Chapter 6
By the time he left the hospital, Spencer was undecided whether to drive over to Katrina’s place or leave it until the following day. His mood was already low after the failure of the sting, and his feelings about Katrina were confused.
From the first moment he met her, he’d experienced an instant attraction. Even though she had the ability to infuriate him, that pull had continued to grow. But, alongside the developing warmth, alarm bells rang when he thought about Micheline Anderson’s warning. If Eliza was unsteady and attention seeking, wasn’t it possible her sister had similar traits?
When Billie died, grief had caused him to lose some of his inner strength, and to shut down his feelings. He still did his job with the same expertise, and, until now, he’d never been unsure of his ability to judge the people he’d encountered. But he’d never come across anyone quite like Katrina...
It troubled him that he had no real evidence besides her word that she had been targeted. Her friend had been in the yard when Katrina had entered the house and told Suzie there was a man in the kitchen. When he’d asked how the intruder had gotten in, she’d talked vaguely about an open window. Then there had been the guy who’d followed her in the park. Had that really happened, or had she imagined it? Could it even have been another trick to get his attention?
Spencer had been there when the car mounted the sidewalk and almost plowed into her. But he hadn’t been satisfied that the driver intended to hit her, or even warn her. After his meeting with Aidan Hannant, he was even less convinced.
Katrina seemed to feel that the Affirmation Alliance Group was connected to her sister’s disappearance. Or at least that someone in the organization was involved in a cover-up. He reviewed the possibilities. First, there was a chance she could be right. But even if Eliza had encountered a problem during her time at the AAG ranch, why would the group’s leadership, including Micheline, hide the issue? Surely, a socially responsible enterprise like theirs would want to assist if a crime had been committed.
That led him to the second option. Leigh Dennings had suggested that, prior to her departure from the AAG ranch, Eliza had appeared strung out. She’d implied that there were similarities to Katrina’s own behavior. With their intense attitudes, the AAG members, particularly Randall and Bart, with their tough-guy act, were a little hard to take. It was possible that Katrina was simply overreacting.
Then there was the possibility that Katrina was right to be worried, but that the AAG was not the problem. Eliza could be in serious trouble and, as a result, Katrina might be the target of the same unknown aggressor. If that was the case, Spencer needed to investigate further.
Finally, there was the option he didn’t want to consider. What if the hint Micheline had dropped was correct? What if Katrina had made up all of this? He had no clue what her motive might be. Perhaps she was simply looking for attention.
But that would be one hell of a coincidence. And Spencer didn’t believe in those. Experience had taught him that if there appeared to be a connection between events, there probably was. The simple truth was that victims of crime generally didn’t lie.
These thoughts were going through his head as he drove from the hospital to the police station to collect Boris. As he pulled up in the parking lot, his cell phone buzzed. He alighted from his vehicle and checked the caller display. It was Katrina.
“Hi—” He didn’t get a chance to say anything else.
“Someone has broken into my house.” Her voice was so shaky he barely recognized it. “And left a note threatening to kill my dogs.”
“I’m on my way.”
Sprinting across the parking lot, he crossed to the side of the building where Boris’s kennel was located. He unlocked the cage door and gave the dog one of his favorite treats. Calling Boris to heel, he headed back to his vehicle and was soon on the road toward Katrina’s house.
His mind raced as he drove. What would he find when he got to her place?? For the first time since Billie’s death, he
was attracted to another woman... And someone was trying to kill her! Or were they? He had no idea who Katrina really was.
When he reached her house, she was sitting on the front steps with Dobby on one side and Holly on the other. A quick look at her face told him she was either genuinely scared, or she was playing her part well.
What was it Micheline had said? Not all actors are on the stage.
As he approached, Katrina lifted a tearstained face to his. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
And in that instant, all of his suspicions disappeared. Her dogs bounded forward to greet Boris and Spencer sat next to her. When he placed a comforting arm around her shoulders, she leaned against him with a sigh.
“I haven’t been inside. I was too scared.”
“Do you want me to take a look? Or shall we go together?” he asked.
“I’ll be okay if you’re with me.” She tilted her chin and some of her usual determination returned. “I won’t let them beat me.”
“Them?” He stood, then reached out a hand to help her to her feet.
“The AAG.” She clicked her fingers to Holly and Dobby and the two dogs ran to her side. Boris trotted obediently to Spencer’s heels and, as a group, they mounted the steps to the porch. Katrina cast a sidelong glance in Spencer’s direction. “They sent someone to threaten me yesterday.”
“What?” Aware that the word had cracked out like a whiplash, he tried for a calmer tone. “Where and when did this happen?”
“A guy came to Look Who’s Walking pretending to be a client. He told me that the car was a warning and that I needed to stay out of things that don’t concern me.”
“Did anyone else witness this?”