Dark Harbor. Christy Barritt

for the pain she was about to experience.

      “You shouldn’t have ever come here.” His voice sounded gruff, commanding.

      His gloved hand pressed hard into her mouth. Hard enough that her teeth ached, that they cut into her gums and lips. His arm locked her in place. The man was strong, and his hold was like a clamp.

      Madelyn’s gaze darted around. There was no one around to help her. To see the act happening. To report to the police that she was missing.

      Her heart ached at the thought. There’d be no one to mourn her. She was alone in this world, and never had she remembered that fact like she did now.

      “Go back to Maryland,” the man continued. “Understand?”

      She didn’t dare speak.

      “Understand?” He squeezed her until she yelped.

      She nodded, desperate for her life.

      She wanted to fight, but she was frozen. Did he have a knife? A gun? Would he kill her?

      Instead, his hand slipped. In one slick movement, he shoved her to the ground. Quickly, he reached down and grabbed the oysters. Then he fled.

      She looked over her shoulder in time to spot a figure dressed in black. She couldn’t tell anything else about him. He was too much of a blur, a shadow, as he bolted away.

      She sank to the ground, her knees going weak. Her insides were a quivering mess. Her whole life had flashed before her eyes, and she’d feared the worst. She’d feared she would join her parents.

      Only—would she? They’d believed in God and in Heaven. Madelyn certainly didn’t believe in God anymore, and she wasn’t sure what she thought about Heaven or life after death.

      She only knew there was a massive hole in her heart after her parents—her only family, since she had no siblings—had been stripped from her.

      All she’d lived for since their death was her career. It seemed like the only sure thing about her future—at least it was her best hope. She couldn’t let some bully pressure her into giving up her dreams and goals.

      She sucked in a deep breath, trying to compose herself and not fall apart.

      With another shudder of fear, she hurried back to her suitcase, picked it up and went to the house. Her hands trembled as she tried to put the key in the lock.

      She just wanted to be somewhere safe.

      Did someone know who she was? Know why she was really here? What else might he do to ensure she actually did go home?

      The only person who may feel threatened by Madelyn was Zach. She shook her head. He shouldn’t have any clue who she really was. Paula was the only one who knew her true motives for coming here.

      That’s when Madelyn realized the truth: she needed to report a crime.

      It looked like she and Zach Davis were going to have to talk again. Maybe this was a good thing. After all, what better way to track down the truth than by getting to know him more?

      * * *

      Zach leaned back in the ratty old desk chair and thought about what had happened earlier. All of it seemed out of the realm of the ordinary for the quiet town.

      If Madelyn was telling the truth—and he had no reason to suspect she wasn’t—she’d been followed into town. Then someone had shot at Zach. What an utterly strange greeting for the town’s visitor.

      The town’s very intriguing visitor. Yet, her gaze had been shifty and her actions showed anxiety. Was she hiding something? Or was she simply shaken up after everything that had happened?

      He surveyed his small, quiet office. He had a secretary/receptionist/dispatcher and one officer here in the fishing community. He could use more help, but the mayor had yet to approve the budget increase.

      Zach had only been in Waterman’s Reach for three months—barely enough time to learn the ropes and fully comprehend how the small department here operated. So far, he knew the town was sleepy.

      He’d been inching closer and closer to this exact location and this exact job. As soon as he heard about the position opening up, he jumped on the opportunity to come here.

      He’d done his homework. He knew that Waterman’s Reach was the most likely spot where he’d find answers about the crime that haunted him. Gone was the big-city excitement of being a detective. His work in Baltimore had never been done—he didn’t have enough hours in his day to give the attention needed to each one of his cases. Here, he experienced a slower pace of life.

      He actually kind of liked the change. What he didn’t like was the lives that had been affected by what had happened in Baltimore before he left. The families that had been hurt. The futures that had been destroyed.

      He crushed the paper cup in his hand and tossed it into the trash can. With any luck, he would find some answers here and be able to move on with his life eventually. The only caveat was that he had to ensure that no one could figure out who he really was in the meantime. If they did, his whole investigation—years of work—would be ruined.

      He felt the air in the building change as the front door opened, and he waited for Lynn to greet the visitor. When he didn’t hear anything, he stood and stretched his taut muscles before stepping out of his office. Now where had Lynn gone? Her desk was empty.

      “Can I help—?” He stopped abruptly when he saw the familiar figure. “Madelyn. What brings you by here? I called the tow truck, but I’d give Fisher’s a little bit longer—”

      “It’s not about my car. It’s about the man who just attacked me.”

      He bristled. Attacked? On the surface, violence didn’t seem to exist in Waterman’s Reach.

      Until Madelyn Sawyer showed up.

      “Attacked you?” he repeated.

      She nodded, lowering her gaze for a minute. Her hand went to the counter as if she needed to steady herself. Just then he noticed her bloody knee and the rip in her skirt.

      “Do you need to sit down?” he asked. “Go to the hospital?”

      She offered what was probably supposed to be a reassuring smile. “I’ll be fine. Thank you.”

      His curiosity continued to grow. “Could you tell me what happened?”

      “A man came up behind me, put his hand over my mouth and demanded that I leave town. Then he stole my...” She frowned. “Oysters.”

      His concern temporarily disappeared as she finished her sentence. Certainly he hadn’t heard her correctly. “Oysters?”

      Her frown deepened. “I knew I shouldn’t have mentioned that part.”

      “Why don’t you come into my office and I’ll take your statement?”

      “I’d appreciate that.” She took a few steps toward Zach as he extended his hand toward the open door in the distance.

      Just as she reached him, her knees gave out. Zach grabbed her elbow to steady her. As he did, electricity shot through him.

      He quickly pulled himself together and tried to forget the scent of lilac perfume that had wafted up toward him. She held her head up higher, surprisingly tense. She was probably shaken after what just happened. No one could blame her for that.

      He pulled out a padded seat across from his desk.

      “Please.” He waited until she was seated before walking to the other side and lowering himself into the beat-up swivel chair he’d inherited from the previous chief. Levi Watson had cared more about giving himself bonuses than he had for building upgrades or equipment updates. “Now, please tell me exactly what happened.”

      She ran through her story.

      “He actually reached down and took the oysters before