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“I think I’ll pass. I’ll go over to the caretaker’s house and see how sick Dave is.” Alex left the kitchen with a wave.

“I’m on duty. NoPoldarkfor me.” Elle started texting again.

Kimberly filled the large water bottle and returned to her room. She drank as much as she could before lying down. “Okay, baby, today is not a good day. Can you wait until tomorrow?”

29

Alex eyedthe clouds gathering in the western sky as he drove north. “Elle, what does your phone say the weather is?”

Elle consulted her phone. “Looks like we are in for a thunderstorm. According to the NOAA, it is only a severe-storm watch, not a warning.”

“I hope something goes according to plan soon.”

“Some plans come together in ways we don’t expect. Rain at the post office will make it easy to see if someone is waiting for us. No one sits around in the rain.”

“True.” Alex took the turnoff to Shipshewana. “I’m more worried about the transformer down near Art House. It seems to go out every time lightning strikes within a hundred-mile radius.”

“It hasn’t gone out since the night Kimberly broke into the house. Stop worrying about her. She has Mrs. Capps next door, and Dave is feeling much better.”

Stopping worrying? Was that even possible? Something had been off with Kimberly all day. And it wasn’t the normal internal war she played with herself about her feelings for him. Maybe it was the worry about the contents of the mailbox. They’d all been on edge for days.

The phone rang. The console screen read “Jethro Hastings.”

“Hey, Dad.”

“Who’s with you?”

“Elle. We are about ten miles from the post office.”

“Sam and Dave are with Kimberly?”

“Just outside the house. Why?”

“Your uncle called. There was an attack on Agents Danes and Garcia. Garcia is in critical condition, and Danes is missing.”

“When did this happen?” The first drops of rain splattered the windshield.

“Last night. They left Garcia for dead. I don’t like the timing.”

“Did Uncle Donovan ever tell anyone about the treasure hunt Jeremy is leading Kimberly on?”

“No point yet, but the timing of this attack—I don’t like it.”

“We’ll be careful.” Alex glanced at Elle.

“Be more than careful.”

“Will do.”

“Call me when you finish.” The call disconnected.

The rain fell harder.

Elle straightened her wig. “I think I should go in. The building is a brick stand-alone, and the surrounding buildings should be closed. We can get one of those rain ponchos at the dollar store. It will be impossible to tell I am not Kimberly unless a person gets close enough I can flip them.”

Alex considered Elle’s plan. “You know Alan will kill me if anything goes wrong.”

“Only after he locks me away like Rapunzel.”