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She stared at her reflection in the mirror. But who needed to be that honest?
She straightened up and turned to throw out the paper towel, hooking her jacket on the tap. “Shit,” The damn jacket was too big and was always getting caught on things. She knew she should give it away, but it had been her dad’s and wearing it always felt like he was hugging her. She needed that today.
Harper left the restroom and headed back down the hallway. Sundown was long gone, and the scant light that had filtered in earlier was gone, making it hard to see her way. The library was dark. They must have finished their fruitless search. She did feel badly about that. Jason had trusted her; trusted her information, and her instincts, and she’d let him down. He wouldn’t be so trusting next time.
She arrived at the top of the stairs and grabbed the banister. The dark carpet made it hard to see anything more than a foot in front of her face. Flynn must have gone down as well. She’d just put one foot on the top stair when a hard shove came from behind. She yelped and tried to hold on to the banister, but her grip slipped. Her jacket, however, caught around the top of the ornate newel post. The fabric ripped, but in the end, held. She managed to grab on again with both hands and look behind her. Footsteps pounded away but the person was too far away, and the dimness made it impossible to locate whoever had pushed her. She sat down heavily on the stairs. It was a long way to the bottom.
Someone had just tried to kill her.
Flynn appeared at the bottom of the stairs and turned on the light switch. He took one look at her and sped up two steps at a time. “What is it? What happened? Are you alright?” He pulled her to her feet.
Tremors had seized control of her body and she had a hard time forcing the words out. “S-someone just tried to push me down the stairs.”
Flynn looked down the hallway.
“They’re gone. I heard them running away.”
The pulse in Flynn’s jaw jumped. His eyes were black as they looked her up and down. “But you’re sure you’re okay?”
“Yes,” she said her voice still a little breathy but now she wasn’t sure if it was from the fall or from being this close to Flynn. This man represented safety, and she didn’t want to be anywhere else.
“Harper, are you okay?” Jason called up from the bottom of the stairs. He was shooting Flynn a death glare and she realized he still had his arms around her.
“I’m fine,” she said reaching for the banister once more and moving away from Flynn. “I just ripped my jacket on the banister. I knew I shouldn’t wear this one. I’m always getting it snagged on stuff.” She started down the stairs holding the balustrade for dear life and hoping her knees would hold her.
“I’m about to head out,” Jason said. “Do you need a lift?”
“No, thank you. I drove here.” Thunder rumbled as she spoke. She glanced out of the windows in the foyer. “Again?”
Susan appeared at her side. “Yes. Apparently, another storm is blowing through.” She glanced Harper’s way with a frown. “Are you okay?”
“Yes. Just slipped on the stairs and ripped my jacket. How did it go?” she asked. Now that the library was a bust, she wanted the chance to look around some more.
“Fine. We’re working out details but I think it will come together.” Then she lowered her voice. “What is the entire detective division of the Cedar Bluff police force doing here?”
“I’ll explain later.”
“Jason,” Susan said, “how are things progressing?” she asked as she looked over his shoulder. “George Crawley. I’m surprised to see you here. Didn’t I hear you were out on leave?”
“I’m fine. Thanks for asking.” The big man grimaced as if he was anything but fine, but no one was going to say anything about it. Being back on the job was his choice.
The sudden pelting rain on the windows startled them all. The ferocity of it hitting the glass made them all pause. “God, there’s going to be more flooding,” Susan commented.
“We should be going,” Jason said. “They’re going to need all the help they can get in town.” He gave Harper a cool look. “We’ll talk later,” he announced and then proceeded out the door.
Crawley and Lazlo nodded to everyone and then followed.
Susan arched an eyebrow. “Who pissed in his Cornflakes?”
Gina came up beside her. “I’ve just checked with Mrs. Carruthers, and she is on board so all we have to do now is convince Ravi and I think we’re good.”
“Convince Ravi of what?” Flynn asked.
“The mayor wants to hold the Halloween Extravaganza here on Thursday night. It’s like a pre-cursor to trick or treating on Friday night. I think it’s a lovely idea.” Gina gave him a sunny smile.
“No.”
Gina frowned. “What do you mean no? It’s a great idea. We get to foster good relations with Cedar Bluff and provide a safe environment for the kids to celebrate.”
