Silver Bracelets: A Loveswept Contemporary Classic Romance by Sandra Chastain

Author:Sandra Chastain [Chastain, Sandra]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780345541680
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2013-07-08T04:00:00+00:00

Seven

“Why would anybody do this?”

Sarah stood in the middle of her shop, turning slowly around. The place hadn’t just been ransacked, it had been destroyed. The windows were broken. The shelves had been split. All the equipment was upturned and her stock had been unboxed and piled in the middle of the floor.

Frowning, Asa studied the destruction. He felt great rage that someone had violated Sarah’s shop. This was her place, a part of her. Whoever did this couldn’t have known Sarah or it would never have happened.

“Why?” she repeated.

Asa reached out, put his arms around Sarah, and held her.

“I don’t know why, Sarah. Vandals. Some kids having fun. I don’t know. Did you keep any money here?”

She laughed. “Me? No, I don’t get much cash. There were a few checks. They were in a box under the counter.”

Sarah pulled away and walked over to what used to be her counter. The box was still underneath, along with her receipt book and the container that had held her claim tickets.

Officer Paul Martin was directing other officers in searching the building for evidence. “Glad you’re here, Asa. They broke in through the back door. Wasn’t even a professional job. Somebody just picked up a rock, broke the glass, and reached inside to open the door.”

Asa turned to Sarah.

“I thought you were in the security business. Don’t you have some kind of burglar alarm here?”

“Good heavens, no. I’ve even been known to leave the door unlocked. If they’d tried they probably could have walked right in. Why would anybody break in? Everybody knows I don’t keep cash here.”

“There must have been something here, something that somebody was looking for,” Asa insisted. “Think, Sarah.”

“No. I don’t have anything valuable, not unless—wait a minute. The old man.”

“What old man?”

“He came in last week just before I closed. He had an old safe that he wanted me to open.”

“Lincoln Grimsley,” Paul said.

“Grimsley was here?” Asa turned a disbelieving look toward Sarah.

“Yes. Do you know him?” Sarah asked, as Asa took her arm and pulled her over to one corner, away from the officers who were taking fingerprints on the counter.

Paul followed. “Lincoln Grimsley was an ex-con, just got out of jail. Checked in over at the department last week when he first got to town. Just wanted to see his old family home. Seemed harmless enough.”

“That’s why he was so pale,” Sarah muttered. “I thought he’d been sick.”

“Tell us about the safe, Sarah,” Asa told her, trying to remain calm despite the fear growing in him.

“Well, he was very anxious about opening it. It was pretty small and he didn’t want it destroyed. He was supposed to come back Monday morning. He never showed up.”

“I think we know why,” Asa declared.

Paul caught Asa’s worried expression. “Did you notice anything else unusual about him, Sarah?”

“He was polite. He seemed nervous. Oh, and he was missing a thumb on his right hand.”

“That was definitely him,” Paul stated.

Asa paced back and forth, a frown on his face. “What about the safe? Any idea where he got it?”

“Don’t know anything about that,” Paul answered.

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