Home to Briar Mountain by Diane Noble

Author:Diane Noble
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780824907860
Publisher: Guideposts
Published: 2009-07-30T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

You think I don’t know what you’re up to,” Russ Keenan growled. “You think I don’t know it was you out at the cider house watching me from the loft.” He stepped so close to Kate that his nose was only inches from hers. His eyes were bright with anger, his face flushed almost purple. “You think I don’t know you’re following me, watching my every move.”

She swallowed hard. She backed up against the side of the Honda. There was nowhere to duck out of his line of fire. She hoped Willie or one of the other proprietors might look out and see what was happening to her and call for help, but Kate had parked behind the store. If they didn’t, she was trapped.

Kate’s knees turned to jelly as his voice dropped to a menacing whisper. “You’re intruding on my privacy. I don’t know what you think you’ll find, or why you think there is anything to find, but I’m warning you to back off.”

Just then, out of the corner of her eye, Kate spotted a big pink Oldsmobile rounding the corner. It slowed, then the horn sounded long and loud. At the sound, Russ hightailed it around the building and disappeared somewhere down the street. Seconds later, Renee hopped out of the Oldsmobile, Kisses on a leash, and headed over to Kate.

“Are you okay?”

Kate gave her a shaky smile. “You timed that just right.”

Renee looked around. “Where’d our perp disappear to?”

Kate shook her head. “The only thing I know is that I’ve made him very nervous.”

“And for good reason,” Renee said.

“Why do you say that?” Kate asked.

“My neighbor Lola told me that she heard from Deputy Spencer’s mother that our perp is hiding out here in Copper Mill because of something he did in California. The sheriff’s onto him and investigating what it was that brought him here.” She raised a brow knowingly. “I think we need to step up our own investigation. I dropped a hint of it to one of the writers at the Chronicle just now to see what they might dig up.”

Kate had purposely not said anything to Renee or anyone else about Russ Keenan’s prison record. Though she wanted to see justice done, her spirits fell as she thought about the rest of the Keenan family. She hoped the Chronicle would run into the same dead ends that she had. Kate’s compassion for the Keenans made her worry about how news of Russ’s past would affect them, not only in his ability to get work but in how the community would accept—or not accept—his family. “I think we’ve done about enough for one day,” Kate said, discouragement in her voice.

“You’re right. We’ve got him running scared.”

“Besides, you’ve got your hands full getting the pageant flyers written up and ready to print.”

Renee sighed. “True.” Then she moved closer to Kate, a cloud of Youth-Dew enveloping them both. “But I’m available should you need me.”

“Thanks,” Kate said. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Kisses trotting in front of her, Renee returned to the Oldsmobile.

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