Beverly Barton 3 Book Bundle. BEVERLY BARTON
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“Don’t you dare get out of the car for any reason until Mike gets there.”
“I won’t.” Thank goodness her mother didn’t know anything about the notes and gifts and sketches from her secret admirer. If she knew, she’d be out of her mind with worry.
“I’ll call you back when Mike heads out, if you want me to.”
“Just call if for any reason he can’t come right away.”
“Okay. Do you want to keep talking to me for a while?” her mother asked. “You must be nervous, out there all alone. But don’t you think about anything bad happening. After all, Adams County is one of the safest places on earth, despite that poor Preston girl getting murdered.”
Oh, great. Leave it to her mother to remind her of the recent murder of a young woman about her age and general physical description. It wasn’t like she wasn’t already scared. But then her mother didn’t know anything about what had been happening to her recently, about the idiotic fantasy she had built around a man who could well not even be the one who’d been seducing her with notes and gifts and—
“Thomasina, are you still there?”
“Yes, Mom. I’m going to hang up now. I have to contact the college so someone can let my class know that I’ll be running late. Just call me if Mike can’t leave right away.”
Not even waiting for her mother’s response, Thomasina closed her cell phone, effectively ending the conversation. She immediately called the college and informed them of her situation; then she slipped the phone back into her purse. She sat there, alone in the shadowy stillness of the backcountry road, distant thunder rumbling and streaks of lightning zigzagging through the sky. She hoped that Mike got here soon. It wasn’t that she didn’t know the basics of changing a flat tire, but the simple fact was that neither she nor a lot of other women had the physical strength to remove the wheel’s lug nuts. And if you couldn’t do that, you couldn’t change the tire.
Glancing at her gasoline gauge, she smiled when she saw that she had more than half a tank. She’d just keep the motor running, the lights on and the radio playing. She turned up the volume and patted her fingertips against the steering wheel to the beat of the rocking country tune. Then she sang along, the words familiar, and soon the tension eased from her muscles and she relaxed. Leaning her head back and closing her eyes, she concentrated on the music.
Several minutes later, as she sang along with a classic tearjerker, she saw a set of bright headlights bearing down on her from the opposite direction. Well, it couldn’t be Mike—for two reasons. First of all, this car was coming from the wrong direction. And second, it hadn’t been five minutes since she had phoned her mother.
Don’t panic. Stay calm.
The vehicle came up alongside her and slowed to a stop. Her heartbeat accelerated. But when the driver looked toward her, smiled warmly and waved, she gasped with relief when she recognized him.
The car pulled off the road directly in front of her. The driver parked, opened the door and got out. When he came over to her window and tapped on it, she looked up at him and smiled, then rolled down the window.
“Hey there,” she said. “You don’t know how glad I am it’s you.”
“I see you’ve got a flat tire.” He glanced around the area. “Heck of a place for it.”
“My brother-in-law is on his way here,” Thomasina said. “Would you mind waiting with me until he gets here?”
“If you want, I can change the tire for you.”
“Oh, that would be great. How can I ever thank you? I was already running late for my night class before the tire blew.”
“Hey, I’ve got a better idea. Just leave your car here and let me drive you over to the college,” he suggested. “I’m sure Mike and I can figure out a way to bring your car over to the college later.”
“That’s a great idea. You’re a lifesaver.” Thomasina turned off the lights, the radio, and the car’s engine, then grabbed her purse before opening the door and getting out. After she locked the car, she handed her rescuer the keys. “You and Mike will need these.”
He placed his hand in the small of her back and escorted her to his vehicle. Before she got in, he lifted the mini-cooler and small grocery sack from the passenger’s side floorboard and carried them with him around to the other side. As soon as she was seated, he tossed the sack in the back before opening the cooler.
“Coke or Dr. Pepper?” he asked. “I’ve got both.”
“Oh, thanks. A Coke’s fine.”
“It’s pretty warm in here,” he said. “It’ll take a couple of minutes for the air to cool things off.” He inserted his key into the ignition and started the engine.
“I’m just so glad you came along when you did. I was already as nervous as I could be before I called Mom, and then she reminded me about that Preston girl who was murdered recently. I started imagining all kinds of things.”
He removed a canned Coke from the cooler, popped the tab and handed the can to her. “I hope you know you’re safe with me.”
“Of course I know that.” Feeling completely secure, Thomasina accepted the cola, lifted it to her lips and took several sips.
“Just sit back and relax. I’ll have you at the college in no time flat.” He winked at her.
She smiled at him, grateful that there were some truly good men left in the world.
He set the cooler between them, shifted the gears into drive, and pulled out onto the road.
Bernie had picked up Jim and Kevin at his rental duplex, then dropped Kevin by her parents’ house where her folks had been waiting. She wasn’t sure how her father had persuaded her mother to leave Robyn’s apartment and go home with him. Perhaps it had been the prospect of playing grandmother that convinced her.
Bernie and Jim had driven over to Verona together to talk to Roy Lee Nichols. The more information the local police chief had shared with them about his conversation with Thomasina Hardy and her sister, the tighter the knots in Bernie’s stomach got. She and Jim had exchanged several oh-God! glances, each of them fearing the worst—that whoever had killed Stephanie Preston and Jacque Reeves was the same person who was now stalking a new victim. If that was the case, then it might be possible to catch this guy, to stop him before he killed again.
“Did Ms. Hardy and her sister go home when they left here?” Jim had asked.
“I don’t think so. I believe she went on in to work. She teaches over at the junior college and said she couldn’t miss tonight’s class. That’s why she’s coming in again tomorrow,” Chief Nichols said. “I cautioned Ms. Hardy to make sure she had somebody with her all the time until we’d had a chance to talk to this Dr. Kelley and see if he’s the guy stalking her or not.”
“Did Ms. Hardy leave a number where she can be reached?” Bernie asked.
“Yep. A home number, work number, and cell number. I wrote all three down right here.” He tapped the notepad lying atop his desk. “Want me to jot them down for you?”
Bernie nodded, then waited while he wrote the numbers on a piece of paper and handed it to her. “I want to speak to Ms. Hardy tonight,” Bernie said. “Why don’t each of us take a number right now and one of us should be able to find out exactly where she is.”
“I’ll call her home number.” Chief Nichols picked up the phone on his desk.
Bernie memorized the cell number, then handed the piece of paper to Jim. “I’ll call her cell. You try the college.”
Jim took the paper, nodded and walked to the other side of the chief’s office. Bernie stepped outside into the station’s central hub and dialed the cell number. It