Page 17 of In Safe Hands
Callum shot her a look, although he mostly seemed resigned. “Shouldn’t you check with Daisy before you start inviting more people to her house?”
“Sorry, Daisy!” Lou made a face. “I didn’t mean to take over your fitness room. You’ll love Ellie, though. And this is right up Rory’s alley, too.”
“Um…okay?” Even though Daisy felt a little like she’d just been flattened by a runaway semi, there was a fizz of excitement in her stomach at the thought of having a bunch of people at her house for training. It would be the closest thing to a party she’d ever experienced, not counting birthdays when she was a kid.
“Yay! Perfect. This is going to be awesome.” Lou danced over to Max and gave him a hug.
Callum watched, looking equal parts amused and appalled. “I’ll bring pants for…?” He raised an eyebrow at Daisy.
“Max.”
“Right.” An actual smile curled his mouth, and Daisy suddenly understood why Lou could have fallen for him. “I’ll bring pants for Max.”
* * *
Daisy squinted at the mailing label she’d just printed and realized that the sun had almost disappeared behind the mountains. Before turning on the overhead light, she closed the shades, knowing all too well how easy it was to see into a lit room when the windows were uncovered. The office windows, as well as all the lower-level ones, were covered in metal grates. She knew it was silly to have her house fortified like she lived in the worst slums of a big city when she was actually in sleepy Simpson, but having bare windows on the first floor would have robbed her of what little sleep she managed to get.
With the light on, she could actually see the print on the mailing label. She attached it to the cardboard box containing a carefully wrapped Depression glass pitcher. As she added it to the pile of packages that were ready for the UPS driver to pick up the next day, Daisy rolled the tightness from her shoulders. Even though it was still early, she was tired. The previous almost-sleepless night, her mild concussion, and the multiple visitors were all contributing to the heavy blanket of exhaustion settling over her.
The muffled thud of a fist on her front door gave her a mild start before she remembered that it was most likely her dad. Instead of hauling around the dozen keys he’d need to gain entry, Gabe just knocked and waited for her to open the doors for him.
Daisy grinned as she hurried to the entry. He’d been gone for four days, and she’d missed him. She also had a mile-long grocery list. If she was going to start hosting training parties, she’d need snacks and beverages. Sports drinks, maybe? Daisy hoped that Gabe would be able to hit a few estate sales before he left for his next job, too. She was getting low on inventory.
Just before she pushed the unlock button, though, she caught herself. What if it wasn’t her dad? She moved her finger to the intercom button instead.
“That you, Dad?”
“No.” The unfamiliar voice sent a shiver through her, a mix of relief that she’d checked and horror at the thought that she’d almost let a stranger into her sanctuary. As soon as her dad returned, she was going to ask him yet again to install a camera on the porch. Maybe this time he’d actually do it. “Sheriff Rob Coughlin.”
“Oh!” She’d met the Field County Sheriff once before, when she was sixteen. Most of that horrible day was blurry, thankfully, so she couldn’t bring his face to mind.
Her pause must have gone on too long, since he spoke again. “Deputy Jennings mentioned that you witnessed some suspicious activity early this morning. I wanted to talk to you about it.”
Once again, her finger hovered over the unlock button, but the uneasiness in her gut wouldn’t let her push it. Instead, she spoke through the intercom as she pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. “I’m just going to call and confirm your identity with Dispatch.”
“That’s fine. Do you need the nonemergency number?”
“I have it, thanks.” Chris had made sure it was one of her few preset numbers, and she tapped the contact. A woman with a squeaky cartoon voice answered and confirmed that Sheriff Coughlin was following up on a suspicious-activity call at 304 Alpine Lane.
Thanking the dispatcher, Daisy ended the call and pushed the unlock button. Despite the reassurance that the sheriff really was who he said he was, her stomach still churned. It was one thing to be visited by Chris, since she thought of him as her friend first and a law enforcement officer second. The sheriff, though, was just a cop. Taking a deep, bracing breath, she unbolted the interior door.
The sheriff stepped inside, making her scurry out of his way. His size and serious expression made him even more intimidating, and Daisy was relieved to be able to look away as she relocked the door.
“Ms. Little,” he greeted when there were no more locks to secure and she had to turn around to face him.
“Sheriff.” She gave an awkward bob of her head. “Would you like something to drink?” Instantly mortified that he might think she was offering him something alcoholic, like in a flirty way, she hurried to clarify. “Water, I mean. Or coffee, although it might be kind of late for that, since I don’t have any decaf. Unless you’re on the night shift?”
“No, thank you.” She had to give him points for the way he didn’t even blink at her awkwardness.
“Okay. Did you want to come in and sit?” Daisy didn’t know the etiquette for a regular visitor, much less an official visit by a law enforcement officer who wasn’t Chris.
“Here is fine.” He looked around the kitchen. “This shouldn’t take long.”
“Okay.” Hoping to put some space between her and Mr. Looming Cop, she moved to her usual spot, leaning back against the counter by the sink.
“Why don’t you tell me what you saw this morning,” he suggested in a way that made it more of a command than a request.
“Didn’t Chris—I mean, Deputy Jennings—fill you in?”
