Chapter 14

FOURTEEN

PAWPAW VALLEY

Barbara was so shaken from the message the intruder had left a few days ago that she'd slept with one eye open ever since.

Her first instinct had been to call the police. But she had to check with the others first. If she went to the cops, they'd question her and she couldn't reveal her suspicions without breaking the vow she'd made ten years ago.

That friendship meant everything to her. It was her lifeline and she needed it as much as she needed her next breath.

She'd warned Claire but hadn't been able to reach Rosalyn or Loretta. They were supposed to meet at Winterfest with their children but she was terrified that might be chancy.

So who had been in her house?

She hadn't dated anyone in two years. Had she pissed off some parent at the school where she taught?

She'd had a couple of unsettling encounters over the years. A narcissistic father who thought she was treating his kid unfairly. Another she'd reported of possible abuse a while back. But by law, she was required to do that.

Besides, her instincts had screamed for her to protect the child just as any mother would.

Now she and her friends had to meet and plan a strategy just as they'd done ten years ago.

A chill rippled through her, an ominous feeling that she was being watched again. Holding her breath, she rushed to the front window in the living room to check outside.

A dark sedan rolled by her drive, then sped up. Was it the same car she'd seen the other night? Was her stalker inside that vehicle?

A noise outside the back door startled her, and she froze. Her heart pounded as she tiptoed to the back door. A shadow moved, dimming the bright morning light, and she realized a man was out there, skulking in the bushes at the side of the house.

Panicked, she snatched her keys and purse and hurried to the garage. Seconds later, she slid in her vehicle, started the engine and opened the car garage door. She shifted into reverse, hit the gas and glanced in her rearview camera as she backed out.

A shadow moved from the side of her house, a man in all black. She couldn't see his face and she didn't intend to wait to find out what he wanted. She pressed the automatic button to close the garage door then peeled into the street and raced off.

Dark clouds hovered above, and she sped up, hoping to escape the shadows of doom she felt hovering over her. The streets were slick and she flipped on the defroster to clear the windshield as snowflakes dusted her mini-van.

Tires screeched behind her, and she glanced in the rearview mirror and saw a dark car closing in on her. Her hands clenched the steering wheel as she swung onto a side road, but she made the turn too quickly and her vehicle skidded.

The car followed, zooming up behind her, his headlights blinding her. She lost control, then swerved, tires grinding, brakes squealing. Terrified, she screamed, metal crunching as she careened into the ditch. Her head jerked forward and stars danced in front of her eyes just before the world went dark.