Cold Hunt by Stone Mary & Berdel Donna

Author:Stone, Mary & Berdel, Donna [Stone, Mary & Berdel, Donna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: thriller, Mystery, Suspense
Amazon: B084GW27SY
Goodreads: 50692745
Publisher: Mary Stone Publishing
Published: 2020-02-06T08:00:00+00:00

16

Frantic knocking on her tiny one-bedroom apartment door jarred Jillian out of sleep early Monday morning. She sat up and froze, reaching out into the darkness to find Sam on the bed beside her, still snoring away peacefully. “What a guard dog you are.”

The pounding started again, and this time, Sam lifted her head. As Jillian threw back the covers and slipped on her robe, the dog dutifully followed Jillian from the bedroom to the living room.

Jillian padded to the front door and spoke through it. “Who is it?”

“Can you open the door?” The impatient voice on the other side belonged to her landlord.

Jillian sighed and crossed her arms, staring at the locked door, grateful the security chain was engaged. “It’s four o’clock in the morning. Is there an emergency?”

“I’ve gotten three calls about your dog barking all night.”

Jillian shook her head. “That’s not possible. She’s been in bed with me all night. She didn’t even bark when you started pounding on the door.”

He huffed in disgust on the other side. “Dogs don’t belong in beds.”

“It’s my furniture. Why do you care?” She was sick of this and wondered if he would ever leave her alone.

“Your dog is a nuisance.”

Jillian’s hands shook with rage as she tightened the belt on her robe. “She was not barking. I don’t know what you heard, but it wasn’t her. She’s been with me all weekend, and she hasn’t uttered a sound.”

“I heard her with my own ears.”

Liar! “Sam. Wasn’t. Barking.”

“I won’t stand for this.” He twisted the doorknob once and pounded on the door again.

Jillian placed her hand on Sam’s head as the dog’s chest rumbled with a low growl. Sam chuffed but didn’t bark. She stood her ground at the door, tail rigid, her usual goofy expression gone. Her lips curled back, but she remained absolutely silent.

“The other residents deserve to live in peace.”

“Is that why you’re pounding on my door at four in the morning and standing in the hallway shouting about a dog that isn’t barking? How is that peaceful for anyone?”

He went silent, and Jillian waited for the sound of his retreating footsteps, but after a few moments went by, he tried the knob again. One turn, another, then he twisted it rapidly back and forth.

“I’m not opening it, and if you try to come in right now, I will call the police. There are laws about when and how you can enter a residence.”

“An emergency supersedes those rules.”

“What emergency? The madman in the hallway shrieking like an enraged toddler about imaginary barking?” Jillian’s heart was pounding. She ran a shaking hand over her face, realizing her cheeks were drenched with angry tears.

“I want that dog out of here.”

“She’s in my lease. You can’t break the terms just because you hate dogs.”

“I don’t hate dogs.” His voice was petulant, making a chill creep up Jillian’s spine.

Sam grumbled, and Jillian scratched behind the dog’s ears as they both glared at the door. “You have my phone number. You could’ve called. There’s no reason for you to do this.

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