Free Misty Lake: Book One in the Misty Lake Series by Margaret Standafer Page B

anything that had happened earlier was a one-time thing, chalked up to her emotions running high, and it would certainly never happen again. She was far too sensible to let her emotions reign supreme over her common sense. Getting involved with a man, giving her heart to someone only to have it shattered, as it surely would be, was simply out of the question. She had dealt with enough hurt and loss to know steering clear of potentially painful situations was a must. Nobody, not even a sexy sheriff who apparently was capable of turning her bones to liquid, was going to change her mind. Tomorrow she would make it clear they were friends and friends only. With that, she tackled the work ahead of her with a vengeance.
     
    Jake didn’t stop to talk on his way into the office, merely waved away questions with the flick of a wrist and spent the next two hours hunched over his desk making notes and trying mightily to focus on the case and not on Sam. He made a call to Project Strong Start and scheduled an appointment for later that afternoon to speak with Tom Lindahl, the head of the camp. He was determined to dig deeper into the kids’ pasts.
    He had also spoken with a couple colleagues in the Twin Cities who were very familiar with a few of this year’s campers. Sadly, several of them already had long records of run-ins with the law, documented drug use, and gang involvement. Jake was waiting to hear back from a friend on the Minneapolis police force who knew as much as anyone about the current status of gangs in the city. He was out of town until Monday so there wasn’t much Jake could do but wait.
    Jake had hated leaving Sam alone. It was obvious whoever was responsible for the trouble at her place was becoming more violent. There was no longer a question in Jake’s mind that all of the incidents were related. From tipped over garbage cans and a broken mailbox to the vicious destruction of her shop, the seriousness of the attacks was escalating. The fact that everything had occurred at night told Jake a couple things. First, the guilty party hadn’t yet reached the point where harming Sam personally was part of his plan. He was sneaking around under cover of darkness hoping to frighten her. Second, he was afraid of being seen. There was no indication he had come near the house, focusing his efforts on the shop and areas out of sight of the house. Jake’s best guess was that he was far away during the daylight hours. Usually in cases like this, the perpetrator was someone with a personal grudge so the victim would be able to identify him if he were spotted. Third, and most unsettling, was the likelihood that things would continue to escalate until he achieved his goal, whatever that may be.
    The fact that Sam knew so few people in town made Jake think it likely that one or more of the kids from Project Strong Start were responsible. As much as Sam didn’t want to believe it, not all of the kids could be helped by a summer at camp. Many had been forced to attend the camp or had had it offered as an alternative to juvenile detention. Sam wanted to believe that deep down, everyone was good, and as much as he’d like to agree, he had seen too much throughout his career to know it wasn’t a reality.
    Jake also searched back in the police records for cases of vandalism at the lake. There were a few scattered over the years, most taking place in the winter when many of the cabins were closed up and there were fewer people around. There had been a string of small thefts a few summers ago but a drifter had been caught with the stolen goods in his possession and the case closed. Serious crime in Misty Lake was almost unheard of. The one murder had been a domestic situation twenty years ago and still came up in conversation from time to time among those who were old enough to remember. Jake knew they were fortunate. It was a community where neighbors looked out for one another and people still felt comfortable leaving their doors