Page 39 of Moonlit Colorado

I also couldn’t help thinking about the fact that nobody else’s room had been touched except for Grace’s. Did that mean the culprit had been looking for something of hers?

“Dane, what exactly were you doing here with Grace?” Callum asked. His tone was friendly, but there was a hard edge beneath. The other roommates frowned at me, grumbling that they wanted to know the same thing.

Grace rolled her eyes. “All of you calm down. I’m helping Dane with a project.”

Chief Landry stepped out onto the grass. “Grace, could I have a word with you?”

I stayed beside her as she crossed the lawn toward the chief. Landry frowned, but he didn’t tell me to leave. “Can you explain again what happened?” he asked Grace. “From the beginning. Don’t leave anything out.”

“There’s not much to tell. After bingo, I drove here, and Dane followed me so we could get started on a project I’m going to help him with. But when I arrived, I saw the door was already open. I walked in and found it just like it is now.”

She didn’t mention the part where I threw her over my shoulder and carried her back outside. Probably for the best.

“The common areas and your bedroom were the only parts of the house that appeared to be affected,” Landry said. “The parts of the house you presumably used. Certainly looks like someone was targeting you.”

“That’s what Dane said too.” Grace’s skin had gone ashen. I rested my hand on her lower back.

“You’ll need to take a look and see if anything is missing,” Landry said. “Do you have any idea who would’ve done this?”

Same thing I’d asked her before. But this time, Grace shook her head emphatically. None of the hesitation I had seen earlier around that question. “No. No idea at all.” Her eyes met mine, silently pleading with me not to say anything.

I didn’t like it, but I held my tongue. We would be discussing it later. Without a doubt.

“Are you checking for fingerprints?” I asked the chief. “What about doorbell cams at the neighbors’ houses?” I hadn’t seen one at Grace’s. No alarm system of any kind.

The chief fixed me with an annoyed look. “We’re following all our usual procedures. This isn’t New York City, but believe it or not, I know what I’m doing.”

I held up my hands. “Just making sure.”

Landry took Grace inside. I almost asked if she wanted me to go with her, but I figured I had ruffled enough feathers for the moment.

“Is there something going on between you and my sister?” Callum asked.

Uh oh.

I turned around, finding Grace’s brother and his three buddies glowering at me.

“We’re friends. I’m worried about her. Same as you. But if this were my place, I would’ve had a security system and stronger locks on the doors to keep her safe.”

Callum took off his baseball cap and ran his fingers through his hair. “I’ve always liked you, Knightly. Don’t give me a reason not to.”

“I’ve always liked you too, Callum, but I can’t really help what you do and don’t like.”

Grumbling, he pushed past me into the house.

* * *

I joined in with the others to help clean the living room and kitchen. When Grace and the officers finished in her room, she walked out into the hallway, looking shellshocked.

“Anything missing?” her brother asked.

Her gaze flew to me, then away. “No, not that I can tell.” She rubbed a hand down her opposite arm.

Grace was lying. I couldn’t say how I read her so well based on the few interactions we’d had, but I felt it in my gut. Just like she’d lied to Chief Landry earlier. The question was why.

One of the roommates nodded his head toward Grace’s room. “You want us to help clean up in there?”

“It’s not that bad,” she said faintly. “I can handle it.”

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