Midnight Exposure (Midnight #1)(67)

Reed’s eyes moved across the landscape. The yard was empty. Nothing moved in the trees. He approached the workshop from the rear. One glance down at the ground had him ducking behind the building.

A trail of human footprints led from the rear of the outbuilding and disappeared into the forest. As Reed inspected the tracks, the high-pitched whine of a snowmobile engine cut through the night air and faded rapidly.

Shit.

Reed turned and stared back at the house. The ground was elevated slightly behind the shop. From his position, he had a clear view of the entire rear of the house. How long had the man been out here?

The urge to go after Jayne’s stalker surged in Reed’s veins. The tracks would be easy to follow, but the guy had a whopping head start. Then there was the possibility that the man would double back and ambush Reed.

Or return to the house.

Jayne would be unprotected. She’d be alone, vulnerable. As Madeline had been. Drawing Reed away could be the plan if Jayne’s captor really wanted her back—which he obviously did.

The man pursued her with terrifying determination.

Reed’s gut clenched as a cold wind blew ice crystals off the workshop roof and dumped them onto his head. Cold water invaded the neck of his coat and slid down his spine. A shiver rode behind it. He circled the house but found no other signs of the trespasser. He listened. Nothing but the wind.

Had he scared the man off for the night?

Reed pivoted and surveyed the yard once more. The clouds shifted and a beam of moonlight fell across the yard. In the tree next to his workshop, something glittered.

Reed backtracked. About six feet up on the tree trunk, something hung. It was circular and shiny. He ducked into his workshop for a flashlight. Hanging on a nail driven into the tree trunk, the object was twisted metal, about eight to ten inches in diameter and open on one end. Reed jogged back to the house. Jayne met him at the side door. The gun was in her hand, ready. He stomped his boots on the porch.

“Well?” She slid the dead bolt home.

“Somebody was out there.”

“He knows where I am.” Jayne’s face went grim.

“Everyone in town knows where you are.” Reed clumped into the living room and pulled his digital camera from his desk drawer. “There’s something outside, in the tree. I’m going to take a few pictures before I bring it in. Can you find a clean pillowcase in the linen closet and lay it on the kitchen table?”

Jayne shot him a confused look but nodded. “Is he gone?”

“Yeah. I’ll be right back.” On his way through the kitchen, he snagged the barbeque tongs from the drawer. Reed photographed the strange object before using the tongs to lift it from the tree. It was heavier than he’d expected.

In the kitchen, he laid it carefully on the pillowcase. The gold shone dully against the chocolate-brown cotton. The metal had a lack of definition, a smoothness that suggested centuries of wear.

Like the Celtic coin that had been found under the teenager’s remains.

Reed stripped off his coat and tossed it over the nearest chair back. “What do you think it is?”

“I don’t know. Looks like something that should be in a museum. Some kind of artifact. Necklace maybe?” Her nose wrinkled as she concentrated on the odd engravings that adorned the dull gold. Small spirals decorated the flattened ends. “These engravings look like those symbols that were all over the basement walls. The same ones he wrote on my car and on the door at the inn.”

“What’s this?” Reed pointed to the vine wrapped around the metal. Clumps of white berries hung on the greenery. Tucked in the vine were three long black feathers and something that looked like burnt bread or cake. “Except for the feathers and food, it looks Christmasy.”

“That’s because it’s mistletoe.” Jayne circled the table to look at the piece from another angle. “So what do we do with it?”

Reed hated his answer before he gave it. “We call Doug Lang.” Unfortunately.

Jayne’s eyes shifted from the metal to Reed. “No, really. What do we do? Doug doesn’t like you very much.”

“I know. He’s afraid I want the chief’s job, but we don’t have much of a choice. It’s evidence. We have to call him. He’s the only cop around. He’ll at least dust it for prints and call the state police. They have a lot more resources than the small municipality of Huntsville.” Reed tilted his head and stared at the object. She was right. It looked as if it belonged in a museum. He glanced at Jayne, who was giving him a you’ve-got-to-be-kidding look. “But first we take a whole bunch of pictures and measurements so we can find out what the hell this thing is in case Doug sits on it for any length of time.”

“That I can do.” Jayne took possession of Reed’s camera and adjusted the kitchen light. While Reed left a message for Doug, she walked around the table and snapped shots from every conceivable angle while Reed closed the blinds. “What do you think this thing means? Do you think he left it for me?” A quiver edged into Jayne’s voice. Her eyes looked wet for just a second; then she blinked.

“Yeah. I do. I think this psycho left you a damned present.” He quickly told her about the ancient coin.

“That’s. Just. Too. Freaky.” She sucked in air as if it were courage and pounded a fist against her thigh. “I wish we could figure out who he is. I can’t spend my life wondering if every person I meet is going to try to abduct me.”