The Yuletide Rescue. Margaret Daley

worse than the living room, stunned her. Torn boxes of food were emptied on the floor and counters. The refrigerator and freezer remained open; the contents had been gone through. Anger festered in the pit of her stomach. She curled and uncurled her hands.

      David disappeared into the utility room. When he emerged with the boards and hammer, he stopped near her. “I haven’t disturbed anything, but I think it’s okay if you shut the freezer and refrigerator. The rest I think the police should see.”

      She turned toward him. His image blurred as tears flooded her eyes. She’d been trying not to think of what had happened over the past twenty-four hours, but suddenly it all crashed down on her.

      David leaned the wood against the table and put the hammer and nails on it, and then he enveloped her in an embrace. “I’m sorry this happened on top of everything else. It’s hard to take in.”

      “He was family to me. He was always here if I needed something. I...” Her mind went blank with grief. Numb, she couldn’t even express how she was feeling.

      His arms tightened about her as she cried against him. For a few moments, she didn’t feel so alone. Jeremiah was her last tie to her parents. In the past years she’d gone through three losses: first her dad, then her fiancé and finally her mom. And now Jeremiah. Death surrounded her, even in her job. Everyone she loved died. Suddenly it seemed too much to bear. Tears continued to flow from the depth of her soul, and the whole time David sheltered her, his hand stroking her back.

      Slowly she pulled herself together. She never fell apart in front of people, especially someone she’d just met. She stepped away, swiping her fingers across her face. “I don’t usually do that. As a doctor, I’ve seen my share of death.”

      “Having served in several war zones, so have I, but you never get used to it. With my last tour of duty, all that death started really getting to me that I couldn’t do my job the way I should. I knew then I had to retire.”

      “And now you’re heading a search and rescue organization. That doesn’t seem like you’re getting away from death.”

      “A lot of the times we find people alive. That makes up for the ones we can’t reach in time. I feel like I’m making a difference, doing something positive.”

      “But you didn’t while serving?” Although she’d seen death as a doctor, more often she was able to help someone heal.

      “There’s little positive about war. I saw a lot of destruction. A man can only see so much before it starts changing him.”

      Bree swallowed at the pain echoing in his voice. A shutter fell over his features. Did something happen to him during that last tour of duty? She knew some veterans who had served in war zones and most were silent about their experiences.

      The urge to comfort him, as he did her, compelled her forward. She reached out, clasping his hand. “When I can’t help a patient anymore and have to stand back and watch them die, I put them in God’s hands. There comes a time when only He can do anything. Jeremiah is with Him now, and that does console me.”

      David’s chest rose and fell with a deep breath. “I’d better get this door fixed so you can go to sleep and I can go home.”

      Bree watched David nail the two-by-fours across the door frame. With his coat off, she admired his well-proportioned build. She could see him working with wood to create a piece of furniture. He’d said he’d served twenty years in the air force, so she guessed he might be around forty. He was attractive with strong features, a small cleft in his chin and short black hair. But what really caught her attention were his smoky-gray eyes, like the clouds as a storm moved in.

      He glanced over his shoulder at her and gave her a lopsided smile. Caught staring at him, she looked away. Her gaze fixed on the mess.

      She hated standing in the middle of the chaos; she wanted to clean up. She hoped the police found some evidence pointing to who had done this. Coupled with the guys at the lake, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something nefarious was going on. Jeremiah lived a quiet life, spending time with her when she was in town or with his small group of friends, mostly pilots and outdoorsmen.

      “I’m through. If someone really wants to, he could get in, but that’s true of most places unless there’s high security.” David walked into the utility room and put up the hammer.

      Bree looked again at what some determined person had done to Jeremiah’s house, as though he was searching for something. But what? The most expensive item Jeremiah had in his home was the TV. A shudder rippled down her spine. “What’s going on here?”

      “I suppose it could have been teens trashing a place for fun. Did Jeremiah have a run-in with a teen lately?”

      “I don’t know. I’ve been gone for a month. When I talked with him, he didn’t mention any problems. In fact, he was upbeat as if everything was going great. He didn’t say anything about feeling bad, either. I know heart attacks can strike suddenly, but sometimes there are signs.” She remembered her conversation with Jeremiah right before he had his heart attack. “Of course, I might be the last person he would say anything to. He thought I was a mother hen when it came to his health.”

      “You see what happens when people don’t take care of themselves. Ready to go?”

      “Just a moment. I need to get the cat food, litter box and Ringo. He’s going home with me.” Bree found the carrier in the utility room as well as the food. “The litter box is in the bathroom.”

      “Yeah, all over the place like everything else.”

      Bree checked the floor by the washing machine and spied a twenty-pound bag of litter. While she grabbed a liner, she asked, “Can you get the empty box? I’ll fix up a fresh one at my place.”

      After gathering the items she needed and Ringo, she left a couple of lights on to give the illusion someone was at home. When she stepped out into the driving snow, she tramped toward her house with David right behind her, carrying the box with the litter and food bags in it.

      Inside the warmth of her place, she released Ringo, who shot out of the carrier and raced up the staircase. “He likes to lie on my coverlet.”

      “Can I help you with any of this?”

      She swept around and took his load from his arms. “You need to go home. The roads are getting worse by the minute.”

      “Yes, ma’am. I can tell you’re used to giving orders.” He winked and strolled to the front door. “I’ll call you tomorrow, but feel free to call me if you need something.”

      “I’ll be fine,” she said with more bravado than she felt. “Thanks for all you did for me. I could have died today.”

      A smile spread across his face. “Anytime. Today is the good part of my job.”

      After he left, Bree turned the lock. Its clicking sound shouted to her that she was alone with a deaf cat as a companion, and there was a burglar out there who had ransacked her neighbor’s home.

      * * *

      David arrived home thirty minutes later after creeping through the streets. The only good thing was that he hadn’t encountered a lot of traffic because of the storm and late hour. He parked in his garage, hooked up his battery to keep it charged and then made his way into his kitchen.

      His dad came into the room from the hallway. “I heard the garage door. How did it go? Any problems taking the doctor home?”

      “Other than a nasty night out there, no. But there was a problem when we arrived at her house. Jeremiah Elliot’s house was broken into. He lived next door to her. She saw a light on and insisted on investigating it. The place was completely trashed but nothing obvious was taken.” David went on to mention some of the more valuable items of Jeremiah’s that were still there.

      His father’s eyes sparked with interest. “How did they get in?”

      “They?”