basement.
A shuffling sound drew her attention toward the family room. Gram .
“Dear, what’s wrong?” Gram’s eyes glistened with worry. “You’re white as a ghost. Is Jenny okay?”
“Yes, Jenny’s fine. Stay here.” Danielle moved toward the door. “Someone’s trying to break in through the basement doors.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Gram,” Danielle said, “please, go back into the family room. It’s safer.”
Danielle wrapped her arm around her grandmother’s shoulders in the hopes of guiding her away from the kitchen. What if he had a gun? Gram shrugged her off. “I refuse to slink around my own home.” With her lips pinched, Gram shuffled toward the window and peered outside. “I can’t see anything. It’s dark out there.”
A moment later, Patrick appeared at the side door with a young man, his hands cuffed behind his back. “This man says he knows you, Gram.”
Danielle flipped on the kitchen light. The young man squinted and lifted a shoulder, realizing he couldn’t block the light with his hands. The light reflected off an orange patch on the arm of his coat. Danielle’s heart dropped. Her pulse roaring in her ears, she stepped out into the driveway and pointed her finger in the man’s direction. “You were lurking in the woods yesterday morning when I was sitting on the front porch.”
The young man lowered his eyes and shook his head.
“Oh, my dear,” Gram said, appearing in the doorway, “please, Patrick, let him go. He’s harmless. That’s Henry McClure. He’s Jenny’s friend and does some odd jobs around the house. I called him about the old door you removed. Thought maybe he’d know someone who could use it.”
“You sure?” Patrick narrowed his gaze.
“Yes. Now take off those silly handcuffs. He’s not going to hurt anyone.” Gram’s brow furrowed and anger flashed in her eyes. Patrick seemed to regard Gram for a minute before maneuvering behind Henry and inserting the key into the handcuffs.
Henry rubbed his wrists but didn’t say anything.
“What were you doing lurking around here after dark? You were trying to get into the basement,” Danielle accused him. “And you were watching me from the woods the other day.”
“I’m sorry, ma’am.” Henry shrugged, suddenly looking like a lost little boy. “I’ve been busy. This is the only time I had to stop by. I thought maybe the door was stored in the basement.”
Gram lifted a shaky hand. “No, Henry. I had Patrick lean it against the garage.”
Henry’s face scrunched up. “I guess I’ve had too much on my mind.”
“That doesn’t explain your hanging around here yesterday. Why didn’t you answer me when I called to you?” Danielle’s mind raced, trying to fit all the pieces together. She gestured to Henry’s jacket. “I saw the orange on your coat.”
One side of Henry’s mouth tipped up. “I guess I shouldn’t use orange duct tape to fix a tear.” He twisted his mouth and scratched his unshaven jaw. “I was worried about Jenny. I didn’t believe she was in an accident, and I wanted to see for myself. When I saw you on the porch—in her jacket—I thought you were her. Until you turned around. I kinda freaked. Sorry.”
Or he had hoped to find the house empty, and when he didn’t he had to come back at night to break in. A throbbing started behind Danielle’s eyes. What was going on here? Patrick seemed to be analyzing everything the young man said. Ordinarily, Danielle relied on no one. Tonight, the knots in her stomach eased knowing Patrick was on her side.
Henry cleared his throat. “How is she? Jenny, I mean?”
“The good Lord will watch over her,” Gram said, her voice remarkably confident.
“Tell her I was asking about her.” Henry toed the gravel in the driveway. “Tell her I’ll take good notes for her in class.”
“I’ll do that. Now why don’t you leave the door for another day?” Gram said.
“Yes, ma’am.”
Henry turned to
A shuffling sound drew her attention toward the family room. Gram .
“Dear, what’s wrong?” Gram’s eyes glistened with worry. “You’re white as a ghost. Is Jenny okay?”
“Yes, Jenny’s fine. Stay here.” Danielle moved toward the door. “Someone’s trying to break in through the basement doors.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Gram,” Danielle said, “please, go back into the family room. It’s safer.”
Danielle wrapped her arm around her grandmother’s shoulders in the hopes of guiding her away from the kitchen. What if he had a gun? Gram shrugged her off. “I refuse to slink around my own home.” With her lips pinched, Gram shuffled toward the window and peered outside. “I can’t see anything. It’s dark out there.”
A moment later, Patrick appeared at the side door with a young man, his hands cuffed behind his back. “This man says he knows you, Gram.”
Danielle flipped on the kitchen light. The young man squinted and lifted a shoulder, realizing he couldn’t block the light with his hands. The light reflected off an orange patch on the arm of his coat. Danielle’s heart dropped. Her pulse roaring in her ears, she stepped out into the driveway and pointed her finger in the man’s direction. “You were lurking in the woods yesterday morning when I was sitting on the front porch.”
The young man lowered his eyes and shook his head.
“Oh, my dear,” Gram said, appearing in the doorway, “please, Patrick, let him go. He’s harmless. That’s Henry McClure. He’s Jenny’s friend and does some odd jobs around the house. I called him about the old door you removed. Thought maybe he’d know someone who could use it.”
“You sure?” Patrick narrowed his gaze.
“Yes. Now take off those silly handcuffs. He’s not going to hurt anyone.” Gram’s brow furrowed and anger flashed in her eyes. Patrick seemed to regard Gram for a minute before maneuvering behind Henry and inserting the key into the handcuffs.
Henry rubbed his wrists but didn’t say anything.
“What were you doing lurking around here after dark? You were trying to get into the basement,” Danielle accused him. “And you were watching me from the woods the other day.”
“I’m sorry, ma’am.” Henry shrugged, suddenly looking like a lost little boy. “I’ve been busy. This is the only time I had to stop by. I thought maybe the door was stored in the basement.”
Gram lifted a shaky hand. “No, Henry. I had Patrick lean it against the garage.”
Henry’s face scrunched up. “I guess I’ve had too much on my mind.”
“That doesn’t explain your hanging around here yesterday. Why didn’t you answer me when I called to you?” Danielle’s mind raced, trying to fit all the pieces together. She gestured to Henry’s jacket. “I saw the orange on your coat.”
One side of Henry’s mouth tipped up. “I guess I shouldn’t use orange duct tape to fix a tear.” He twisted his mouth and scratched his unshaven jaw. “I was worried about Jenny. I didn’t believe she was in an accident, and I wanted to see for myself. When I saw you on the porch—in her jacket—I thought you were her. Until you turned around. I kinda freaked. Sorry.”
Or he had hoped to find the house empty, and when he didn’t he had to come back at night to break in. A throbbing started behind Danielle’s eyes. What was going on here? Patrick seemed to be analyzing everything the young man said. Ordinarily, Danielle relied on no one. Tonight, the knots in her stomach eased knowing Patrick was on her side.
Henry cleared his throat. “How is she? Jenny, I mean?”
“The good Lord will watch over her,” Gram said, her voice remarkably confident.
“Tell her I was asking about her.” Henry toed the gravel in the driveway. “Tell her I’ll take good notes for her in class.”
“I’ll do that. Now why don’t you leave the door for another day?” Gram said.
“Yes, ma’am.”
Henry turned to
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