I wanted to press further, but the tightness around his eyes told me I’d hit a wall. Whatever his ‘previous life’ entailed, he wasn’t ready to share more. And pushing now would only shut him down completely.
“Okay, security consultant,” I said, grabbing my coat again. “You do your thing. Scout and I will do ours.”
“Take my gun,” he said, reaching toward the end table drawer.
“No.” The word came out more forcefully than I’d intended. “No guns. I don’t... I can’t.”
Understanding flickered in his eyes. “Okay. But take this at least.” He pulled a small canister from his pocket. “Pepper spray. It’s the strong kind, so make sure you spray it outward if the need should arise. And keep your phone on.”
I accepted the canister, wondering exactly what he meant by the strong kind, but didn’t bother asking as I tucked it into my coat pocket. “I’ll be fine. It’s broad daylight.”
“Call me every fifteen minutes,” he insisted.
“Every thirty,” I countered.
“Twenty.”
“Deal.” I whistled for Scout, who bounded to my side. “Ready for another adventure, buddy?”
Scout’s tail wagged enthusiastically as I clipped on his leash. At the door, I turned back to find Caleb watching me intently.
“Be careful,” he said, his voice low. “If anything feels wrong—anything at all—you get out of there. Immediately.”
I nodded, touched by his concern despite its frustrating implications. “Yes, sir, security consultant, sir.”
The ghost of a smile crossed his face. “Smart ass.”
“You have no idea,” I replied, and stepped out into the cold.
The walk to Jake’s barn seemed different this time. Every rustle in the trees, every distant bird call set my nerves on edge. Scout seemed to sense my unease, staying closer than before, his ears perked and alert.
The barn door was exactly as I’d left it—locked. I fumbled with the key Jake had given me, glancing over my shoulder before pushing the heavy door open. Inside, everything appeared normal. The animals greeted me with familiar sounds,the momma cat weaving between my legs as if I’d been gone for days instead of hours.
“Okay,” I murmured to Scout. “Let’s look around.”
I moved methodically through the barn, checking every stall, every storage area, looking for anything unusual. What would ‘certain people’ want so badly? Money seemed most likely—perhaps cash hidden away. Or documents? Deeds, maybe, or evidence of something?
Scout wandered ahead, nose to the ground, occasionally stopping to sniff intently at seemingly random spots. In the tack room, kittens greeted me, and I couldn’t resist playing with them for a few minutes. I sighed as I put them back with their momma. “Sorry, little ones, duty calls.”
I stood and ran my hands along the walls, mindful of the kittens underfoot, feeling for loose boards or hidden compartments. Nothing.
I headed out to the feed storage area, which yielded nothing suspicious either, nor did the small office space in the corner, where Jake presumably kept farm records. I was beginning to think the note was a wild goose chase when Scout’s behavior changed.
He’d moved to the back of the barn, near the door Margret had used earlier, and was pawing insistently at the floorboards, whining softly.
“What is it, boy?” I asked, hurrying over.
The floor in this section was different—older planks, worn smooth by years of use. Scout continued pawing at a specific spot, looking up at me expectantly.
I knelt beside him, running my fingers over the boards. There was a slight gap between two planks, barely noticeableunless you were looking for it. I pressed experimentally, feeling something give. Heart pounding, I dug my fingernails into the gap and pulled upward.
The board came loose, revealing a narrow space beneath. I reached in, my fingers brushing against something cold and metallic. Carefully, I extracted a small metal box, about the size of a hardcover book.
“Good boy,” I whispered to him, who wagged his tail proudly.
The box was, of course, locked. I turned it over in my hands, looking for any identifying marks or clues. Nothing but a simple keyhole. I shook it gently—something moved inside it, but it wasn’t heavy enough to be cash. Papers, maybe?
My phone buzzed in my pocket, startling me so badly I nearly dropped the box. Caleb’s name flashed on the screen.
