Page 5 of In the Dead of Night

Sara didn’t know what to say to that; she knew firsthand the damage a gun could do.

“I didn’t mean to spook you,” he said. “You okay?”

“Just a little rattled. Electricity went out.”

“Lightning took out a transformer down on Wind River Road. Crews are out, but it’s pretty remote out here. Could take a while.”

“Lovely.”

“Do you have a flashlight or candles?”

“I dropped the flashlight and broke it, but I think there are candles in the kitchen.”

“I’ll stay long enough for you to get a few lit if you’d like.”

“Not that I’m afraid of ghosts or anything.”

“Of course not.” Touching the brim of his cap, he left the bedroom and started for the stairs.

Feeling silly for having overreacted, Sara followed.

“Where are you from?” he asked as they descended the stairs.

“San Diego.”

At the kitchen, he moved aside and motioned her ahead, shining the flashlight so she could see. Sara went to the candle she’d left on the counter, relit it, then began rummaging for more.

“Alexandra and Richard Douglas were your parents?”

That he knew her parents’ first names shouldn’t have surprised her, but it did. Cape Darkwood was a small town, after all. She looked up from the drawer. In the candlelight, she was able to get a better look at his face. An odd sense of familiarity niggled at the back of her mind. Her hands paused as she reached for a second candle. She wasn’t sure why, but her stomach went taut in anticipation of some unexpected and ugly surprise. “Yes, they were my parents. Why?”

“I used to know them. My parents knew them, actually. A long time ago.”

Sensing there was more coming, she stopped rummaging and looked at him over her shoulder. His eyes met hers. A little too curious. A little too intense. A keen awareness of him rippled through her. She wanted to blame it on the darkness. The storm. The strangeness of the house. Whatever the case, he was one of the most disconcerting men she’d ever met.

“I used to know you, too,” he added.

Sara faced him, certain she would have remembered meeting this man. He had one of the most memorable faces she’d ever encountered. Definitely unforgettable eyes. “I don’t think so.”

“It’s been a while,” he said.

“I didn’t get your name.” The words came out as a whisper.

“I’m Chief of Police Nick Tyson.” He stuck out his hand. “Your father shot and killed my father the same night he murdered your mother.”