Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove Series, Volume 3 Read Free

that didn’t mean Sadler wouldn’t be able to track them down.
    After they’d stumbled upon the remains, Troy had spoken to the teens twice. He was confident Philip “Shaw” Wilson and Tannith Bliss had told him everything they knew, which wasn’t much. The conversations had been straightforward. Although Tannith—Tanni—had done a good job of pretending to shrug off the incident, Troy could tell she’d been badly shaken. He was glad to turn the sixteen-year-old over to her mother.
    The last thing Tanni needed was to be questioned by the Seattle press. Shaw was a bit older and Troy felt the young man would cope admirably with a barrage of questions. It might not hurt to give the two of them some warning.
    His phone rang and Troy grabbed it, prepared to talk to the elusive Kathleen Sadler. “Sheriff Davis.”
    â€œUh, I hope I’m not disturbing you unnecessarily.” It was Cody Woodchase.
    Troy caught the hesitation in his voice. “You’re not. What’s up?”
    â€œI just got a call from the 9-1-1 dispatcher and apparently there’s been a break-and-enter at 204 Rosewood Lane.”
    â€œFaith?” Troy’s reaction was immediate as he bolted to his feet. That was the address of the rental house where Faith had recently moved. She’d been there a little more than two months.
    â€œI believe I heard she might be a…friend of yours.”
    â€œYes,” Troy said curtly, his throat muscles tight.
    â€œI thought you’d want to know.”
    â€œI do, Cody. Thank you.” Within seconds, Troy hadthrown on his coat and reached for his hat. He charged out the office door, unable to think of anything but Faith. He needed to know she hadn’t been hurt, that she was safe from harm.

Two
    T he moment Faith Beckwith approached her home she recognized that something was wrong. A sense of foreboding stopped her even before she’d unlocked the kitchen door. She shivered but it wasn’t because of the damp chill of early January, although it’d been raining on and off all day, and the wind cut through her winter coat. Her indecision didn’t last long; she shook it off, turned the key and stepped into—chaos.
    Her kitchen floor was strewn with garbage. Someone had upended the trash bin all over the linoleum. Coffee grounds, eggshells and an empty frozen orange-juice container left a trail of grime and filth. Footprints of coffee grounds led into the living room.
    Without thinking, Faith reached for the phone. She managed to restrain herself from calling Troy Davis, pausing before she hit the first number, which she’d memorized long ago. Instead, she punched out her son’s home number, praying he was back from work.
    The relief that cascaded through her at the sound of Scott’s voice nearly buckled her knees. “Scottie…someone broke into the house.”
    â€œMom? What do you mean?”
    â€œSomeone broke into the house,” she repeated, surprised that she was able to keep her voice level, although she’d begun to tremble with shock.
    â€œYou’re sure?”
    â€œThere’s garbage all over the kitchen floor!”
    â€œMom,” Scottie said calmly. “Put down the phone and dial 9-1-1, then call me back.”
    â€œOh, of course.” She should’ve thought of that. Normally she was a clear-thinking woman; however, stepping into this mess had completely unsettled her.
    â€œCall me back as soon as you do.”
    â€œOkay,” she promised Scottie, then pushed the disconnect button. Taking a deep breath she called emergency services and waited for the operator’s voice.
    â€œThis is 9-1-1. How may I assist you?”
    â€œMy house has been broken into,” Faith blurted. “I haven’t gone any farther than the kitchen. Whoever was here made a terrible mess.”
    â€œAre you sure the intruder isn’t still in the house?”
    That