Page 37 of Break Away
“You do this solo?”
“Usually, but not all the time. Some days Ihave another wildlife biologist with me. But I always take Lucy.Since the forecast said it’ll get into the eighties, I’m planningon an early start to get ahead of the heat.”
“What time will you be back?”
“No later than two or three.”
“Come to the station when you get off.”
When she nodded, Levi reached for the door,then paused. “Do you have my phone number?”
She shook her head, then unlocked her phone’sscreen and opened her contact list. She typed in his name and gavehim her phone so he could add his number. He tapped, then swipedand tapped again before handing it back.
“I put in my personal number and mydepartment cell number. I carry both phones with me. I also sentyour number to my phone.” His gaze sharpened. “I’ve already talkedto Brad. The cottage is going to be wired with an alarm system.He’ll be in touch to work out when it will be installed.”
“That’s going to be expensive. I wish you hadtalked to me first.”
“You’re a tenant. You should expect yourlandlord to take reasonable precautions to keep you safe.”
“Right. Okay. I guess that makes sense.”
“Iwant you safe, Zoey. We’ll figureout what’s going on, but anything that looks off, trust yourinstincts and call nine-one-one, then call me. Don’t talk yourselfinto thinking it’s nothing.”
She nodded. He stared. She sighed. Heleft.
After she closed the door, dread formed anuneasy knot in her stomach. The nasty post was unsettling, nodoubt. But talking to Levi made her wonder if he was right inthinking there could be a connection between that and the otherthings that had happened to her.
She turned the deadbolt then went to thekitchen and made sure that door was also securely locked.
When she finally settled back into bed, shefound herself listening for any sound from outside. Knowing thatLevi was in his cabin only a short distance away helped ease someof her anxiety. Plus, Lucy was an excellent alarm system anddeterrent.
Still, it took a long time for Zoey to settleenough to fall asleep.
***
With a yellow legal pad in front of him, Levipropped up an iPad, tapped the screen, then adjusted the angle.
“Camera app is open, but I’m not recordingyet.”
“Is it really necessary to record this? Ifeel like I’m a suspect being interrogated.”
“You’re not a suspect in anything. Recordingthis interview is the best way to make sure I have an accuraterecord of everything you say, and it can help me formulatefollow-up questions later.”
“Right.” She tapped her fingers on thetable.
They were both in uniform: Levi’s a dark navyblue, hers the dark green pants and khaki of the Forest Service.She was glad she didn’t have to wear a bulletproof vest under hershirt.
“Do you want something to drink? Coffee,soda, water?”
“No, I’m good. Let’s get this done.”
“Okay, I’m hitting record now.”
Zoey shifted and tried not to stare at theiPad.
“Tell me about the woman who goes by the nameKarma. Her real name is Wanda Patterson by the way.”
“Ha.” Zoey gathered her thoughts. “I alreadytold you all I know about her. I think she focused on me to pick onbecause I was new in town and didn’t know anyone else in the class.Classic bullying crap.”
