Allie smiled apologetically at him, the blanket still in her arms. “Sorry about that. She’s a bit…eccentric.”
“Interesting woman. I think I can see the resemblance.”
She looked at him in wide-eyed horror until she realized he was teasing. She hoped.
“My SUV is over there,” he said, and she followed his gaze to see the familiar Cadillac Escalade parked on the road running next to the field. “Here. Let me take that.”
He reached out and slipped the blanket from her arms, leaving her free to scoop her handbag from the grass and follow him.
In the close proximity of the car, Allie could smell Sam’s dusky male scent mixed with grass and a little clean sweat. Crap. Even sweat smelled good on him. Determined to stay focused, she cracked the window a bit to allow in some fresh air as they drove the short distance to St. Andrews.
Surprisingly, they ended up having quite an animated discussion. Besides the excitement of the game, Sam told her how Tim was already trying to coerce him into staying on at St. Andrew’s as his assistant coach. Which didn’t entirely surprise her. She’d already heard as much from Janine. After all, his success on the high school team was legendary. St. Andrew’s Academy took first in the state championship his senior year, something that hadn’t happened for more than eighteen years before that or since. They’d come close, but it wasn’t enough for many.
“Have you had a chance to look at those boxes yet?” he asked when they pulled into the school parking lot next to her Outback. The lot was empty save for her car, being Saturday morning.
“No. I was too exhausted last night for more than a quick peek. There are a bunch of VHS tapes in two of them. I planned on reviewing the footage later today.”
Her keys in her hand, she got out and started to walk around to the driver’s side of her SUV. And stopped abruptly to stare. It took her a moment to process what she was seeing.
Sam hurried to her side and looked at her car in shock.
The windshield was smashed. Not just broken, but completely shattered, and the glass cubes had sprayed all over the front seat. Which would have been bad enough, but it had rained last night, with the result that the inside of her car was wet and dirty and completely uninhabitable.
“Oh my flipping heck,” she whispered, stealing Laney’s favorite line.
Sam already had his cell phone out, along with the detective’s card, and was talking to someone on the other end. “He’ll be here in ten,” he said when he hung up.
She shivered and wrapped her hands around her arms to try and get warm.
“Come on. Let’s get back in my car.”
She was too shocked to say anything and hadn’t realized she was shaking until Sam turned the heat up. Her body was wracked by a long shudder.
No way this had been an accident. Someone had wanted to send her a message. And she was more certain than ever that the fire was not a coincidence. That hadn’t been an accident, either. It had to have been intentional.
She met Sam’s concerned gaze with fear creeping up her spine.
Someone clearly didn’t want her digging through those archives. That was the only logical explanation.
But why?
The answer slowly came to mind. And once there, it seemed obvious.
Someone was desperate to keep something from the past a secret.
Something to do with Mr. Williams’ murder.
Something bad.
Maybe bad enough to risk murdering her, too.
Chapter Six
Allie was quiet for the first few minutes Sam drove her home. Which was fine with him. He was still stunned at the implications from the vandalism.
Could someone really be trying to send her a message? Or worse…?
/> What were they so afraid she’d find?