Rattled by Kris Bock Page A

crook fleeing right now with scratch marks all over him.”
    “I’ll keep an eye out for some guy with shredded skin.” Drew headed into the kitchen. Erin followed and stood in the doorway as Drew deposited the cat near his food dish and opened the back door. He crouched and examined the lock for maybe 15 seconds. “Yep, it’s official. I know absolutely nothing about lock picking.”
    Erin laughed. “You fooled me for a minute there.”
    “I read a lot of mystery novels. I see scratches around the lock, but damned if I can tell how long they’ve been there or if they mean anything.” He closed the door and locked it. “It’s possible someone broke in and let the cat out by accident.”
    Or on purpose, Erin thought, if that person happened to know just how violent Tiger could be.
    “He might have opened the window and popped the screen to try to fool you into thinking the cat had gotten out on his own,” Drew added. “Maybe he panicked after letting Tiger out and took off, or maybe we came home just in time and scared him away. You might want to make a thorough search to be sure nothing was stolen. But unless you find something missing, I’d say you don’t have anything worth reporting to the police.”
    “Yeah, you’re right. And you were right earlier too, so thanks. I’m glad we did it this way.” He was much more sensible than the police had been. All right, the main difference was, he’d believed her completely. She didn’t know if that was sensible, but it was comforting. She didn’t feel scared anymore. She felt safer than she’d felt in days.
    For a long moment they gazed at each other across the kitchen. Erin felt a warmth in her belly. The slow, steady beat of her heart seemed to echo in her ears.
    “Erin,” Drew said softly, “I wish you would tell me what’s going on.”
    She swallowed hard and tried to keep her gaze steady on his. “What do you mean?”
    “Average, innocent women do not have their house broken into, probably twice, after being thrown into a ditch by a mysterious hit and run driver. Do you have enemies?”
    “No....” Did Mitchell count? A week ago he’d practically been her boyfriend. She didn’t know how to explain everything, or if she should. “I don’t understand why anyone would want to hurt me. It seems unbelievable.” That much was true.
    Drew leaned against the counter and folded his arms. “What about the treasure?”
    Erin’s heart lurched. She’d never told him about the treasure. Was he one of them after all? She stumbled back on legs that threatened to collapse.
    “Erin!” He crossed the kitchen at lightning speed and grabbed her in the entryway. Erin tried to twist out of his grip and opened her mouth to scream. He let go and stepped back, his hands raised in surrender. “Okay, okay, don’t panic. I’m sorry I scared you. Just hang on a minute and let’s talk.”
    Tiger stalked in from the kitchen. He planted himself at Erin’s feet and stared at Drew, his tail lashing. She felt oddly safer and took a moment to catch her breath, leaning against the wall until the trembling eased. “How did you find out about the treasure?”
    “I overheard you and Mitchell talking.” When she just stared at him, he had the grace to look embarrassed. “Tonight at the bar, I was at the next table, listening in. I wanted to find out what he wanted.” He gave an uncomfortable shrug and looked away. “And at the hospital. I was listening outside the door.”
    Erin took a deep breath and tried to straighten, but she wasn’t sure her legs would hold her if she pushed away from the wall. “So you’ve been spying.”
    He winced. “Not exactly—yeah, okay. I wasn’t thinking of it like that, but I guess I was. It was rude, and I apologize.”
    She stared, trying to figure him out. All she could think was Why? What possible reason could he have had, as early as that first meeting in the hospital? Or did he just spy as a matter of habit? Was he some kind