“Shhh,” Ava whispered and waved her hand. They immediately came closer and asked what was going on.
Ava explained, and together they headed toward Paula’s room.
“I’ll open the closet door so you can shoot the asshole,” Elise whispered, and Ava nodded her head as she pointed the gun at the door.
They were totally scared. Paula felt Juliet’s hands on her and Sally and Alexa stayed by the bedroom door. Then they heard sirens in the distance and doors slamming.
Ava waited as Sally whispered that Sheriff Parker and his deputies entered the house. They were making their way upstairs.
The women faced toward the door. Elise stood by the closet about to open it when the sheriff and deputies, Tommy and Vic Ollsen, gave her a look and nodded for them to head out of there.
Other police arrived and the women filled them in on what had taken place.
Paula watched as Deputy Tommy Ollsen opened the closet door.
She covered her mouth, scared of what he would find, and as the door opened and the sheriff aimed his gun, they gasped at what they saw.
* * * *
“It’s empty. No one is in here,” the sheriff stated as his men looked around the room.
“Tell me what happened and why you thought someone broke in here.”
“I had the lights off when I arrived home. I took a shower and when I came out, there was that envelope on the bed and the flower. My window was also opened.”
The sheriff took a look at it as Deputy Vic Ollsen walked closer to the window.
“What’s with the envelope? Maybe one of the others placed it there?”
The women all stated that they hadn’t left it, including Susanna, who now joined them in Paula’s room.
“What’s going on?” she asked as the sheriff looked at Paula.
“Fess up, darling. Y’all know what’s in the envelope?”
Paula remained silent a moment, and the sheriff had the feeling that she wasn’t being completely honest. He knew that each of the women had gone through some trouble in the past. Susanna gave that much information up but not much more.
“Is that the same letter that came to the club a few weeks ago?” Susanna asked, and Paula shook her head.
“Paula, honey, tell us,” the sheriff stated.
“I’ve gotten a bunch of them. Some kind of secret admirer I thought, until the last one I got. It seemed more intense.”
The sheriff looked at the bed then at his deputies.
“Tommy, call in Detective Louis. Ladies, please exit the room, and Paula, you stay right here.”
“What’s going on, Sheriff?” Paula asked, and he gave Susanna a stern look before Susanna ushered everyone out of the room.
He could hear Tommy calling Louis over the radio.
“Just a precaution, honey. Now, did you save any of the other letters this secret admirer sent to you?”
He watched Paula as she nodded her head then walked over toward the bed. She stared at the envelope and the flower.
“Where are they, honey?”
She pointed to the side dresser drawer. She opened it then gasped, covering her mouth and taking a few steps back.