Cody had bent and was touching something on the floor. “Nothing.”
As she turned away, she saw him sniff his finger. What was he looking for? He moved about the room, padding lightly from spot to spot, stopping occasionally to examine something. His expression was intent, fully focused. There was something about the way he moved, a gracefulness that surrounded all those muscles, that left her in awe. He’d always had it, even when he was young. She’d tried to emulate it, but never got it right. “On to the shop?” she asked.
Cody nodded. Shay opened the back door, and they stepped inside.
“Nice,” Cody said, admiring an old sword on a shelf.
“We carry everything from furniture and tapestries to weapons and jewelry. If it’s old, we’re interested,” Shay said, closing a table drawer.
“I’ve got a friend you should meet,” he muttered.
They stepped farther into the shop, and the hair on Shay’s neck rose.
“Wait. Let me go first.” Cody put a hand over his chest and eased inside, not touching anything. He moved like a predator, eyes narrowed, scanning the shadows.
“The guy who broke in my shop smashed a table too.”
“You didn’t tell me that. Was anything else damaged?”
“Not that I know. The police didn’t mention anything. I wonder if it’s the same guy.”
“Who was he? A local guy?”
“I don’t know him. He had a strange name. Franklin or something. He claims it’s a mistake.”
“They all do.” Cody eased past the broken furniture. “We’ll call the police in Scotland. There must be some connection if the only things he messed with are the tables.”
“Maybe someone’s trying to hurt my business.”
He put a hand on her shoulder. “This does feel personal, but I think it’s something else. Look at that table over there.” He pointed to a small end table. “It’s a simple design, one drawer, and it’s opened, just like the one near the back door. He’s looking for something.”
“What could he be looking for in both Leesburg and Scotland? We need to call the cops.”
“Quiet.” Cody tilted his head, listening. “Stay here. I want to look around outside.”
“No. I want to come.”
“I’ll just be a minute.”
He left, and the shadows crept into Shay’s mind, the footsteps, and evil whispers. Statues that moved. She started toward the sword, when a noise sounded in the back. She scurried toward the door Cody had left cracked. She slipped outside and saw him crouched near the side of the shop. Had he spotted someone? She crept up behind him and touched his back. He whirled, and she leapt back as the tip of his dagger pointed at her throat.
“Damn it!” he whispered harshly. Four ravens shot up from the trees.
“Ravens. Just birds,” she said, touching her neck. That blade had almost cut her throat.
“Do you ever listen? What are you doing out here?”
“I heard something. Those ravens, I guess.”
Cody watched the birds soar away before turning back to the trees. “Let’s go. I don’t like the feel of this place.”
“Where did you get that dagger?” He didn’t have his Glock.
“I always carry it.”
She looked him over. “Where?”
“In my boot.” He always wore boots. “Don’t ever sneak up on me. I could’ve cut your throat.”
He ushered her to the truck, then made a quick search for Renee’s laptop, which held all her files, and locked up.
“Did you find her laptop?” Shay asked.
“No. Did she have any enemies?” he asked, after he loaded Shay’s luggage.
“Not that I know of, but there’s something I haven’t told you. The burglar in Scotland wasn’t exactly a burglar or a vandal. Well, he might have been those too, but he’s really more of a stalker.”
Cody’s face went slack with surprise and then tightened in anger. “A stalker? You’ve had a stalker this whole time, and you didn’t tell me? What were you thinking? I’m a war… a PI, for God’s sake.”
“Stop yelling at me! The police arrested him. I thought it was over. I didn’t see any point in mentioning it. But he must have trashed this place first.”
Cody drummed his fingers on the wheel. “No wonder you freaked out at the lake. How long has this been going on?”
“About three weeks. I felt like someone was watching me, saw shadows, then the night I left Scotland, I’d gone to my shop, when I saw him coming after me. I ran inside, and there was a table I’d just gotten for an American client, all smashed up on the floor. I called the police, but before I could get out of the shop, I heard footsteps. I hid behind an armoire. He was so close I could’ve touched him. Another few seconds, and he would’ve had me. Something scared him off. I talked to the police between flights, and they told me they arrested him.”
“Was there anything special about your table?” Cody asked.
“It wasn’t valuable. My client wanted something unusual. Renee had just gotten these two matching tables, at an auction, I think. They sounded perfect, but Mr. Ellis wanted only one. Renee shipped it from Leesburg. Another client took the other one. Renee was fixing some scratches on it. I didn’t see it in her workroom. Maybe it’s been delivered.”
“We need to find out where she got those tables,” Cody said.
“I don’t even know where she is.”
“We’ll find her.” He put his hand on her leg. At first it just laid there, then he started rubbing slowly. She knew he did it without thinking, distracted by the new puzzle. She wondered if she should say something or just enjoy the warmth until he realized what he was doing. His hand slid inside her thigh, and she saw a mark on his inner wrist. She tried to see what it was—another tattoo?—but the rubbing was starting to heat more than her legs.
“What’s that mark on your wrist?” she asked.
Cody jerked his hand back, frowning. “Nothing.”
It looked like a sword. He was still hiding things from her, but wasn’t she doing the same? “What do you have against Renee?”
He stared straight ahead, and she thought he was going to ignore the question, but then he spoke. “I tried to see you.”
“After I left?” she asked. What did this have to do with Renee?
“Aye. You weren’t home.”
“When?”
He glanced at her once, and Shay could see the memories replaying in his eyes. “April third, a few months after you left.”
Shay felt the air freeze, too sharp to pull into her lungs. She swallowed. “I was at a funeral.”
“I’m sorry,” Cody said. “I guess it was bad timing on my part.”
Shay bit the inside of her cheek to keep from crying and nodded. When the tension in her throat eased, she said, “I’m surprised Renee wasn’t at the house.” She had gotten ill and couldn’t attend.
“She was.” Cody’s voice was flat. “She tried to throw me out.”
Shay swung around to look at him. “Renee?”
“She planted herself in the doorway and said you weren’t there.” Cody’s hands clenched the steering wheel. “I didn’t believe her, so I picked her up, set her aside, and went in anyway.”
Shay gaped at him.
“She was right. You weren’t there. She said you’d moved on with your life. You didn’t want anything to do with me. That you were seeing someone.”
“Why would she say that? I didn’t even go on a date for two years after that.” Shay clamped her lips together.
Cody glanced across at her, his eyes pinning her to the seat. “Why?”
Because the only one she ever wanted, didn’t want her. Shay turned and looked at the scenery flashing soundlessly by. “I was distracted with other things. Renee must have thought she was trying to protect me.”
“From what? What the hell did you tell her about me?”
“I didn’t tell her anything.” Not intentionally. Why hadn’t Renee told her Cody had come to see her? Shay would have given her right hand to have known. She let the spark of anger toward Renee die. She was just trying to help, but God, Shay wished she had known. Her phone rang, a puzzling call that distracted Shay from considering the damage Renee’s actions had done to Cody and Shay’s friendship.