Page 18 of In Pursuit of the Truth

Bailey was about to continue around the bend when something about the store snagged her attention. The two large flowerpots on either side of the front door had been knocked over.

Her stomach knotted, and the pangs of hunger were replaced with churning dread.

“Boys, I need to check on something really quick before we head home.”

“But I’m hungry!”

“Can’t we eat first?”

“That’s enough.” Her firm voice, atone reserved for serious situations, silenced the objections. She pulled to a stop in front of the shop. “I’ll be right back. Stay in the truck.”

As much as she wanted to hope that something natural had knocked the pots over, she knew that wasn’t the case. Even when they had a terrible thunderstorm roll through a year ago with record-breaking winds, the heavy planters stood strong.

Bailey placed a hand on the gun tucked into a holster at her waist. Once they purchased the farm, she’d gotten to where she didn’t go anywhere without it.

She ascended the four steps onto the deck and cautiously approached the front door.

The pots hadn’t just been knocked over. They’d been smashed to pieces. Now that she was closer, every single window had been shattered as well.

The door itself wasn’t closed completely, but she didn’t pull it open. Instead, she cupped her hand against the window and peered inside.

Everything she could see was in disarray from a display shelf across the way to the checkout counter.

Tears of anger burned her eyes, and fear coursed through her. She clenched a fist as she jogged back to the truck. With a deep breath, she turned to look at her sons.

“Boys, someone broke into the shop and made a real mess of everything. We’re going to need to call the police and stay here until they arrive.” Before Seth got too worried or they started to complain about being hungry, she raised a hand to stop them. “You can eat your lunch here in the truck while we wait.”

Eating in vehicles was something she’d forbidden since Seth was little because it always ended up in a colossal mess. Both boys’ eyes widened in disbelief.

“Really?” Seth looked at his little brother. “Can we still have ketchup for our fries?”

Even if the boys did their worst on purpose, the mess in the truck couldn’t even begin to compare to what she was going to have to deal with inside the store.

“Yes, you can still have ketchup for your fries.”

“Yay!” Jordan’s excitement was impossible to miss. Seth seemed happy with the idea, but there was a shadow of worry on his face, too.

“Everything’s going to be fine. I’m going to call the police so they can take pictures, and we’ll just eat our lunch while we wait.” She gave her oldest a smile to reassure him. As quickly as she could, she got their meals set up and carefully handed the food to them. “I’m going to step right outside to make that call. You two be careful not to make a mess.”

The boys only nodded as they began to devour their food.

She left the truck’s engine running so the boys would stay cool. With one eye on the door to the store, she dialed the Destiny Police Department.

Chapter Eleven

By the time Nate arrived at Thompson Family Farm, Destiny PD had cleared the store, and Bailey had started to walk through the building to see if anything had been stolen. From what little he’d seen of the interior, it might be difficult to determine if anything had been taken. Displays had been knocked over, drawers dumped onto the floor, and even the pictures on the wall had been ripped off and smashed. Combine that with the FOR SALE sign on the front gate, and it was clear someone was getting bolder. Not a good thing.

He was grateful he had Seth and Jordan and their game of cornhole to keep him distracted because he wasangry. Mostly, he was upset that someone had once again targeted Bailey and her family, but he was also frustrated with her. He had to find out about the vandalism from a friend of a friend. After yesterday, he couldn’t understand why she hadn’t called him.

When he arrived, two police cars were already at the store. Bailey spotted him and gave him a look that ping-ponged between relief and guilt. He’d volunteered to keepthe boys occupied and hadn’t had the chance to talk to her yet.

Seth retrieved the bean bags and handed the blue ones to Jordan. “Let’s play again.” He motioned toward the cornhole board. “You go first, Jordan. You can stand closer if you want to.”

Jordan dropped the four blue bean bags on the ground at his feet, then reached down to grasp one with his chubby little hand. With his tongue peeking out in concentration, the first one he threw didn’t come near the hole. The brothers took turns tossing their bean bags until they were out.

“You two are getting good at this.” Nate walked over and counted the bags that had gone in the hole as well as those that had landed on the board. “Seth won by two, but you’re getting better every time, Jordan. Do you guys want to play again?”

“Nah.” Seth wrinkled his nose and flopped onto a wooden picnic table bench. Several of them were arranged in the area outside the store. He looked at the door and frowned. “How much longer do you think it’ll be?”

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