silky fur.
“He obviously didn’t know Sadie has been trained not to eat food from anyone except me and Vivian. Unfortunately, an opossum found the untouched meat and died. That’s how I knew it’d been poisoned.”
Reed frowned, his glance flickering to the dog before settling back on Emma. “You trained Sadie to only take food from certain people?”
“It’s a safety measure. She’s a SAR dog.” Short for Search and Rescue, Sadie was part of an elite class of canines trained to find missing people. “But that’s not the reason why I filed a police report. Even if Sadie wasn’t specially trained, she’s my pet and my responsibility. Attempting to hurt her was crossing a line and not something I could ignore.”
He nodded. “How many people know about Sadie’s training?”
“It’s not a secret.” She smiled wryly. “Still not dialed into the town gossip, huh?”
“Not unless it pertains to a case.” His mouth flattened. “I didn’t know about Sadie, but your uncle told me about your husband. I’m very sorry, Emma.”
“Thank you.” A rush of unexpected tears caught her off guard. Emma blinked them back. Mark had been dead for almost two years, and still grief had a way of smacking her in the face. “While we’re getting personal, Jeb also told me about your mom. And Bonnie.”
Reed’s mother had passed away from cancer. Shortly after that, his sister disappeared. The events had to be connected to his return home, but it didn’t seem right to pry into his reasoning.
“Thank you.” He cleared his throat before the corners of his mouth lifted. “Your uncle was a man of few words, but he had a way of sharing the most important ones.”
“That he did.” She paused, a sinking feeling settling in the pit of her stomach. “I was told by the desk clerk that you review every complaint but...you didn’t know, did you?”
“No. If I had, something would’ve been done about it.” Reed’s words resonated with conviction.
She bit her lip. He’d saved her life, probably Lily’s and Vivian’s, too, and she’d thanked him with accusations and anger. “I’m so sorry—”
Reed held up a hand, cutting her off. “No, I’m the one who owes the apology. You were right to be angry. It’s my job to protect you, and it didn’t happen.” He let out a breath. “I’m very grateful that you—that everyone—is okay.”
Their eyes met. His were still the color of faded blue jeans. A flood of memories washed over her—church picnics, horseback rides and long talks by the lake. Emma felt a poignant stab at the loss of their friendship. But it hadn’t escaped her notice that Reed had been avoiding her since she moved back to town. He’d nearly tripped over a paper towel rack in the grocery store trying to get away from her last week.
His behavior was the reason she believed her initial complaint against Owen had gone uninvestigated. She’d been mistaken about that. But while she’d misjudged him as a sheriff, Emma wasn’t wrong when it came to their relationship. It was obvious Reed didn’t want to be friends. The knowledge hurt. She didn’t want it to, but it did all the same.
“The latest threatening message...” he gestured to her cell phone still on the table between them “...when did you get it?”
“Sunday, the same day I filed the police report. I thought the bad thing he referred to in the message was the poisoned hamburger meat.” She glanced toward the kitchen. “Clearly, I was wrong.”
He frowned. “I’m not so sure you were. Come with me.”
Reed led her into the living room. Sadie’s nails tapped against the wooden floor as she trailed behind Emma.
The living room had been ransacked. Drawers hung open, books were thrown from the shelves and knickknacks were knocked over. The little desk in the corner
