That caught Hailey’s interest. “Really? How are the twins doing?” Daniel and Nate were members of a hotshot crew out west. The family didn’t often hear from them during fire season, other than the occasional check-in to let everyone know they were alive and well.
“He said they’re both fine and that it’s looking like they’ll make it back for Allye’s wedding.”
“I hope so.” The last time they’d made it back for a visit was last Christmas. It had been even longer since Mary Ellen had managed a trip home from Eastern Europe, where she and her little family were currently serving as missionaries. Hailey knewher siblings were doing what they felt called to do, but she missed having them around.
Jenna started squirming to get down. Mom motioned Hailey to stay seated. “You keep eating. I’ll get our favorite girl cleaned up.”
“Thanks, Mom.” She finished her spaghetti and was rinsing her and Jenna’s plates in the sink when Mom returned with a changed Jenna in tow. Hailey turned to her dad. “We need to get going. Which vehicle do you want me to take?”
“I already loaded our car seat into the Civic.”
“You’re the best.” Hailey gave both her parents a quick hug, then began gathering Jenna’s things. Outside, she loaded her daughter into the back of the Civic, then opened the driver’s side door. Not seeming to mind that it wasn’t their usual vehicle, Maggie jumped in without prodding and climbed across to settle into the passenger seat. Hailey joined them and waved to her parents before backing out of the drive.
She heaved a deep sigh and placed a hand on Maggie’s head. Things would be all right.
4
Friday passedrather uneventfully.With Stefania working from home, Hailey didn’t have to deal with her snide remarks and was able to fully focus on her clients’ accounts. The discrepancies in the Eukaria Investments accounts still had her perplexed, but she’d had other priorities for most of the day and had only gotten to spend the last hour and a half on them. She didn’t feel any closer to figuring things out than she had been at three thirty.
That would have to be an issue for later. Now it was time to pick up Jenna and enjoy a beautiful weekend with her little girl. Maybe they could grab finger food and have a picnic dinner at the park this evening. Tomorrow’s plan included a trip to Williamstown to visit the Ark Encounter. Jenna was too young to understand the concept of exhibits, but she loved the playground and the animals in the zoo.
Hailey powered down her computer and packed up her things. Waving good-bye to her coworkers, she headed for the elevators. Sunshine beamed through the lobby doors, beckoning her into its embrace.
Was Peter on duty again today? She glanced at the security office, though she knew she wouldn’t be able to see through the one-way glass. Just in case, she waved as she passed it.
She’d thought about the British security guard quite a bit last night. What had brought him to the States, and to here of all places? Kentucky was a great place to live, but it wasn’t exactly known for its international appeal. Regardless, she was glad he was here. Last night hadn’t been a life-or-death situation or anything like that, but his calm, courteous demeanor had helped defuse her frustration over the issue.
Outside, the heat of an August day enveloped her. It was a nice change from the frigid air conditioning in the office. For a few seconds, anyway. By the time she made it to the side lot, she was already beginning to feel sticky from the humidity. She didn’t mind though. She’d rather be outside than cooped up in an office any day.
When she reached the Explorer, she made a quick circle around it. The apprehension she hadn’t allowed herself to acknowledge slipped away. The four brand-new tires were pristine. The chalked message from yesterday had also been scrubbed off, and the vehicle sparkled like it had just been washed and waxed. Dad must have taken it through the car wash after replacing the tires.
He’d dropped in about noon to let her know he was finished and to swap keys with her. And, as she’d anticipated, he’d refused to give her the bill for the tires, for which she felt both grateful and guilty. She didn’t have a lot of extra money, but neither did her parents. Somehow, she’d figure out some way to pay them back at least part of the money—even if it meant sneaking twenty-dollar bills into her mom’s purse or her dad’s tool chest over the next couple of months.
An hour later, Hailey was regretting her decision to picnic at the park. She hadn’t taken into consideration the fact that Jenna would be far more interested in the playground than in the pizza they’d grabbed from Zhan’s on the way here. So far she’d managed to get her daughter to take exactly two bites of the Parmesan-encrusted deliciousness. Mom fail.
She sighed. Wasn’t her first. Wouldn’t be her last. Still, shehoped the delayed meal wouldn’t trigger a meltdown when it was time to leave.
Maggie whined and turned soulful eyes up to her. Hailey stroked her soft fur. “I’m sorry, girl. She’ll be back soon.” She hadn’t wanted to take the time to drop Maggie off at home and figured the dog could enjoy the outing with them. But, like with the picnic idea, she’d overlooked one crucial element: Since it was a public park, Maggie had to stay on leash and wasn’t able to join Jenna as she climbed the playground equipment. The golden was not happy with that arrangement.
They stayed another ten minutes, but when Jenna started bawling after tripping on the rubber playground surface, Hailey knew it was time to go. With Maggie’s leash looped over her wrist, she scooped her little girl up, grabbed the box containing their leftover pizza, and started back to the SUV.
Home was only a few minutes away on the outskirts of town, and Hailey breathed a sigh of relief as she turned into the circular drive. The feeling quickly fled when she got a good look at the house. Someone had spray-painted a message in all caps across the formerly spotless white garage door.
YOU DON’T BELONG HERE
Her breath caught in her throat, and she pressed on the brakes. What should she do? Had whoever did this gone inside the house? Or had they left their message and departed? There was no way to tell from out here, and she wasn’t foolish enough to check it out alone.
While she dialed 911, she glanced at the dog panting beside her. If she’d left Maggie home, would she have scared off the vandal? She was no guard dog—not where people were concerned, anyway. She barked at other animals and passing vehicles, but she loved humans. Someone outside the house listening to her bark might not realize that though.
And what about if someone tried to break in while they were at home? Hailey had never thought much about that possibility. Kincaid was usually such a safe area that she didn’t have to. Now she wondered if she’d been living in blissful ignorance. She would like to think the golden would take action if she sensed someone intended to harmherhumans, but Hailey wasn’t sure. And she didn’t want to have to find out the hard way. She’d be taking extra care to lock her doors from now on.
“911. What’s your emergency?”
Hailey recognized the voice of the dispatcher. “Hi, Sarah. This is Hailey Nieland. I just arrived home, and someone’s left a threatening message on my garage door. I’m concerned that they might have gone inside, but I have Jenna with me, and I don’t want to endanger her by checking myself.”
“Are you in a safe location?”
“Yes, we’re still in my SUV.”
