After Caroline Read Online Free PDF Page B

sat there on the rock gazing at Caroline’s house, she felt more than a little panic. What did she hope to gain by coming here? Would her being here exorcise the ghost of Caroline McKenna from her dreams—if it was the dead woman’s ghost?
    She had the uneasy idea that by coming to Cliffside so impetuously, she had started something that had immediately grown beyond her control, and for an instant she was sorely tempted to go back to The Inn, get her things, and catch the first plane heading to Atlanta, where she belonged. But before she could give in to the spurt of panic, a voice recalled her attention.
    “Excuse me, but you shouldn’t—”
    Joanna turned her head quickly, hardly surprised by this time when the man who had approached without givinghis presence away broke off abruptly, a look of shock on his face. He was a tall man, broad shouldered and athletic in build. He had very dark hair and very dark eyes, and though his lean face was too rugged for conventional handsomeness, there was something unusually compelling about him.
    Beyond him, at the edge of the woods, Joanna saw a Blazer parked on a narrow dirt trail she hadn’t even noticed until then, and though the lettering on the vehicle’s side wasn’t entirely clear at this distance, the large logo was.
    “You’re a policeman?” she asked, surprised by the lack of a uniform. He was, in fact, very casual in jeans and a light nylon windbreaker open over a dark T-shirt.
    He nodded slowly and took a couple more steps toward her so that they were no more than a few feet apart. The shock had faded from his expression, but he was frowning slightly. “Sheriff. Griffin Cavanaugh.” His voice was deep and just a bit harsh, though whether that was usual or he was emotionally disturbed by her appearance was something Joanna had no way of knowing.
    “I see. Am I doing something wrong, Sheriff?”
    He didn’t answer immediately, those dark eyes fixed on her face so intensely she could almost feel the touch of them. But then he said almost mechanically, “You shouldn’t sit so close to the edge. It isn’t really safe. We had somebody fall right about here no more than four or five months ago.”
    Since heights never bothered her, Joanna hadn’t hesitated to sit so close to the edge of the cliff that if she swung her right leg, it would have dangled out into thin air. But his words caused her to glance down at the jagged, surf-pounded rocks far below, and she shivered a little. Without wasting another moment, she scrambled off the rock and stood before him.
    “The person who fell,” she said, “did he or she … die?”
    Sheriff Griffin Cavanaugh nodded. “We lose one everyfive years or so,” he said, his voice still a bit remote. “Tourists without the sense to stay back.”
    Joanna felt defensive on behalf of all tourists. “There’s no sign. If it’s so dangerous, why isn’t this area posted, Sheriff?”
    His dark eyes narrowed slightly, and this time there was nothing detached in his tone when he said, “Because every time I post it, either the wind or a vandal does away with the sign. You’re from The Inn, aren’t you?”
    “Yes, I’m staying there.”
    “Then you should have read the warnings posted on the inside of your door. The cliffs behind the hotel have guardrails, and all guests are advised not to wander from that property. You’re on private land now.”
    Joanna glanced toward the distant house involuntarily.
    “Yes, his land,” the sheriff said, following her glance with one of his own. “It isn’t posted, but trespassing is strongly discouraged. This area can be treacherous, Miss—?”
    “Flynn. Joanna Flynn.”
    He nodded. “Miss Flynn. We would all prefer it if you confined your walks around the cliffs to hotel grounds. For your own safety.”
    “I understand.” She had no intention of saying more, but when the sheriff started to turn away, she heard herself say, “Sheriff? I’ve encountered quite a few surprised