Swept Away: A Squeaky Clean Honeymoon Novella (Squeaky Clean Mysteries Book 12) Read Online Free PDF Page A

upstairs, in the very direction where Riley was headed.
    Please, Lord. Protect him. Let it be a bird. A mouse even. I’d take a rat.
    But not danger. Not real danger.
    I didn’t want to begin my life with Riley only to have it end. I’d struggled with the fear since Riley had come back into my life after an encounter with a serial killer had left him on the brink of death.
    I stopped and listened. Silence stretched upstairs. I imagined Riley creeping around, looking for the source of the noise. I prayed no one was lying in wait for him.
    Visions of what happened on the beach last night filled my mind. Machine guns. Gorilla costumes. An abduction.
    What if we’d arrived here just in time for a nightmare to begin in this town?
    Just then I heard a loud “Hey!” followed by footsteps pounding above me. My heart leapt into my throat.
    Riley . . .
    I started to dart toward the sound, but then I remembered my promise to Riley. It seemed like a horrible start to a marriage to break a promise.
    But what if he needs me? I should go. Help him. The urgency of the matter trumps my promise . . . right?
    My nails dug into the plaster wall behind me as my mental war raged.
    More footsteps sounded, along with a shout.
    That did it. I was going.
    Just as I pushed myself off the wall, Riley thundered down the stairs.
    My heart slowed.
    He was okay.
    I darted to him. “What happened?”
    “There was a man upstairs,” Riley said. “He jumped from the window and disappeared on the beach. I almost jumped down after him, but I didn’t want to break a leg—especially since I wasn’t being threatened. Besides, he was too far ahead of me to catch up.”
    “Why would someone be upstairs?”
    He shook his head. “I have no idea. But I don’t like this.”
    My mind raced, immediately wanting answers. That was just the way my mind worked. “Did you get a look at him?”
    Riley shook his head. “He was wearing a black mask. It was hard to tell anything about him at all—not his age, his skin color, or even his hair. I’d guess he was about my height, and he was thin.”
    In other words, we basically knew nothing. Had trouble followed us from Virginia? I doubted it. A whole new trouble was stirring here.
    “How in the world did he get inside?” I asked, mentally retracing our steps to determine if we’d locked up behind us. I was nearly certain we had. Riley and I lived in the city. You just didn’t leave your doors unlocked there.
    “Your guess is as good as mine.”
    “We should probably call the police,” I finally said, trying to do the responsible thing and leave this in law enforcement’s capable hands.
    “Yeah. I guess we should. We haven’t even been here twenty-four hours, and it looks like we’re going to become acquainted with them on a first-name basis.”
    “Sounds about par for the course.”
    A secret squeal of delight echoed from somewhere inside my mind.

    * * *
    T wenty minutes later , Old Yeller showed up, and we explained to the town’s police chief what had happened. I only knew who he was because I saw the word “Yeller” on his uniform, but I was desperately curious to know the background on his name.
    The man looked nothing like I’d envisioned. He was young, with tanned skin and dark hair. His eyes were shifty, making him seem slightly untrustworthy. His tendency to touch his face and hair made him seem nervous.
    The three of us stood outside on the deck, where a gentle breeze begged to carry our worries away. If only it were that easy. Another officer looked for clues inside. I resisted the urge to tell him about a great new line of products that could enhance his investigation. I trained people on how to use thus said products for my job with Grayson Tech. But it was better if I kept my mouth shut because that decreased the likelihood of me getting involved in this case.
    “So you came back from breakfast and heard a sound upstairs?” Old Yeller repeated, glancing from his notepad to Riley and