In Two Weeks (NY State Trooper Series) Read Online Free PDF Page B

can’t believe someone broke into my house, period.” Ryan swallowed, remembering all the hang-ups.
    Jared continued to talk with the other officers, but Ryan couldn’t hear them. Her body had gone numb. Then headlights swept down the road and slowed by the driveway.
    “Here’s Chuck,” Penny said, still holding Ryan’s hand.
    “A BMW?” Ryan eyed Penny. “You’ve left out a few details about your new love.”
    “Penny. Are you okay?” Chuck flew from the driver’s seat, leaving the engine running and the door open. He scooped Penny into his arms and planted kisses all over her face before putting her down. “Are you hurt?”
    “Just a little scared,” Penny said as Jared approached.
    “Jared, right?” Chuck stuck his hand out, but held Penny tight with his other arm. “I’m so glad you were here.”
    “You graduated with Randy, right?” Jared swiped a forearm across his head.
    “Yeah, I think it was three years behind you. What happened?”
    “Not exactly sure yet, but I didn’t think Penny should be alone or drive.”
    “All right if I take her home?”
    “That’s fine. If I need her, I know how to reach her.”
    “Thanks. Please keep me posted.” Chuck nudged Penny toward his car. “Are you okay, Ryan? Can I get you anything? Want to come with us?”
    “I’ll take care of Ryan,” Jared said, like it was his job or duty.
    “Ryan can take care of herself,” she said under her breath. But quickly reminded herself that someone had broken into her home, and Jared was just doing his job. He was always just doing his job.
    “I’ll call you tomorrow.” Penny waved as the BMW rolled down the road, red taillights fading out into the darkness.
    “Ryan, this is Officer Jenkins,” Jared said. “He needs you to go through the house with him and make sure nothing is missing.”
    She followed him into the house, tears welling in her eyes. A firm hand gripped her forearm as she made her way down the short hallway to her bedroom. “Oh, God.” She stopped at the doorway and looked at her clothing strewn about the room. Her body trembled. “What were they looking for?” Her throat was too dry to cough.
    “I need you to tell me what’s missing.” Jared smoothed his strong hand down her back. The circular motion at the base of her spine comforted her. “But you can’t touch anything yet.”
    She glanced around the room. “It’s hard to tell, with most of my belongings on the floor. Seems like everything in my closet is out here.” She inched toward her dresser, trying not to step on anything. The drawers had been pulled open and emptied. “I don’t know.” She continued to scan the room. Her clothes had been tossed to the ground as if they didn’t matter. “The only thing I don’t see is my...my...underwear and nighties.”
    “Doesn’t look like there are any undergarments here,” Officer Jenkins said.
    She jumped, having forgotten the officer was in the room. “My underwear? Who would do such a thing?” Her stomach tightened. The taste of bile rose up to her throat.
    “A pervert, ma’am,” Officer Jenkins said.
    “But who? And why me?”
    “Could be an ex-boyfriend or a perfect stranger, but someone decided to fixate their issues on you, ma’am.” The officer turned toward Jared. “I’ll file a report, and our office will up our patrols. We’ll need to get her prints so we can match them against the prints we’ve found here.”
    “State will take care of that and send them to you. What about a tap on the phone? She’s been getting a lot of hang-ups lately.”
    The officer lifted his hat, then wiped his brow. “Doubtful, but I’ll check into it. You might have better luck than us.”
    “All right. Thanks for coming out.”
    “You can put your room back in order now, ma’am.”
    “Thanks.” Ryan plopped on the edge of her bed and tried to make sense of what had happened while she and Penny had been having a quiet drink near the lake only five hundred feet away.