but it’s for the best. C’mon. Let’s pack up and leave.” Tory turned toward the hallway but waited for Michelle to follow.
Cade hung back and trailed behind the two down the long hall. Tory hurried in front of her daughter and closed the bathroom door before they passed it. He started to check the damage out, but Michelle’s gasp when she looked into her bedroom echoed through the air. The bathroom could wait. He quickened his pace down the corridor.
When he came up behind Michelle, chaos like a tornado had ripped through the room greeted his inspection. This was not a prank, but the actions of someone who had a score to settle. Some of the clothes were ripped apart. And then there was the skull and crossbones painted in red on the wall. Was that blood? The sight solidified his resolve no matter what, he would find who did this to his daughter’s room.
A tall thin man squatting on the floor rose and removed the toothpick from his mouth. He looked past Tory and Michelle to Cade. “I’m Detective Alexander. I’ll be processing the room. Trying to lift fingerprints on some of the drawers and anything else I think the intruder touched. So far I haven’t gotten too many usable ones.”
“Cade Morgan, the new Texas Ranger assigned to this area. Nice to meet you. Can Michelle come in and get some clothes to take with her?”
“So y’all aren’t staying here?” the detective asked as he moved to them in the entrance.
“No, not right now.” Tory peered around the man to take in the bedroom.
“I’ll board up the window when I finish with the crime scene. I still have the bathroom to process and finish this room so I’ll be here for a while.”
For a second the words crime scene hung in the air. Michelle hugged herself and dropped her head, all her anger from before deflated.
“I appreciate that. What have you already gone through?” Tory put her arm around Michelle, and this time her daughter let her.
“That third of the room.” The detective gestured toward the far side. “I’m working my way to the door. So long as you don’t touch any wood or pieces of furniture, you can get what clothes and items you need. If either of you see anything is missing, let me know.”
“Thanks. We will. Michelle, Cade will stay with you while you gather what you want to take.” Tory pointed to a duffel bag. “Use that.” She gave her daughter a hug. “We’re going to be all right.” When Tory pulled back, she quickly left Michelle with him.
But as she hurried away, Cade glimpsed her shiny hazel eyes. His emotions concerning Tory that he’d locked away demanded their release. He couldn’t let that happen. Tory had never really known him or she wouldn’t have jumped into a marriage with his best friend to give Michelle a father while he was fighting in the war in the Middle East. Appearances had always been important to her, but she should have waited longer, dug deeper into why he hadn’t answered her calls and letters. He’d been on an extended secret mission for the Army Rangers and didn’t know anything until he’d returned to camp five months later.
Tory didn’t investigate why she hadn’t heard from him and perhaps that had been for the best in the long run. He’d learned from her not to let his heart get involved. Being detached had helped him on most of his cases, and in this situation he had more of a motive to solve it quickly. Being around Tory stirred memories he wanted to forget.
* * *
Tory hurried into her bedroom, grabbed a suitcase in her closet and swung it up onto her bed. That was when her gaze locked on her pillow. Her photo was gone, but she desperately wanted to see it. Try to pinpoint when it was taken, especially if it was a few hours ago.
Keeping her attention trained on the task at hand, she quickly packed clothes for a few days as well as anything else she might also need during that time. Her hands trembled as she snatched her items. When she shut the suitcase, she lifted the bag from the bed and tightened her grip around the handle to still the shaking. She had to be strong for Michelle.
“Are you ready?” Cade asked from the doorway, his gun and badge no longer hidden. His large, imposing body, from his boots to his cowboy hat, eased some of her anxiety.
“Yes, can we stop and get something to eat before going to your ranch?”
“Sure.” Cade sidestepped to allow her to leave the room. “Michelle is in the entry hall.”
“How was she packing?”
“She didn’t say one word even when Detective Alexander took her fingerprint to rule out hers from the ones that he lifted.”
“Does he need mine?” Tory asked.
“I told him I would take care of it and give it to him tomorrow. Michelle needs to get out of here.” He studied her for a long moment. “You do too.”
“I agree. Let’s go.” This house had been her home ever since she married Derek over fifteen years ago. She’d always thought of it as her safe haven from her work. Now she didn’t know if she could live here again.
When Tory turned the corner in the L-shaped hallway, Michelle stood in the entrance into the bathroom as if she were frozen in place. Her duffle bag lay at her feet. “Michelle.” She rushed to her daughter and wrapped her arms around her. “You shouldn’t have opened the door.”
The white cast to Michelle’s face and her stare fixed on the counter covered in blood underscored how grave the invasion of her home was. Whoever did this set out to frighten her.
“Mom, who would do this?” Michelle threw her arms around Tory.
Shudder after shudder rippled through her daughter’s body. “Honey, I don’t know, but the police will find the person. I don’t want you worrying about it. You’ll be safe.”
Cade approached them. “I won’t let anything happen to either one of you. Let’s get out of here.”
Tory began walking Michelle toward the entry hall. “Ranger Morgan has offered to drive us to get something to eat. How about Juicy Burger Hut? You love their hamburgers and fries.”
“First, please call me Cade. My uncle and I don’t stand on formality at the ranch.” He opened the front door and allowed them to leave first. “Do they still have the best fries in town?”
Michelle remained quiet, but Tory said, “According to my daughter they do. I avoid fried food if possible.”
As her daughter slid into the black SUV backseat, shutting the car door, Cade caught Tory before she rounded the hood of the Jeep. “Are you all right? This is a lot to take in.”
“I’m not concerned about myself. I didn’t want Michelle seeing that bathroom. Did Detective Alexander test it to see if it was blood for sure?”
“Yes, it was, but not human blood. That’s all he can tell. The lab will narrow it down.”
“I was hoping it was all a prank. Seeing the damage again only makes it crystal clear that it isn’t.”
Tory paused, rounding the hood of the SUV. “We’ll never be safe unless we can find the culprits.” She finally said what she was trying to deny since she opened Michelle’s door and saw the trashed room. “Look how hard it has been even
