Authors: Lorraine Nelson
“That must’ve been a difficult time for you,” Lacey
said.
“At first. She’d left me with a pile of debt
that took years to repay. But her leaving saved me the trouble of moving out. I
still have the house Papa left me, so it all worked out for the good.”
“Scotty’s aiming to be
resident grumpy bachelor.”
“No way,
not grumpy. I just call ’em as I see ’em these days.”
The house phone rang and
be good news,” he said as he pushed to his feet. All of a sudden, he felt every
one of his forty-eight years.
“Hello.”
“Hi,
is Michael. If Scott is within hearing distance, be extremely careful what you
say.”
“What’s up? It’s not like you to call so early.”
“Just wanted to give you a heads-up. I’m on my
way to an early morning meeting arranged by Police Commissioner Faulkins.
Forensics sent the evidence reports directly to her, thinking I was too close
to the case to be objective.”
uncomfortable lump formed in the pit of his stomach. “I see.”
“Maybe they’re right, but I am doing my job.”
“I know you are. What’s this about?”
“That’s just it,
I don’t know, but it must be damaging to you or my team wouldn’t have gone over
my head like this.”
“So what do you want me to do?”
“I’d like to tell you to get the hell out of
Dodge until I can nail this bastard, but that would only make you appear guilty
and they’d close the case. All I can say is prepare for the worst and hope for
the best. I had hoped that guy trying to break in would throw some doubt on the
suspicions regarding you. I’ll be in touch.”
“Will do.” The line went dead and
replaced it in the cradle.
“Who was that, honey?”
his every word. He trusted the man, but he didn’t want Michael to get in
trouble for calling. “Lucas. The old coot has messed up the ranch accounts
again.”
“Old coot indeed. Aren’t you guys about the same
age?” Scott asked with a twinkle in his eye.
“Yes, but he’s the oldest, so he’s the old coot
and I’m the charmer.”
“Why was he calling so early?” Lacey asked. “Does
he need your help?”
“Yep. Asked me to go over the entries and find
his mistake. Want to come along and visit with Winnie while I do? We can run
into town for grub before we come back.”
“Sure, but what about breakfast?”
“Winnie was cooking it as we spoke.”
to his lie. Correction—lies. They didn’t sit well with him, but it was for a
good reason. He needed Michael on this case.
“Should I wake the girls?”
“Pardon me for butting in, but I’ve been cooking
for myself for a lot of years. I’ll make sure they get a good breakfast,” said
Scott.
fear he’d burst out laughing. “Thanks, Scott. They can cook but I’m sure they’ll
appreciate the effort. Just make sure you put on a fresh pot of coffee when you
hear them coming.”
“Can do. I hate to even file police reports, but
it’s part of the job description, so I’m with Lucas on the paperwork. When in
doubt, call in the big guns.”
agreement as he held out a hand to assist Lacey. “Then we’ll be off. See you
later.” They went to the front entry, donned their winter gear, and within five
minutes, he was driving away with Lacey beside him.
“Okay,
Where are we going? Was that Michael on the phone?”
His white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel
lessened at hearing the understanding in her voice. He was relieved at not
having to explain his lie. “Yes, it was Michael.” He relayed the conversation
and she sat in silence, not saying a word. “Are you mad at me for lying? I didn’t
want to get Michael in trouble for calling.”
“Of course I’m not mad. I’m just trying to figure
out what to do.”
He reached out a hand and held one of hers in
his. “There’s nothing we can do. Michael has to do his job. I’m not running.
Like he said, it would only make me appear guilty.”
“We could hop a plane to
come back when this is settled.”
“Oh, how I wish it was that easy.”
case Scott got suspicious and called in for a drive-by. He pulled into his
brother’s driveway, relieved to see lights on, adding more credibility to his
lies. He braked to a stop beside the house, killed the engine, and turned to
face Lacey. “If I leave and all this stops, Michael may never find the killer. As
much as I’d love to go away with you, leaving would condemn me. It’s a murder
charge, Lacey. They’d find me and bring me back. We have to trust the system.
Understand?”
“Yes, but I don’t have to like it.”
“Come on. We’ll visit with Lucas and Winnie, try
to figure this out. I’ve kept him up-to-date on the case, so he might have a
thought or two on it. If nothing else, we can stock up on groceries while we’re
gone.”
“Okay.”
She reached to open her door, but he pulled her
back for a swift kiss.
“What was that for?” she asked, smiling.
He loved to see that beautiful smile. There hadn’t
been much to smile about since they’d arrived. “For believing in me. Now let’s
go see about breakfast.”
****
Winnie was just as bubbly and caring as she’d
been at their first meeting, welcoming them both with open arms. “Come in out
of the cold. Have a seat. I’m just cooking breakfast. Have you eaten?”
“Nope, had a hankering for your culinary
delights this morning,” said
Lacey inside and sat at the table. “Where’s that brother of mine?”
“Right behind you,” Lucas said as he entered the
kitchen. “I figured you might show up this mornin’ after the way Michael took
off out of here.”
“Yeah, he called and I didn’t know where else to
go.”
Lucas sat across from him and Winnie served
coffee all around. “So yer here. Tell me what’s up.”
Once again,
have it in for me this bad?”
“Not a soul, bro.” Lucas ran an agitated hand
through his hair. “Now me, I’ve pissed off a lot of people in my time. But you?
Hell, no. Pardon the language, ladies.”
“Forgiven…this time,” said Winnie, shaking a
spatula at him from her position by the stove.
Lacey offered a weak smile and nodded
acknowledgement.
“I’ve wracked my brain going over the past and
nothing stands out. Nothing. This whole setup is unbelievable.”
“That’s one word for it,” said Winnie. “There’s
not a more honest and gentle man on the face of this earth.”
“Hey, now,” said Lucas.
“And you know it for a fact, Lucas. You were
always the troublemaker. And
your hide more than once.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’m the sinner. He’s the saint. I’ve
got it.”
“And I’ve always loved the bad boys.” Winnie
winked at him, causing a reddish stain to appear on his cheeks.
Lucas averted his gaze to ask, “Are they sure it’s
a man,
get a mite crazy.”
“Rena’s sure. That’s good enough for me. And
there haven’t been that many women. The ones I did date knew the score going
in.”
“Harrumph! Knowin’ and hopin’ are two different
things. But if Rena’s sure it’s a man, then I’d trust her instincts. That’s one
smart little filly.”
“Yes, she is, and she’s seen this guy twice now.”
“What good are her visions if she can’t see his
face?” Lucas asked.
“One sighting was a vision of him walking away.
The second time she actually saw him at the patio door wearing a ski mask. It
scared her half to death.”
“So she’d have some idea of his build, his height
and weight at least.”
something we haven’t discussed. I’m surprised Michael didn’t question her on
it. Thanks, Lucas.”
Lacey heard the thread of hope in his voice and
hoped it didn’t lead to more disappointment. “I wish I knew what evidence they’d
recovered.”
Lucas tipped up his mug and finished his coffee.
“Yeah, Michael was mighty steamed when he left here. Talked about reprimandin’
someone for goin’ over his head.”
“He’d calmed down about that by the time he
called me. Even admitted that he might be too close to the case to do a proper
job of it.”
“Hogwash! That boy will do the honorable thing,
no matter where the evidence leads.”
Winnie turned from the stove with two filled
plates, placing one in front of
one to Lacey.
“Thank you, Winnie,” said Lacey.
“Smells delicious,”
“You’re more than welcome. Lucas, do you think
someone might have been disgruntled with Michael? What better way to get back
at him than to attack his family?” asked Winnie.
“Now there’s a thought,” Lucas said, smiling up
at his wife.
“Could they be doing all this to get him fired?
After all, he came home and stepped right into the top position at the
precinct. Someone could’ve wanted, even expected that position.”
Lucas and
Lacey thought her query valid. “You might have a
point there, Winnie. What if
target, just the means to an end?”
“Well, that sure as shootin’ puts a whole new
spin on things, Winnie, my love. We need to talk to Michael.” Lucas reached for
the phone.
call when he can. If I’m not home, he has my cell number.”
Winnie set two more plates on the table for
herself and Lucas. “Dig in while it’s hot.”
“Yes, ma’am,” said
smiling as he picked up his fork.
He ate with more gusto than Lacey had witnessed
in days. She couldn’t blame him. At least they had probable cause for another
avenue of investigation. She only hoped it was enough.
****
were gone. Lacey had stalled in the grocery store, checking labels and
comparing prices. Anything to delay their return. She even talked him into
stopping at the café for a cup of tea and a snack. She wasn’t in the least
hungry. She just wanted to spend a little extra time with him.
If he wasn’t such an honorable man, they could’ve
been on a flight to
cruiser.
“I hope his being here is good news.”
Lacey reached for
hand where it rested on the gearshift and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Sure you
don’t want to change your mind and fly away with me?” Her voice was choked with
emotion…with fear for
the girls, and for their future. They were finally a family. Surely, the
so-called evidence wouldn’t take him away from them. He was innocent!
His eyes were dull, emotionless, as he glanced
her way. She’d never seen him appear so bleak and withdrawn, as if he was
already putting up walls, shutting her out, giving in to his fate.
“There’s nothing I’d love more.”
“Then let’s go. Now. Please.”
“I’m innocent, Lacey. I am not running away from
this. Let’s go see what he found out.”
She unbuckled her seatbelt and straddled the gearshift
to snuggle into his warmth. “I love you, Cameron.”
“And I love you, Lacey. Always have. Always
will.”
He hugged her so tight she thought he’d never
let go, but he did.
“Ready to go in?”
She nodded. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
He opened the door and helped her down from his
side. Then he reached into the back for the bags of groceries, passing her thee
lightest ones. Side by side, they walked the narrow path to the front door.
Lacey was hard-pressed to hold back tears. She had a very bad feeling about all
this—felt as if she was escorting him to his doom, and hated every step that
took them closer.