Page 15 of Haystacks and Hoaxes

Guilt flooded her over just how wrong she’d been not to report the vandalized walkway outside her apartment door to the police. “I-I…” More tears gushed down her cheeks, making Decker’s face blur.

She felt his hands on her shoulders, guiding her into one of the dining room chairs. Then he whipped out his cell phone and made a call. It sounded like he was speaking directly to the sheriff — not the retired one who worked for Lonestar Security, but the newly elected Luke Hawling. She wasn’t surprised that a security firm owner like himself had those kinds of connections.

When Decker ended the call, he knelt in front of her chair. “I need you to tell me everything that happened to you from the moment you left the parking garage at Lonestar Security until you arrived here.”

She began her story even earlier than that, since it might be relevant for him to know about the reckless driver who’d nearly run her off the road. It wasn’t easy speaking coherently between sobs. She didn’t know what was wrong with her. She was shaking all over.

“She’s in shock, hon.” Chanel pressed a glass of water into Mila’s hand and helped guide it to her lips.

“Thanks.” Mila choked down a sip. Blinking rapidly to clear her vision, she perceived that Gwen was no longer in the room. Neither was the tall woman wearing the apron.Mila hoped like crazy that the woman had whisked her precious little niece into a safe room.

She took another sip of water before launching back into her description of all the weird things that had happened to her today.

Her stepbrother’s face grew even whiter as he listened to her tale about the vandalized floorboards outside her front door.

“There was a small box on my doormat,” she concluded in a shaky voice. She described the packaging and the missing shipping label. “I like to shop online, so I didn’t think much of it. Since I was running late to dinner, I tossed it on the passenger seat and brought it with me.” The thought hadn’t entered her mind that she might be transporting a bomb across town. A bomb! “I’m so, so, so sorry, Deck!”

“For what?” He glared at her.

“For not following my gut and calling the police like I should have.” She squeezed her eyelids shut, unable to bear the thought of what might’ve happened if she’d brought the box inside the house with her. Or remained in the vehicle a few minutes longer…

He drew a heavy breath as he stood and walked a few paces away from her to make another phone call.

Mila scrubbed a hand across her damp cheeks as she reopened her eyelids.

Her sister-in-law was still hovering over her, looking concerned.

“I’m so sorry for ruining dinner.” Despite all the good things that had happened to Mila earlier in the day, her life felt like it was coming unraveled again. Maybe her mother was right about trouble dogging her heels since the day she’d been born. Maybe it always would.

“You didn’t ruin dinner.” Chanel plopped into the chair beside Mila. “Whoever planted a bomb on your doorstep is the one who ruined dinner.”

Mila stared at her for a moment. “Why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden?” The words tore out of her before she could stop them.

Chanel looked perplexed. “I’m not sure how to take that question.”

Unfortunately, Mila was too overwrought to stop babbling. “I honestly thought you hated me.”

Her sister-in-law gave a huff of disbelief. “I’m pretty sure that shoe is on the other foot.” She lightly tapped the toe of her ivory high-heeled pump against Mila’s ankle boot. “I’m not the one who skipped out on our wedding shower. And our baby shower.”

“Only because I wasn’t invited!” The fact that Mila had been deliberately excluded from the invitation lists of both showers still stung.

“That’s not true.” Chanel looked more confused than ever. “Even though you were still living with your parents, I sent you your own invitation to both events.”

No! That’s not possible! Unless it was.Mila started shaking uncontrollably. Since her mother had gone out of her way to stress that Mila hadn’t been invited, someone had to be lying.

“Why would my mom say something like that if it wasn’t true?” She spoke through numb lips, wondering what else her perennially malcontented mother had lied about.

Chanel slapped a hand through the air. “I can think of a few reasons, though now isn’t the best time to have this discussion. You’ve been through enough today, Mila. Right now, the only thing you need to do is breathe.”

Mila nodded and obediently dragged in a breath and let it out. She watched as Chanel hopped to her feet and left the room, returning moments later with a lovely red, white, and green afghan in hand. It looked like a family heirloom, yet she didn’t hesitate to unfold it and place it around Mila’s shoulders.

“Thank you,” Mila whispered, tugging the ends of it tighter around her. She couldn’t remember ever feeling this cold before. Every part of her felt cold. Her extremities. Her bones. Her very soul.

A siren blared in the distance, then another one. They quickly drew closer. The next hour passed in a blur of policemen coming and going from the driveway. A pair of them came inside the house and spoke to Mila, asking a bunch of questions. They typed her answers into their electronic notebooks. Eventually, they left her alone, and the damaged Lexus was towed away.

Decker’s cell phone rang with an incoming call. He stepped away from Mila and Chanel to take it. He returned to them only seconds later.

Catching his sister’s eye, he announced bleakly, “You might as well get comfortable, sis, because you’re not going anywhere until we figure out what’s going on.”

---