Free Deep Autumn Heat by Elisabeth Barrett Page B

and coincidently, I put them inmy bag tonight to take them home.”
    Lexie found the packet of notes and placed them on Cole’s desk. Seb leaned forward, brows furrowing.
    “Uh, Lexie?” Cole asked, raising an eyebrow.
    “Yes?” she answered a little nervously, seeing both Cole’s and Seb’s disapproving expressions.
    “There are at least a dozen notes in here.”
    “Yes. There are quite a lot.”
    “How long have you been getting these notes?”
    “For about a year.”
    “Lexie.” His voice was a silken warning.
    “Mm-hm?” she responded.
    “You should have reported this earlier. Much earlier.”
    “But why? You really don’t think this is tied to the guy who just attacked me, do you?”
    “Because from what you’ve told me, these letters don’t really sound like a harmless prank. What if it’s not Paige? What if it’s someone else who is making real threats and who might hurt you if their demands aren’t met?” Cole sighed. “I don’t know what these letters say, but I intend to study them thoroughly. At a minimum, they constitute harassment. With the threat component, I’d venture to say they rise to the level of stalking.”
    “Stalking?” Lexie’s voice went up a pitch.
    “Yes, stalking. We have civil and criminal laws against harassment and stalking in Massachusetts. I’d like to review these notes myself before sending them to Barnstable County. They have a forensics expert there who specializes in handwriting.”
    “If that’s what you think is best, then please do it.” She was sure Paige was the one leaving the notes, but she wasn’t going to get in Cole’s way.
    Cole looked at her sternly. “Lexie, it seems to me that you’ve been rather cavalier about your personal welfare as of late. For someone who had to take out a restraining order against aformer boyfriend, you’re not very concerned about your safety.” Lexie opened her mouth to speak, but he held up a hand to indicate she should let him finish. “I’m not going to place any restrictions on your comings and goings; you’re not the one at fault here. But I am going to ask you to be a little more sensible about where you go and what you do. Don’t stay at work too late, unless Buster is there, too. Be mindful of your surroundings and try to keep near other folks. And for God’s sake, don’t walk home alone at night.”
    “Honestly, I never thought I’d have to be so vigilant after taking out that restraining order and moving clear across the country. I was just happy to be away from him.” Lexie swallowed. “I’ll be more careful from now on.”
    “We’ll get this whole affair wrapped up as quickly as we can, I promise,” Cole said. “Can you think of anything else that might be useful for us to know?”
    “No, I really think that’s it,” she said, reaching for her bag, wanting only to go home. “Would it be all right if I left now?”
    “Yes. I’ll drive you home. You live on Harper’s Pond Road, right?” He rose from his seat.
    “That won’t be necessary,” Seb said. “I’ve got it covered.”
    The two brothers stared at each other for a few long seconds. Then Cole nodded his head fractionally, but enough for Lexie to see that he’d given his consent. Cole turned to look at Lexie very seriously. “I’ll figure out what’s going on here, and I’ll put a stop to it,” he said with conviction. “You can count on it.”
    “Thanks, Sheriff, I appreciate that.”
    Seb escorted her quickly through the building. They reached his bike, which was parked a few blocks from the station. Seb grabbed his black helmet off the back and put it on. He threw one long leg over the bike then kicked the stand away, simultaneously placing the key into the ignition. He held out an extra helmet. “Here. Put this on.”
* * *
    The nervousness Lexie had tamped down while giving her statement to Cole burbled back up, and the reality of the situation set in. She’d just been rescued from an unknown assailant