Читать книгу Protect And Serve - Terri Reed - Страница 12

THREE

Giving herself a mental shake, Gina tore her gaze away from Shane and focused on Sophie. She liked the other trainer; they got along well. Veronica had intimated that Sophie had somehow failed as a cop, but Gina had been careful not to ask many questions about what had brought Sophie to Desert Valley. Not that Gina wasn’t curious, but she’d figured she’d better not probe if she didn’t want anyone probing into her past. “Can you take me?”

Sophie winced. “I’m going to need to stay here and see what else might be missing besides our little Marco.”

Gina blew out a frustrated breath. “I understand. You should also check the vet’s prescription drug supply next door. If Tim needed money, he could sell the dog and any drugs he stole.” She glanced at Shane as he answered his ringing phone.

After a moment, he hung up and said, “Officer Harrison says your house is clear.”

She was boxed in with no other option. “Okay, fine. Let’s go.”

She hurried away. Each step that took her closer to her house pounded another shard of fear into her. What if Tim had slipped past them and was waiting for her to return home? What if he was there now hurting James Harrison? She shook her head to dislodge the horrid thought.

“Hey, wait up,” Shane called as he hurried toward her, Bella trotting at his side.

She slowed, keeping her gaze alert for any sign of Tim. Having Shane and Bella close did help keep the terror from overwhelming her. She whistled for the puppy. “Marco!”

Shane fell into step beside her. Bella stayed at his heel on his other side. He swept his flashlight over the bushes and at the trees. “Marco, here, boy.”

Worry for the pup churned in Gina’s stomach. Predators such as coyotes, mountain lions, bobcats and bears roamed the area. Though most stayed clear of the town, there had been enough sightings for Gina to know the small puppy wouldn’t stand a chance on his own in the wild.

She knocked on every front door between the training yard and her house, but no one had seen Marco. He must have run in the opposite direction. Or toward the woods at the back of the training center.

Though the moon was high and the clouds had moved on, there was no way to track the puppy at night. She shivered, grateful for Shane’s presence. His calmness helped to ground her fears and keep her coherent as she woke her neighbors with her questions about the missing puppy.

As they neared her house, Shane said, “For the record, I don’t want to believe you killed Veronica.”

“For the record, I didn’t kill her,” Gina shot back with frustration. “I may have had my issues with her, but I would never hurt another living soul.”

At least she prayed not. But the fear was always at the edge of her consciousness. “I can’t imagine how Marian Foxcroft will react to learning one of the puppies she donated to the center has gone missing.”

“Ellen’s mother, right?”

“Yes.” Ellen Foxcroft was another graduate from the same training session as Shane. “Marian has a purebred German shepherd.” Acid burned in Gina’s tummy. “I pray we find Marco. I can only imagine how upset Marian will be.”

“It was very generous of Mrs. Foxcroft to give the puppies to the training center,” Shane commented.

“Yes. Very generous. However, Veronica was certain Marian’s intention wasn’t pure benevolence.” A wave of sadness washed over her. Veronica had had her faults, but she hadn’t deserved to die.

Shane stopped walking and drew her into the shadows of a mesquite tree. “How so?”

His closeness sent her senses spinning. She backed up a step and bumped up against the tree. “I’m not sure. Veronica could be so caustic at times that I rarely paid any attention to her snide remarks. But she’d said something to the effect that Marian holds her donations over the center and expects something in return.”

“Like what?” He braced a hand on the tree near her head, surrounding her in a warm cocoon.

Her brain became a muddled mess. “I have no idea.”

“What’s the story with Mrs. Foxcroft?”

Needing distance from him and the confusing effect he had on her, Gina sighed and pushed away from the tree. She really hated telling tales out of turn. But if doing so helped her to earn Shane’s trust, then so be it. She stepped back onto the road. “I don’t know all the details. Her husband left about five years ago. As far as I know they never divorced. Marian’s family dates back to the founding of the town, though I’m not sure where her wealth came from.”

“I find it interesting that Ellen became a police officer,” Shane said, falling back into step with her. “How did her mother take it?”

“I don’t know. Ellen doesn’t talk much about her mom.” Gina wrinkled her nose. “Marian Foxcroft is...” She struggled to come up with a polite term for the town’s feisty matriarch.

“Intimidating?” Shane supplied.

“Yes, exactly.”

A car horn beeped. Shane waved a hand. James Harrison, another of the rookies from the most recent graduating training session, pulled up alongside them in his truck. His bloodhound, Hawk, poked his droopy-faced head out of the open passenger window.

James leaned over. “Hey, I was headed to the station.” He turned his focus to Gina. “Your house is in shambles. But there was no sign of the intruder.”

“That’s good,” Shane replied.

Gina detested hearing her house had been violated. Obviously, Tim had doubled back just as she’d thought. He could have easily sneaked past them through the woods. And he’d taken out his rage on her home. The thought knocked the breath from her lungs.

If she hadn’t been quick enough to get out of the house, if he’d overtaken her at any point, she could very well be dead at this moment. Like Veronica.

Gina clenched her jaw tight to keep from throwing up.

“Is it true? Veronica’s dead?” James asked, openly stunned.

“Yes,” Shane replied.

James ran a hand through his hair. “That’s shocking. I mean, I just saw her this afternoon at the station.”

“You’ll need to give your statement to Ryder,” Shane said. “That’ll help with the time line leading up to her death.”

“Yeah, sure,” James said. “Should I head over there now?”

“Not yet,” Shane said. “The chief wants us to stick close to Gina.” He turned to her. “Which is your house?”

“The one on the corner.” She pointed to the end of the street, at the small yellow-and-white two-story cottage that had been her safe haven for two years. She’d had the house painted yellow because the color had been her mother’s favorite.

James nodded and turned his truck around before heading back to Gina’s and parking in the driveway. As Gina, Shane and Bella approached, James let Hawk out. Bella and Hawk greeted each other.

Shane filled James in on what had happened both here at Gina’s house and at the training center.

James whistled through his teeth as he climbed out of his truck. “Wow, this is a lot to process. Veronica had insisted she needed to come to the condo tonight to show me some pointers she thought would be helpful with Hawk.”

“That’s strange,” Gina said. James had done well with his and his bloodhound’s training. “What kind of refresher would you need?”

The tall blond and blue-eyed man shook his head. “I have no idea. I thought it was weird, too, but...” He shrugged.

Dismissing the mystery of what Veronica had been thinking, Gina stepped through the open front door of her little house. She stopped at the sight of her living room. Everything was smashed and broken.

A deep sense of violation and helplessness spread through her, choking off her air. The destruction was senseless.

“The upstairs is just as bad, if not worse,” James informed her, with sympathy tingeing his words. Hawk, James’s bloodhound, let out a long wail that echoed through the house. Stark fear grabbed Gina by the throat. Had Tim managed to sneak in after James’s walk-through?

But the dog turned toward the front door. Something outside the house had him on alert.

Was Tim out there?

Gina moved closer to Shane. He stepped slightly in front of her. The protective gesture melted some of the animosity she’d been feeling toward him.

A woman and a dog entered. Gina let out a relieved breath at the sight of rookie Ellen Foxcroft and her large golden retriever, Carly. After a quick nod of acknowledgment to James and Shane, Ellen turned to Gina. Her normally bright blue eyes were clouded with anxiety. “Are you hurt?”

“No. I’m fine,” Gina was quick to assure her. “I’m glad to see you, but why are you here?”

“Mom received a call that something was going on at the training center and then on the way here I heard dispatch say officers were responding to a break-in at your house. I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

Gina’s stomach twisted as she related the night’s events to the rookie.

Visibly shaken, Ellen touched Gina’s arm. “That’s terrible. And you think your brother killed Veronica?”

“I don’t know for sure, but who else could have done it?” She could feel Shane’s intense gaze on her. Was he studying her, assessing if she was telling the truth? “Anything’s possible with Tim. He never took responsibility for his actions, always blaming his mental illness even though he refused to take his meds.”

“That’s hard,” Ellen said. “I’ve heard that many times people who go off their medications act out in ways they wouldn’t if they were staying on their regimen.”

Gina appreciated the other woman’s understanding. “Right. But there comes a point when accountability rests with each of us. Tim was cognizant enough of his actions to know right from wrong. And he blames me for calling the police when he killed our father.”

Empathy softened Ellen’s features. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you. It still hurts.”

“No matter what degree of loss we experience, it’s painful,” Ellen said. “But we have to remember that God will never leave us nor forsake us.”

Her words wound through Gina. She really wanted to cling to the hope, but sorrow and pain kept her from grabbing on with both hands. She righted a chair.

Ellen glanced at the chaos. “You can’t stay here. I’ll call my mom and see if she’ll mind if you stay with us.”

Though Gina was touched by the offer, the thought of going very far from the safety of the police station made her heart race. “I appreciate the offer, but I need to be close to the center.”

“You could bunk in the empty bedroom at the condo,” James said. “It’s only a few blocks from the police station. You’ll be safe there with us.”

Gina’s gaze flew to Shane to see what he thought of the idea. His mouth pressed into a firm line, but he didn’t comment.

Hmm. “Shane, would you be okay with that?” she asked.

“It’s a good idea that you stay with us,” Shane said. “The chief did assign your protection to me.”

Gina stared at him. If he thought it a good idea, then why did he look as if he’d just swallowed a lemon? Shaking her head over the perplexing man, she said, “I’ll go pack a bag.”

“Ellen, would you mind accompanying Gina upstairs?” Shane asked.

“Not at all.” Ellen and Carly escorted Gina to the second floor.

Seeing the damage to her beautiful bedroom brought Gina to tears. The curtains she’d sewn had been ripped off the rod and shredded. The porcelain doll that had once been her mother’s lay smashed on the floor.

James hadn’t been kidding when he’d said the upstairs was as trashed as the living room. In what hours ago had been her sanctuary, Tim had taken a knife and shredded everything, including the clothes hanging in the closet.

Deep sadness welled from within. She didn’t understand how Tim could be so out of control and mean. Whatever God’s purpose was, it was lost on her, which was why she couldn’t bring herself to attend church services. How could she worship a God who allowed such travesties?

It was hard enough socializing at the Desert Valley Community Church’s singles’ potluck and pretending to feel a closeness to God that was absent.

She wasn’t even sure why she went every month. Okay, that wasn’t true. She went because some part of her hoped to fall in love. Yet she turned down any offers of dates, too afraid to allow someone into her life. Nuts, right?

What was that saying by Albert Einstein? The definition of insanity was doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

She snorted. Maybe she was more like her brother than she wanted to admit. Carly’s wet nose nudged her hand. Absently, she stroked the dog’s head.

It wasn’t as if the town of Desert Valley, located in the northwest part of Arizona, was big enough for her to meet someone new. After living in the small community for nearly two years, she knew most everyone on a first-name basis.

The revolving door on the K-9 training center didn’t lend itself to finding romance. The rookies arrived for their twelve-week session then left, taking assignments that took them all over the state of Arizona. Most of them held little interest for her.

She mentally scoffed. Who was she kidding?

Shane Weston had caught her attention. But he wasn’t staying. He’d made that clear from day one.

Maybe she was a glutton for torturing herself or maybe subconsciously she wasn’t really as interested in becoming half of a whole as she professed. Was she deluding herself? Wasn’t that a sign of mental illness? She’d have to do some research. Maybe check in with her old therapist.

“You okay?”

Ellen’s soft question brought Gina’s focus back to the closet. She wouldn’t find the answer to her life’s questions in her destroyed dresses and pantsuits.

“Yes.” She stuffed her thoughts away. Taking clothes that Tim had left untouched from the hamper, she quickly changed out of her soiled outfit, then handed it to Ellen, who put the clothes into the evidence bag.

Ellen’s gaze raked over the sliced and diced garments barely hanging on the hangers. “Whoa.”

Gina waved a dismissive hand. “This can all be replaced.”

“If you need to go shopping in Flagstaff, I’m always up for a trip to the city,” Ellen said with a sympathetic smile.

Carly left Gina to go stand beside her mistress.

Appreciating Ellen’s attempt at levity, Gina returned her smile. “Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Gina grabbed her suitcase from beneath the bed, gathered her toiletries and dumped them in the bottom of the suitcase. “Your mother must be very proud of you for having completed your training.”

Ellen made a noise halfway between a laugh and a scoff. “Mom’s never been behind me being a police officer.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. I think you’ll make a great one.” Gina pulled the rest of the clothes from the laundry basket, figuring she’d wash everything at the condo. Her pulse skipped a beat as she thought of sharing a living space with Shane. She ruthlessly squelched her reaction.

And James, she reminded herself. She wouldn’t be alone with Shane. And she’d have her own suite. Thankfully.

“Thanks. But it’s the story of my life.” Ellen’s gaze took on a faraway look. “There’s a lot that Mom and I don’t see eye to eye on.”

Sensing something painful behind the other woman’s words, Gina put a hand on Ellen’s arm to offer what comfort she could. “But you have her and you two love each other.” Gina would give anything to have her mother back. Even for just a moment.

Ellen nodded, but doubts lingered in her blue eyes. “Yes. You’re right. But I’m looking forward to being assigned far from Desert Valley. You know that old saying, absence makes the heart grow fonder. I’m hoping that will prove to be true.”

Gina hurt for the apparent rift between Ellen and Marian.

“Ladies?” Shane called from the bottom of the stairs. “Do you need some help?”

Gina rolled her eyes. “Impatient much?” she muttered.

Ellen smiled. “It’s a guy thing.”

“Or just a Shane thing,” Gina quipped as she zipped the suitcase. She’d noticed during training that he wanted things to progress at a swifter pace. She’d had to remind him training was a process that couldn’t be rushed. She supposed he was anxious to get back to the city. Apparently country life wasn’t to his liking.

Gina picked up her suitcase and followed Ellen and Carly down the stairs. She retrieved her cell phone from the charger sitting on the hall table. The one she hadn’t had time to grab before running for her life.

Once they were out of the house, Gina thanked Ellen for her help. She climbed into James’s truck along with Shane. The two dogs hopped into the canopied truck bed and lay down. James latched the tailgate in place but left the windows open for airflow.

Sandwiched between the two men, Gina could hardly believe her life had taken such a drastic turn in such a short amount of time. Her brother had attacked her, her boss had been murdered, and now she’d been displaced from her home and put under the protection of two handsome men. One who made her heart flutter despite how much she tried to quell her attraction.

Could her life get any more complicated?

A loud thunk echoed inside the cab of the truck, sending a jolt of fear through Gina. “What was that?”