Unknown Enemy by Janet Sketchley

Author:Janet Sketchley [Janet Sketchley]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Janet Sketchley

CHAPTER 7

Wednesday

LANDON HADN’T FELT comfortable to join Anna at her weekly prayer group. Instead, she settled in the upstairs conversation nook after breakfast to work on her paper. It was a luxury having the whole building to herself for a few hours, although an inn needed guests. The windows here overlooked the water, dark and choppy this morning.

The alcove held three cozy chairs, gathered around a round wooden coffee table. Reading lamps stood between the chairs. Landon turned one on, more for artificial sunlight than for any real need.

She stared out at the water. Yesterday, Anna’s planner hadn’t uncovered any memories that might point to her prowler’s identity. Nor had the inn’s guest book, when Landon suggested that long shot. In theory, a guest could have been scouting the area for a future crime, and Anna could have seen or overheard something incriminating. Or an angry guest could have hired someone local to exact revenge.

Realistically, with no decent leads, they were flailing in circles.

Anna had agreed to give the police Landon’s suggestion about ruined credibility as a motive, but after making the call, she’d refused to discuss the mystery for the rest of the day.

Sympathy for her friend didn’t ease Landon’s frustration at their helplessness, but pushing wouldn’t help. Sometimes the best way to solve a problem was to think about something else and let the mind rest.

In her case, “rest” had meant finishing a short assignment for her course, and more readings for this paper she had to write.

Today her eyes were gritty. Their prowler had taken another night off, but she’d jumped out of bed each time the lights came on. She’d seen the deer again, and a few rabbits.

She felt different this morning, more settled in her spirit, as if the nightmares were easing. Maybe her idea for Bobby, about repeated exposure fading the memory-triggers, applied to her too.

Except in her case, defusing one trigger led to finding others. Seeing Ciara had freaked her out, maybe because Landon had never addressed the vague and unresolved pain from her middle school years.

In the past, Ciara’s spiteful words had gashed deep. When young Landon was already vulnerable and struggling with her worth.

Ignoring her laptop on the low wooden table, Landon drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. She had to take the past to Jesus, and let Him help her forgive and let go.

Eyes closed, she hugged her legs closer to her body and rested her chin on her knees.

A buzz from her pocket jolted her half-way out of her seat. She slid back into the chair and pulled out her phone to check the alert. Her fingers and neck were stiff, as if she’d been sitting in prayer longer than she realized.

There was a new email from her professor: This acknowledges receipt of your assignment. Kudos for submitting ahead of deadline. You do realize that class participation forms a significant portion of your final mark?

Fingers of dread chilled her chest. Class participation was hard to achieve from three provinces away.

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