Hidden in a Whisper by Tracie Peterson

Author:Tracie Peterson [Peterson, Tracie]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 0100-12-31T22:00:00+00:00

Braeden was nearly back to his own quarters when Gwen Carson called out to him from the dining room doors. Surprised to find the normally shy young woman calling to him, Braeden stopped immediately and went to see what was wrong.

“You’re keeping mighty late hours, Miss Carson.”

“I know,” she said, glancing over her shoulder as if afraid someone might see her. “But I had to tell you something, and I couldn’t do it with Miss Taylor around.”

Braeden narrowed his eyes. “What is it?”

“I cleaned up the office—” “Yes, I saw that. It was a kind act of responsibility.”

“I didn’t tell you about it in order to receive praise. It’s just that … well … there was something else.”

“I don’t understand, Miss Carson. What is it you’re trying to say?”

He could see that she was extremely nervous, and instantly his mind began to conjure all manner of thought. Had she seen something? Had the thief returned? “Please tell me what’s the matter.”

Gwen nodded. “I cleaned up the blood, then I tried to move Rachel’s desk back, but it was too heavy. So I thought if I opened the drawers, I could take them out and lighten up the weight.”

She faltered, and Braeden could see that she was clearly shaken. “Go on,” he urged.

“I opened the largest of the drawers … and … and … inside it … well, inside it was a snake.”

“A snake?” Braeden questioned. “How would a snake get inside a desk drawer?”

Gwen shook her head. “I don’t know, but it was there and I think somebody put it there to hurt Rachel.”

Suddenly Braeden got a bad feeling about the entire matter. “What kind of snake was it?”

Gwen’s eyes widened. “It was a rattler.”

“What did you do about it?” Braeden was trying desperately to keep his emotions under control.

“I took it out of there.”

He smiled at the shy girl. “You?”

“I’ve had to deal with snakes since we lived in a soddy when I was just a girl. They don’t frighten me all that much, but this was different.” Braeden actually reached out and hugged the young woman. “You may well have saved Rachel’s life. You should be commended.”

“I figured I’d tell you because Miss Taylor might not think it was all that important. She tries hard to take care of herself, you know. She’s a very proud woman.”

He smiled. “Yes, I know. Look, you did the right thing in telling me. I believe you may well be right about someone trying to hurt Rachel. I’ll need you to help me keep an eye on her. Can you do that for me?”

“I’ll do whatever I can to keep her from harm. She’s been a wonderful friend to me.”

Braeden nodded. “Go to bed. Tomorrow is a big day and we’ll all need our strength.” She turned to go, then Braeden called again. “And thanks for what you did.” He watched her until she disappeared into the kitchen. With a calm he didn’t feel, Braeden closed the dining room doors and wondered silently how he was going to deal with this latest incident.

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