“Helen, I’m going out for a bit. You can go home before the rain gets any worse,” he told her. “Greg will be here any minute.”
Greg Daniels and Sam Gardner were his two night deputies.
Helen looked up from her computer screen. Her blonde hair was up in a bun. Glasses hung on her nose. “Okay, Sheriff. Thanks. I hate driving in this messy weather.”
Noah resisted the urge to speed to Alana’s house. She could hate him all she wanted, but he was going to do his job. He wanted to find this guy and make sure he was taken off the streets. He had to have been high on drugs to do what he did. What reason did he have to harm her when she was giving over the money without a fight?
The lights were on when he parked his car in the street. He knew she was home. He ran up the stairs and knocked on the front door.
“Who is it?” he barely heard the soft voice ask. It was shaky and nervous, and he knew right away it was Alana.
“It’s me, Noah.” He lightened his voice, not wanting to frighten her.
She unlocked the chain and opened the door slowly but only a crack. She peeked out looking worried. “Noah, you hung up so quickly. I could have told you over the phone.”
“I just wanted to be here with you,” he assured her, giving her a gentle smile. He didn’t want to scare or overwhelm her. He let out a deep breath, doing his best to appear calm. “Can I come in?”
She opened the door and let him in. She went straight to the couch and picked up the blanket, hugging it to her chest. She wore another old shirt and sweatpants. He was even more worried and a little upset. Why was her family letting her sit here alone doing nothing? Couldn’t they see she was depressed and shouldn’t be alone?
“No one is home?” he guessed. He hated the thought she was sitting here alone. He imagined her jumping at every noise and dark shadow. The wind was picking up and making plenty of noises, along with the heavy rain. The TV was on low, but he doubted she even watched it. Her skin was white and pale.
“Ray called. He’ll be here in a minute. Alicia is usually home by now, but she had to cover someone’s shift,” Alana explained. “Papa wanted me to sit at the restaurant, but I’m not ready to have people asking me over and over what happened that night. I’m trying to forget, not remember.”
Her eyes had dark circles under them. Her skin was pasty, and he wondered if she had even been outside. She had been out of the hospital for over a week now. Drake kept him updated on her medical condition, so he knew she was healing. It was the psychological aspect of it that concerned him.
“I understand, Alana. People were worried for you and also afraid this could happen again. You could sit at the station with me. I’d even let you beat me at poker,” he teased, aching to see her smile. When they had been friends, she had often brought him Mexican food and hung out with him. He now wished he would have appreciated those times better. Instead he had spent all his time fighting what he was feeling. What a waste of time.
Her lips curled upward into an almost smile. “Again? You’re such a sore loser, always accusing me of cheating.”
She was right. He hated losing. “Okay, you can do all my paperwork for me. Just don’t tell Helen.”
“Mrs. Williams was here earlier, Noah. I wasn’t alone all day. I watched some soap opera with her. She had to cook dinner for Mr. Williams. I shouldn’t need a babysitter.” She sounded like she wanted to cry.
Noah invaded her space by sitting close to her. He patted her thigh gently. He wanted to leave his hand on her, but he didn’t want her to jump in fright.
“Hey. I know you’re strong, Alana, but there is no shame in asking for help either. You have my number. You can call me, and we can talk about the weather if you want. I will gladly sit on the phone all day with you.”
She shrugged but stayed silent. He couldn’t tell what kind of thoughts were going through her head. Normally she was cheerful and chatty, but she sat so silent and still. He didn’t like it.
“Have you had any counseling?”
She shook her head no and looked down at her hands. She was clutching the blanket tightly.
“Kendra Hilton over in Morehead is really good,” he suggested softly. He slowly grabbed her hand and gently rubbed the silky skin. “I can set up an appointment. I can even drive you. It might help.”
“Let me think about it.” Her voice sounded breathless, and he hoped she still felt the same zing he did when they touched.
He nodded, but he didn’t let go of her hand. He liked holding it. He was shocked she wasn’t spitting mad at him and calling him names. Maybe it was because she was in such a vulnerable state, but he wouldn’t remind her he was the enemy.
She cleared her throat. “I took a small nap. I must have been dreaming about him. When I woke up, I remembered he had a tattoo on his wrist.”
Her hand was shaking, so he pulled her until she was sitting close to him. He took the blanket out of her hands and gently put it around her shoulders.
“That’s great. What kind of tattoo?”
“It was black. Some scary-looking skull with the letters JS above it. It didn’t look professional. It was kind of homemade looking.”
“That’s great.” Noah was excited. This could help in identifying him. He didn’t want to stop holding her hand, so he stayed where he was, hoping she wouldn’t pull away.