One Summerhill Day (The Summerhill Series Book 1) (12 page)

Chapter Sixteen

Caitlyn woke up the next morning in her hotel room, chiding herself for her behavior the day before. She had chosen a nice chain hotel in Cheektowaga, not far from her lawyer’s office, but she’d been too afraid to leave the room, opting instead to order room service. Even so, she’d kept imagining that Bruce would burst into the room.

Today she regretted her frantic call to Dr. Ramsay. The lawyer already had her new address and phone number, so after she picked up her aunt’s things, she’d go home…well, maybe not tonight. Given what had happened on the last thruway trip she took in the dark, it would probably be better if she waited until morning to head home. But suppose Bruce was still here, and looking for money. Maybe she should head home today. She’d wait until she left the lawyer’s office to make that decision.

After showering, drying her hair, and dressing, she headed down to the lobby for the continental breakfast provided by the hotel. Breakfast was served opposite the checkin desk. She greeted the staff and poured a cup of coffee, then sat down.

The front desk clerk ran over to her and said, “Ms. McCabe?”

“Yes?”

“Message for you.” She handed Caitlyn a sealed card.

Caitlyn didn’t recognize the handwriting, so she opened the card. Inside sat a sympathy card. She opened it and saw a printed line of writing under the card’s message.
I know where you are.

She dropped the card in front of her, then ran over to the desk. “Who left that card?”

The clerk backed away from her. “It was a teenager. He left it last night. Said he had a message from someone. Is something wrong?”

Caitlyn forced herself to smile. “No, no problem. Thank you.”

She gritted her teeth and walked back to her table, turning her back to the desk, not wanting to show the woman how upset she was. It had to be from Bruce. Maybe he was just trying to intimidate her, and she’d do best to ignore him. But she wasn’t sure… Apparently, she didn’t know her ex-husband at all.

After a hurried breakfast, she got into her car to head to the lawyer’s office. When she was just two lights away, she glanced in her rearview mirror. Two cars behind her was a vehicle that looked like her ex-husband’s car.

She was starting to freak out in earnest.

When she arrived at the lawyer’s office, the assistant ushered her into a back room with a couple of tables and two large boxes, one on each table. “Please feel free to use this room. These are the two boxes of personal belongings from your aunt’s house. Most of her things were sold in the estate, unfortunately, since we hadn’t heard from you or any other relatives. These were things we didn’t feel right about selling. If you have any questions, please come get me. Mr. Watkins will see you in a couple of hours.”

The assistant closed the door behind her. Caitlyn took the top off the first box and stared inside.

On the top sat something that brought a smile to her face. Her aunt’s daybook. She had written in it each day, making a record of her chores for the day, any reminders, and phone numbers. Caitlyn thumbed through it for a moment before setting it in the pile of things that she would take with her.

An hour and a half later, she had quite a stack to take with her. Some costume jewelry, a few various Christmas decorations, and some pictures. In the bottom of the last box sat three of the throws her aunt had made. The one on top was quilted in fall colors—greens, browns, reds, and yellows—her aunt’s favorite season. She ran her hand across it lovingly, tears welling in her eyes. She set the throws in the keep pile and reached into the box for the last item. To her shock, it was a letter with her name on it.

She opened and started reading:

My dearest Caitlyn,

If you are reading this, things can’t be good for me! Smile, sweetie. I want you to smile. I am with my beloved brother and my mother, so don’t feel bad for me.

I wanted to take the time to tell you how very much I love you and how proud I am of you. Your mother went through a very difficult spell, and the brunt of her troubles fell on you. I’m sorry I didn’t notice sooner how difficult things were for you.

But my good fortune was to spend two years with you. Believe me, your mother has already thanked me for taking care of you. You were the light of my days. Such a hardworking, dedicated young lady you were, both in high school and in college. And your compassionate nature has always inspired me.

Caitlyn stopped to pull a tissue from her purse and swipe at her eyes. Then she continued:

You will make such a wonderful nurse. I hope you will find someone very special to love, someone who loves and supports you the way you deserve. I don’t believe Bruce Dalton is that man, but I think you will figure that out on your own. When you do, move on, keep smiling, and continue to work hard. Your knight is out there somewhere.

Your mom, dad, and I will try our best to watch over you.

Love,

Aunt Margie

She folded the letter and placed it in her purse. As soon as she was able to regain her composure, she found the assistant and told her she had finished with everything. Mr. Watkins walked into the room to check on her a few moments later.

“Did you find anything you’d like to keep?”

Caitlyn nodded and packed all the things she wanted back into one of the boxes.

“And you found the letter she left for you?”

“Yes, thank you.” She wiped her eyes with the tissue.

He sat across the table from her. “You should know your aunt loved you very much, Caitlyn.”

As soon as she settled down, he continued. “I don’t think I need anything else from you at the moment. I will stay in touch once we close the estate. We may have to file a return and pay state taxes, so I can’t release any funds to you yet, unless you are in dire need. Are you?”

She shook her head.

“Good. If anything changes, here’s my card. Just let me know and I can release some of the money. Otherwise, you will hear from me within the year. Do you have any questions for me?”

“No, I don’t think so. Thank you so much. I will treasure these things.”

“You are most welcome, my dear.” He led her to the front door. “Have a safe trip back.”

As soon as Caitlyn shut herself into her car, she started to sob.

***

The afternoon after Caitlyn left for Buffalo, Jake and Ryan sat in the office together, reviewing everything they had discovered.

“Ryan, this doesn’t look good for her. Aren’t you worried?”

“Yeah, but I want to know as much as possible before I contact her. Her aunt’s lawyer said she had an appointment with him today. He hasn’t seen Bruce Dalton for a week. Hopefully, he left town as soon as Caitlyn showed up. He has to know he’s not going to get anything now that she’s seen her aunt’s lawyer.”

“He tried to declare her dead just to get her money, Ryan. And these gambling debts… the piece of shit owes more money than even I can believe. How do you gamble that much money away? Her lawyer in Pennsylvania has said that all their combined assets are frozen until he receives the papers.”

“His lawyer said he signed, but the papers haven’t been delivered yet, have they?” Ryan stared at this brother. The enormity of the situation stood before him like a dark pit he was about to fall into. “I have a very bad feeling about this. Do me a favor and text her.”

“You should text her.”

“No, I don’t want her to think I’m interested in her again.”

“Why not? You are.” Jake crossed his arms as he stared at his brother.

Jake had a way of hitting the nail on the head. “I want it to be a police matter.”

“Fine. What’s her number?” Jake grabbed his phone and punched her number into his contacts.

Jake:
Cait, I’m checking into everything. You okay?

A minute passed before she responded.

Cait:
Yes.

Jake:
Where are you?

Cait:
Still in Buffalo. Going to dinner and heading home tomorrow.

Jake:
Let me know if you need anything. You know your ex-husband has been in Buffalo recently?

Cait:
Yes.

Jake:
Be careful.

Cait:
I will.
Thanks, Jake.

“She’s fine, Ryan. Coming home tomorrow.”

Ryan let out the breath he had been holding.

His brother
stared at him. “I saw that. Bullshit you don’t want her.”

Caitlyn drove around Buffalo, mostly sticking to her aunt’s old neighborhood. Memories flooded her mind, some of them good, some of them not so good. Life with her mother and father had been wonderful. Life with her mother had been hard. How she wished she could have changed that part of her life. Where would she be now if her father had lived?

Time flew by as she explored her childhood hometown. She checked her rearview mirror often, but didn’t notice any cars that resembled Bruce’s. Before she knew it, her afternoon had slipped away. She drove back to her hotel and chose a nice restaurant across the street for dinner. Her aunt’s notebook was a comfort for her, so she spent her time perusing all the details in the book as she ate her meal. After she paid for her dinner and walked out of the restaurant, she looked around for Bruce before unlocking her car. She had parked on the side of the restaurant, but still in good light.

Chastising herself for acting like a child, she climbed into the driver’s seat and tossed her purse on the passenger’s seat. She froze in place as she registered something that shouldn’t be there. A slip of paper sat on the seat. She picked it up and stared at the bold lettering:

I’M WATCHING YOU.

She looked in the backseat, but didn’t see anything amiss. Then she locked the door and picked up her phone, dialing Jake’s number.

He answered after two rings.

Caitlyn did her best to keep her voice free of hysteria, “Jake?”

“Caitlyn, you okay?”

“Yes, well,
no
. I don’t know.”

“Tell me what happened.”

Caitlyn was so thankful for his strong, calm voice on the other end of the line. She would rather it be Ryan, but Jake was the one who’d contacted her and offered his help. He must be the one who’d been assigned to her case. “I just found a note in my car, and I don’t know what to do.”

“Read it to me.”

“It says, ‘I’m watching you.’”

“Was your car locked?”

“Yes, I always lock my car. Bruce is the only person who could have broken into it. I took both sets of keys when I left Philly, but maybe he had another set made.”

“Where are you now?”

“In my car. I haven’t gone anywhere.” She could feel the panic flooding her veins. “I’m outside a restaurant. He did it while I was eating dinner.”

“Do you see his car in the parking lot?”

Caitlyn glanced around. “No, he’s not here. And another thing. It’s the second time it happened. I got a note earlier today, too.”

“What did it say?”

“It said, ‘I know where you are.’ But that note was given to the hotel clerk at the desk. This one was left in my car…my
locked
car. Jake, what do I do? I’m scared.”

Caitlyn could hear Jake talking to someone. She thought she heard Ryan’s voice, but she couldn’t be sure.

Jake came back on the line. “Are you finished with the lawyer?”

“Yes, I have my aunt’s things. I’m coming home tomorrow.”

“Why don’t you head home now? Do you have your things with you?”

“No, I have to go back to the hotel. I don’t know if I want to drive at night. It’s dark here already.” Her hand trembled at the thought of driving home alone right now. The other car accident was too fresh on her mind.

“Caitlyn, I would recommend you leave now. Go back to your hotel, pack your things, and head out. I’ll contact the Buffalo PD. If anything else happens, let me know, but there are no storms forecasted and the roads are clear, so it would be better for you to leave tonight if at all possible. While it could be your ex-husband leaving you those messages, we really don’t know. I think you’re safer back in Summerhill.”

“Maybe you’re right. I’ll go back and pack my things. Thanks, Jake.”

“Call me if anything changes. Let me know what time you leave so we can watch for you.”

Caitlyn hung up the phone, more frightened than she had ever been in her life.

***

Ryan jumped out of his chair. “Get your jacket.”

Jake stared at his brother. They had stayed at the station late to work on Cait’s case. “My jacket? For what?”

“You’re driving me to Buffalo so I can drive Cait’s car back here.”

“Like hell. I’m not going anywhere. She’s only an hour and a half away.” Jake stared at Ryan as if he’d lost his mind.

He couldn’t help it. This was Cait and losing her would end him. And if that wasn’t a telling sign of how he really felt about her, he didn’t know what was. He raked his hand through his hair and tried to calm down. Maybe Jake was right, and he was being a little overprotective. They were pretty sure they knew who the perp was, after all, which was usually half the battle. It had to be Dalton. If he ever got his hands on the guy, he would kick his ass, prosthesis or not.

Still, Dalton had tried to declare her dead, and he knew about and had potentially been involved in her accident… There was a distinct possibility that he would escalate and try to kill her, since he would then be the sole heir to her fortune. If he had truly signed the papers as his lawyer claimed, it wouldn’t matter. But Ryan had his doubts. He had contacted the Philadelphia PD to see if Dalton was home, but they hadn’t gotten back to him. Apparently, he wasn’t high up on their priority list.

As long as she did as they asked, though, and came home immediately, everything should be fine. After all, Dalton could hardly try to run her off the road in these conditions without getting caught. Ryan glowered at his brother. “Fine, we’ll go home, but keep your phone on you. If we don’t hear from her soon, we’re going to Buffalo.”

***

She parked on the side of the hotel near the entrance closest to her room. The elevator was right inside the door. Checking the area before she unlocked her door, she made sure no one was around before she got out. She had almost made it to the hotel door when a cackling laugh interrupted her thoughts. Glancing around, she saw no one, which only made her more afraid. As she held her key card up to unlock the door, the same sound erupted again, so she tugged the door open and flew inside, slamming the door shut behind her.

Standing in the hallway, she gasped for breath. Her entire body was on alert. As a nurse, she knew all the signs of the ‘fight or flight’ reaction. Her pulse had sped up, she was sweating, and her respiratory rate had increased.
Calm. You need to calm yourself.
Taking two deep breaths, she headed to the lobby instead of going upstairs, hoping to find a few people around. She sighed as she rounded the corner and saw five people in the breakfast room, drinking coffee and munching on cookies.

Safety in numbers, right? She headed to the desk and asked the clerk if any messages had been left for her today. There were none. Breathing a sigh of relief, she decided to take a short break before tackling her room. Besides, she wasn’t sure she could make it without some extra caffeine. She grabbed a cup of coffee, a cookie, and the paper, and sat down in the gathering room. But though she played with the edge of the paper and pretended to read, not one word of it registered in her brain. Instead she found herself surveying the other guests, watching for suspicious behavior. Her text notification went off and she jumped.

Her hands trembled as she pulled her phone out of her pocket, but she smiled when Ryan’s name popped out at her. She knew she shouldn’t find it comforting that he was still looking out for her, but a wave of relief washed over her. Ryan would fix this if anyone could.

Ryan:
Everything okay?

Cait:
Yes.

Ryan:
Have you left yet?

Cait:
No. Having coffee, don’t want to drive without the caffeine.

Ryan:
Alone?

Cait:
No, in the lobby with five others.

Ryan:
Be careful.

Cait:
Thanks for checking, Ry.

Ryan:
Call if any problems.

Cait:
Okay.

She put her phone back in her pocket. It was a deflating feeling—like she was putting him away, too. There was no denying that she still had feelings for Ryan, though maybe his concern for her was a sign that he cared. Ryan still had issues he needed to work through, though, and he clearly wanted to do that alone.

A little later, she walked up to her room on the second floor. She stood outside the door and took a deep breath.
Don’t be ridiculous, Cait. No one could get into your room.
She slid the card into the slot and opened her door, peeking around the corner. Nothing looked disturbed, so she stepped inside and glanced around, then locked the door behind her. She checked the bathroom, too, and breathed easier when everything was in her place.

Relax, Caitlyn. Everything will be fine.

She tried to reassure herself that the Ramsay brothers had just been checking up on her—the same way she would do with a patient who had a recurring symptom. They weren’t worried she was in any serious danger.

She opened her suitcase to pack her things, and a piece of paper fluttered to the floor from inside. Cait’s heart skipped a beat as she watched it land. The back was blank. Bending over, she gripped the paper in her hand and took a deep breath before she turned it over.