Hour of Need (Scarlet Falls 1)

A few seconds of awkward silence followed.

Clearing his throat, Victor turned to a shelving unit behind him. He lifted a nearly empty cardboard box and, turning, transferred it to the desk. “Here are Kate’s things.”

Grant took the box from him. “This is it?”

“That’s what was in her desk and locker.” Victor shrugged. “I don’t keep much here either. A lot of people come and go here at all hours. Things tend to go missing.”

“Well, thanks.” Grant hefted the box. Like Lee’s, Kate’s personal effects seemed too light given that she’d worked here for eight years.

“No one’s going to forget her,” Victor said as if he could read Grant’s mind. “The kids are devastated by her death, especially the girls she coached.”

“Thank you.” Grant turned toward the door, a connection in his mind stopping him. “Do you know anything about the Hamilton case? The girls all skate here, right?” He’d watched the clip on the news. The media had speculated on a connection with Lee and Kate’s murder. Lee’s public life was short on dirt, and the press had focused on the more controversial bullying story. Grant had spent some time on the computer learning about the case.

“Sure. Everyone here does, but we aren’t allowed to discuss it.” Victor’s friendly demeanor vanished. “There’s still a civil case pending. Plus, the whole thing was a nightmare.”

“Any time a kid dies it’s horrible,” Grant said. “Did you coach Lindsay?”

Victor nodded. His gaze dropped to the desktop. “I’ll just say one thing. She was a nice kid.”

“You coach the two accused girls too?”

“Yes, which is why I can’t say anything.” Victor’s sigh was full of regret and maybe a touch of anger.

Grant waited, sensing something was coming.

Victor’s eyes rose to meet Grant’s. “You just met their fathers.”

“Really?”

The bullying case had been summed up, but the accused girls hadn’t been mentioned by name because they were minors. Grant didn’t know why the news came as a shock. The arena had been named. He’d known the girls involved skated here. But Corey and Josh seemed too normal to have children who would torment another girl into taking her life. Maybe the police hadn’t found any evidence because there wasn’t any. Maybe the case was blown out of proportion.

But given the murder and break-in, it seemed unlikely.

“I’ve said too much.” Victor rounded the desk and escorted him to the hall. “Good luck, Major.”

Grant held out a hand. “Thanks for getting Kate’s things together for me.”

Exiting the office, Grant headed for the main room. He passed the rink. Corey’s daughter had come off the ice and was talking to her father. Beyond them stood Josh and his daughter. Grant saw them all with fresh eyes. The teens looked more spoiled and arrogant than pretty now, and Grant didn’t know what to think of their fathers. The hockey team surged onto the ice and flowed into a warm-up skate, blocking Grant’s view. Uneasy, both with the foursome and his own reaction, he turned away. According to the police, the case was unsubstantiated by solid evidence. He shouldn’t judge, but deep breathing didn’t dispel his growing need to break something. Like those young hockey players, he needed a hard run to burn off his tension.

A hand on his elbow jolted him. He whirled, a hand raised on instinct.

“Oh.” An attractive brunette woman about his age pressed a palm to the center of her chest.

With a throbbing yet relieved heart, Grant forced his mouth into a smile and lowered his fist. “I’m sorry. You startled me.”

“I didn’t mean to.” She smiled back. “It’s just that you look familiar. Did you go to Scarlet Falls High School?”

“No. Sorry.” Grant edged toward the exit, but she fell into step beside him. Their footsteps echoed on the concrete. Guilt slowed his steps. Blowing the friendly woman off would be rude. He sighed. “I went to the military academy, but my three siblings went here. Maybe you know Hannah or Mac.”

“Could be. Is Hannah tall and blond like you?”

“She is.”

They reached the front door.

The woman dipped her chin and glanced at him through her lashes. Was she flirting with him? “I think she graduated a year behind me. Tell her Lisa Shayne said hello.”

“I will.” Grant ducked out. Cool air hit his face.

First pretty Ellie Ross piqued his interest. Now a cute skating mom flirted with him. If he wasn’t headed back to Afghanistan, he’d have some interesting options in Scarlet Falls. But he was going back. His whole career—his whole life—was based on being an army officer. He didn’t know what else he’d do. Now that he thought about it, he couldn’t remember making an active decision to join the army. He’d been raised to be a soldier.

The civilian suburban life wasn’t so bad, though, full of kids, parents, friendly people not actively trying to blow him up. Maybe if he lived like this for a year or so, he wouldn’t reflexively react to a stranger’s touch with violence.

He’d nearly struck that woman.

His realization settled into his lungs, choking him like Afghan dust. There was no getting around it. After this deployment, he needed some downtime from combat.

Shifting the box into one arm, he dug his keys from his jacket pocket. A vehicle pulled into the space next to him. Ellie Ross was behind the wheel. He dumped the box in the cargo bay and walked around to her car door just as she swung her legs out of the vehicle. She was still in her work clothes. Her coat was open and her skirt rode up a few inches, treating him to an inch of thigh. The skating mom a few moments ago might have been cute, but she didn’t make Grant’s chest expand the way it did when Ellie was nearby.

“Grant.” Ellie stood, tugging her skirt down with a surprised frown. Leaning back into her van, she lifted a box from the passenger seat. “What are you doing here?”

“I had to pick up Kate’s things. You?”

She avoided eye contact, and her face was pale. “I’m supposed to be at a parent meeting, but I’m going to have to just drop off these programs for the spring carnival and run.” She closed the van door and shoved a piece of long, dark hair behind her ear. Her hands and voice were shaky. “Now that Kate won’t be coaching her, I’m not sure Julia will even stay with the club.”

She’d been nervous at the hospital, but she should have calmed down now that she knew her grandmother was fine. She almost seemed more upset.

“Are you all right?”

“Fine.” Still avoiding his gaze, she faked a smile and glanced at her watch. “I have to hurry. I dropped off Nan’s prescription at the pharmacy. It’ll be ready in twenty minutes. I don’t want to leave her for long.”

“How’s the ankle?”

“Painful.” She sidestepped toward the arena.

“Call me if you need anything.”

“Thank you.” Ellie turned away. “Bye, Grant.”

“Bye, Ellie.”

Returning to the minivan, Grant watched Ellie hurry across the pavement and disappear inside the building. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Ellie Ross was hiding something.

And he had every intention of uncovering her secret.

Chapter Eighteen

Ellie glanced over her shoulder. Grant was folding his big body into the minivan. Once again, she was tempted to tell him everything. He radiated capability. But this morning’s text and the package on her doorstep reinforced Hoodie Man’s assertion that she was being watched. She scanned the salt-dusted parking lot. Her neck tingled, and her stomach clenched. Hoodie Man could be anywhere. He could be staring at her through a windshield right now.

Once her initial panic had passed, she’d realized the heart he’d sent her was far too large to be human. Still nasty, though. She’d hidden the box with its bloody contents in the chest freezer in her garage until trash day. Seeing the bloody organ pinned to her daughter’s picture made his point clear. Hoodie Man wasn’t screwing around. She swallowed her fear and pushed through the door into the building, then walked back to the meeting space. Even away from the ice, cold seeped from the concrete floor into the soles of her shoes. She hadn’t taken the time to change since leaving work. Normally, she’d wear thick boots and a heavy sweater to the arena. She walked past the rink, the temperature dropping with each step.

Voices drew her into the long, narrow all-purpose room. Two dozen adults, a mix of coaches and parents, packed the small area. She only recognized a few faces. Two rectangular laminate tables were set up end to end to form an impromptu conference table. Plastic chairs surrounded it.

Victor Church greeted her. “Hello, Ellie.”

“Hi.” Ellie set the programs on the table. She glanced at the clock above the door. “I can’t stay long. I’m sorry. My grandmother is ill.”

“No problem. We can get started now, and it will only take a few minutes.” Victor went to the front of the room and raised a hand. “Hello everyone. I want to thank you for coming in for this emergency meeting. I know many of you have jobs and need to get back to work. There are also a number of parent volunteers who couldn’t make this meeting, so I would appreciate if you could spread the word.”