Baltimore 03 - Did You Miss Me?

. Daphne walked closer. ‘Are those my jeans?’
    ‘I took them to her,’ Maggie said, which translated to, Down, girl. She didn’t go in your closet . ‘As well as the boots.’
    ‘Boots are a little tight, but the jeans are really roomy in the butt.’ Coppola lifted innocent brows in Daphne’s direction. ‘And I can squeeze acres of denim.’ She grabbed hold of the thighs of the jeans, pinching excess material.
    Daphne laughed. ‘Bitch,’ she said, without heat.
    Coppola grinned. ‘Gives me lots of room for my arsenal.’
    Daphne smiled in spite of herself. ‘It’s really okay to go to the farm?’
    ‘Yes. Hector and I will stay with you. Now go change.’
    ‘Who will stay with Mama?’
    ‘Paige is coming,’ Maggie said. ‘She’s five minutes out, so that’s all you have.’
    ‘I’ll be ready.’

Chapter Sixteen
    Hunt Valley, Maryland, Wednesday, December 4, 7.20 A.M.
    I t was more a ranch than a farm, Joseph thought as he drove along the single-lane road leading from the main thoroughfare. He’d arrived at Daphne’s house only to find her already gone, headed out here.
    He remembered Clay telling him that this place was a security nightmare. He’d been completely right. Joseph counted eight outbuildings of various sizes. All looked to be in a decent state of repair. Any could be concealing a psycho whack-job with an assault rifle. He wondered what Hector and Kate had been thinking.
    By the time Joseph parked his SUV in front of the largest of the barns he was primed to give the two guarding Daphne a piece of his mind.
    ‘What the—’ He broke it off when he saw Hector’s face. ‘What’s happened?’
    ‘She’s okay,’ Hector said. ‘But.’ He pointed at the side of the barn.
    ‘Holy God,’ Joseph said quietly, staring. It was a message in brown letters a foot high, painted on the side of the barn.
    Now you know how it feels .
    ‘Blood?’
    ‘Yeah. Whether it’s human or not I don’t know.’
    Kate came around the other side of the barn, looking grim. ‘I think it’s cow.’
    ‘How can you tell?’ Joseph asked.
    ‘Because there’s a dead cow in the back,’ she said. ‘Slaughtered. It was wearing a collar and a bell. I think it might have been their pet.’
    Joseph’s heart lodged in his throat. ‘Did Daphne see the message?’
    ‘Yes,’ Hector said. ‘She and Maggie are in the barn now, along with the caretaker. They’re making sure the horses are all right.’
    ‘Who’s the caretaker?’
    ‘Scott Cooper. He was at her house yesterday when we got there. She trusts him. Apparently Cooper and Daphne go way back, since before her divorce. He has the next ranch over, but he works this one for Maggie.’ He pointed at a tidy, white wood-framed house. ‘That’s Maggie’s – Simone’s friend.’
    ‘I met her last night. She was Daphne’s nanny,’ Joseph remembered.
    ‘Now she lives here, generally oversees the horses. Cooper does the heavy work.’
    ‘How often is Daphne out here?’
    ‘Every day when she’s not in a big trial,’ Hector said. ‘She hadn’t been out in over two weeks, though. Before you ask, cameras were installed, but the power was out. Still is. Line was cut.’
    ‘Generator?’
    ‘Natural gas, and that line was turned off. I think someone knew they’d all be gathered down at Daphne’s, that Maggie wasn’t here. Cooper said he did the six P.M. feeding yesterday and the power was just fine.’
    ‘Have you called CSU?’
    ‘I did,’ Coppola said. ‘Brodie’s on her way.’
    ‘All right. Let’s get Daphne and Maggie out of here.’ Joseph went into the barn, where Maggie was standing watch, her mouth pinched tight. ‘Good morning, Maggie,’ he said softly, not wanting to scare her. She was holding a shotgun.
    ‘Agent Carter. This has to stop.’
    ‘I agree. I need to get you two out of here.’
    ‘I’m ready. She’s not.’ Maggie pointed to the stall at the end of the barn. ‘Give her a few more minutes if you can.’
    ‘I can’t. It’s not safe here.’
    ‘It’s not safe for her anywhere,’ Maggie said harshly.
    ‘It’s especially not safe here, for either of you. We can’t secure all the buildings.’
    ‘You sound like Clay.’
    ‘He’s right. I’m sorry. I know this is your home.’
    She tried to smile. ‘No, it’s all Daphne’s. I still have my place back in Riverdale.’
    ‘West Virginia, right?’
    She nodded. ‘I came out here eight years ago, thinking I’d stay for a few weeks. Six