Shadows at Sunset: Sunset Trilogy ~ Book 1 (10 page)

“What if this guy had a gun? Dakota wouldn’t have been able to protect you.”

“Did he?”

“No, at least not as far as we can tell. We searched the area and didn’t find any weapons. But that doesn’t make me feel any better. Laken, what you did that night was far more dangerous than I first realized.”

I nodded in understanding. “I guess I didn’t think about anything other than getting Ryder home safely. I didn’t see any signs of another person where I found him.” Except for the fire pit, but it had been cold and dry to the touch.

“Where did you find him? Could you take me there?”

Pursing my lips in thought, I slid my gaze away from his questioning eyes and stared at one of my photographs on the wall, studying the black bear that stood amongst the green ferns on the forest floor. It immediately reminded me of the bear who had kept Ryder warm until I could get to him. “I don’t think so,” I said.

“What if I take you to where the body was found? Maybe you’ll remember it.”

“It was really dark. I don’t know that I’ll recognize anything.”
Unless Dakota comes with us. He would take me back there if I asked him to, but how am I going to tell my father that Dakota understands every word I say?
I just wanted to push the whole thing out of my mind. Pretend it had never happened. But unfortunately, it had and there was no way to erase it.

“Okay. I’m not going to force you. There’s not really anything left to solve aside from his motive and I doubt we’ll learn anything by dragging you back to the scene of the crime. But we have another problem. A wolf problem. Once the town realizes that an animal bit this guy, and believe me, they will find out once the coroner’s report is released, people are going to worry that this animal will attack an innocent person next. I don’t know what we’re going to do with Dakota once that happens.”

I shot up away from the pillows I had been leaning against, not quite sure what he meant. But I knew I didn’t like the sound of it. “What does that mean? Dakota’s not a threat to anyone. He’s lived here for five years. Five years, and he has never caused any trouble. Besides, I really don’t think he did this.”

My father sighed as he rose to his feet. “Well, let’s just hope this blows over fast. Please be extra careful with him for a while. I know how much he means to you and I don’t want anything to happen to him. I know he’s been keeping his distance lately, so just see to it that he’s extra vigilant for now. This would not be a good time for anyone around here to find out we have a wolf.”

“Okay. I’ll make sure he stays away,” I said earnestly.

My father offered a faint smile. “Good. I knew you’d understand. Your mom and I are going out for a walk. Will you be okay here alone for a while?”

“Yes, of course. I’ll be fine. While all of this is unsettling, I still feel safe.” As I said it, I suddenly remembered my first evening back from the hospital when Dakota had growled at something in the woods. I flashed a smile at my father, hoping that I had convinced him because I hadn’t convinced myself.

“Good. Because it doesn’t change anything. It was a freak thing and I don’t think it will happen again,” my father said before slipping out of my room and leaving me alone. I froze for a moment as I turned my attention to Dakota’s extra-large dog bed on the floor next to the wall. It normally bore an impression from his hundred-pound frame, but right now, it was soft and fluffy from not being used. It had been over a week since Dakota had slept on it. I suddenly felt more alone than I had in five years. The silence and emptiness was overwhelming.

I jumped up from the bed, rushed out of my room, down the stairs, and out the back door to the patio. The sun had dropped below the mountains, darkening the sky to a hazy purple. A gentle breeze whispered through the leafy trees. The crickets were hiding from the cool temperatures again, and it was quite possible that we had heard the last of them now that the cool fall nights were right around the corner.

I scanned the shadows buried within the woods, looking for any movement, hoping to find Dakota. “Dakota!” I called. “Here, boy!” But there was no sign of him. I stood on the edge of the patio, not ready to give up. “Please come here, Dakota. I just need to know that you’re out there.”

A movement deep within the trees caught my eye. As I glimpsed a smoky black shadow and amber eyes, relief washed over me. He was still out there, watching over me. But as quickly as I saw him, he took off, disappearing into the woods without a single sound.

“I thought I would find you out here,” a familiar voice said from the edge of the yard.

I gasped as I turned to see Noah walking through the grass from around the side of the house. His sudden appearance explained why Dakota had taken off like he had.

I sighed, managing a weak smile. Forgetting about Dakota, I raised a hand to tuck my loose hair behind my ear, at once feeling self-conscious in my pajama pants. Noah still wore the jeans and light blue shirt he’d had on earlier, but he looked tired from the day’s events, so maybe he wouldn’t care. “Hi.”

“I rang the doorbell, but no one answered. I thought I’d see if anyone was out back. Were you talking to someone?”

I felt a blush creep along my cheeks, but it was getting dark, so hopefully he couldn’t see it. “Stray dog.”

“Was he here? Did I scare him away?”

“I thought I saw him in the woods, and yes, he bolted just before you walked around the house.”

“Sorry about that.”

“That’s okay. He’ll be back.”

“Well, I won’t stay long.” Noah walked up the patio steps and stopped beside me as he held out a large letter-sized envelope. “I was just bringing your dad a report from the Boston PD about our friend from the woods.”

“Mom and Dad went out for a walk, but they should be back soon. You can wait or leave it with me and I’ll give it to him.” I really hoped he would choose to wait. I didn’t want to be alone right now.

He must have read my mind. “I’ll wait. So how are you handling all of this?”

I looked up at him to meet the concerned look in his eyes. “It’s a lot to process right now. I’ve lived here my whole life and nothing like this has ever happened. I keep wondering, if this guy really did take Ryder, which seems pretty likely, why did he do it? What was his motive?”

“I don’t know. I wish I had the answers, Laken.”

“The only thing I can think of was that he was going to hold Ryder for ransom, but there’s no way he could have thought he’d get a huge payout from it. The Thompson’s aren’t rich. Anyone can see that. So if it wasn’t money, then what did he want? What if he planned to abuse him or kill him? What if he planned to keep him?” I shivered, thinking of all the sickening possibilities, and gazed at Noah, wishing he had the answers.

He reached his free arm out around my shoulders, pulling me against him. With a heavy sigh, I rested my cheek against his chest as he rubbed my back.

“I’ve always felt safe in this town until now,” I admitted. It felt good to open up to someone. I knew I couldn’t tell my parents how nervous I was. They would just worry about me.

“You’re still safe. He’s dead and, from all we can see, he worked this alone. It was a one in a million freak thing. Like you said, nothing like this has ever happened here before and, more than likely, nothing like this will ever happen here again.”

I breathed deeply, feeling a little better from his reassurance. As my fears subsided, I became aware of his hand rubbing my back, moving up my sweatshirt to massage my shoulders. His touch felt nice, but it also made me nervous in a good way.

He seemed to sense my tension. “If there’s anything I can do to make you feel better, let me know.”

I pulled away from him, a soft smile tugging at my lips. “Thanks. Do you want to come inside while you wait for my dad?”

“Sure.”

“Your pizza is in the fridge. I can heat it up for you if you’re hungry.”

He smiled. “That would be great. I’m starving.”

As I met his gaze, my heart skipped a beat. “Follow me.” Then I turned and led him across the patio and through the back door to the kitchen, leaving the dark night and my dark thoughts outside.

Chapter 6

I rarely saw my father over the next few days as he worked to learn more about the body found in the woods. Most of his initial suspicions were confirmed. As if there had been any doubt, the toddler shoe found near the body was confirmed to be Ryder’s missing shoe. The guy had died from blunt trauma to the head, and the bite marks on his arm were blamed on a large dog. My father also visited the Thompsons again to ask if they had noticed any signs of abuse on Ryder. Between what they told him and the hospital records, there was no indication that he’d been hurt that night. It was a relief, although I still couldn’t shake the unsettled feeling that our town was no longer safe.

Monday was the first day of school. After showering that morning, I slipped into the new jeans I had picked up at the outlets with my mother on Sunday, tall black boots, and a white tank top. A lightweight matching sweater completed my ensemble. I curled my hair, applied a touch of make-up, and finished with a silver necklace and hoop earrings. Sighing, I paused to gaze at my reflection in the bathroom mirror. I dreaded returning to school after being the center of attention at the town gathering and defending myself from Marlena at the pizza shop. Hopefully, the ceremony had been long forgotten by my fellow students, but there was no way Marlena would have already forgotten our confrontation.

“Laken!” my mother called down the hallway from the top of the stairs. “Are you ready? We have to go. Ethan’s waiting downstairs.”

My mother and I had reached a compromise on our daily transportation for the school year. I could drive, but I had to drop her off at the elementary school first. It meant leaving thirty minutes earlier than I really needed to, but the early departure was a small price to pay if it meant I didn’t have to ride the bus. And Ethan had jumped at the chance to ride with us, even though he, too, would lose a half hour of sleep.

“Coming!” I rushed into my bedroom to grab my book bag. Then I hurried into the hallway and followed my mother down the stairs. She had spent the summer in casual jeans and capris. It was odd to see her wearing a navy dress with matching high heels, her hair pulled up into a twist.

Ethan was waiting in the kitchen, a denim jacket over his shoulders and his backpack hanging behind him. “Morning,” he said, smiling. “Ready to be seniors?”

“Sure. It had to happen sooner or later.”

He playfully touched my shoulder. “Don’t sound so excited. It’s going to be a great year. I can feel it.”

“I wish I had your confidence,” I said honestly.

My mom waved us toward her with one hand, her keys and a coffee thermos in the other. “Come on, you two. You can talk in the car. Let’s go.” Then she disappeared through the side door to the garage.

Ethan looked at me knowingly. “After you. We can talk more about the awesome year we’re going to have after we drop your mom off.”

I rolled my eyes at him before following my mother into the garage. Morning sunlight filled the dark enclave through the open door.

She tossed her keys to me. “You’re up, Laken.”

After we piled into the Explorer, I drove to town. My mom chatted with Ethan about the upcoming school year during the five minutes it took to reach the elementary school. When I pulled into the parking lot of the one-story brick building, only a few cars and teachers had arrived. The school buses wouldn’t pull in until later, and I was grateful I didn’t have to dodge them and the young children.

As soon as the SUV stopped, my mother climbed out with her purse, school bag, and coffee. “I’ll see you both this afternoon. Have a great day.”

“Thanks, Mom. You, too.”

Ethan took the front seat and, as soon as he clicked his seatbelt into place, I eased the Explorer out of the parking lot. We passed through rows of two-story buildings that made up the business district of our town. There was a white church, a red-brick bank, and a funeral home, not to mention several bed and breakfast inns and specialty shops. The mountains loomed beyond the buildings in every direction, topped with lush greenery that seemed to scrape the clear blue sky. Despite the beautiful morning, a sense of gloom hung in the air. The recent discovery of Ryder’s abduction had cast a dark shadow over the entire town that even the brightest sunshine couldn’t cut through.

“Is there any new information on that guy who took Ryder?” Ethan asked.

I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. “Not since we last talked. I only know what I already told you. He had quite a history of stealing cars, burglary, and domestic abuse, but no kidnapping. Apparently, this was his first.”

“Doesn’t it seem weird to you that he would show up here out of the blue and snatch a kid?”

“Yes,” I groaned, wishing we could find something else to talk about. “But you know what’s even harder to believe is that the guy had his own child. I keep wondering what he could possibly have wanted with a little boy from up here.” I shook my head, trying to push the thoughts of him out of my mind. “Can we please talk about something else now?”

“Sure, but don’t be surprised if you get asked a lot of questions about that today.”

“I won’t.”

“So where’s Dakota been hiding out lately? I know you’ve been worried about him.”

“I’m not really worried. I just miss him. I always feel better when he’s home at night. But he can’t come back for a while. Dad wants him to keep a low profile. Not that anyone would even know if he spent a night up in my room. Man, I can’t wait for this whole thing to blow over and life to return to normal.”

Ethan grinned at me. “Don’t worry. In a few days, we’ll both probably be buried in so much homework that we won’t even remember it.”

“How is it you always know the right way to cheer me up?” I asked sarcastically, but with a smile. The school loomed up ahead between the trees. I slowed just in time to turn into the parking lot and stopped on the far side under a huge maple tree that would provide plenty of shade by the afternoon. “The kidnapper and homework, my two favorite subjects to start the day with.”

“You’re right. Sorry. We can talk about Noah. I know you like him,” he teased, his eyebrows raised over his curious brown eyes.

I shrugged as I shut off the engine. “There’s nothing to tell. I haven’t seen him since last week.”

“Well, that’s about to change.”

I looked at him curiously. “What do you mean?”

He didn’t have a chance to answer. A knock tapped on my window and I jumped, turning away from Ethan to see Noah waving at me. He stepped back as I opened the door and slid out of the Explorer. “Good morning,” I said with a smile as I heard Ethan shut the passenger door. “What are you doing here?”

“I thought I would stop by to say hi before your classes begin.” Noah lifted his gaze, looking beyond me.

I whipped around to see Ethan’s head poking above the truck on the other side. “Noah, this is one of my friends, Ethan. Ethan, Noah.”

“Hi,” Noah said, sizing up Ethan.

“Morning, Deputy. Be careful with this one. She used to chase me around with snakes she found in her mother’s rose garden,” Ethan said, his tone half joking and half serious. I shot him a warning look. “Okay, that’s my cue. Laken, I’m going to find Brooke. We’ll wait for you outside.”

As Ethan hoisted his book bag over his shoulder and walked away, I turned back to Noah. Butterflies danced in my stomach as he smiled at me, amused. “Snakes?” he asked, his eyebrows raised.

I felt a blush race across my cheeks. “Mostly garter snakes. And sometimes a frog. But I was like, ten years old.” As he laughed, I quickly changed the subject. “Are you always up this early?”

“Yes, it’s a curse. I’m a light sleeper and I get up with the sun, sometimes even earlier to work on my book.” He paused, his eyes meeting mine for a moment before he continued. “I brought you something.” He pulled a hand out from behind his back and held up a white carnation. “This is for you. I know it’s kind of cheesy, but I thought you should have something special for today.”

“No, it’s not. It’s very thoughtful. Thank you.” As I took the flower from him, my fingers brushed against his.

“It’s also a token of my regret.”

I quirked my eyebrows, not understanding him. “Regret? What could you possibly regret?”

“That I haven’t had a chance to stop by your house or the pizza shop in the last few days to see you. I wanted to, but this whole thing with the dead guy has kept us really busy. And it’s not because we’re trying to piece together what happened. The phone keeps ringing off the hook. The town residents are chomping at the bit to find out what happened.”

“That’s okay. I know things get really busy for my dad around this time of year, and that’s not when he’s pulling bodies out of the woods.”

“So I’m forgiven?”

“Of course.”

“Good. I’ll try not to be a stranger from now on.”

“That would be nice,” I replied.

He smiled, the sun reflecting in his brown eyes. “Well, I’d better let you get to class and I should be heading to the station.”

I leaned against the SUV as nerves fluttered in the pit of my stomach. “Yeah. We don’t want to be late.”

“Especially you on your first day.” He put his sunglasses on as he backed up a step. “Have a great one. I’ll talk to you soon.”

“You, too.” I watched as he turned and walked across the parking lot to the police car. “It’s already a great day,” I muttered to myself, staring down at the flower in my hand. A smile lingered on my lips, and I suspected it would be there for a while.

As soon as Noah drove away, I took a deep breath, reminding myself that I would have to concentrate on my classes at some point today.
Good luck with that,
I told myself, knowing it would be a losing battle. Then I retrieved my book bag from the truck and tucked the flower safely in it before setting off to find Brooke and Ethan.

Students were starting to assemble outside the school on the lawn. The hum of chatter rang out across the yard as friends were reunited for another year. I looked around as I approached the sidewalk, searching for Marlena and her friends. I hoped she hadn’t seen me talking to Noah. I didn’t want this perfect morning to be ruined by her. Fortunately, she was nowhere to be seen.

Brooke and Ethan were waiting for me at a picnic table in a shady spot on the front lawn. Brooke sat on the table, her feet propped up on the bench. Her long skirt fell loosely around her booted ankles and sunglasses hid her pretty blue eyes.

Ethan sat beside her feet on the bench, a half-eaten sandwich in his hand. They both stared at me.

“What?” I asked as I placed my book bag on the table.

“You can stop smiling now. You look way too happy to be back at school.” Brooke paused thoughtfully. “Wait a minute, it’s not school making you smile like that, it’s Noah,” she teased.

I pretended to be frustrated, but I could feel my grin poking through. No amount of teasing could sour my mood. “Oh, be quiet. But look at this.” I pulled the carnation out of my book bag and held it up. “He brought me a flower for the first day of school. That was so sweet.”

Brooke turned to look at Ethan. “How come high school boys aren’t romantic? Can you imagine a guy from school doing something like that?”

“No. We’re scared to death of you girls,” Ethan answered between bites. “He’s obviously a little older than us, so he’s had time to get over the fear.”

“Oh, please, we’re not that scary,” Brooke retorted before turning her attention back to me. “So, Laken, while you were busy working this weekend, I went to a party at Brian’s house. It was really fun. They’re having a bonfire up at the old abandoned campground at Matthews Pond Friday night. Ethan has already agreed to come. You in?”

Curious, I looked at Brooke. “Really?”