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She studied Nora’s heavy eyelids as she struggled to stay awake. “I love you, little one. More than anything in the whole world.”
A tiny smile curved Nora’s lips and she drifted to sleep seconds before the security alarm blared to life, and fear drove itself into Marie’s heart like a knife.
13
Leaving the Safe Haven Women’s Shelter was much harder than Owen ever anticipated. He’d wanted Marie to ask him to stay, to linger over the table and find new things to discuss other than the investigation.
He wanted to know her.
Instead, he was driving home alone with the memory of Marie’s face etched in his mind and the feel of her baby still in his arms.
He slapped the heel of his hand on the top of the steering wheel. Enough! He had a job to do, and he needed all of his focus on finding a killer.
Swinging onto the town square of Pine Valley, he gave himself a mental kick in the ass. From now on, he’d maintain a professional distance with Marie and her child. Hell, he may not even spend any more time with her after tonight. He’d taken her statement and, she’d given him all the information she had.
Shit.
He’d forgotten to ask if he could hang on to her notebook. His nerve endings sizzled. Now he had an excuse to call and check on her in the morning, to swing by and see her.
He rolled his eyes. So much for being professional.
His phone rang through the speakers of the vehicle, interrupting his thoughts. He pressed the answer button on the touch screen. “Deputy Wells.”
“Owen, it’s Marie. Something’s wrong.” Her panic came through loud and clear, competing with the blaring of an alarm.
A steely calm slipped over his initial burst of fear. “What happened?”
“I came upstairs with Nora, and the security alarm went off. I think someone’s trying to break in.”
“Where’s Mrs. Collins?”
“I…I don’t know. Should I try to find her?”
“No. Stay in your room and make sure your door’s locked. The local police should be on their way. Do not come out. I’m coming.”
“Owen, I’m scared.”
The tremor in her voice split his chest in two, and he found a spot to turn around and head straight back to the shelter. “You can keep the line open. I’m right here, okay? You’re going to be all right.”
“What if it’s Bill? What if he found me again?”
He pressed the gas pedal to the floor, blowing over the residential speed limit. He gripped the wheel and squeezed tight until his knuckles threatened to burst through the skin. If Bill hurt one more hair on Marie’s head, he’d make the asshole pay.
“He won’t get to you or Nora. I promise.” He prayed that was a promise he could keep.
He took the corner and sped toward the sound of sirens. Red and blue lights slashed across the darkening sky. “I’m here. You’re safe.” He pulled behind the police car and slammed on the brakes, shutting of the engine before jumping out of Katherine’s SUV.
The blaring alarm shut off, and he leapt up the porch steps. A Pine Valley police officer stood in the foyer and spoke with a concerned Mrs. Collins—a shotgun in her steady hand.
“Oh, Owen. Thank goodness you’re here. Marie has to be a mess. I haven’t checked on her. I rushed down to make sure no one had gotten in the house.”
“She called when the alarm went off.” He turned to the tall officer with the shoulder-length hair and bushy beard. He tipped his chin in greeting. “Lincoln. Find anything?”
“Haven’t had a chance to check the perimeter, but no signs of forced entry. No one here when I arrived. I want to check around the house. See if anything stands out, or if the alarm was triggered by something else.”
Mrs. Collins frowned, fury in her eyes. “You boys know this security system is the best money can buy. Your wife helped me pick it out, Lincoln. The only way that alarm would have gone off is because someone was trying to get inside.”
Owen rubbed the back of his neck as the truth of her statement sank in the pit of his stomach like a boulder. Lincoln’s wife, Brooke Mather, was a former police officer who ran Crossroads Mountain Retreat—a local rehabilitation center for law enforcement and veterans. If there was one person he’d trust to outfit a home with the best security system possible, it was Brooke.
