Was it Colin?
“Let’s just get inside,” Josiah said. “I’ll walk you in and we can call my brother.”
I clipped on Max’s leash and with my stomach jumping, got out. Josiah took my hand and led me to the front door. I kept Max close so he wouldn’t have a chance to even sniff the poor little squirrel that had been left behind.
With the front door safely shut behind us, I let Max off his leash. He didn’t tear through the house, sniffing, which seemed like a good sign. If someone had been inside, he would have caught their scent. He wasn’t much of a guard dog, but he was curious. He’d have at least followed where the scent led.
Josiah still did a sweep of the whole house, checking every room. Probably not necessary, but it made me feel better.
He came back and pulled out his phone. I sat on the couch while Max curled up next to me.
“Hey,” Josiah said. “Do you have a minute?”
I petted Max, stroking his soft fur. It helped me start to calm down.
“I’m putting you on speaker.” He tapped his screen and held the phone out. “I’m at Audrey’s. We just got here and someone vandalized her house.”
“What kind of vandalism?”
“Someone wrote on her door in squirrel blood.”
“Josiah, that’s not funny.”
“It’s not a joke. The word bitch is scrawled in big letters and there’s a dead squirrel out there. Another dead squirrel.”
“Where are you now?”
“Inside.”
“You should have stayed outside. The perpetrator could be there.”
“Doors were still locked. I don’t think he got in.” He glanced at Max. “The dog would have noticed, right? If someone had been here?”
“Yeah, he would have chased the scent of someone he didn’t recognize.”
“You still shouldn’t have gone in, but since you did, stay where you are,” Garrett said. “I’ll be there in a minute. Which house is it?”
“Next to the new one.”
“Got it. On my way.”
He ended the call and slipped his phone back in his pocket. “Are you okay?”
I took a deep breath and kept petting Max. “Yes? No? Maybe? I don’t know, I’m kind of freaking out. But also not, mostly because you’re here.”
His expression softened and he came over to sit next to me. “You’re safe with me. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
Some of the tension in my body melted. I believed him.
“Do you think this means the other squirrel was on purpose?” I asked.
“Yes.”
As if he could read my mind and knew I needed his touch, he clasped my hand. His were warm and strong.
I was so glad he was there.
“I don’t understand why someone would do this. I don’t have any enemies. I know you’re thinking Colin, and maybe you’re right, but why would he do this now? Our relationship ended so long ago and he’s been married for years.”
“Yeah but you didn’t live here. Now you’re back.”
“But I’m not even in his town. He can still strut around and be the biggest fish in the tiniest pond in Pinecrest and I’m not there to bother him.”
“It doesn’t make sense to me either.”
“I guess it wouldn’t. We’re talking about someone who’s willing to murder poor defenseless animals.”
“You’re worried about the squirrels in all this?”
“Of course I am. They didn’t do anything to deserve being a pawn in some madman’s horrible game. What did they ever do to anyone?”
“They’re Tilikum squirrels, so they’re probably thieves.”
“But even that doesn’t mean they deserved to die. Theft isn’t a capital crime.”
He squeezed my hand. “You’re right. They didn’t deserve to die.”
I wasn’t sure if he was saying that to keep me calm or if he meant it, but it probably didn’t matter. I did feel terrible for the poor squirrels, but thinking about them was mostly a distraction from the fact that someone had vandalized my house.
A car pulled up in the driveway. I waited on the couch while Josiah checked to make sure it was Garrett. It was, so we left Max in the house—thank goodness all the swimming and hiking had tired him out so much—and went back to the crime scene.
My house as a crime scene? This couldn’t be happening.
Garrett Haven was a tall guy with arms that gave his deputy uniform a workout. He had dark blond hair and stubble rather than a full beard like Josiah. He paused a few feet from the door and looked up and down.
“What the fuck?” he muttered.
“Exactly.” Josiah gestured to the poor little squirrel. “That’s about where they left the other one.”
Garrett crouched to inspect the squirrel. He pulled a pen out of his pocket and turned it over. “This isn’t roadkill.”
Josiah pointed at the door. “You think?”
“I just mean someone could have found a dead animal and used it. But this was a precision kill.”
“Is Colin a hunter?” Josiah asked.
“I don’t think so. He didn’t used to be at least.”
“Colin is the ex?” Garrett asked.
I nodded.
Garrett stood and turned his attention back to the door. “Not very subtle, is it? Have there been any other incidents? Times you might have been followed or noticed something strange or out of place here at home?”
“Not really.” I paused, wondering if I should even mention the weird feeling I got at the Mountain Man festival. “There’s nothing I can point to with any certainty, at least.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s just that when I was at the festival earlier today, there were a few times when I felt like maybe someone was watching or following me. I know that doesn’t give you anything to go on. I thought I might have seen Colin, but I didn’t get a good look.”
“Even if you did, thousands of people go to that festival,” Garrett said. “Is that all?”
“I guess there have also been some phone calls.”
“Phone calls?” Josiah asked. “What phone calls?”
“Hang up calls. They came from a restricted number and if I answered, no one would be there. I figured it was telemarketers or something.”
Josiah and Garrett shared a look.
“If this hadn’t happened, I’d tell you not to worry about the calls,” Garrett said. “But this did happen, so we need to look into it. I need to get our crime scene crew over here. Give me a few minutes.”
Garrett walked away and got on his radio. I heard him use the words potential stalker situation.
It sent a chill down my spine.
I hugged my arms around myself. “He thinks I have a stalker.”
“You obviously have a stalker.”
“What if it’s not me?” The pitch of my voice started rising. “What if whoever did this got the wrong house? Or it was meant for someone who used to live here and they don’t know they moved?”
Josiah put his hands on my arms, holding me in a gentle but firm grip. “We’ll find out who did this, okay?”
I nodded, desperately wanting to believe him.
Garrett walked back over. He wanted Colin’s full name and any contact information I had, so I gave it to him.
“We’re going to need to process the scene,” he said. “What did you touch?”
“Just the doorknob,” Josiah said. “Didn’t touch or move anything else.”
“The squirrel was there when you found it?”
“Yeah, I wasn’t in a hurry to pick up another dead animal.”
“Fair enough. I don’t know if we’ll find much. Seems like whoever did this would have worn gloves, but you never know. And we’ll check with the neighbors. See if anyone caught something on a front door camera.”
“I’m installing one of those tomorrow.” Josiah shook his head. “I should have done it after the first squirrel.”
“What are you going to do with the squirrel’s body?” I asked.
“We’ll bag it up and take it down to the station to be examined.”
“And then what?”
Garrett’s brows drew together. “What do you mean?”
“She wants to make sure it gets a proper funeral,” Josiah said.
He turned his confused look on his brother. “A funeral?”
Josiah sighed. “Can we just have it back when you’re done with it?”