“Was that what you were talking to Alan about?”
“No, I haven’t told Alan. Maybe I should. We’ve just chatted about personal stuff, you know.”
Yeah, she did know. Autumn’s whole tone changed when she talked about Alan. She sounded pretty infatuated. She probably had plenty of company.
“You need to tell him. He can keep his eyes open, maybe figure out who this creep is and what he wants.”
“I think I’ll do that. I feel better already.”
“It wouldn’t hurt to try to get a picture of the car, too.”
Jessica ended the call and dropped her hand to her lap. Who was following Autumn and what did they want with her? She was a nice kid. Sweet, kind-hearted and a little naive. And not at all equipped to deal with whatever mess Prissy had gotten her into.
With a sigh, Jessica put the phone on the coffee table next to the book lying there. It was lighthearted and fun, with a fast-moving, albeit shallow plot. Not her usual choice of reading material. But thrillers and murder mysteries no longer held the appeal they had at one time. Living it took the fun out of reading about it.
Instead of picking up the book, she took the phone from where she’d laid it and pulled up Prissy’s photo gallery. She and Shane had already checked out all the pictures and the only interesting one they’d found was the one of Hammy and Spike with the mystery man. But they hadn’t done it with Autumn in mind or looked for any dark sedans in the background.
A second search of all Prissy’s photos didn’t reveal any more than the first had. But staring at a two-inch by four-inch picture, a lot could be missed. If she logged into her cloud account and uploaded them there, she and Shane could view them on his laptop. Any help Shane wanted to offer, she would gladly accept.
It didn’t mean she had to trust him.
Pounding drums and piercing guitars streamed into Jessica’s room, jarring her from a sound sleep. Her eyes shot open and she lay frozen in the darkness. The radio was on. Someone was inside. Panic shot up her spine, and her heart beat hard against her ribcage.
Within moments, the music stopped, and a tension-filled silence permeated the house. She scanned the dimly-lit room. Buttons stood beside her in the middle of the bed, tail wagging. Didn’t the stupid dog recognize danger?
Reason slowly filtered in. That was no radio. It was a cell phone. Prissy’s phone. It lay on the nightstand, screen still lit. She thrust back the covers and sat up. If she decided to keep the phone, that would be an immediate change—no obnoxious ringtones.
She picked up the phone and squinted at the display. Autumn cell. The girl had better have a really good reason for a one a.m. call. She pressed the screen to redial.
“Jessica!”
It was Autumn. But her tone was several pitches higher than normal and laced with hysteria. Jessica gripped the phone more tightly, the last traces of sleep fleeing her brain.
“Autumn, what’s wrong?”
“Oh, Jessie, I’m so scar—”
Rustling cut off her frenzied words, as if she was moving around with the phone.
Or someone was taking it from her.
“Autumn, what’s going on?”
“Listen carefully.” The raspy male voice had the same New England accent that Shane had overheard.
“I’m listening.”
“Come to the park, and bring your sister’s phone. Leave it on the bench at the east end of the lake. Then walk back to your car. If you’re getting any ideas about trying to be a hero, get rid of them. Come alone. Don’t call the police. And don’t try anything. Or sweet little Autumn here will meet a not-very-pleasant end.” The line clicked dead.
She set the phone on the nightstand and picked up the jeans and light sweater she’d taken off and had lain over the chair in the corner. Then she dropped the items and threw a light jacket over her PJs instead. She couldn’t take the time to dress.
After dropping Prissy’s phone into her purse, she hurried toward the door. Going alone was risky, but that was exactly what she’d been ordered to do. She could call Alan or Tommy, but the man had specifically forbidden her from calling the police. Letting Shane in on what was happening wasn’t a good idea, either. He’d insist on going with her. Whether she involved Alan or Tommy or Shane, there was too much that could go wrong. Then bad things would happen to Autumn. The caller had warned her. No, she wouldn’t gamble with Autumn’s safety.
She climbed into her car and made the short drive down Main to the entrance of the park. When she stepped into the night air, a shiver passed through her. It wasn’t cold. The temperature was that same sixties low that had given Florida its paradise reputation. But there was something disconcerting about strolling through a deserted park in the dead of night. Swings swayed in a barely-there breeze, and the street lamps scattered throughout the park struggled to hold back the heavy darkness.
She moved toward the lake at the back, scanning her surroundings for any sign of movement. The whole thing could be a trap, the order to bring the phone nothing but a ploy to get her alone. But it was a chance she would have to take. She wasn’t going to put Autumn’s life at risk for her own safety.
She approached the bench, every muscle coiled, ready to spring. As instructed, she had come alone. But she wouldn’t go down without a fight.
As she laid the phone on the varnished wooden slats, she kept her head up, her eyes peeled and her mind alert. He was there. She
