Page 141 of Timid (Lark Cove 2)

Jackson nodded. “We’ll bring him down later this afternoon.”

“Good.” The sheriff collected all of his papers, putting them back in the folder. “I’ll walk you guys out.”

I stood from my chair, still holding Jackson’s hand. We hadn’t bothered to take off our coats when we came inside, so we went right out the door, escaping the station as fast as we could.

“I don’t want to bring Ryder here,” I told him as I buckled my seat belt in his truck.

“Me neither.” Jackson sighed. “But I don’t think we have a choice. Let’s go home and wait until his test is over. Then we’ll go get him.”

“Okay.” I glanced at the clock on the dash. “Maybe we could go get him after lunch.” That would give him time to finish his test, though I didn’t have a lot of hope that he’d pass. He’d been distracted during each of our study sessions this week.

Jackson drove us back home, parking in the driveway. The boat got the garage in the winters so I braced for the cold as I opened the truck door. I followed behind Jackson as he led the way to the front door, staying close as we hurried inside. But the minute he put his key to the door, he stopped.

“What?” I peered around him. His eyes narrowed at the door, which was open a crack. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.

“Did you lock up when we left?”

I nodded. “Yes. I always do.” Ever since the night Ronny had come after Thea, I’d made sure to lock all of our doors.

“You’re sure?”

“Positive.”

Jackson looked over his shoulder, inspecting the footprints on the sidewalk.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, sticking close.

He held up a hand, silencing me as his eyes narrowed on a particular print in the snow. It was larger than the prints left by my shoes. It was larger than the prints left by Ryder’s sneakers. But it was smaller than the prints left by Jackson’s boots.

One thing was for certain: it hadn’t come from any of us.

My heart was racing as Jackson followed the prints along the sidewalk as they led back to the front door. We both knew something wasn’t right. This wasn’t the mailman delivering a package or a solicitor visiting the house.

I knew without asking that someone had broken inside his house.

Maybe they were still in there.

Jackson turned to me, the same worries etched on his face as I was sure were on mine, and pointed over my shoulder. “Get in the truck and call Magee. Tell him to get here. Now. I think someone tried to break into the house. I’m going to go check it out.”

“Jackson, no y—”

“Go, Willa.”

Reluctantly, I did as I was told, running back to the truck, careful not to slip on the snowy sidewalk. I closed myself inside and took out my phone, ready to call the sheriff just as Jackson disappeared into the house.

Someone had been in my house.

The couch cushions in the living room were turned up at odd angles. The drawer of one of the end tables was hanging open. Even the movies in the entertainment stand had been pulled out, like someone had searched behind them.

The disarray continued into the kitchen, where all of the cupboard doors were open and the drawers ajar. I walked as quietly as possible down the hallway toward my bedroom, hoping that if the intruder was still inside, I’d catch him or her in the act.

But my bedroom and adjoining bathroom were empty except for the items tossed and turned out of their normal place.

I turned from the bedroom, retreating quietly down the hall toward the other end of the house. My heart was racing, but I did my best to keep my breaths shallow and even as I approached Ryder’s room.

As I peered around the door, I saw no one. Though his room was in much worse shape than the rest of the house. Whoever had come in here had obviously spent most of their time in this room. The mattress had been upended completely, tipped on its side against the wall with a huge gash cut into the back. The nightstand was smashed to pieces and the drawers to his dresser were scattered across the floor, each of them broken.

I finished my search of the house, hitting the laundry room and other bathroom, but I was alone. Whoever had come in here had either found what they were looking for and left or run before they could get caught.