Eliza awoke to the sound of her cell phone ringing. Thinking it was the alarm, she touched the button to silence the noise. A minute later, the ringtone was streaming from the phone next to her bed. A little more awake this time, she realized it was a phone call coming in from a local phone number. She answered with her heart in her throat, immediately scared that one of her kids was in trouble.
“Hello, is this Eliza Martin?” the man’s voice spoke before she did.
“Yes, this is Eliza,” she answered. Dean woke to the sound of concern in her voice and sat straight up in bed waiting to hear what was happening.
“Ma’am, I’m sorry to wake you, but there has been a break-in at your pie shop on Main Street.” The man continued to explain that he was a police officer who had responded to the alarm just minutes before.
“I’ll be right there,” Eliza responded, relieved that the emergency wasn’t about her children at all, but concerned for the damage at the shop.
“I’m coming with you,” said Dean.
Eliza knew better than to convince him otherwise. Dean was a personal injury attorney and her overprotective husband. She knew he was coming before the words escaped his lips.
The two met the police officer at the shop within twenty minutes. The front window had a gaping hole in it. The back door had been forced open by the police in order to inspect the inside for intruders. Everything seemed in order. Nothing was missing or damaged except for the front window. A generic red brick laid on the black and white tile near one of the round tables and a handwritten note was tied to it with twine. The note read: Stay out of the competition or you’ll regret it.
A shudder ran down Eliza’s spine as she read the note.