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BY THE TIME they reached the beach house, it was nearly nine-thirty. They had stopped along the way for a quick bite to eat, but Caroline hadn’t had much of an appetite. Jason had insisted she look at the dessert menu, and when she’d been reluctant to choose something, he’d selected two slices of chocolate cheesecake to go. They made the rest of the drive in silence, each wrapped up in their own thoughts. Behind them, on the highway, Jason could just make out Colton and Deputy Mitchell in the second car.
After parking in the gravel driveway, Jason came around and opened Caroline’s door for her, before reaching into the back for the box of case files. He intended to take a look at the three cases that she thought might be linked to her father’s shooting. Balancing the box under one arm, he fished in his coat pocket for the house keys, and Caroline followed him along the dark path to the front door.
“I must have forgotten to leave the front light on,” she said offhandedly. “And I also forgot the cheesecake in the car. Be right back.” Jason paused to watch her jog lightly back to the driveway. Deputy Black pulled in behind them, illuminating Caroline with his headlights. Satisfied that she was safe, Jason turned back to the front door and inserted the key, and then he went completely still. The door pushed open before he even turned the key.
Swiftly, he set the box down and pulled his weapon out, motioning for Colton to secure Caroline. He waited as Colton hustled her to the second car and put her in the front seat next to Deputy Mitchell, who was driving. They backed out of the driveway and drove away. Jason caught a glimpse of her pale face in the passenger window of the car before they turned a corner and disappeared from sight.
With Caroline safely out of harm’s way, Jason used his foot to nudge the door open wider, holding his gun and a small flashlight out in front of him. He scoped out the room but detected no movement. Colton was at his side in seconds, his own weapon drawn, and together they did a complete sweep of the house. The rooms were empty, but whoever had broken in had trashed the place. Drawers had been pulled out and upended on the floor, and furniture and lamps had been tipped over. Picture frames and collectibles lay smashed on the floor. A quick check revealed nothing of value had been taken. The judge kept a wad of cash stashed in a drawer in the bedroom, and the contents of the drawer had been dumped out, but the money was left untouched. Whoever had broken in wasn’t interested in stealing anything. They’d either hoped to find someone at home or they were sending an ominous warning.
The French doors that opened onto the balcony had been left ajar. Inspecting them, Jason saw that one of the panes of glass had been smashed, allowing the intruder to gain access.
“Okay, let’s canvas the area,” he said to Colton. “Check with the neighbors—see if they noticed any activity here today.”
As he and Colton circled the house, Jason put in a call to the local police. He didn’t know if the intruders were still in the vicinity, but he knew the extra police activity would deter them from hanging around.
Once they had cleared the perimeter of the property, he called Deputy Mitchell and let him know it was safe to bring Caroline back to the house. By the time they arrived, two cruisers were also on-site. Jason walked over to Caroline, intercepting her before she could even step onto the walkway.
“The house is clear,” he said quietly, not wanting to alarm her any more than necessary. “But there’s been a break-in. Someone disabled the electrical at the service drop, which is likely why the alarm wasn’t triggered.”
“If they wanted me, they could have waited,” she pointed out in a calm voice. “But they didn’t. They just wanted to scare us.”
“Maybe,” Jason muttered, but he knew he wasn’t being truthful.
He had a pretty good sense that whoever had done this was also responsible for the shooting. The implications were frightening, and his mind raced with all the possible scenarios. Had Eddie Green been involved, after all? It seemed more than coincidence that Caroline’s beach house had been tossed only hours after he had confronted Eddie.
Or was someone else responsible? One thing was certain: they were being watched. Whoever had broken into the beach house knew that they were staying there. This was a deliberate attempt to frighten them off. Instead of scaring Jason, it only pissed him off. Nobody would hurt Caroline while he was alive to prevent it. He’d protect her with every resource he had at his disposal, and no sacrifice would be too great.
“Listen, I want you to stay in the vehicle with Deputy Mitchell until I’ve finished talking with the police,” he said, rubbing her arms. Despite the warmth of the evening, she was shivering. “We won’t stay here tonight. We’ll find a hotel.” He gestured toward the house. “I’m just going to grab our gear, and I’ll be right out. Ten minutes, tops.”
