LITMIR.BIZ

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      “Thanks,” she muttered, comforted by the warmth and his words. And taking his advice, she breathed slowly and deeply, reminding herself she was a strong woman. “It all happened so fast. So frightening. I just don’t understand. Why did he want to kill me?”

      “I don’t know.” Garret shook his head with a serious expression.

      She studied him more closely now. In the bright light of the office, she could see that his dark brown hair was wavy and long enough to curl around his ears. And his eyes, a rich shade of teal-blue, looked very concerned.

      “I’m so thankful you came when you did.” She shuddered to think what might’ve happened if he hadn’t shown up right then. “What made you come back here?”

      “A friend mentioned seeing the back door open. It didn’t sound right to me. I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

      “Th-thank you.” Her voice cracked with emotion. “I—I don’t know what I’d have done if you—if you—” It felt like the dam had broken as she crumbled into sobs.

      Garret slipped a comforting arm around her shoulders, holding her closer. “It’s okay,” he said gently. “You have the right to cry. You’ve been through a lot.”

      She leaned into him, letting her emotions and tears flow freely, until she finally started to feel self-conscious. As always, she wanted to be strong, in control. She was Rory McCallister’s daughter, after all. Sitting up straighter, she squared her shoulders. “It’s just that—well, first Dad is gone. And then this happens. It’s all so shocking.” She wiped her wet cheeks with the backs of her hands. “So frightening. I feel so confused.”

      He was still looking intently into her eyes. “That’s not surprising. You’ve been through quite an ordeal. And you could’ve been killed.”

      Her hand went to her throat as she remembered that moment when she expected to die. “I was so scared. I’ve never been that scared before. I still don’t know why he wanted to kill me. I even offered him money to let me go.”

      “Really?” Garret frowned. “And he wasn’t interested?”

      “No.” She shook her head. “Isn’t that odd? Most criminals are looking for cash.” She took in another deep breath, hearing the sounds of sirens approaching. “How’d he get in?”

      “Looks like he used a crowbar to jimmy the back door.”

      He nodded toward the front windows, where red and blue lights were flashing outside. “The police are here.” With his arm still around her shoulders, he helped her stand, guiding her toward the front door.

      By the time they got outside, a couple of police cruisers were double parking and to her relief, Lieutenant Michael Conrad was getting out of the first one. Although he was a few years younger than her dad, the two men had been good friends for as long as Megan could remember. Lieutenant Conrad was a good guy.

      “Megan McCallister,” he exclaimed as he approached the building. “Is that really you?”

      Megan confirmed this as they shook hands, then Garret quickly explained about the criminal getting away and the route he may have taken.

      “The dispatcher already sent someone that way,” Lieutenant Conrad told him. “So you interrupted a robbery in process?” he asked Megan.

      “I thought that was it,” she told him, “but when I offered him money to let me go, he didn’t seem interested.”

      “He threatened her life,” Garret said solemnly.

      Megan explained about the knife and how Garret had arrived just in time. But because a curious crowd was gathering, Lieutenant Conrad urged them to go back inside.

      “The perpetrator broke in through the back door,” Garret explained as they went inside. Lieutenant Conrad paused, calling out to the other officers to check out the back of the building.

      “Did you get a look at his face?” he asked her as they entered the building. “Can you identify him?”

      “He was Caucasian, looked like he was in his twenties. Bad complexion. And he was dressed in all black. Black jeans and a black hooded sweatshirt.”

      “Height? Weight?”

      “Maybe six foot?” Megan said with uncertainty.

      “He was a little shorter than me, so six foot sounds about right,” Garret confirmed.

      “Medium build,” Megan suggested.

      “Did you see a vehicle?” Lieutenant Conrad asked Garret.

      Garret shook his head. “I lost him while he was on foot. Those dark clothes were hard to see at night. I didn’t see a vehicle speeding away, but the town’s pretty busy. Lots of traffic out there.”

      “Let me get this info out.” Lieutenant Conrad pulled out his phone and, stepping away, began to relay what they’d told him.

      Megan glanced out the window, looking at the blur of flashing emergency lights and the busy street. “Do you think the break-in was related to the holiday weekend?” she ventured quietly. Although she didn’t really think so. Why would a random burglar be so intent on killing her?

      Garret frowned. “Hard to say.”

      “I do remember how our little town could get sort of wild during tourist season.” She knew she was just making idle chatter now, trying to wrap her head around all that had happened and feeling pretty lost.

      Lieutenant Conrad finished his call and returned to them. “They’ll be watching for the perpetrator all over town,” he assured them. And then he asked a few more questions. They both answered them as best they could.

      “And you feel certain he intended to kill you?”

      She just nodded. “His knife was ready. Garret got here just in time.”

      “Could you see if anything was stolen?” Lieutenant Conrad asked. “Anything missing?”

      “I didn’t have a chance to look around, but it’s not like there’s much to steal in here,” she said. “Dad never kept much cash in the office. And that would be in Barb’s desk up in front. Besides, the guy didn’t seem interested in money.” She pointed to the other end of the building. “But it looks like he could’ve been in my dad’s office. The light’s on in there.”

      “Did you look in there yet?”

      “No, not yet.” Megan swallowed hard. That was why she’d come here tonight...to sit in Dad’s old leather chair, to breathe in the dusty, musty air, to feel his presence one more time. She bit her lip, determined not to cry again.

      “How about we take a look around,” Lieutenant Conrad said as he led the way back there.

      As they walked past the area where she’d been pinned on the floor, Megan felt a little weak-kneed and off balance. But Garret, seeming to sense this, put his hand on her back as if to steady her.

      Lieutenant Conrad used his elbow to nudge the door open, warning them not to touch anything. But to Megan’s dismay, the office looked nothing like it should’ve looked. It was as if someone had turned it upside down. All the drawers in the desk and file cabinet were opened and dumped out. Even the pictures had been removed from the wall, many of them lying in broken shards on the floor. The place was a shambles.

      Megan’s hand flew to her mouth. She was unable to speak or even think. Why would anyone do this? What could he have been looking for?

      “What about your dad’s computer?” Lieutenant Conrad asked her.

      “Computer?” She made a choked laugh. “Dad never used a computer. I thought everyone in Cape Perpetua knew that.”

      “I know Rory hated electronics, but how did he run a newspaper without one?” Lieutenant Conrad carefully poked around

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