Page 53 of Shallow Remains

“Whatever this was, it wasn’t a random smash and grab attempt.”

“How do you know?”

“Because the door was unlocked, and there’s no sign of forced entry. Whoever it was picked the lock—and disabled the alarm system without setting it off.”

Oh, shit. Not good. Whoever had broken in was a pro. A pro who appeared to be looking for her.

Lachlan’s expression was grim as he continued. “These weren’t amateurs looking for an easy target.” He paused a moment. “And they did it while your car was parked right out front.”

The blood drained from her face as she stared up at him, his meaning hitting home. Someone skilled had specifically targeted the cottage…

While it looked like she would be there alone.

TWENTY-SIX

This felt bad.

Lachlan didn’t want Maddy to worry more than she already was, but the pieces weren’t adding up. Or rather, they were adding up to something he didn’t like.

“The door was unlocked when you tried the key?” Rafe asked him, aiming the beam of his flashlight around the locking mechanism and doorframe of the front door of Willow’s cottage.

“I covered my hand with my sleeve when I opened the door,” he said, standing behind Rafe with Blaine on the front porch. Maddy was safe at Mae’s.

“No visible signs of forced entry.” Rafe walked in, looked at the keypad. “Maddy’s sure it was armed when she left?”

“Positive.” He trusted her.

“There’s no way she would have left it disarmed,” Blaine said. “She’s meticulous about that sort of thing.”

“She said the suspect came across the lawn at the east side of the house?”

“That’s what she thought,” Lachlan said.

“With the amount of rain we’ve had recently, the ground’s pretty wet. Might be able to find some footprints outside.”

He and Blaine followed Rafe deeper into the house. Everything was clean and tidy. Nothing broken or out of place. Even Maddy’s bed was made with military precision and her computer and files were neatly stacked on the heavy desk in the kitchen.

Rafe checked all the windows, then went through the kitchen to look at the sliding doors that led to the back porch. “Everything’s intact. No damage that I can see. I’ll do a perimeter check, see if they left any footprints around the fence and along the east side of the house. Blaine, see if you can get hold of Willow and ask her to send you the security camera footage for the past two hours.”

“Sure.” He made the call while Lachlan went outside to check on Maddy’s car. Everything looked fine.

Blaine was just finishing up when he came back inside. “She’s sending it now. Anything with the car?”

“No.” He folded his arms, impatient for the footage to come through so they could see what they—who—they were dealing with. “What do you think?”

“Whoever it was definitely knew what they were doing. Even if I called forensics up here to dust for prints, I doubt they’d find anything.”

Yeah. That’s what worried him. “You think they targeted the place because it’s been empty?”

“Maybe. But they had all kinds of time to grab whatever they wanted and get away without being caught. I’d say they were looking for something specific and didn’t find it. Or someone.”

Bingo.

Rafe stepped away to take a call. Blaine tucked his phone away and came to stand with Lachlan. “Willow’s getting the footage now.”

“Good. Any reason you can think of why someone might want to come after Maddy?”

Blaine shook his head, his expression impossible to read. “Here? None.”