Page 48 of In Safe Hands
He shook his head. “New job.”
“Oh.” That was quick. Typically, he stayed several days or even a week before heading off to the site of a new project. “Another one in Connor Springs?”
“This one is south of Parker. Huge new house with ground-source heating and cooling, PV and passive solar, wind—pretty much every alternative-energy system they could think of, except for conservation. Ten thousand square feet, including a turret. Rich people are nuts.”
Her smile was slightly forced. “It’s going to be a long one, then, huh?”
He shot her a sharp look. “Don’t be laying a guilt trip on me for working.”
“I’m not.” She focused on smoothing a bag of Tropical Skittles. He’d gotten all her favorites. “I’m not. I’ll miss you, but I made some new friends.”
“Yeah? That’s good.” His expression softened slightly, although it remained wary. He nodded toward the box she’d carried inside and its slightly bigger mate. “Come see what else I found for you.”
She’d forgotten about the mystery boxes, and she made an excited sound that was embarrassingly close to a squeal. She loved presents. Unfolding the flaps on the box she’d left on the counter, she sucked in a breath.
“Oh, Dad! These are awesome!” Daisy carefully pulled out one of the vintage children’s books that filled the box. “Where’d you find these?”
“The Connor Springs library had one of those fundraising sales, where people can donate books.” She nodded, still focused on the box’s contents. From her first quick peek, the books looked to be in great condition. Daisy couldn’t wait to list them online. “That box was five bucks. I was going to text you a picture to see if you’d be interested, but I wanted to surprise you.”
“These are perfect—thank you!”
“There’s another box, too.”
“Oh!” Daisy quickly returned the books she’d pulled out of the box and headed for the second one. “I totally forgot about Box Number Two.” She used her game-show announcer voice, but her dad just looked confused.
Shrugging off her failed joke, she opened the flaps on the second box. Peering inside, she had to fight the urge to jump back in horror. “Oh…wow.” Inside was the creepiest pair of dolls she’d ever seen.
“Those were at the junk store on Evergreen Street. They looked really old, so I figured you might be able to get lots of money for them.” He sounded so proud that Daisy stifled the need to reclose the flaps and send the box with Gabe to Parker. If they were in another town, they couldn’t kill her in her sleep.
The one with the wonky eye was staring at her as if it were plotting her murder. Daisy already had possible dead-body shuffling going on outside her bedroom window. She didn’t need a pair of hell dolls adding to her nightmares. Her dad looked so pleased with himself, though, that she couldn’t crush him.
“These are…great, Dad. I’ll have to do some research so I know what I’m selling. Dolls are new to me.”
“Yeah.” He laughed. “Even as a little girl, you’d pick a stuffed animal over a doll every time.”
She smiled back, quickly folding the flaps closed to break the dolls’ unwavering stares. “Thank you again, Dad. That was really thoughtful of you.”
Brushing off her thanks uncomfortably, he turned toward the garbage can. “I’d better head out. I’ll take out the trash on my way.” Pulling a handful of mail from his coat pocket, he laid it on the counter. “I stopped by the post office, too.”
“Thanks.” Her stomach twisted a little. “Want me to make you a sandwich for the road?”
“No, I’ll just stop somewhere. Coffee’d be good, though.”
Daisy didn’t hesitate to move toward the brewer. It was a relief to have something to do so she didn’t have to stand there and watch him scramble to leave as fast as possible. She focused on the drip, drip of the brewing coffee until it gurgled to a stop. After she transferred it to a travel mug, she saw he was by the door, ready to go.
Her smile was forced, but it didn’t matter, since he was careful not to make eye contact with her.
“Travel safe,” she said, trying to keep her voice light. “Thanks again for the books and the dolls.” Daisy was proud at how the word “dolls” came out with barely a pause. Maybe Chris would take them with him next time he stopped by to visit. They could ride shotgun in the squad and terrify criminals into surrendering.
“Bye, Daisy.”
She carefully fastened the locks, one by one, until she was secure again. Alone, but secure.
* * *
She could hear her mom sobbing, pleading, but Daisy couldn’t see her face. Everything was blurry except for the gun in his black-gloved hand. Daisy shook so hard that her tremors rattled the snack-cake display she was hiding behind. Although she desperately tried to be quiet, the scream built up inside of her, pressing against her lungs until she had to let it out or she would suffocate. The shrill sound escaped, filling her ears and drowning out everything—her mother’s cries, the stranger’s threats, the sirens outside. Where was Chris? Chris always came at this point. He wasn’t there, though. No one was there. The gun flashed, and Daisy knew her mom was gone. Grief blended with fear, and her scream grew louder and louder until the gun pointed straight at Daisy’s face.
She jerked awake with a gasp. As soon as she realized it had been a dream, she scooted to the edge of the bed. The sheets were damp from sweat, and they clung to her skin, slowing her progress.
