They always seemed to do the opposite of what a man expected.
He pushed back the distraction. At least she’d recovered quickly enough to race after them, so he didn’t need to worry about her right now. He kept his gaze forward, and this time leaped just high enough to touch the wall with his right foot as he went over. It was easier now that he had his rhythm back, but he wasn’t gaining enough to bring down the suspect.
The next yard had the back porch light on, and he could see his target clearly. Almost as if sensing that he wouldn’t be able to outrun Daniel for long, the guy veered to his right, slipping on the cold grass and almost falling flat. Recovering quickly, he ducked around the side of the house toward the street and disappeared.
Daniel slowed down, suspecting a corner ambush, then caught a flash of something moving to his left, low to the ground. Spinning around, he saw a huge dog—or at least two rows of gleaming white teeth against a dark shape.
As the dog growled, Daniel jumped up onto the three foot wall. Forced to watch his feet, he ran along the narrow top. As soon as he reached the yard’s wooden gate, he jumped high over the top, praying he wasn’t leaping blind onto a stack of firewood.
Luck was with him. Daniel landed with a crunch on light gravel just as the dog slammed into the other side of the gate with an awesome thud.
Daniel glanced around quickly, but the driveway before him was empty. Then he heard the sound of squealing tires. As he turned his head back toward the boulevard, he saw taillights racing away. He’d lost him. It was over—for now.
He was walking back up the street in the direction of the coffee shop when he heard footsteps approaching to his right. “He’s getting away,” Holly called out, running across the lawn toward him. “I tried to catch up, but those danged walls kept slowing me down.”
“I thought I told you to stay put.”
Holly bristled. “And do what? Stand there gagging in the dark, hoping he wouldn’t circle the block and come back for round two? I felt safer chasing him.”
“Did you get the license plate, by any chance?”
“No, did you?” she answered.
He shook his head, dug his phone out of his pocket and dialed the police.
LESS THAN THREE minutes later, an officer drove up. The attractive blond officer recognized Daniel and smiled at him as she took out a small notebook. “You stirring up trouble on my beat again, Hawk?”
He gave her a grim smile. “It’s good to see you, Penny,” he said, then updated her, giving as much of a description as possible of their attacker.
“That’s not much to go on. He’s going to be changing his clothes right away, and his approximate height and build aren’t going to give us much of a lead.” Still taking notes, she glanced at Holly. “Did he speak to you at all, Ms. Gates?”
Holly shook her head. “No, he never said a word, Officer White,” she said, noting the officer’s name tag. “Somehow that made it even worse. He wanted me dead, but he had nothing to say to me?” Her voice broke at the last word and she swallowed hard.
“Have you had problems with anyone lately, an old boyfriend, maybe, or an ex-husband? A neighbor?”
Holly shook her head. “Never married, and no on the rest. Is there any attacker on the loose? Our neighborhood watch usually warns us regarding a crime spree, but I haven’t heard about any serious problems lately.”
“Things have been quiet,” Officer White said. “Particularly in this neighborhood.”
“Not anymore,” Daniel said.
Officer White nodded somberly.
“I have one possible lead for you,” Daniel said, then told her about the incident with Keeswood earlier that day.
“Clyde Keeswood’s basically a loudmouth,” Holly said, shaking her head. “He wants attention and makes noise to get it, but he’s not really violent. He knew I’d see the chair coming and dodge. Had he really meant to hurt me, he would have rushed the podium.”
“It’s still possible that tonight’s incident was in retaliation for what happened earlier,” the officer said, placing her notebook back into her pocket. “We’ll talk to Mr. Keeswood and get in touch with you if we need to do a follow-up. In the meantime, you might want to avoid going for walks alone at night,” she said. Giving Daniel a quick nod and smile, Officer White got into her patrol car and drove off.
“Why don’t we go have something to eat and try to sort this out? Are you up to it?” he asked, noticing how she had her arms folded, almost as if hugging herself.
She nodded, then walked with him up the street. “Do you really think this had something to do with my work for the tribe?”
“What happened tonight could have a dozen explanations, including a stalker, but let it go for now,” he said, his voice steady. “Once you eat something and have a little time to relax, you may find that you’re able to remember more, little details you might have blocked out because you were too busy staying alive.”
“All right. I’ll try. I want this man caught and put behind bars. He’s…crazy.”
“Maybe,” Daniel muttered under his breath as he walked beside her down the sidewalk.
DANIEL ORDERED a green chile cheeseburger with the works. She decided on a grilled cheese sandwich. She wasn’t at all hungry and her throat was a little sore, but from the looks of it, Daniel had worked up quite an appetite after tonight’s run.
Holly picked at her sandwich and sipped the warm, soothing chamomile-and-peppermint-flavored tea, one of her favorites. Logic told her that it was over and she had nothing else to fear, but she still couldn’t quite make herself relax.
“You saved my life tonight and I haven’t even thanked you yet,” she said, warming her hands on the ceramic mug she was holding.
He smiled. “It’s not necessary, but I’d like you to answer one question for me. You were unarmed, yet you still raced after the man who tried to strangle you. What were you planning to do if you caught him?”
“I can’t fight, but I might have been able to distract him while you did the rough stuff,” she said, then paused before continuing, “There are many ways to win a fight, Daniel. Sometimes it’s a matter of buying someone else a few seconds to act.”
“You’re right,” he said. “Diversions can be crucial in some situations.”
“Earlier today, you offered to give me some pointers on how to spot trouble. I’m ready to listen. The guy walked right up to me and I never thought a thing about it until he grabbed me by the shoulders. By then it was too late.”
He nodded. “All right. For starters, when you’re giving a talk, watch individuals, not just the overall group. Look for behavior that doesn’t fit in with the others present. Search for small telltale signs, not just confrontational stares. For example, people who are lying or have an agenda tend to touch their face a lot. If you’re close enough, watch for downward gazes, too, or looking off to the right. Attitude and posturing are the keys. Guys looking for trouble often telegraph their
