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Troy trailed her up the back steps and into the kitchen, where he set the groceries on the counter

Faith stood against the stove, hands braced behind her "Thank you"

"You’re welcoers brushing past each other on the street

"I don’t want you to think Iby your home, Faith," he explained "I’ve asked Deputy Walker tothe course of his shift"

"Thank you," she said again She lowered her gaze as if she found so on the floor of infinite interest

"How are you sleeping?" he asked, reluctant to leave

She didn’t answer right away "Better," she finally said

"Any more unexplained noises?"

She didn’t respond

"Faith, if there’s a problem I want to hear about it You aren’t the kind of woed "It was probably nothing"

"So you have heard soht…"

When she didn’t finish, Troy proht I heard soht and--"

"Don’t tell ate on your own!"

"Oh, honestly, Troy, I’ht a candle and then go walking on the cliff’s edge like so I did phone 9–1–1, but while I waited for a patrol car I turned on the house lights and made a bunch of noise, as if I was ten people instead of just me"

A smile tilted his lips "Exactly how did you do that?"

"Well," she said, grinning, too "I banged a few pots, put the television on and started talking loudly to inary son, who happens to be a professional wrestler"

Troy laughed out loud

"When the officer arrived, whoever was outside--if there was anyone outside--had long since left"

Troy supposed that hy he hadn’t heard about this He didn’t want to downplay its seriousness, nor did he want to alarm her "Next time let the officer do his job and don’t distract the intruder We want to catch whoever’s doing this, Faith"

It took her a long time to respond "Yes…It’s just that…well, it’s hard to wait around and do nothing I don’t want this…this intruder to get the idea that I’ while you’re waiting for a police response, phone estion sound offhanded, he meant it He needed to know she was safe

Faith shook her head "I won’t do that"

"It’s an option, Faith I’ll cohed "I know you would" She glanced toward the back door as if to signal that it was tio

He knew he should take the hint, but Troy couldn’t an this afternoon," he said

"Oh, yes, I expected she’d contact you" The phone rang and she immediately reached for it, no doubt relieved by the interruption "Hello," she said "Hello?"

Troy remembered when he used to call Faith and how his heart would race each time she answered She’d always sounded so pleased to hear frouess"

"Have you gotten

She exhaled slowly "Now that youmore than usual"

Troy frowned "What did call display tell you?"

"It said ‘private caller’ That’s what it said before, too"

"Hmm…"

"I have an unlisted number," she was quick to inform him

"That isn’t much help, Faith"

"Why not?"

"Anyone who really wants your infor it unlisted doesn’t make the number inaccessible"

"Oh, dear"

"People who have a bit of co said that, Troy walked over to the phone and punched in the callback code Nothing "You don’t have automatic callback?"

"No," she adot my phone service"

"Order it, and the next tiet the phone nuood idea for me to return the call?"