“Right. Well. There was no sign of forced entry,” Christina said. “Lock was intact. No splintered wood or marks on the frame. Maybe someone used a key.”
“Do you have a friend or boyfriend who has an extra key?” Brody asked, hooking his ankle over his knee and leaning back. “Or anyone who’d have access to one of your extras that they could’ve swiped?”
Andi rubbed her forehead beneath the curtain of her bangs, looking exhausted. “No. I haven’t lived there long. I have the only key.”
“What about the landlord?” Brody asked.
Hill shifted on the couch. “I’m the landlord. I didn’t unlock her door.”
Andi’s head snapped his way, a flash of shock there.
“Someone could have jimmied the lock without showing signs of force,” Hill said. “These locks are pretty old. I was already planning on getting them replaced.”
“Possible.” Brody jotted down something in his notebook. “Or maybe the door didn’t latch all the way and the wind knocked it open. We’d like to have Miss…”
“Lockley,” Andi supplied.
“We’d like to have Miss Lockley do a walk-through with us, make sure nothing is missing,” Brody said.
Andi tensed. “Are you sure you checked everywhere?”
“Of course.” Christina smiled empathetically, suddenly looking like the woman Hill used to love. “We secured it before coming over here. You’re safe to go back.”
Andi took a shaky breath. “Okay. I can do a walk-through. Can you come with us, Hill?”
The plea in her eyes did something to him. God, he wanted to take that fear out of her. Andi was one of those people painted in bright colors. Bright-red hair. Big blue eyes. Thick black eyeliner. Bright bold lipstick. Brash attitude. Seeing her scared and pale seemed like a crime against sunshine or something. “Sure. We’ll all go. We won’t leave you alone until you feel safe.”
She rolled her lips together and nodded.
He stood and put his hand out to help her up. She took it, but when he went to release her, she held on tight, sending a silent message. He squeezed her hand and kept hold of her. I’ve got you.
The exchange didn’t go unnoticed by his ex.
Part of him wanted to make a show of it. Put his arm around Andi like, Yes, this bright, beautiful woman is with me—even if it was a lie. But he knew Christina wouldn’t be jealous anyway. She was happily involved with Josh Matterhorn, the guy she’d left him for. The fellow firefighter who’d pulled Hill out of a burning building the night he’d lost his leg. The guy who used to be one of his closest friends.
The ghost of his old life rolled through Hill, and he had to breathe through the pain it stirred up. His relationship with Christina was dead. His relationship with Josh was dead. His leg was gone. His career was gone. The man he used to be didn’t exist anymore.
He could see that reality every time Christina looked at him. The man she’d wanted to marry had died in that accident. All that was left now was the echo of who he used to be. A cheap imitation with missing parts.
Andi squeezed his hand, bringing him back to the moment, and he sent her a silent thank-you.
They all made their way over to the neighboring side, and Andi went room by room, staying close to Hill. She was supposed to be checking for missing items, but he could tell she was more focused on checking every closet and every nook where a person could hide.
Christina had pointed out Andi’s big stack of horror DVDs and her shelves of scary novels and true-crime books. “Not into the lighthearted, Ms. Lockley?”
“Horror’s my job,” Andi had said, a little bite to the words. When they made it back to the kitchen, Andi let out an audible breath. “I don’t see anything missing. Maybe I scared them off before they could get anything.”
“Or maybe you just spooked yourself,” Christina said in an offhanded tone. “It happens. I know when I watch scary stuff, I hear noises that aren’t there.”
“Chris—” Hill started to call her out on the patronizing tone, but Andi got there first.
“I know what I heard,” Andi said, tone polite but sharp. “I know what I felt. And I didn’t imagine my door being open.”
Brody nodded and jotted a few more notes. “If someone did get in, they probably didn’t have long. Your phone’s right there by the fridge. That would’ve been an easy grab. Your purse was out front. You either scared them off or the door wasn’t latched correctly.”
“Or someone was breaking in to do something worse than theft,” Andi said grimly. “I’m a woman living alone.”
The thought of some creep sneaking around Andi’s place made Hill’s fingers clench into fists. “I’ll have the locks changed and get an extra dead bolt installed in the morning.”
Brody snapped his notebook shut. “Yeah. An extra dead bolt is never a bad idea—maybe an alarm, too.” He put his hand out to Andi. “Ms. Lockley, you let us know if you find anything missing or see anything suspicious.”
“I will. Thank you,” Andi said, her face drawn and tired as she shook Brody’s hand and then Christina’s. “I appreciate y’all checking everything out.”
“Of course,” Christina said.
Brody smiled a genial smile. “The good news is you have Dawson living next door.” He clapped Hill on the shoulder. “So even though it doesn’t feel that way right now, you’re probably in the safest house on the block. He can be a grumpy dude, but I’d trust this guy to have my back any day.”
Hill snorted.
Andi’s gaze slid Hill’s way. “Yeah, I was lucky to have him here tonight.”
“I was glad to help,” he said, meaning it. “Anytime.”
Christina and Brody said their goodbyes, and Hill walked them out, stepping outside on the porch with them for a moment, closing the door behind himself. Brody glanced out at the darkened street. “We did have a break-in not too far from here last month, about four blocks over. Took a laptop and an Xbox. If there was someone here tonight, my guess is it’s something like that. Probably thought no one was home and could make a quick grab.”
“I’m going to get an alarm installed,” Hill said.
Christina crossed her arms. “I don’t know. If someone were here to steal, they would’ve taken the phone at least. Your neighbor seems like a sweet enough girl, but I think she freaked herself out. All that horror shit will make you jumpy.” She cocked a brow. “Or maybe she just wanted to knock on your door in the middle of the night. She looks like she could be a bit of a drama queen—you know, with the hair and the nose ring and all.”