Читать книгу The Military K-9 Unit Collection - Valerie Hansen - Страница 63

SIXTEEN

“I need to step next door and check in with my bosses before we do anything else,” Linc said.

Zoe didn’t mind. She shrugged and smiled. “Fine with me. As you can see, I’m free.”

He started off, Star at his side, and Zoe followed. “So, what are you planning for later?”

“Don’t know yet. We have several options. I want to ask if the techs found any traces of syrup on the floor of the warehouse.”

“Unlikely, I’m afraid.”

“Probably. But I asked them to look just the same.”

“Thanks. I can’t believe I fell for the ruse.” She kept walking but paused the conversation before adding, “If it really was a trick.”

“Let’s assume it was. That leaves us with fewer suspects.”

“How so?”

“If the same theatrical blood was used, that will combine two of the incidents.”

“Makes sense.” She followed Linc and Star to Captain Blackwood’s open office door. Linc knocked on the jamb.

Justin Blackwood stood behind his desk and Zoe saluted, as did Linc.

“I see Star is back in service. Good to know.”

“Yes, sir. Since Sergeant Sullivan is free to move around the base, I wondered if you had anything we might handle together.”

“Such as?”

Zoe could tell Blackwood wasn’t thrilled with Linc’s suggestion, but as far as she was concerned, it made perfect sense. She cleared her throat. “Excuse me, sir. If I may? Since the Red Rose Killer is very familiar to me, it makes sense to send me out in the field with one of your Security people. My chances of spotting him in a crowd are far better than anyone else’s.”

The captain nodded slightly, acting as if he was at least considering her views. “There is some logic to your suggestion, Sullivan. I assume that wherever you go you’re on alert for any sign of your brother.”

Zoe tried not to cringe at the familial reference. “Yes, sir. The RRK is always on my mind. So is whoever has been harassing me. I don’t think my case is related to the serial killings. At least I hope it isn’t.”

Blackwood shuffled papers on his desk and selected one. “I have a report from Yvette Crenville. She’s accusing Jim Ahern of bothering her again.”

“Yes, sir,” Linc said. “We visited him at work at the airfield earlier today.”

“And?”

“He seems pretty full of himself but mostly hot air,” Linc replied. “What I’d like to do is check on some of the possible suspects in Sergeant Sullivan’s repeated attacks. There have been too many to chalk them up to chance.”

“Agreed. Having a motive would help. Any ideas, Sergeant?” he asked, giving Zoe a piercing look.

“Not really, sir. Sergeant Colson and I made a list. Once we’ve compared duty assignments to the times of the incidents, we should be able to eliminate quite a few suspects.”

“Then get to it. I’ll bring in someone to assist you with the computer details if you want.” The captain glanced at another list. “Airman McNally is available.” He keyed his intercom. “Send McNally to my office.”

Zoe didn’t want her problems spread all over the base due to additional exposure, so she gently objected to the suggestion. “I think Colson and I can handle it by ourselves, sir. Once we have access to individual records, it should be easy.”

A sharp knock against the open door caused Zoe to pivot. The airman was not only a woman, she was young, lithe and had her hair pulled tightly back into a coil, the same way Zoe wore hers when she was working. That wasn’t what made Zoe take a quick involuntary breath however. It was the airman’s hair color. McNally was a redhead!

Had Linc made the connection yet? Zoe wondered. If he gave in and let his captain assign this woman to their project, there was no telling what might happen. Yes, she was undoubtedly not the only female on base who had red hair. But the coincidence was bothersome.

Swaying slightly, Zoe felt Linc’s hand at her back, his touch barely there yet supportive. She chanced a sidelong glance and saw that their minds were in sync. Raising her chin a mere millimeter and hoping no one but Linc noticed, she turned the motion into a slow, purposeful nod. The narrowing of his eyes indicated comprehension.

“Thank you anyway, Captain,” he said. “Sullivan and I can manage.”

“Then you’re excused,” Blackwood told the assistant.

“One thing before I go, sir?” McNally waited.

Although the redheaded airman seemed to be ignoring her, Zoe was certain she was picking up bad vibes. Either that or her overactive imagination was blaming an innocent party, which was also possible.

Blackwood nodded. “Go ahead.”

“It’s that blogger, sir. He’s already posted info about the attack on Sergeant Colson’s dog and reported that the K-9 is sidelined.”

Meaning everybody at CAFB is already privy to my problems, Zoe thought, chagrined. Terrific.

Obviously displeased, Blackwood clenched his jaw and his fists. “All right. Get the techs on it again ASAP. We have enough internal stress without adding some idiot with a computer and too much time on his hands.”

“Yes, sir.” McNally saluted and left.

The captain jotted down a note and handed it to Linc. “Here’s today’s password. You can use Sergeant James’s office if it’s free. If not, I’ll get you access somewhere else. I don’t want to learn that either of you has opened files belonging to any personnel other than the ones you’re investigating. Is that clear?”

Linc saluted. “Yes, sir. Very clear.”

Mirroring Linc’s salute, Zoe followed him into the hallway and checked to see that they were alone before she said, “What do you think? Could that be her?”

“It could. You weren’t able to give a very detailed description of the woman in the warehouse. What makes you think it was McNally?”

“I don’t know, exactly. Maybe the way she moved or her build, not to mention that hair.”

“There’s something else,” Linc said, pulling her closer to his side and bending to speak more privately. “The way she looked at you when you weren’t paying attention. I think I saw recognition. Had you met her anywhere before?”

“Not to my knowledge. Maybe we should do a little extra investigating while we’re at it.”

“I don’t know. You heard the captain.”

“I did. So let’s start with my list and leave our new suspect for last, just in case we get shut out.”

Linc’s sly grin and the purposeful way he led her to the empty office they were supposed to use lifted Zoe’s spirits immensely. Not only was he on her side, they had begun to agree more often than not. Teamwork was far better than working at odds and she had high hopes that they would soon solve at least one of the mysteries they faced.

Star accompanied them down the hallway and into the office of Master Sergeant James. Zoe could tell that the faithful K-9 was more at ease than both her or Linc. When he closed the door behind them her tension rose. They were all alone. And he had been acting awfully proprietary of late. It was easy to imagine herself back in his embrace, perhaps even kissed. Although, after making a fool of herself once, she wasn’t about to try to instigate anything romantic.

“Don’t worry,” Linc assured her. “You’re safe with me. I promise to be the perfect gentleman.”

A daring side of Zoe’s personality that she rarely acknowledged emerged, and she whispered, “That’s what I’m afraid of,” before she could change her mind. Linc’s startled expression was actually amusing.

“What did you say?”

“Never mind. Forget it.”

Instead, he approached slowly and took her hand. “You’re trembling.”

“Too much coffee.”

“Liar.”

What could she say? How could she take back her revealing remark? Moreover, did she want to? Especially when he was standing so close, and she saw the glow in his darkening, expressive green eyes.

Instead of a rebuttal, Zoe kept her gaze locked with his. Her lips trembled. Her heart was about to pound out of her chest. And the air in the small office must have been used up because she couldn’t seem to take a deep enough breath to keep her comfortable.

Linc slipped one finger beneath her chin and leaned closer. “I am probably going to be sorry for this,” he said quietly against her cheek before turning his head just enough and giving her the kiss she had been dreaming of.

Her shaky equilibrium wasn’t strong enough to correct the sway his nearness provoked, so she slipped both arms around his waist. When he completed the embrace and pulled her to him to deepen their kiss, Zoe closed her eyes and surrendered. Utterly. Completely. Trusting him with an intensity she had always assumed was impossible for her.

Tears threatened as she realized what he had said. Well, he might be sorry for kissing her, but as far as Zoe was concerned, this was the best part of her whole day. Maybe of her whole life.

Yeah. The best.

* * *

Linc became oblivious to anything around them. His entire focus was on Zoe. On the sweet smell of her hair. The way she fit so perfectly in his arms. And that kiss.

He was no kid. He’d kissed women before. And he’d enjoyed it. A lot. But this was different. When his mind tried to put his feelings into words, it failed. Their closeness was too perfect. Too emotional. Too amazing to be explained.

That was what finally brought him to his senses. Zoe wasn’t the only one breathless when he let her go and set her away by gently cupping her shoulders. Oh, man, he was in trouble. Deep trouble. This was no simple crush, at least not on his part. He wondered if her responses to him had been because she felt their connection as strongly as he did or because she’d been so frightened lately and had latched onto him as a port in a storm. After all, she had compared him to a parachute. If that was all he was to her, then he was probably going to get his heart broken. Big time.

Linc managed a smile. “I told you we were going to be sorry.”

“We? Personally, I liked it.”

“That’s it? You liked it?”

She grinned up at him, her cheeks rosy, her eyes glistening. Linc cupped her cheeks. “I liked it, too.”

“Good.” She sniffled.

“If you expect me to be poetic about it, you’re going to have to give me time to gather my wits. You scattered them really well just now.” He eyed the desk. Star had made herself at home in the kneehole and was starting to snore. “Do you think you’re up to starting our search or do you need a few more minutes?”

“If you could give me a year, it probably wouldn’t be long enough,” Zoe quipped. Squaring her shoulders, she said, “Come on. Let’s get to digging. We don’t know how long we’ll have before Sergeant James wants his office back.”

Linc agreed. “I’m glad he didn’t walk in a few minutes ago.”

“Me, too. He might have reassigned you and spoiled everything.”

“We’d still have been stationed on the same base.” Linc circled the desk, pulled up the swivel chair and checked the password Blackwood had given him.

Standing behind him, Zoe rested a hand on his shoulder and watched the monitor. He knew she didn’t mean to be distracting but after that extraordinary kiss, even the simple touch of her hand on his uniform was enough to drive him crazy.

His fingers stopped typing. All movement ceased.

Zoe’s hand remained where it was. “What’s wrong?”

“You are,” Linc admitted ruefully. “I’m afraid I can’t think straight when you’re so close.”

“That’s too bad,” she said, pulling away and choosing a nearby chair.

When Linc looked over at her, she was grinning from ear to ear. Already uneasy, he scowled. “What?”

“Nothing.” She crossed her jeans-clad legs and held out a hand. “Give me the list and I’ll read you the names from way over here. Did I go far enough?”

“It’s not funny,” he insisted.

Zoe sobered and took the list from him. “I know. It just struck me as hilarious that the two of us were forced together when we both hate the idea of marriage.”

“Whoa! Who said anything about that?”

“Nobody. Just thinking aloud. I didn’t mean to scare the stripes off you, Sergeant Colson.”

Her nonchalant shrug seemed innocent enough, but Linc wasn’t convinced. One kiss and already she was hearing wedding bells. Well, that wasn’t going to happen. Not with him. Sure, Zoe was attractive. And that kiss had shaken him all the way to the waffled soles of his combat boots. But he’d promised himself a long time ago that one, the influence of his dysfunctional family was nothing he wanted to pass on to future generations, and two, he didn’t deserve marital bliss when his buddies’ wives and girlfriends had buried their dreams with their mates.

Uh-uh. Linc Colson was staying single. He might be too romantic for his own good, but he knew where to draw the line. Lifelong penance for his errors in judgment was necessary. There was no escape from his past, nor was he looking for one.