The Hunk Next Door(21)
She wished petty and silly crimes were all she had to think about. “Well, once more you’ve put your support into action and I’m immensely grateful.”
“Does that mean you’ll skip your meeting and join me this evening?”
She hesitated. Was that what she wanted it to mean? Sharing dinner with Deke would be a marvelous escape from a typical evening. She indulged in the fantasy, imagining the balm of excellent food paired with the perfect wine and intelligent conversation in front of the fireplace in his dining room. Would anything be better?
An image of those threats on the welcome sign and then on her neighbor’s house blotted out her fantasy. She tried to shake it off, but the memory of Calder pinned under the ladder shivered through her.
“Abby? Are you there?”
“Yes, of course.” Her palms went clammy. Calder was a good neighbor. He’d made minor repairs around her house, sometimes in exchange for only a six-pack of beer. It helped to have a neighbor like him when she didn’t have time for a man in her life otherwise. Was time really the problem or was it just another excuse? She pushed the thought away and answered Deke’s question. “Yes. Sorry, I’m here. As much as I’d like to join you, I’m afraid I will have to pass on dinner.”
She pressed her thumb to the point between her eyebrows, hoping to ease another wave of tension. Putting off Deke after he’d done so much for her felt like an insult. At the very least it felt like she was taking him for granted. She didn’t want to visit him in the hospital, either. Someone out there had made a public vow to hurt her and the people she cared about. The threats weren’t going away and the problem was escalating. Whoever put the vandals and assailants in motion knew how to get under her skin. Injuring her neighbor and going through her garage were way too close for comfort. She didn’t dare consider what might be next.
“Are you sure?” he pressed.
She’d offended him. “I value you, Deke,” she confessed, hoping he’d understand. “As a citizen and as a friend. Whoever wants me out of here is willing to hurt those around me to make a point. I don’t want them to hurt you.”
“I’m quite capable of watching out for myself,” he assured her.
The tension in his voice had given way to something gentler. She could picture that barely there smile on his face. “You’ve done a fine job.” Abby rocked back in her chair. “Will you give me a rain check on dinner?”
He sighed. “Tonight, tomorrow, next week. Whatever best suits your crime-fighting schedule. Consider the invitation open.”
“Thank you. That means a great deal.” And when this was behind her, she’d make up for lost time.
“Is that just the chief of police talking?”
“No.” Was he flirting with her? “True friends seem hard to find under the current circumstances.”
“I’m here for you, Abby.”
She felt her cheeks heat with his steady reassurance. Thank goodness, they weren’t having this talk in person. What was it about this man that made her waffle so much? One minute she wanted him to be more than a friend, the next she wasn’t so sure. “I’ll be in touch, Deke. Thank you again for going above and beyond for opening weekend. Please be careful and call in if you need any assistance.”
“Always. You do the same.”
“Definitely.” She was smiling when the call disconnected and it felt genuine for the first time in ages. This nonsense in the media and with whomever had decided to terrify her town had only started a little over a week ago, but she couldn’t deny the stress was taking a toll.
She checked the time. It was too soon to expect any news from the officers who’d come by when she’d found her garage door hanging open. With little more than half an hour before the hardware store opened for business, she decided to check her email. Buying a new lock for the garage wouldn’t be a high point of her day, but she needed it secure for her peace of mind. And a new snow shovel to deal with the fresh snow predicted for this evening. Hers had been taken to the crime lab to analyze what had appeared to be dried blood on the blade. The idea that someone had borrowed her snow shovel and used it for something untoward was a little out there, as theories went, but considering the other strange happenings around here lately she wasn’t taking any chances.
Half an hour would be enough time to review the overflowing email in-box and send any threat with a clear target up the line to the feds.
Braced for more hateful messages, she set to work.
* * *
RILEY TURNED DOWN the volume on the radio clipped to his ladder. All of Belclare was enamored with Deke Maynard and his unflinching support of Chief Jensen. It was the third time this morning he’d heard the new ad for the Christmas Village opening weekend.