Down to the Wire. Laura Scott
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“He left for school about fifteen minutes before you did.”
She tried to smile, even though the fact that Allan was clearly watching her way closer than she’d realized gave her the creeps. “But you haven’t seen him since then, right?”
“No, I haven’t seen him. Is there a problem, Tess?” Allan’s attention was centered on her, as if Declan weren’t standing right there beside her. “Do you need me to help you look for him?”
“There’s no problem at all,” Declan spoke up. “But thanks for your help, Allan. I’m glad you’re keeping an eye on things here. Have you seen anything out of the ordinary this morning?”
Allan frowned. “What do you mean?”
“You haven’t seen any strangers lurking around Tess’s house, have you?” Declan asked. “Or noticed any vehicles that don’t belong here?”
“Your vehicle doesn’t belong here,” Allan said in a blunt tone. “But other than that, no, I haven’t noticed anything unusual.”
“Okay, thanks. Here’s my card. You can call me day or night if you detect something strange.”
“I will.” Allan took Declan’s business card, looking a bit flustered. Tess knew Declan was trying to make a statement, basically warning Allan that he’d be nearby if anything happened. She only hoped Allan was savvy enough to understand Declan’s subtle message.
Their brief conversation was interrupted by the arrival of several SWAT vehicles. The way Allan’s jaw dropped in shock when he saw them made her grimace.
“What’s going on?” Allan asked anxiously.
“It’s nothing, really. They just want to go through my house to make sure it’s safe. Don’t worry, I’m sure they won’t find anything amiss.”
Declan walked over to meet with the other members of his team, leaving her with Allan. She tried not to compare the two, but Declan was so much taller and broader across the shoulders than Allan, it was difficult not to notice.
Not that she was interested in Declan on a personal level. He reminded her too much of her father, who had been the city mayor for almost twenty years. With her father, everything was about control and image. Serving the public was admirable, but the way her father used to yell, often made her wonder if he’d used her as a way to let off steam from the pressures of his job.
Her mother had never stood up to him, either.
She shook off the painful memories, focusing instead on Declan and his team, who’d entered her house.
“What are they looking for?” Allan asked.
She glanced at him in surprise. “Surely you’ve heard about the bomb that was discovered at the elementary school? I imagine it was all over the news.”
An odd expression filtered across his face, but then he nodded. “Oh, yes, it was. Terrible, just terrible.” Allan reached out to pat her arm awkwardly. “I’m glad you’re okay, Tess, that was a close call.”
A shiver of icy trepidation ran down her spine as she stared at her geeky neighbor. Close call? Did Allan know that her desk was the one where the bomb was planted? Declan had led her to believe that the details of the investigation would not be revealed to the press.
Had Allan been the guy she’d seen hanging around the parking lot? The man had seemed familiar but now that she was looking at Allan, she didn’t think so.
It could be that Allan was just making that statement because she’d been in the school, not because he knew that the bomb had been planted beneath her desk. Yet she couldn’t quite shake off the feeling of unease. Even though she knew it was highly unlikely that Allan had been involved, she was all too aware that she didn’t feel safe standing out here without Declan.
* * *
“First floor is clear,” Isaac said, meeting Declan in the kitchen.
“Agreed. Let’s split up between the basement and the second floor,” he directed.
“All right. Caleb and I will go down, leaving you and Nate to take the second level.”
Declan acknowledged the plan with a curt nod and headed upstairs. He automatically went to the left, leaving Nate to check the rooms on the right. There were three bedrooms and one office upstairs, and since Tess kept everything neat and orderly, it didn’t take them long to canvass the second level.
“Basement is clear!” Isaac shouted.
“Same goes for the second floor,” Nate added.
“Which just leaves the grounds,” Declan said. “Let’s sweep the yard, just to be sure.”
No one argued, and he suspected the bomb planted near the maple tree was fresh in their minds.
When Declan went out the front door, he noticed that Tess had made her way closer to the cluster of sheriff’s department vehicles parked in her driveway. Was it his imagination or was she trying to get away from Allan Gray?
He kept his gaze focused on doing his job, but as soon as the team had finished checking the yard, he hurried over to Tess. “Everything is fine,” he assured her.
“Good to know,” she said softly. “Can I go inside now?”
Declan nodded, unwilling to say too much in front of her weird neighbor.
“See you later, Allan,” Tess said, before turning away. Declan gave the guy a quick nod and then followed her inside.
“You can’t stay here, Tess,” he said the minute he’d shut the door behind him. “Just because we didn’t find a bomb doesn’t mean that you’ll be safe here.”
“You already said that, Declan,” she responded testily. “I just want to see if there’s any indication Bobby has been here since this morning, okay?”
Declan sensed he was skating on thin ice and tried to stay back, giving her plenty of room. Tess had been through a lot today, not to mention being worried about her missing brother. He knew better than to take her tense mood personally.
She disappeared upstairs and he stood in the living room, noticing how the side window gave a clear view of Allan’s house.
Did the guy watch Tess on a regular basis? Did he have a pair of binoculars that he used to spy on her? Declan couldn’t explain why he didn’t like him. After all, Gray hadn’t done anything overt, although he had admitted to watching Bobby and Tess leave earlier this morning.
Declan made a mental note to do a thorough background check on Allan Gray as soon as possible. Maybe he was overreacting, but it was clear to him that the guy was a bit obsessed with Tess.
But if the nosy neighbor was interested in Tess, why would he try to hurt her?
Declan didn’t have an answer to that question, but that didn’t mean the guy didn’t have something to hide, either. He glanced at his watch, realizing Tess had been upstairs for a long time. Despite promising himself he’d give her some space, he found himself taking the stairs two at a time, to get to the second floor.
“Tess? Is everything okay?” he called.
For several long seconds there was no response, and he had taken several steps toward her bedroom when she emerged carrying a small suitcase.
“Why wouldn’t everything be okay?” she asked, stopping short when she saw him standing there.
Declan felt stupid for worrying. What was wrong with him? Hadn’t he already checked the house and deemed it safe at least in the short term?
“I’ll take your suitcase for you,” he offered.
She handed it over and then brushed past him to precede him down the stairs. “I want to leave a note on the door for Bobby, because I’m sure he’ll come looking for me.”
“All