Jenna wound back the fleeting image in her mind: the swirling slicker, the cowboy hat, and his stance, with his feet apart. His hands were down by his sides, maybe in his pockets. She shook her head. “I don’t think so, but I’m not sure with the mist and all.”
“I’ll go take a look.” Kane grabbed a Kevlar vest from the back seat and pulled it over his head. “Stay here. I’m not his target.” He stepped out from cover and strode across Main, almost vanishing in the rising clouds of water vapor.
Fighting back the need to follow, Jenna rested her forearms on the hood of the Beast, tightened her hands around the handle of her weapon, and aimed. An arc of light filled the alleyway as Kane entered and moments later it was extinguished. Panic grabbed her by the throat. It was so quiet she could hear a pulse beating in her ears. “Dave, where are you?”
“I’m right here.” Kane emerged from the darkness and walked a few yards in both directions before crossing Main and returning to her side. “There’s no one there.”
Incredulous, Jenna stared at him but holstered her weapon. “I saw him. It was the same man who wrecked my house and the same person I saw in the alleyway the other night.”
“It must have been a trick of the light.” Kane put his arm around her and squeezed. “I’ve checked it out, and there’s no one in the alleyway, all the doors are locked up tight, no footprints, zip. It was your imagination playing tricks on you is all. These things happen when we’ve been traumatized, it’s a normal reaction to be overcautious.” He waved a hand at the headless ghoul riding a full-sized horse and brandishing a sword outside the liquor store. “Halloween does spike the imagination. That figure looks as if could come alive and ride down Main.” He chuckled and slid behind the wheel.
Unconvinced, Jenna peered over one shoulder at the dark alleyway before climbing into the passenger seat. The space where the man had stood was empty, but she hadn’t imagined seeing the man. Someone was out there watching her, and she darn well knew it.
Forty-Five
Friday, Week Two
Dark clouds hung over the ranch like a warning to stay home as Jenna stepped out of the barn. She turned to Kane. “Yeah, looking at that sky, we’re in for a storm sometime today. It’s best we leave the horses in the barn.”
“Heads up.” Kane motioned to a man wearing fatigues with a captain’s insignia heading in their direction. “I hope they’ve finished at last.”
Jenna looked at him and turned her mouth down. “Can’t you wait to see the back of me?”
“Nah.” Kane gave her a hug. “I just like it better without a yard filled with soldiers. The smell reminded me of my last tour of duty.”
Jenna chuckled. “Well, if it ever decides to rain, it will freshen things up a bit.” She headed to meet the man.
“We’re all done here, ma’am.” The captain motioned toward the house. “I’ll walk you through the changes and then we’re bugging out.”
“Sure.” Jenna followed him to the house and up the steps to the porch.
The freshly painted front door had changed considerably. Gone were the glass panels on either side, and the front windows had security mesh installed. She walked inside. The smell of paint lingered, but the house looked much the same as before the intruder had trashed it, apart from a black circular leather sofa that curled around the rug in front of the fireplace and was large enough to sit eight. Two matching overstuffed chairs sat on either side.
“Do you like it?” Kane walked up behind her. “Surprise.”
She turned and looked at him. “You bought that for me?”
“Yeah.” He grinned.
“Okay, ma’am.” The captain cleared his throat. “As per my
instructions, entry to the house is by fingerprint. You can scan one to four fingerprints into the system. It’s run on an independent power supply and backed up with batteries. You’ll get a notification on your phone if the batteries are running low. You also have a backup generator in the house now—it’s in the cellar beside the gym. As requested, there is an escape hatch inside the office, situated under the desk. It is one-way. It can’t be opened from the outside. The front gate is the same, and the perimeter boundary has been extended to twelve feet high. It has been calibrated so you won’t be troubled by birds, horses, wildlife, or your dog setting off the alarm.” He sighed. “If everything is to your satisfaction, we’ll be on our way.”
“I’ll take a look at the generator.” Kane headed off in the direction of the cellar.
After moving around the house and setting up the entry alarm, Jenna thanked the captain and his regiment for their assistance. She stood at the door with Kane and watched the trucks disappear down her driveway in a cloud of dust. “I’m glad we started early this morning.” They headed back to the cottage. “We’ll just have time to eat before we head out to the office.”
The sky rumbled and a few flashes of lightning zigzagged the sky over the horizon as they headed for town. The whine from Duke made Jenna turn up the tunes on the radio. “It’s okay, Duke. I brought cookies and you’ll be safe in the office today.”
“He doesn’t sound too convinced.” Kane slowed the truck as they joined a stream of traffic into Main. “What’s going on here?”
Jenna peered ahead. “The road must be blocked, there’s no oncoming traffic. An accident maybe?” She buzzed down her window and beckoned to a man walking on the sidewalk. “What’s happened?”
“Car wreck.” The man pushed his hands into his pockets. “Three vehicles blocking the road.”
“Thanks.” Jenna turned to Kane. “Can you get closer?”
“Sure.” He hit the lights and sirens and headed up the wrong side of Main.