Chapter 6

Raylene flipped the Trekki Tracker over. "This is a high-tech, I'm-going-to-track-you-wherever-you-go type of device."

"Carrie already checked with the construction workers," Jo said. "No one seems to know where it came from."

"Where is Carrie?"

"Inside. I'll go get her." Jo tracked her friend down. They caught up with Raylene near the edge of the driveway. "Tell Carrie what you think."

"This isn't an amateur tracker. Someone meant to keep track of whatever this device was attached to." Raylene pressed it against a piece of metal. "The magnet appears to be slightly defective. It should stick better than this."

"I…I hope it wasn't on my van," Carrie said. "Although I can't say for sure."

"I know you want to wait until the renovations are finished to install your cameras, but you should at least consider putting a temporary one or two around your house in the meantime," Jo suggested.

"I'll do it as soon as I get home." Carrie motioned to the tracker. "I couldn't figure out how to get the doohickey to work."

"It's not complicated. I can show you." Raylene made her way over to Carrie's van. She crouched next to her wheel well and snapped the tracking device on the side.

"That's all you have to do?" Carrie asked.

"Not quite. Although similar to the mainstream market devices, this one is slightly different in subtle ways." Raylene pulled it back off. "You need a SIM card. It links the tracker to the network. You download the app to your smart phone, enter the device's ID as your username, and put in the password. If I had a SIM card, I could show you how it works."

Jo held up a finger. "Nash has lots of techie stuff. Let me see if he has one." She ran over to his workshop and found him cleaning up. "Hey, Jo."

Her heart flip-flopped as he sauntered over. His hair was getting long, and his bangs drooped across his sky-blue eyes. She resisted the urge to brush it away. "Hey, Nash."

"I see Carrie's here."

"She's staying for dinner." Jo briefly filled him in.

Nash's expression sobered. "You think someone is tracking her?"

"Her or someone else. Hopefully not me." Jo told him what Raylene had said, how the device wasn't typically the type used by amateurs. "We were going to test it but need a SIM card."

"I have a few old ones up in my apartment." Nash promised he would be right back. He exited the workshop, returning less than a minute later. "I wouldn't mind seeing what she has."

"Because you're concerned," Jo guessed.

"I am, especially if this might involve you."

The couple joined Raylene and Carrie.

"Nash has a few SIM cards. Hopefully, one of them will work," Jo said.

"Cool. Thanks." Raylene flipped the device over, removed the cover and pulled out a little white card. "This is the tracker's SIM card. We take this out and install our own."

"Hold on." Jo's mind whirled. "I don't know anything about tracking devices. This might make me sound like a complete idiot, but could someone be tracking this right now?"

"Absolutely," Nash answered. "The SIM card Raylene removed could be active and being tracked as we speak."

Carrie stared in disbelief. "Someone is after me."

"Let's not panic. At least not yet," Jo said. "I want to see how this thing works."

Raylene dropped the original SIM card into her pocket and replaced it with the one Nash handed her before sliding the cover back in place. "I'll need a phone."

"You can use mine." Carrie handed her the phone.

Jo held her breath, watching as Raylene downloaded the app. "Hello. Hello. Hello."

Seconds later, her voice echoed through the phone.

The color drained from Carrie's face. "The tracker has audio."

"Correct." Raylene shifted her feet. "Although this device is a little more sophisticated, tracking devices are easy breezy. You install your SIM card, download the app to your phone, enter the device's id and password and voila. You can track this anywhere."

"For how long?" Carrie whispered.

"For as long as the tracker is in place," Nash said.

Raylene removed the original SIM card from her pocket. "What do you want to do with this?"

"Destroy it," Carrie said.

"Maybe it belongs to someone working at your place," Nash said.

"Nope. I already checked with all of them."

"Your driveway is full of potholes," Jo said. "It could have fallen off any vehicle on your property."

"Placed there by a jealous ex, a disgruntled boss," Raylene said.

Carrie reminded them again about her thinking someone had been inside her house and the pry marks on the window.

Raylene pinched the SIM card between her fingers. "You sure you want to chuck this thing?"

"I have a better idea." Carrie took it from Raylene. She dropped it on the ground and smashed it with the heel of her shoe, breaking the card into smaller pieces.

Delta flung the front door open and rang the dinner bell. "Dinner's ready."

"The boss has spoken," Jo joked.

"Before we go." Carrie reached under her wheel well, removed the tracking device, and handed it to Nash. "You can have your SIM card back."

"Thanks." Nash started to remove it.

"You can also keep the tracker," Carrie said.

"I don't plan on tracking anyone. I'll hang onto it in case you change your mind."

"Wait a sec." Raylene stopped them. "There is one more thing. We might be able to track the owner if there's a serial number."

Nash turned it over. "There is a serial number."

"Awesome." Jo clapped her hands.

"Don't get too excited," he warned. "It appears part of the number has been scratched off."

"So that, in the event the device was found, you wouldn't be able to track the owner," Jo said. "Well, it was worth a shot."

The others began heading inside.

Nash grabbed Jo's arm and pulled her back. "How are Carrie and Charlie doing?"

Jo grimaced. "They broke up. Charlie thought she was nuts for wanting to open a rehabilitation center."

"Was it an amicable break?" he asked.

"No. He isn't happy about her purchasing the farm. It's possible he also isn't happy about all the construction guys hanging around." Jo shot a glance over her shoulder and lowered her voice. "Charlie is a little…"

"Unusual. Do you think he stuck a tracking device on her van?"

"Anything is possible. I don't think she was chasing after the workers, although she mentioned a slight interest in the owner."

Nash arched a brow.

"Carrie doesn't exactly have the best track record as far as men are concerned. Having said that, she doesn't deserve to be stalked."

"Agreed. You have no proof it was on her vehicle," Nash pointed out.

"Maybe it would be worth it to run by there again tomorrow and take a quick look around."

"I'm sure Carrie would appreciate it." Nash slipped his arm around her shoulders. "I noticed Charlotte was here earlier. How did the dress fitting go?"

"It only needs a couple of small alterations." Jo beamed. "I love the dress."

"I can't wait to see it." Nash sneaked in a quick kiss. "I love you, Joanna Pepperdine."

"And I love you, Nash Greyson."

"Hey you lovebirds." Delta motioned them inside. "There will be plenty of time for kissy-face after the wedding. Dinner is getting cold."

Nash playfully tugged on Jo's hand. "We better get a move on before Delta cracks her whip."

*****

Despite Jo offering to let Carrie stay at the farm, the woman was adamant about heading home after dinner.

Jo promised she would return the following morning to take a closer look around.

Later that night, long after she crawled into bed, Jo tossed and turned. Who owned the tracking device? As Raylene pointed out, it wasn't an amateur. The person who had purchased it was intentionally tracking someone.

Was it Jo? Or maybe Carrie? It could even be one of the construction workers. She had been somewhat vague about the argument between her and Charlie. Was Charlie tracking Carrie?

She said a prayer for her friend's safety and finally, after hours of being unable to shut her brain down, Jo fell asleep.

She woke early the next morning, ready to start her day. Jo threw on some old work clothes, ran a comb through her hair, and brushed her teeth before heading downstairs.

Duke beat her to the front door, patiently waiting for her to let him out.

Jo lingered on the porch in the crisp morning air. The sun was peeking over the horizon. The countdown had begun. In a few short days, she would no longer wake up alone. Nash would be by her side.

She thought about Raylene and how she'd planned to chat with her after dinner, to tell her about the letter from the state but had never found the right moment.

"C'mon, Duke." Jo coaxed her pup inside and followed him to the kitchen.

Delta stood at the counter, belting out a cheerful tune.

"Good morning," Jo greeted her. "The coffee smells wonderful."

"Good and hot." Delta poured a cup and handed it to her. "Did you ever have time to talk to Raylene last night?"

"No. I figured I would do it this morning." Jo took a sip, eyeing her friend over the rim. "It has to be scary."

"Not when you have Jo Pepperdine soon-to-be Greyson on your side," Delta said. "You gonna check in with Carrie?"

"Yes. I'm concerned about what's going on over there."

"Me too. She's a little scatterbrained, but no dummy. I was thinking maybe one of those workers is behind the tracker."

"But why?" Jo asked.

"Or maybe someone is after you."

"Again, I can't imagine why anyone would want to track my moves."

Delta poured batter into the baking cups and popped the trays into the oven. "Someone somewhere installed a tracking device."

"But who and why?" Jo told her what Raylene had said. "It's not a device used by rookies."

The back door opened. Nash appeared fresh from the shower with his hair still damp. "Good morning, ladies."

"Morning, Nash." Delta gave him a peck on the cheek. "You smell yummy."

"Hey," Jo laughed. "I'm supposed to get the first smell."

"No need to fight. There's enough of me to go around," Nash joked. He sauntered over to Jo, tilted her head, and kissed her lips. "Hey, beautiful."

She closed her eyes, smelling a hint of musky cologne. One of her favorites.

He leaned back. "Now this is the way to start my day."

Delta playfully shielded her eyes. "Enough. Enough. My goodness. You would think you two were in love or something."

"I only stopped by to let you know I'm heading over to Dave Kilwin's farm. He got behind on some of his harvesting and I told him I would help him out."

"That's mighty neighborly," Delta said.

"Tell Dave ‘Hi' and give Leah a hug for me," Jo added.

"Will do." Nash turned to go.

Delta stopped him. "Hang on. Nobody should work on an empty stomach." She hustled over to the counter, grabbed two biscuits fresh from the oven, along with some slices of bacon on a nearby platter. "I haven't started scrambling eggs yet if you want to wait a minute."

"This'll work fine." Nash stuck the bacon in between the biscuits and took a big bite. "Thanks for the food." He winked at Jo. "See you later, my love."

"You know it." Jo's eyes followed him all the way out of the kitchen.

Delta placed her hands on her hips. "You two are adorable. I can't wait for the wedding."

"Me either. It seems close, yet far away." Jo swallowed the last of her coffee and rinsed her cup in the sink. "I should track down Raylene."

It took a few minutes for her to find her in the common area, feeding Curtis their cat.

Laverne emerged from the bathroom, a turban towel wrapped around her head, sporting a white cotton robe and fluffy slippers. "Hey, Jo."

"Good morning, Laverne." Jo gave her the once over. "Cute outfit."

"Cute and comfy," she quipped. "Are you looking for me?"

"Actually, I was looking for Raylene."

Laverne gave the other resident the side eye. "Is everything all right?"

"Is your name Raylene?" Jo asked.

"No. Just checking." Whistling under her breath, Laverne strolled out of the common area and closed the door behind her.

Raylene finished filling Curtis's food dish and washed her hands in the sink. "Have you heard from Carrie?"

"No. I'm going to check in with her after breakfast. I was wondering if you had a few minutes to chat."

"Now?"

Jo nodded.

"It's pretty early in the morning for you to call me to your office. Is everything okay?"

Their eyes met. "Yes. Everything is okay." Jo patted Raylene's arm. "Maybe even wonderful. It all depends on you."