Read Online She Waits by Kate Sweeney - Free Book Online

in the house." I started shaking uncontrollably.
    "Christ," Maggie looked around, as if ensuring no one else was there before looking back at me. "Kate, you're bleeding."
    I impatiently waved her off. "We have to make sure there's no one else in the house."
    With that, we heard sirens. Within a minute or two, there were police at both the front and back doors.
    A policeman in full rain gear was standing in the middle of the room talking to Maggie. She gave me a very worried look. I looked back outside and saw two other policemen with flashlights combing the back yard. Thankfully, the rain had stopped.
    One of them poked his head in. "Can you come out here, please?"
    "No, Steve, she cannot," Hannah answered harshly.
    "Hannah, I need--" Steve started.
    I waved my hand. "Let's get this over with." I was freezing, wet and tired, and not necessarily in that order.
    "You okay?" Steve asked me.
    "I'll live," I said.
    "What happened?" he asked.
    As I told him everything, he wrote it down in his book. He then looked around the yard. "Any idea who it might be?" he asked as we made our way back inside.
    "No, I don't, but earlier I thought I saw someone out in the woods when I was out with my dog. I thought it was my imagination, but I guess not." I looked over at Maggie, who threw a shocked look in my direction.
    "I guess not," he agreed. "You're lucky. You could have been hurt. As it was, you handled yourself pretty well. So, whoever it was, was wearing black. That narrows it down."
    I stared at the floor in contemplation. Something wasn't right.
    He waited for a moment watching me. "Something else?"
    I shook my head. "I'm not sure. It's just, well, he didn't seem that strong. I was surprised that's all." I scratched my head. "Maybe it was the adrenaline." However, I knew that wasn't it. It annoyed me. I was missing something.
    Two other policemen had checked the house and, of course, found nothing. They checked the cellar and every room in the house. The only sign of the break-in was the shattered French doors. A third officer was dusting for fingerprints around the doors.
    Steve looked at me. "Your forehead is bleeding, better get that looked at."
    I felt the side of my head with my fingers. It was sticky with blood. As I turned away, I heard him continue.
    "Hey, your shoulder is bleeding too. Hannah, you'd better call Doc Jenkins."
    "I'm all right, I think," I said, looking at my right shoulder. I didn't want to move any farther, fearing someone would find I had sprung a leak somewhere else.
    Both Hannah and Maggie were immediately at my side.
    "Christ Kate," Maggie said as she touched the side of my face. She then looked through the rip in my shirt and examined my shoulder.
    Steve slipped the small notebook into his vest pocket. "I'll have a deputy get some plywood on the window tonight, Maggie. Would you like me to take her over to the clinic?"
    "No, thanks Steve, we'll take care of her."
    "Well, Mike and I will cruise the area for the rest of the night and Ed will stay out in front." He turned to me. "I'm glad you weren't injured too badly. Goodnight, ladies, I'll keep in touch."
    When he had gone, Maggie turned to me and, once again, I saw an irritated look. "You need stitches, let's go."
    She made a phone call and grabbed her keys.
    "I'm fine," I said stupidly but no one listened as they pushed me out the door.
    "Miss Winfield?" We all turned to see Bedford limping out of the darkness. Well at least he's off the list of suspects. "I just talked with the police, Miss," he said to Maggie.
    "Good, please be careful, Bedford. Someone nearly killed Miss Ryan. We're taking her to the clinic. Please, stay with the police. We shouldn't be long."
    "I am sorry, Miss Ryan," he said.
    "You and me both, Bedford," I replied.
    He nodded and stepped back as I got into the car. I saw the concerned look on his face.
    For some reason a shiver swept through me. Bedford gave me the creeps.

    We drove a mile or so outside of town and pulled up to a