Love Inspired Suspense July 2015 #2 (30 page)

Had Tony been dealing drugs and using her address to ship them? Then when that one package went missing, had he gone after her, thinking she'd stolen the package?

A knot tightened in her stomach. Was Ashley in trouble? Once again she checked the display on her cell phone. She couldn't call her friend, either. Not yet. Johnny would be mad if Ellie tipped Ashley off, who could, in turn, tip off her boyfriend. No, she had to be patient and wait for Johnny.

Duke's claws clacked on the floor as he moved toward the French doors. He sat and stared outside. “What's out there, Duke?” She squinted into the darkness and her knees grew weak.

Duke stood and started whining. Then it hit her.

“Oh, you need to go out.”

Ellie bit her lip and glanced over her shoulder. She set her phone and the book aside and got up from the couch. Johnny's grandfather was sound asleep in the recliner, his mouth gaping open. With a hand on the handle of the French door, she was about to tell the elderly man his dog needed out, but then it seemed silly. She was right here. She could let Duke out.

Ellie had never owned a pet because her mom was allergic, but surely she could handle letting the dog out. Ellie reached down to her side and petted Duke's head. “Okay.” She unlocked the door and before she pushed it open, whispered, “Don't go far.”

She opened the door and a rush of cool air hit Ellie's face. Duke slipped through the gap, his tail whacking her as he passed. Ellie patted the wall, found a light switch and flipped it, washing the patio in light. Duke stopped, looked back toward her and then returned to sniffing the border of the patio before disappearing beyond the ring of light.

Maybe he needed his privacy. She smiled and found herself humming a song she had heard on the radio while in the car with Johnny.

Standing in the doorway, she searched the yard. Where was Duke?

From the road running alongside the corner property, a car honked. The noise made Buddy snore louder and then settle back into his chair.

Ellie squinted into the darkness. “Duke,” she whispered. “Come on, boy.” She crossed her arms to stave off the chill winding its way up her spine.

Tapping her fingers on her arm, she looked back at the old man. With a burst of confidence, she slipped through the opening, then closed the door quietly behind her. “Duke,” she called a little louder. “Where'd you go, boy?”

Maybe she wasn't supposed to let him out without a leash. No, she was sure she had seen Buddy let him run free.

She ran a hand across the back of her neck. Dread knotted her stomach. She couldn't let anything happen to the golden retriever. What if the yard wasn't fully fenced as she had assumed?

She muttered to herself, “I should have never let Duke out. Not without checking with Buddy first.

“Duke!” she called again. Her pulse thrummed loudly in her ears. Why wasn't he making any noise? Surely he'd come when he was called.

Unless he had taken advantage of her ignorance and bolted.

No, no, no
, she reassured herself. Duke seemed like such a well-trained animal. Maybe he wasn't coming because she wasn't his master.

She crossed her arms tightly around her middle and moved closer to the tree line. Squinting into the darkness, she called Duke's name again.

A hand came around the back of her and covered her mouth roughly. She tried to scream, but her attacker's hand muffled the sound.

Icy adrenaline pumped through her veins. Panic made her nauseous. She lifted her foot, slammed it backward and her heel made contact with his shin. He cursed in a harsh whisper and grabbed her tighter so that her upper teeth jammed into the soft flesh of her mouth.

All the things she had learned about self-defense crashed and tumbled in her mind. She couldn't think straight and she couldn't reason with him because he had her mouth clamped shut. Then something came to her. She let all her muscles relax letting her weight fall; harder than she imagined considering her brain was screaming, “Fight, fight, fight.”

Her attacker muttered again. She couldn't tell if it was Tony or not and she wasn't sure what she should reveal. He released his hand from her mouth and Ellie crumpled to the ground.

“If you scream, I'll kill you.”

Planting her hands on the cool grass, Ellie swallowed hard and gulped in a huge lungful of fresh air.

Dear Lord, please save me. Please let me think straight so I can get out of this mess.

She started to lift her head when the man hooked an arm around her neck and dragged her into the cluster of trees.

“Why are you doing this?” she asked, her voice raspy.

“You have something I want.”

She tried to shake her head, but only managed to have him tighten his hold around her neck. “I don't have your package.”

“I'm done playing this game. You return what's mine and I'll leave you alone.”

“I don't have anything.” Frustration and fear laced her voice.

“If you don't care about your own worthless life, maybe you care about your family. Your friends...” He seemed to be trying to disguise his voice. “Your friend's dog.”

A wave of confidence swept over her. “Tony, is that you?” She craned her neck to see, but the man tightened his hold. “I don't have your package.”

A mirthless laugh bubbled up from his throat. “You want to play it this way?” He growled, making the fine hairs on her arms shiver.

“I'm not playing it
any
way. I don't know what you're talking about.”

The muffled sound of a dog barking seemed to attract her attacker's attention. “Bring the package to the bakery. I'm done fooling around.” He slipped his hand from around her neck and, planting both hands on her back, shoved her hard.

Ellie flew forward and landed hard, thankfully catching herself with her hands. She spun around to face him, ready to fend the man off in her vulnerable position seated on the ground. But no one was there. She strained to see into the shadows of the trees but only caught the sounds of leaves crunching underfoot.

She stood and glanced toward the safety of the house, then toward the sound of Duke's barking.

Her eyes scanned the yard. She noticed a metal garden tool on a small table next to the door. She ran over and picked it up, feeling the weight of it in her shaky hand. She examined its pointy tip and a sick feeling rolled through her.

Holding it tightly, she marched toward the sound of Duke's now-whimpering cries.

ELEVEN

J
ohnny slowed when he turned onto Treehaven. No matter how many times he came home to his grandfather's house, he got an empty feeling in the pit of his stomach. Maybe it was because his grandparents had first denied him a home when his mother—their daughter—had died. Or maybe it was because his mother had grown up here. She had existed as a person before she became his mother. Before she became addicted to drugs.

How different all their lives would have been if she had made different choices in her life.

Johnny stopped at the cross street running alongside his grandfather's house. The dome light on a small sedan caught his attention. He waited at the stop sign as the man helped a dog out of the backseat. Duke?

Johnny's adrenaline spiked. He turned and slowed next to the car. The man grabbed the dog's collar and glanced up at him, revealing his face under the lamppost.

“Tony?” Johnny muttered. The man looked as though he wanted to run.

Johnny jammed his car into Park and jumped out. He intercepted Tony as he tried to take off down the street. On the sidewalk, Duke barked frantically as if to say, “Go get 'im.”

Johnny watched as Tony stopped and seemed to study the thick crop of trees lining his grandfather's property.

Johnny didn't hold on to Tony, but he was ready to grab him if he tried to make a run for it.

“Hush, Duke.” The dog was in a frenzy that sent Johnny's nerves buzzing.

“What's going on here, Tony?”

“Um...I...” He looked away. “I was driving down the street and I noticed this dog out wandering. I thought I'd pull over to see if I could find its owner.”

“I saw you pulling him out of your car.”

Tony's eyes widened. “No.” He laughed—a nervous sound. “I was trying to get him into the car.”

Johnny studied the man carefully. He knew how to read people and Tony was lying and afraid. His patience dwindling, Johnny said, “Tell me the truth. What's going on?”

Tony rubbed the back of his neck and glanced toward the tree line again. He opened his mouth to say something, then clamped it shut. He pounded a fist on the lid of his trunk and cursed. “You have no idea.”

Johnny thought about what Kerry had told him. The man with the orange-and-yellow sneakers had paid him to break the windows on Ellie's shop. “Maybe I do.”

Tony's eyes flared wide before he seemed to catch himself. “I don't have any idea what you're talking about.”

Johnny towered over Tony. “Stop with the lies.”

Tony clamped his mouth closed and shook his head. “I just stopped to help the dog. That's all. This is your dog?”

“You know it's my grandfather's dog.” Johnny patted Duke's head to settle him down. He whimpered, but still seemed ready to pounce at something.

“No good deed goes unpunished, huh?” Tony tried to make light of the situation.

A rustling in the trees caught their attention. Duke barked frantically, but didn't advance past the sidewalk. He'd always made a better alarm system than actual guard dog.

Johnny's heart sank when Ellie burst through the trees, a sharp garden tool in her hands and a crazed look in her eyes. “He...” She struggled to catch her breath. “...he attacked me.”

Tony took a step, as if to bolt, when Johnny slammed him hard against the car. Tony grunted, but didn't say anything. Johnny snapped on handcuffs and spun him around, allowing him to rest his backside against the vehicle.

“Are you okay?” Johnny cupped her cheek. He ran his thumb across her smooth flesh, brushing off a spot of dirt.

Ellie nodded. “It
was
him,” she said, pointing a shaking finger at his colorful sneakers. “He thinks I have one of his packages.”

A look of defeat crossed Tony's face.

“Did you attack Ellie?”

Tony hiked his chin in a defiant gesture, but he didn't answer.

“He did. He did.” Ellie was frantic. “I let Duke out and when Duke didn't return—” she wiped at her cheek “—I had to make sure Duke was okay. Then Tony grabbed me from behind.”

“That's why you had Duke in your car. You wanted to lure Ellie out of the house when he didn't return.”

“How did he know I was here?” Ellie smoothed a hand over her hair.

“He was probably watching the house. Knew I was gone and waited for an opportunity. Your letting out Duke was his chance.” Johnny stepped closer to Tony. “What would you have done if she hadn't come outside? Break in? Knock on the door?”

A steely look crossed Tony's eyes as he leaned in close, not taking kindly to being threatened. “You can't prove anything.”

“We have a witness.”

Tony's eyes grew wide.

“Kerry Pitz is awake and talking.”

* * *

Ellie sat on the steps just inside the front door of the old Victorian. Buddy, who had slept through the excitement, was making her tea.

Ellie had a clear view through the sidelight windows of Officer Bailey's cruiser parked on the street where Johnny and the officer stood talking. The burly man had listened to her version of events and had promptly taken Tony into custody. But once she'd started shivering, Johnny had encouraged her to go inside. She threaded and unthreaded her fingers, unable to dispel the hum of energy buzzing through her.

Were her troubles over? Was this it? With Tony in custody, could she go about her business? But if she didn't have the package of drugs, who did?

The taillights on the cruiser glowed red and Ellie curled her fingers around the lip of the step. She crossed and uncrossed her legs until Johnny
finally
walked through the front door. He stopped abruptly and widened his eyes in surprise when he found her sitting on the steps. The concern on his face almost made her burst into tears, but she didn't want to be weak. She had been working for months now to become independent and had almost lost everything because of this Tony jerk.

Absentmindedly, she touched her mouth, remembering how Tony's coarse hand had pressed her lips tight against her teeth. Something about the encounter niggled at the far reaches of her brain, but she wasn't willing to explore that right now.

“Are you okay?” The intensity on Johnny's face unnerved her. He grabbed the newel post and lowered himself next to her, his thigh brushing hers.

His presence made her feel safe, protected. “I'm okay now that you're here.”

So much for Miss Independence
, her internal voice mocked.

“Can I get you some tea, too, Johnny?” Buddy called from the kitchen.

“Sounds good. We'll come back to the kitchen in a minute.”

Johnny bumped shoulders with Ellie and patted her knee. “I wish I had come home sooner so Tony wouldn't have had the chance to attack you.”

“If it wasn't tonight, it would have been eventually. He was waiting and watching for an opportunity. Pretty stupid that I gave him one.”

“Duke needed to be let out. Don't be hard on yourself. Your heart was in the right place.” He ran a hand across his chin. “I like that you were worried about Duke. It shows what kind of person you are.”

Tenderness spread through her heart. “I'd never want anything to happen to Duke...” She replayed the scenario in her head and winced when she remembered Tony's threats. She looked up. “We got him. We finally got him.”

Johnny nodded, but something dark flitted in the depths of his eyes.

“Don't you believe Tony's guilty? Did he admit to breaking into my apartment?”

Johnny leaned his elbows on the stair behind him. “Tony's pretty tight-lipped right now. But he's most definitely guilty of something. I'll feel better when I have a few more pieces of the puzzle in place. See if anyone else is involved.”

“Maybe after he spends some time in prison he'll open up.”

“Yeah,” Johnny said noncommittally. “I'll talk to him tomorrow. Let him stew a bit.”

Ellie's cell phone rang and she ignored it. “I bet it's Ashley.” She shook her head. “I dread talking to her.”

“Maybe she can get Tony to open up,” Johnny said.

“I don't know. For my whole life, Ashley has been very loyal to
all
her friends. I doubt she'd say anything against Tony.” Ellie shifted to rest her back against the curved wall hugging the staircase.

“Do you think she had anything to do with the package of drugs sent to your shop?”

She shook her head; the energetic back-and-forth making her brain hurt. “No, no way. I'd know.” Her mind flashed back to her brother's recent acknowledgment that he
had
sold drugs. His high-paid lawyer, not his innocence, had spared him a prison sentence.

A fate Roger Petersen hadn't been spared.

“What about Roger? Maybe Tony was working with Roger?”

“I asked Tony if he had any ties to Roger, but he claims he hardly knows the guy. I'm afraid we're going to have to wait until Tony decides to open up. Or until we find concrete evidence.”

Johnny pushed a hand through his hair, leaving thick tufts standing on end. She tucked her hands under her thighs to spare herself the embarrassment of reaching out and smoothing them. He caught her eye and an amused twinkle lit his eyes, as if he was reading her mind.

Then a sober expression swept over his features. “I don't know what I would have done if something had happened to you.”

Heat warmed her cheeks. “I'm okay.” Ellie pushed off the stairs and stood. “Do you think it's safe for me to go home?”

If she hadn't been watching his face, she might have missed the look of disappointment that flickered across his features.

“Is that what you want?”

She held up her hands and shrugged. “I'd hate to inconvenience you and your grandfather longer than necessary.”

“You're no inconvenience.”

Ellie turned to see Johnny's grandfather in the doorway. He was a thinner, older, grayer version of Johnny. “Tea's getting cold.”

Johnny stood. “Thank you.”

He guided Ellie to the kitchen with a hand on the small of her back.

“Looks like Johnny caught the bad guy,” Ellie said to Buddy.

“Is that true?” Buddy asked, jerking his head back in a shaky motion.

“Yes. I still have some wrap-up to do, but looks like we have our guy.”

“Does this mean you'll be headed back to Buffalo?”

Ellie's stomach dropped and she stuffed her hands into her jeans' pockets, pulling her arms tight against her sides. She hoped this was the look of a woman who didn't care, but she feared she wasn't a very good actress.

“We still have some loose ends, including the missing package. I hate to think it'll never be found...” Johnny muttered something indiscernible. “I won't be running back to Buffalo right away.”

“Good,” Buddy said, seemingly satisfied, “maybe I do want you to help me get this place up to snuff. Let some young family come in and fill it with kids. Give the place some new life.”

Johnny smiled and his eyes brightened, as if surprised. “I'd be happy to help, Grandpa.”

His grandfather's eyes drifted to Ellie. “Well, when you're not busy helping Ellie. I think she might need your help getting her gift shop reopened. I mean, since you have time.” Half his mouth crooked into a lopsided grin. He looked so much like his grandson. “Then, you can help me. I've been here for nearly sixty years. A little more time won't hurt.”

“What about making way for that family?” Johnny laughed.

“Who says I'm not?”

Ellie didn't dare turn to look at Johnny, feeling his warm gaze on the side of her face.

* * *

The next morning, Ellie dusted the shelves of her neglected little gift shop. She couldn't shake a pervasive sense of loss, perhaps due to current events or maybe because she feared her business venture would never blossom.

It's autumn
, she reminded herself. Then Christmas. Surely the residents of Williamstown would welcome the opportunity to buy some unique gifts from her little shop for Christmas.

“Unless they buy online,” she muttered to herself.

She had remained at Johnny's grandfather's house since Johnny felt there were still some loose ends. It didn't take much to convince her because a part of her wasn't ready to be alone, save for the few hours in her shop during the day. They hoped Tony's arrest had put a damper on anyone's plans to harass Ellie,
if
there was anyone else involved. To be safe, Johnny promised to stop by and to request increased police patrols on Main Street. Johnny also promised he'd go with her to her apartment later today to help her clean up from the break-in.

Ellie tossed aside her dust rag to open a music box and listen to the soft chimes. Sadness bit at the back of her nose. Nothing had gone as she had dreamed.

Ellie took a deep breath, surprised to smell the familiar baked goods next door. She had expected it to be closed, but then again, Bobby Vino, Tony's father, came from another generation where the work ethic was strong. And memories were stronger. Her stomach hollowed out. She'd have to face the elder Vino eventually, but not right now.

She closed the music box and set it on the glass shelf.

One day at a time.

The bells on the door clacked and she was about to say, “We're not open, yet,” when she noticed the smooth sheen of Ashley's hair. Ellie's heart sank. She had left three messages for Ashley, but her best friend since kindergarten had ignored each one. By the strained look on Ashley's face, Ellie knew the news of Tony's arrest hadn't escaped her.

Ellie opened her mouth, but couldn't find the words.

Ashley stopped in front of the counter, eyes protruding in accusation. Ellie had seen that look many times before, but it had never been directed at her.

“I'm sorry,” Ellie finally said. Not sorry that Tony had been arrested, just sorry that someone Ashley trusted had turned out to be untrustworthy.