Chapter 8

Jo's scalp tingled. "Your cameras found something on your property?"

"Maybe," Carrie said. "I need a second opinion. I mean, maybe I'm just being paranoid."

"We finished breakfast. When do you want Raylene and me to head over?"

"I'm here. Come by anytime," Carrie said.

Jo told her they would leave shortly. She swung by the kitchen to give Delta a heads up. "Carrie thinks she caught something on camera."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. She didn't say." Jo grabbed her keys off the hook and noticed the Smith County Herald newspaper sitting on the counter.

A familiar photo prominently displayed on the front page caught Jo's eye. She picked it up and began reading the headline. Local Businesswoman to Open Divine Sanctuary Rehabilitation Center.

The story gave some of Carrie's history, including her owning the taxidermy company and how she and a "business partner" had purchased the old Gladding property in Four Corners with plans to turn it into an animal rehabilitation and sanctuary.

"Did you hear a single word I said?" Delta Childress placed both hands on her hips.

"Huh?" Jo's eyes darted from the open newspaper to her friend.

"I said I think you should let me make a purple and orange tiered wedding cake instead of the traditional white one."

"A purple and orange wedding cake?" Jo's brows furrowed. "A fall-themed cake?"

"I'm kidding." Delta grinned. "You've had your nose stuck in the newspaper for five minutes now. What's so engrossing that you're not interested in talking about the wedding?"

"It's a story about the new business venture."

Delta perked up. "Did they include a picture? I've been meaning to run over there and check out the progress but haven't gotten around to it."

"Yes. It's Carrie at her finest." Jo slid the newspaper to the side.

Delta let out a low whistle. "You got that right. Look at her getup. How high do you think those heels are?"

"Four inches all day long."

"She's always been a colorful dresser and now that she and Charlie broke up, I'm sure she's on the prowl again," Delta said.

"And after the construction owner / supervisor."

"Good grief. That woman is always working on her next husband."

"I think she's lonely. Lonely and now maybe being stalked." Jo skimmed through the rest of the story. It was a nice writeup, and she could hear the passion in Carrie's voice when she talked about the rehabilitation center.

She loved animals. And men.

"I need to head out. We shouldn't be gone long." Jo slipped out the back and tracked Raylene down for the quick trip to Four Corners.

It was all hands on deck at the property, including a cement mixer, which was pouring a new concrete floor for the outbuilding Carrie planned to use to house animals who needed to be quarantined.

Jo and Raylene trekked to the front porch and found the door ajar.

Jo jabbed the doorbell. Nothing happened. "I hope the doorbell is on the list of repairs."

"Along with every square inch of the house." Raylene shifted her weight. The floorboards sagged, groaning loudly. "Another hundred pounds, and I'm pretty sure I would bust through here."

"It's definitely a labor of love." Jo led the way inside, all the while calling Carrie's name. They passed through the living room and eat-in kitchen. The back slider was also ajar, which is where they found Carrie pacing and talking on her cell phone.

She caught Jo's eye and held up a finger. "Let me call you back, Alton. Okay. Later."

She ended the call and tottered toward them, wearing the same shoes she'd been wearing the previous day.

"Are those your work shoes?" Jo teased. "You had those on yesterday."

"Heavens no. I still haven't unpacked all my shoe boxes. Unfortunately, I can't find any of my favorite pairs."

"Favorite pairs?" Raylene echoed.

"All one hundred of them," Jo laughed.

"Twenty-five," Carrie corrected. "Thanks for coming by again. I watched the video several times and am on the fence about what I'm seeing."

The trio returned inside to the built-in desk in the corner. Carrie pulled up a recording. A grainy image of a vehicle appeared. It slowed and then stopped. Moments later, the vehicle turned into the driveway, backed out, and drove off. The video ended.

"That's it," Carrie said.

"So, a vehicle stopped in front of your house, turned around in your driveway and left," Jo summarized.

"Correct."

"Did they come back?"

"Not from what I could tell," Carrie said. "The odd thing was, I had some errands to run earlier. The vehicle showed up less than fifteen minutes after I got home."

"It could be something or it could be nothing," Jo said. "We have vehicles turning around at our farm all the time."

"But you get a lot more traffic than I do," Carrie pointed out. "You have a legit business. I have nothing, at least not yet."

Jo noticed the newspaper sitting on the counter. "Good job on the sanctuary's story. It was a nice writeup."

"Do you think I looked too…"

"Available?" Jo suggested.

"Flirty," Carrie said.

"Actually, you looked like my friend Carrie," Jo said. "Anyone who knows you won't give a second thought to what you were wearing."

"True."

While the women talked, Raylene reached for the newspaper. "Do you mind if I read it?"

"Not at all."

She unfolded the front page and leaned in. "It lists your address."

"I told them they had my permission to publish it. You can't get clients without them knowing how to find you," Carrie said.

"True, but it might put a target on your back," Raylene said. "Pretty woman, remote property, living alone. There are a lot of nutjobs running loose."

"On the flip side, the story only came out in the paper today," Jo said.

"There was also a small blip about it on the local news," Carrie said. "And then there was the Tri-State Sentinel's story that came out a couple of days ago."

"You're right," Jo said. "I remember you mentioning it."

"I guess my best bet is to continue monitoring the situation," Carrie said.

"I wouldn't mind walking the property again," Raylene said. "Maybe I can pick up on something, some small clue that might tell us if someone has been snooping around."

Carrie's cell phone chimed. "My insurance guy is calling. I need to take this."

"Raylene and I will have a look around." Jo stepped onto the deck and waited for her resident to join her. "I'm starting to think maybe Carrie is a little paranoid. If I were in her shoes, I would be nervous about moving to the country and living alone with no neighbors around."

"It could be," Raylene agreed. "It still doesn't explain where the tracking device came from."

"True."

The women started at the farthest building and worked their way back toward the house, each time stopping to search for signs someone may have been messing around.

They finished searching the buildings, careful to steer clear of the workers. They reached the metal storage bins, the ones Carrie told them the workers had been using to store their materials.

"What is it?" Jo asked.

"It could be someone is hanging around planning to steal the worker's tools or materials. Jobsites are magnets for thieves." Raylene walked the perimeter, stopping to make sure the bins were secured. "Everything appears to be secure."

Jo noticed a smaller black trailer parked a few feet away. Carrie's Custom Creations was emblazoned on the side. She stepped closer and noticed the lock was missing.

Sucking in a breath, Jo cautiously eased the door open. Cabinets lined the walls. A narrow walkway ran down the center. On closer inspection, she could see the cabinets were all locked. The counters were clean and clear.

Jo started to turn away when she glimpsed something spray painted on the wall. "Oh my gosh."