Free Ever After (Love to the Rescue Book 3) by Rachel Lacey Page A

emergency. But no, the cruiser pulled in behind her and stopped.
    She watched in her rearview mirror as Pete stepped out of the car and came toward hers. Her heart was racing, and not from fear. Actually, she had no idea what he wanted, but the thrill of seeing him made it clear her hormones had lost their common sense.
    Keeping her eyes straight ahead, she rolled down her window and waited for him to make the first move.
    “Who did this to your car?” he asked.
    She shrugged, still refusing to look at him.
    “Olivia?” His voice was lower, more intimate. And tinged with concern.
    She looked up at him and saw her vulnerability reflected back at her in the mirrors of his shades. “Ask Deputy Hartzler.”
    “Why? You filed a report with him?”
    She nodded, grateful to her own sunglasses for masking the hurt feelings she still harbored over her recent experience. “Your colleagues don’t think very highly of me.”
    His lips thinned. “So tell me what you told him. This is different from what I saw painted on your car the other day.”
    “I washed that off after I reported it to Deputy Solomon, who also wasn’t the nicest.”
    His expression betrayed nothing. It was so annoying how cops could do that. “Tell me.”
    “Someone did this last night while I was asleep.”
    His eyebrows pinched. “At your home?”
    “Yes.”
    “The other was done while you were at work, correct?”
    She nodded.
    “I don’t like this,” he said, and her stomach immediately filled with butterflies. He cared. “Coming onto your property while you’re at home is making things a lot more personal. The message is more personal this time too. Could be construed as a threat.”
    A shiver snaked down her spine. “Or a joke.”
    “I’m not laughing.”
    “Yeah, me neither.” She looked down at her hands.
    “I’ll do what I can to look into it, but I have to be honest, Olivia. It’s not likely we’ll be able to make an arrest. There’s no evidence to investigate, short of someone coming in to report seeing something.”
    He didn’t sound optimistic, but she didn’t care. She was elated by the thought of him looking into her case. At least he believed her and wanted to help. That had to count for something. “I really appreciate it.”
    “I’ll ask around to see if anyone saw anything. And I’ll see if I can get a car to drive down your street once or twice during the night to look for anyone who shouldn’t be there.”
    “That would be great. Thank you.”
    “In the meantime, be careful. Make sure you’re locking your doors at night.”
    She shivered again. “Definitely.”
    “I’ll call you later,” he said, stepping back from her car window.
    She nodded, and then he was gone.
    * * *
    Pete walked into the station and zeroed in on Hartzler’s desk. The older deputy could be a real ass when he wanted to be, and while vandalizing a vehicle was a minor offense, he was irritated that Hartzler hadn’t taken Olivia seriously. “I need to see the report you just did for Olivia Bennett.”
    Hartzler looked up and adjusted his glasses. “What for? I haven’t even finished writing it up yet.”
    “Well let me see it when you do.”
    “Hey, you’re the one who arrested her last week out at the Halverson place, right? You think she’s doin’ this for attention?”
    Pete clenched his jaw. “No, but I’m wondering if someone’s retaliating against her for spray-painting that chicken factory. ‘Butt out’ could be a threat.”
    Hartzler shrugged. “Or a joke.”
    Olivia had said the same exact thing. Had she been repeating Hartzler’s words? “How ’bout you treat it like a threat until you know otherwise? And let me see that report when you’re finished with it.” Pete strode toward his desk before the other deputy could question his objectivity on the case. Nonetheless, he was sure he’d be hearing from the sheriff about it.
    He wasn’t objective where Olivia was concerned. No doubt about it. But someone