Page 45 of Through the Dark Night
Shannon filled Marina in on a few of the overarching facts. She didn’t go into detail, because she was more shaken than she cared to admit.
“Who do you think he really was? Do you really think he was a legitimate detective?”
“I don’t know. I really don’t. I have no experience with this type of thing. My ex-husband is a lawyer, it’s true, but he typically works for corporations. It’s not usually this type of case that he takes on.”
Marina nodded. “I think whatever that man wants, it’s not about justice. It’s about money or revenge. He didn’t look legit to me at all. He actually looked like he was planning on hurting someone or like he was hunting prey. Did you see his eyes?”
“I did. They looked a little soulless,” Shannon said, suppressing a shiver at the memory.
They talked a little bit, and then each of them went back to their tasks, although Shannon had a hard time focusing on the flowers. She couldn’t think about them and ended up standing, staring into space. That’s where she was when Lance rushed in forty-five minutes later.
“Are you okay?” Lance asked as he strode across the floor immediately, coming to her side and putting his arm around her.
She leaned into his side, drawing strength from his warmth andhis confidence.
“I am feeling better now,” she said honestly.
“You’re trembling. Let’s sit down.”
He led her to a chair, one of the few that were grouped around the lobby, cozy and intimate in their setting, and he sat down in a chair that was angled toward her, his knee touching hers, his hand holding hers.
“What did he want?”
She shook her head. “He was asking pointed questions about the accident that killed my daughter, but I don’t think that’s what he really wanted. Or he wasn’t trying to find out facts. He’s trying to hurt someone, I think.” She remembered what Marina had said, and she shivered. She didn’t have as much experience as Marina probably did, but she still got a terrible vibe and an even worse feeling from even thinking about the man.
The front door opened, and Shannon couldn’t stop her gasp and fearful gaze. She sighed with relief when she saw it was just Homer, looking around, appreciating the view, and then his eyes landed on her.
His gaze firmed up, and he strode over.
“Looks pretty nice in here,” he said. “It’s been a bit since I was in and saw it.”
“Thanks. It’s all come together really well. We just have a few little odds and ends to finish up. Opening is in two weeks.”
“That’s exciting. The whole town’s buzzing about it.” He paused, glanced at where Lance clasped her hand, and then gave Lance a serious look. “The town is also buzzing about the man who visited you today.” His gaze went back to Shannon. “I have a little bit of experience in tech. A lot, I guess. It’s my job. I just wanted to offer to look the guy up if you wanted me to.”
Shannon glanced at Lance, who nodded.
She dug the card that Morison had given her out of her pocket. “His name is Rick Morison. And this is the card he gave me. That’s all the information I have on him. He flashed a badge, but it was too fast for me to actually read anything it said. I don’t think he was an official government person. I think he was maybe a PI or something?”
Homer nodded. “This is not my area of expertise, although if there’s information on him on the internet, I can find it. I’ll have to leave it up to someone else to make sense ofthe info.”
“I appreciate you offering,” Shannon said.
“Me too. I don’t have a good feeling about this,” Lance said, and it surprised Shannon. He hadn’t mentioned that to her. Maybe he hadn’t wanted to scare her.
“I don’t know a whole lot, but do you have someone staying here with you at least for this evening? I don’t think he’s the kind of guy who’s going to kill you in your bed or anything, but I definitely would want to have someone with me if he shows up again.”
“I was planning on staying. Katie and I can come and spend the evening here,” Lance said, and Homer nodded.
“That will make my wife feel a lot better, and me too. Just let me know if you need someone to take your place. I feel like you’ll be safe at night, especially since the security system has been installed, but I definitely think that someone should be with you during the day.”
“I’ll take care of it. Thank you,” Lance said, standing up and shaking Homer’s hand.
True to his word, Lance left only to pick up Katie and to bring her back for supper. Marina had made enough for everyone, and it was delicious as always.
Lance and Katie stayed until eleven o’clock, when Katie could barely keep her eyes open. He obviously did not want to leave, but Shannon and Marina insisted that he take Katie home to bed.
He said that he would be back to drive around the inn a few times at night, and if he saw anything odd, he’d be in. He knew the code to the door, and they felt like everything would be fine as long as they stayed inside.
