back to Melanie’s by seven forty. I’d better call her to let her know I’m on my way, he decided. Wouldn’t want to scare her when I drive up the lane.
* * *
Seven ten.
Mel glanced at the clock and rubbed her arms, which were covered in goose bumps. She checked the lock and slumped against the door. Her heart was pounding so hard, she could practically hear the blood pulsing through her veins. She had been hearing noises for what seemed like hours, but in reality was only ten minutes.
Prior to that she had tried to keep busy. She had cleaned up the hot cocoa, which had been left pooled on the floor. She didn’t think the stain would be permanent. She was grateful that the officers had cleaned up the broken glass from the window and boarded it before they left. She knew it wasn’t their job.
There was only so much work to do, though. Her aunt had never been fond of clutter, and Mel knew for a fact that she had someone come in and clean for her several times a week. When she had done all she could, she went to her old room. She opened her closet and felt tears spring to her eyes. Aunt Sarah had told her that she had brought some of Mel’s things back from the apartment she had once shared with Seth.
Once, she could have various friends to help her feel better. Not anymore. Even if she knew how to reach any of her old friends, and assuming they didn’t hang up on her, what could she say? Her old crowd had abandoned her. It was probably for the best. She hadn’t been a Christian when she went to jail.
She shook her head, determined to dispel these depressing thoughts. Reaching in, she grabbed one of her favorite outfits. The soft light green T-shirt and darker green shrug were roomy, but they were okay. She needed a belt to secure the jeans, though. Funny, she hadn’t realized how much weight she had lost in prison. Sighing, she returned to the living room.
She tried to read one of the paperbacks her aunt had on the coffee table, but she was too aware of the passage of time. Anxiety crept up on her. It continued to increase as the shadows deepened. Several times, she caught herself reaching for the phone, to call Jace and find out when he’d return.
“Control yourself, Mel.” Her voice was oddly loud in the empty house. No, she couldn’t be selfish. Jace took his duty seriously. Besides, it wouldn’t do to grow too dependent on him. “These noises are probably just because this is an old house.”
It was the “probably” that concerned her.
She looked at the clock again and grimaced. How long would Jace be gone, anyway?
She bit her lip as she remembered that moment in the car when she had almost asked him if he still thought she was guilty. She snorted. What a dumb question.
“Don’t read anything into it, Mel. Just because he took your side earlier against that officer doesn’t mean he would believe you now. He is trained to focus on the evidence, not on his emotions.”
Mel cast a wary glance around the room. Funny, this house had always seemed so warm and welcoming, with its warm yellow walls, the cozy fireplace and her aunt’s skill with creating an inviting space. Now, however, all she could see was how the curtains didn’t completely shut. Anyone could peer in. Biting her lip, she scrutinized the locks. Unlike the doors, which she knew sported state-of-the-art dead bolts, the windows all had the original locks from when the house was first built decades earlier. Weak locks. She should know. She had sneaked in and out of this house often during her teens. Her aunt had never had a clue, or Mel was sure the locks would have been replaced long ago. The idea crossed her mind to go to the kitchen to wait. She rejected that idea almost as soon as it entered her mind. She would feel even more vulnerable if she couldn’t see what was happening out front.
Her eyes looked at the side window. It was boarded up tight. In her mind, though, she could still see that brick flying through it. She shuddered.
Scritch, scritch, scritch.
Yelping, she leaped up from the couch. Her heart in her throat, she frantically looked around the room. This was a new sound. Was that a mouse? Some kind of animal? Or was someone in the house with her? Lord help me. She sent up an urgent prayer.
A weapon. Of course. She needed some kind of weapon. But what? Her aunt had never kept guns in the house. Her eyes alighted on the fireplace tools.
Scritch, scritch.
She whimpered. Terrified, she slowly crept across the room as soundlessly as she could. She grabbed the first tool she touched. It had a nasty-looking hook on the end. Grimacing, she moved in the direction of the sound. When it came again, she realized it was coming from the large picture window in the front room. Letting out an explosive breath, she moved to adjust the blinds. Really, she was such a coward. Terrified by what was probably a tree branch against the window. Scoffing at herself, she peered out into the now-dark yard. Her breath caught. Terror returned. A man was running down her driveway toward the trees.
“No. This can’t be happening.”
When the phone rang, she shrieked. Oh, maybe it’s Jace. Maybe he’s calling to check up on me. She swiped up the phone as if it were a lifeline.
“Hello?”
“Not so brave now, are ya, little girl?” an unfamiliar male voice jeered.
“Who are you?”
“You disappoint me. Such a common question.” He chuckled. It was not a pleasant sound. “I don’t think that poker would have worked against a gun, though. Do you?”
With a sharp cry, she dropped the phone back into the cradle. He had been watching her! The man she had seen, he had spied on her. Suddenly she knew it hadn’t been branches she had heard. That man had deliberately tried to spook her. He wanted her to know he could get to her whenever he felt like it.
The phone rang again. Mel let it go to the answering machine, covering her ears as the voice filled the room.
Shaking her head, Mel backed fearfully away from it. He could call all night. That didn’t mean she had to answer. She couldn’t force herself to leave the room, though. Settling herself against the wall with the poker in her hands, she waited. Watched. Maybe she wasn’t a match for him if he came for her. That didn’t mean she had to give up. Steel entered her soul. No one was going to scare her off. Not without a fight.
The phone rang again. Mel trembled as the answering machine kicked on. She waited for the voice to begin taunting her.
“Hi, Melanie. It’s me, Jace. I am...” She flew to the phone.
“Jace!” Melanie’s voice was choked with tears as she grabbed the phone with sweaty hands.
“Melanie! Are you okay?”
“I’m okay, but...” The rest of her words were garbled by sobs.
“Melanie, hold on. I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”
Melanie heard the siren blare before he cut the connection. She dropped the old-fashioned phone back into its cradle. Immediately it rang again. She huddled back against the wall as the answering machine kicked on. She covered her ears with her hands to shut out the string of threats and insults.
Red-and-blue police lights flashed. Cautiously, she crawled to the picture window
