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I shook my head and called out, “Bye, Grace!” I was immediately swallowed by the heat as I pushed the door open. I headed for the small grocery store a couple of blocks up. Relieved to find that it was close enough to the inn so I could easily carry what I needed without having to waste money on a ride.
I stepped through the doors and tried to ignore all the eyes that immediately turned my way, grabbing a handbasket while keeping my head down. I didn’t like being the center of attention at the best of times. With my feelings still so raw, I just wanted to avoid everyone.
I walked quickly toward the fruit and grabbed a couple of bananas and apples, needing something healthy and easy. I thought of what else I could grab that wouldn’t require a stove as I wandered down the aisles. I was searching a shelf of cereal bars when I felt a prickling sensation on the back of my neck.
I glanced around as surreptitiously as I could, peeking out from under my lashes. There were a few people that glanced at me as they walked past, but I didn’t think that was the source of my sudden trepidation. Then I noticed a man standing at the end of the aisle. He was holding a box of cereal, but he didn’t seem to be looking at it as much as he was trying to watch me. I grabbed the first box of bars my hand came to and turned, hurrying down the aisle in the opposite direction.
I still needed to get something to drink, but being watched had spooked me. I tried to shake it off, convincing myself that I was making more out of it than I should. I walked straight to the refrigerators, looking for a pack of individual orange juice bottles. I reached out to grab some, but felt that same eerie sensation of being watched.
I looked back at where I had come from and saw the same man again, this time pretending to look at the eggs, but doing an even shittier job of acting like he wasn’t watching my every move than he had before. I decided I didn’t need the orange juice and stepped away. Instead, I headed straight for the front of the store with the few things I had already grabbed. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the man turn to watch me go.
My hand went to my pocket, where I had slid the card Ethan had given me earlier, and pulled it out. His name stared up at me. Just the thought of him and Brent was enough to calm my racing heart until I caught sight of the man following me to the register. I needed to find a phone. I needed to call Ethan.
My breath felt ragged, and my pulse was pounding as I practically ran to the register. I was going to leave my basket and forget about shopping today, but I needed to know where I could find a phone.
As I hurried up to the nearest register, the cashier looked up at me, startled. Her look immediately changed to one of concern.
“Ma’am, are you okay?”
I sat the basket down on the conveyer belt and leaned against the counter, resting my weight on both hands as I gulped air desperately. “I need a phone,” I rasped out through my burning lungs. “Where is the nearest phone?”
The older woman pointed outside. “There’s a payphone around the corner. I’m pretty sure it still works.” She leaned forward. “Are you sure you’re alright? Do I need to call someone for you? I can get the manager…”
I shook my head quickly. “No, I just need to call someone.”
Someone stepped up behind me, and the cashier turned her worried eyes away from me and smiled. “Hello, Tom. How is Annie?”
“She’s doing great. The baby has been keeping us awake, so she’s been pretty tired.” A deep voice came from right beside me, and I turned at the sound, gasping and stumbling back, knocking into the rack of candy behind me. I ignored the bars that fell to the floor as several sets of eyes turned to watch my freak out.
The same man that had been following me through the store was standing right next to me. My eyes were blurry with tears as I began shaking uncontrollably. Through my tears, I saw him reach out to steady me, but I jerked back, knocking a few more candy bars to the floor.
“Miss, are you okay? Do you need some help? I’m a doctor. I can help you.”
My throat felt like sandpaper as I tried to speak through the vise-like stranglehold my fear had caused. “A d-doctor?”
He was a doctor. In this town. He wasn’t the killer. He couldn’t be.
My mind was a jumbled mess while I tried to process what was happening. I shrank back as I watched the man bend down to pick up something off the floor by my feet. He held up the small card. “Detective Ethan Hardgrove. Do you need me to call him for you, sweetheart?” His tone was low, and I knew he was trying to sound soothing, as if he were speaking to a wounded animal. All I could think was that I had never heard the killer’s voice. Would it be low and deep like this man’s?
My gaze darted around to see all the concerned and pitying stares. Some people were huddled together, whispering to each other. I jumped when I saw the man move to pull something out of his pocket, and I couldn’t hold back a whimper.
“Easy, sweetheart. I’m going to make a phone call, okay?” He began to punch in numbers as I heard someone stifle a laugh. It was the last of what I could take. I turned and ran.
Seven
ETHAN
I stoodup from my desk with a snarl, causing my chair to roll back and crash against the wall. I slid my suit jacket back on, grabbed my keys and cell phone off the desk, and rushed for the door, ignoring all the eyes watching my hasty departure from the station. I had my phone to my ear before I made it outside.
“Get to the inn. Our girl needs us.”
I slammed the car door hard enough to rattle the windows and tossed my phone into the cupholder. I had backed out of my parking space and floored it to the inn within minutes of the phone call. I bit back a growl of frustration.
Something had spooked our girl bad enough that she’d had a panic attack in the middle of the grocery store. All Tom could tell me was that she’d asked for a phone and had my card in her hand.
“Good girl,” I whispered into the car’s interior. I didn’t like hearing my girl was scared, but I couldn’t deny that I was happy as fuck that it was me that she had wanted to call. One thing was certain: we needed to find out what the fuck had set her off. We already knew she was running from something, but if we were going to help, we needed answers. Now.
As I pulled into the parking lot, I saw Brent turning the corner. I stood next to my car as he parked and stormed over to me, his mossy green eyes blazing.
