Brody knew there was more to his offer. He’d known from the moment he set eyes on the pretty blonde that she was the type of woman it would be easy to fall for. If he was smart, he’d still keep her at a distance. He’d let her find someone from church or work who could help her with the door. He’d interact with her only enough to get the answers he needed, he decided as he pulled up in front of his house.
But if he didn’t help her pick up in the aftermath of the attack, who would? The woman seemed so busy that he rarely saw her take time for social visits at her home. Not that he was paying attention to who came and went.
He glanced over at her house, unusually silent and dark without Madison and Lincoln inside. Okay, maybe sometimes he did pay attention to what went on at his neighbor’s. He couldn’t help it. Anyone coming or going did have to pass his home first since the street dead ended past her house.
Keep your distance, he warned himself again.
He let himself into his quiet home, one so very different from his apartment in Brooklyn. He’d never dreamed he’d be in a place like Seaford or that he’d enjoy the small town as he did. Still, he didn’t plan on being here forever. It was better if he didn’t get to know his neighbor—or anybody else, for that matter—too well.
The last thing he wanted to do was to ruin someone else’s life. He already had a long enough of list of people whose lives he’d messed up. Especially Lindsey…
Just the thought of her made a heaviness settle over him. It happened every time she crossed his mind. He’d never forgive himself for his past mistakes. Never. Yet here he was thinking about his pretty neighbor.
That settled it. Tomorrow he would do as he’d promised and fix her door. But after that he’d do his job and nothing more.
* * *
Madison shook off her chills as she stood on the front porch of Kayla’s house the next morning. The August heat felt stifling, yet still she shivered. Her gaze traveled from side to side again, searching the shrubs decorating Kayla’s flower beds. It would be a while before she stopped looking around every corner for an intruder. Experiences—traumas—like yesterday would take months, maybe years, to get past. Or would she ever get past it? She shook her head. Of course she would. With a little bit of trust in God she could overcome anything, even this enormous mountain before her.
Kayla had left thirty minutes ago for work at the preschool and had taken Lincoln with her. Brody had told Madison he’d pick her up this morning and go with her into her home. She was incredibly grateful for his support. The idea of facing her home alone made her stomach roil. Even if it was just Brody and if he was just doing his job, having him there would ease her apprehension some. She’d take whatever she could get.
She swatted away a gnat and glanced at her watch again. She still had five minutes until he arrived. Five long minutes. She looked around the porch once more, making sure she hadn’t missed any creepy indications that she should be on guard. Nothing. She should feel relieved. Why didn’t she?
Madison had stayed inside Kayla’s home for the first twenty minutes after her gracious hostess had left for work. But every creak and groan of the house had made her practically jump out of her skin. She’d decided that being out here on the wide, open porch would allow her to feel safer.
But would she ever feel safe again? Why did that question continually come back to her? Why couldn’t her logic and emotions work hand in hand? Instead, they often seemed at odds with each other.
She shook her head, which started to ache. She had to put those thoughts out of her mind. Life was going on and for Lincoln’s sake she had to keep up. There was no time to feel sorry for herself.
A truck coming down the road caught her attention. She straightened, held her breath a moment. Brody? Why did the thought of seeing him cause a tingle of excitement to race up her spine? She scolded herself for even feeling anything. She had so much to worry about already. She had no room in her life for romance.
Brody’s broad frame filled the government-issued vehicle. In a few minutes, that same imposing frame would help her to feel protected when she ventured back through the scene of her attack.
The truck pulled to a stop at the end of Kayla’s driveway, and Brody stepped out. A tense smile greeted her. She didn’t wait for Brody to reach the porch. She started toward him, ready to get this over with.
“Morning,” he mumbled.
She only glanced at him long enough to nod her hello. “Good morning, Brody.”
He opened the passenger-side door for her and waited for her to slide in. Once seated and buckled in, Madison scrutinized the interior of the vehicle. It was everything she’d expected from Brody—orderly, neat and without any bells or whistles.
He slid in beside her a moment later and the scent of spearmint filled the vehicle. He wore a golf shirt and jeans. Not the typical attire she expected from a detective, but Madison knew he planned on helping at her home today.
“How are you feeling today?”
“Achy, tired, grateful. Everything you’d expect, I suppose.” She rubbed her neck, still remembering the feeling of the rope there. Her skin was still raw and bruised, and wouldn’t let her forget.
“It will get easier with time.”
“I know.” She sighed and pulled her arms across her chest as they cruised down the road. “Any leads?”
“Not yet. But we’re looking at what happened from every angle.”
“I can’t believe that monster is still out there.” She shivered again. “When he finds out I survived, do you think he’ll…?” The rest of the words wouldn’t leave her lips. She didn’t want to say them aloud. Couldn’t bear to.
Brody glanced over at her and something flickered in his eyes. What was it? Fear for her safety? The realization that Madison couldn’t avoid the truth? The thought that she was simply paranoid, perhaps in shock after yesterday’s events?
“He’d be foolish to come back,” Brody finally said.
Madison noticed he didn’t say that her would-be killer wouldn’t come back, though. Her head throbbed.
“You okay?”
She nodded and stared out the window. The thought of her attacker coming back to finish what he’d started made panic churn in her gut and rip apart every shred of peace she tried to hold on to. Her hands began to shake, tears welled in her eyes and images from yesterday began playing rapid fire in her head.
A hand clamped down on her knee. “Hey.”
Madison swung her head toward the voice. Brody. Just Brody.
“I’m going to keep an eye on you, make sure you stay safe. It’s going to be okay.”
“I wish I felt so certain.” What about Lincoln? What if the man came back and tried to harm her son? She couldn’t bear the thought of it. Perhaps she should simply take Lincoln and go somewhere, anywhere. Maybe down to see her parents in Florida? On that vacation to the Bahamas that she’d been dreaming about?
Vacation was out. She barely had money to pay her bills. Not to mention she’d be getting another bill—a hospital bill—soon. Though her insurance would pay for most of it, how much would her portion be? How would she ever pay for that?
She could stay with her parents, but her dad had a heart condition. If he found out what had happened, his blood pressure might rise and trigger more problems with his heart. She could never live with herself if she caused something to happen to her dad.
“We’ll catch him, Madison.” Brody’s voice sounded confident, reassuring. It was as if he could read her mind.
Just then they pulled up to her house.
With each step she took toward her backdoor, nausea rumbled in her gut. Could she face this nightmare again? She swallowed as they stepped inside, trying to stay strong. Brody led her to the foyer.
Madison grabbed the wall as the room began to sway. Or was that her swaying? She couldn’t be sure. Perhaps she should have asked a friend to be here with her, to help her walk through this.
Instead, Brody stood at her side, and he looked as if he’d rather be waiting in line at the DMV than walking through her emotions with her.
A huge piece of plywood was nailed where the front door used to be. Now that she stood in the place where her nightmare had begun, she soaked in all the details. Splintered, cracked wood littered the tile floor in front of her while exposed timber gaped at the door jamb. There were her keys on the table, just where she’d left them. Who knew the nightmare that she was about to encounter when she’d deposited her keys there and gone to get dressed for the day. The act had seemed so simple and ordinary, but right now, as she looked at those keys, she remembered again how quickly life could change.
Yesterday flashed into her mind. She’d been in such a hurry to make her photography appointments. She remembered the sound of ticking. She halfway expected to hear it again. But all was quiet. So quiet she could hear her heartbeat.
“It’s too soon for you, isn’t it? I should have told you to stay away for a while.”
“I have to face the house sometime. It might as well be today.” If only she felt as confident as her words sounded. Her body betrayed her and sagged against the wall.
Brody’s hand cupped her elbow. “Anytime you want to stop, you just let me know.”
She nodded. “Do you know how he got in yet? I always lock the house up.”
“There’s no evidence of forced entry, no jimmy marks on the windows or doors, no broken screens or locks. Is there anywhere someone might have gotten a copy of your house key?”
She shook her head. “I keep one on my key ring and one hidden in my car.” She’d used the one in her car to get inside her home today—it had still been just where she’d left it. So apparently her attacker was a phantom who could creep through walls. The thought didn’t comfort her.
“Do you always leave your car unlocked, like it was today?”
Heat filled her cheeks. Locking her home seemed safe and logical, but she never even thought twice about leaving her car unlocked. “I do.”
“Nobody else has a copy of the house key? A boyfriend or relative maybe?”
“My parents don’t live in the area and I have no time for a boyfriend, so, no.” Her words reminded her of how much life had changed in the past three years. Her parents had decided to retire and move to Florida six months before her husband had died in an auto accident. Suddenly, there was no one. Just her and Lincoln. Life had gone from being full of love and family to being a struggle.
“How about if we take a break? We’ll go into town and get you a new door. We’ll get the entire foyer cleaned up before we tackle anything else.”
Madison nodded, grateful for his suggestion because she was beginning to feel suffocated in her own home.
FIVE
A
fter picking out a door at the closest hardware store, the two headed back to Madison’s house. The ride was mainly quiet. She wasn’t in the state of mind to come up with polite small talk, and Brody didn’t seem like the type who ever used nonsensical conversation. So instead, Madison stared out the window, wishing desperately that her thoughts had an escape hatch. No such luck.
“Why would someone do something like that?” Madison’s words surprised even her.
Brody gripped the steering wheel as if trying to find the right words. “Your guess is as good as mine. Some people just get their kicks by causing other people pain. It’s sad, but it’s reality.”
“You really think this was just some random crime intended to simply entertain a criminal?”
He shrugged. “Nothing was stolen. The setup was elaborate and required thought beforehand. What other motive would there be except that he was sick? A psychologist would probably give some mumbo jumbo about the suspect’s messed up childhood or a twisted need for revenge because they were bullied in high school. I hate that rationale because it seems to try and justify the behavior.” He exhaled sharply. “I just think some people are messed up. Call them psycho if you want. Insane. Evil. But don’t try and make me feel sorry for them. We’re all responsible for own actions.”
She shook her head. “So let’s say this was a rational but evil man who did this. If he wanted to kill me, then why not just kill me? If he wanted to torture me, then why not just torture me then kill me? But this man had a plan—a very specific plan, I’d say based on the note he had me write and the way he knew my schedule. It doesn’t make sense to me.”
“More details will come to light with time, Madison. My colleagues at the Sheriff’s Department are working on the case now. It’s too early to make any assumptions.”
“This area always seemed so safe.”
“Crime happens everywhere,” Brody reminded her.
“I guess you’ve seen your fair share of crimes. You came down from New York City, right?”
“I did,” he said with a nod.
“You don’t have the accent.”
He smiled. “I didn’t grow up there. My parents are actually from here. My dad and Kayla’s dad are brothers. My dad joined the military after high school, so I spent my childhood living all over the world.”
“Military brat, huh?”
“Yeah. It wasn’t too bad, though. I kind of liked being exposed to different parts of the country and world. I think living in different places made me a better person.”
She looked at him curiously. “How did you end up in New York?”
“I figured if I was going to become a cop, I might as well do it somewhere exciting. So I applied in the Big Apple, and I got the job.”
“Seaford has to be quite the change for you. It’s probably like a different world.”
“It is,” he agreed. “But change is good.”
Madison’s cell phone buzzed. She didn’t recognize the number on her screen, but that wasn’t unusual with her job. Perhaps it was another client she’d forgotten to reschedule? She flipped her phone open and saw an incoming message. A moment later a picture popped up on her screen.
Madison gasped and the phone tumbled from her hands. Her heart sped as sweat dotted her forehead. That couldn’t have been… Had she imagined the picture? Why would someone…?
“Madison, what’s wrong?”
She pointed toward the floor, between her feet. “I…there…on my phone.”