Christy Barritt - Trained To Defend

“Let’s just talk.” Colton spoke softly, trying to put her at ease and alleviate some of her caginess. “Okay?”

Sarah nodded, but her eyes looked strained and unconvinced. Instead, she leaned forward and rubbed Buzz’s head.

“Do you have any idea why anyone would want Loretta dead?” he asked.

Sarah shook her head. “No. And…the more I think about it, the stranger it all is.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because I found Buzz locked in my closet upstairs. He couldn’t have gotten himself locked in there. It wouldn’t make any sense.”

“Okay. You think Loretta put him there?”

“It’s the only thing that makes sense. If the killer had put him there, Buzz would have been a wreck, clawing to get out. But he was sitting there obediently.” As Sarah talked, she continued to rub the dog’s head.

“So, he’s well trained.”

Sarah nodded. “That’s right. But the thing is… Loretta could hardly get up the steps. She had ALS. If she went through all that trouble…”

“Then she suspected something might happen.”

“Exactly.” Sarah trembled again. “I don’t know what’s going on, but I don’t like it. I hope I didn’t lead trouble here, Colton. I didn’t think I was going to make it. The roads were so icy. And the drive was long and dark. I barely had enough gas. So many things were not in my favor.”

“It sounds like God was watching over you to bring you this far,” Colton said.

“I agree.” Her gaze met his, her brief moment of gratefulness at their spiritual connection replaced by fear. “What am I going to do?”

“We’ll figure something out, Sarah.” Had he just said that?

Colton had taken time off from law enforcement, even though he’d been offered a job in investigative services with the Idaho State Police.

One day, he thought he might go back into that line of work. But, if he ever had hopes of doing that, the last thing he needed to do was harbor someone who might be wanted in a police investigation. And if the police weren’t looking for Sarah yet, they would be soon.

Still, one look at Sarah, and Colton knew he couldn’t refuse helping her. She’d always had that effect on him.

Sarah rubbed her hands against her dress and frowned. “Colton, is there a way you could… I don’t know. Maybe call someone? Maybe use some of your connections to find out if there are any updates? Maybe the police caught this guy. Maybe those headlights I saw were just another traveler headed in the same direction I was. I just don’t know. Nothing makes sense, and nothing will make sense until I have more answers.”

He didn’t say anything for a moment and instead sat there, letting her words settle.

She frowned. “I’m asking too much, aren’t I? I’m sorry.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Colton finally said before nodding toward the hallway. “Listen, first, why don’t you take a shower?”

“A shower sounds nice.”

“I’ll find you something to wear and you can leave what you have on now outside the door. I’ll wash everything for you and leave you something fresh. Once you’ve cleaned up, we figure out a plan.”

Sarah continued to stare at him, as if trying to gauge his thoughts, to figure out if he was still trustworthy. “You’re not going to call the police while I’m in the shower, are you?”

“I won’t. You know I’m as good as my word.”

Finally, she nodded. “Okay then.”

But just as she stood, her phone buzzed. She pulled it from her purse and looked at the screen. Her face went pale.

“What is it?” Colton moved closer, sensing something was wrong.

“It’s a message…from Loretta.”

The killer must have grabbed the woman’s phone, Colton realized.

“What does it say?” Colton asked, glancing over her shoulder. As he read the words there, his blood went colder than an Idaho winter.

I know who you are, and I will find you. You have something I want.

Sarah’s heart raced as she sat on the couch and stared at the words on her phone.

The killer knew who she was? How? What did this mean?

Fear rushed through her. Exactly what was this man planning to do when he found her? Sarah didn’t even have to ask that question. She knew what he planned on doing.

He would kill her.

She should have pulled up his mask and looked at his face. At least then she would know what the man looked like.

But it was too late for that now. It didn’t matter.

Her head spun as reality again hit her and left her reeling.

“It’s going to be okay, Sarah,” Colton said beside her.

His voice snapped her back to the moment. His platitude was meant to bring her comfort but it failed. Nothing was going to be okay. Nothing.

Why couldn’t Colton see that? Why did he always think things would be okay when they clearly wouldn’t? Sometimes people couldn’t change their circumstances, no matter how hard they tried.

Sarah’s life had been a case in point.

Nothing had gone the way she’d planned—including her relationship with Colton.

She put her hands over her face. Why had she ever come here? What had she been thinking?

This was just one more bad decision in a long line of them.

Colton leaned closer, still staring at her phone. As he did, his arm brushed hers, and a surge of old memories rushed through her. Memories of when life used to be happy. When the future had seemed bright. When it looked like her future wouldn’t be a repeat of her past.

Sarah had been wrong then. As much as she wanted to believe and trust in God’s plan for her future, she’d accepted the fact that her future was meant to be full of struggles. Other people might cruise through life and find happiness. But not Sarah.

Her father had left. Her mother had been arrested. She and her sister had grown up with a string of foster care families—and they hadn’t been together in most of those homes.

No, life had never been smooth sailing. Even now as an adult, life had been full of financial and career struggles, all of which had led her to this point.

“Do you have any idea what he’s talking about when he says, ‘You have something I want’?” Colton asked, his gaze still laser focused on her phone screen and that text she’d received.

Sarah’s mind raced, charging back to the present. What did the man mean? What exactly had he come to Loretta’s to get this evening?

“I have no clue,” she said, her voice shaky. “I left with nothing. All my things are still at Loretta’s. It was just me and Buzz and a few of Buzz’s essentials that were in a bag by the back door.”

She leaned down and patted Buzz’s head. The dog leaned into her, but Sarah noted how his eyes remained on guard as he scanned the room.

She felt sorry for Buzz. He’d cherished Loretta so much and had been such a faithful companion.

The dog was truly beautiful. White with gray spots. His eyes were an icy blue, and he had a matching collar. Despite his regal demeanor, the dog also had a playful side. Loretta had trained him well. All she had to do was cluck her tongue once, twice or three times, and he would immediately obey whatever command corresponded.

In fact, in some ways, the dog had been like a child to Loretta. Buzz had been raised to act as an emotional support canine for her.

“Is Buzz special?” Colton asked, staring at the husky.

Sarah looked at the dog again. “I mean, he’s special in the sense that he’s a great dog. But he’s not of a championship bloodline or anything.”

“That’s strange that the man would say that then.” Colton reached over and rubbed Buzz’s head also. “Whoever killed Loretta must think you have something—something worth killing for.”