by Regan Black
She chose a recent spy film, one of her favorite genres, and they moved to sit together on the couch, her thigh brushing his and Stumps at their feet. It was so comfortable and yet she was still a bit shell-shocked that she was here. She gave a start when he laced his fingers with hers, but she leaned in close when he shifted to curl his arm over her shoulders.
They were just past the halfway point of the movie when Stumps trotted to the back door. Shane had installed a dog door to the backyard for the times he was home alone, but Stumps didn’t use it this time.
“He didn’t get his walk after dinner,” Shane whispered at Danica’s ear. “He’ll get over it.”
A few minutes later, Stumps barked, racing back and forth between the door and Shane’s feet.
“All right, bud. Settle down.” Shane paused the movie and got up, crossing to the back door. He flipped the switch for the floodlights and swore. Stumps started barking again, but stayed inside at Shane’s command.
“What’s wrong?”
“Someone is out there,” he said, keeping his voice low.
The icy shiver down her back pushed her to her feet. She was by his side before he could tell her to stay put. “Do you want me to call the station?” Where was her phone?
“No. It could be anything,” Shane said. “There’s a walking trail back there.”
Right. She had to calm down. “And a fence to keep them on their side of your yard,” she said. “Was the person in your yard?” She knew the answer without his confirmation. Stumps wouldn’t have been that upset if the person hadn’t been inside his territory.
Shane went to get the dog’s lead and returned with his gun, as well. “Stumps and I will go out and search,” he said. “Then I’m taking you home.”
It wasn’t how she’d hoped the evening would end, but she could hardly argue. “Should I call anyone while you’re out there?” she offered again.
“No sense calling unless and until Stumps and I find something.” All the ease had drained from his face and the familiar, cold detachment in his gaze was back.
Danica wrapped her arms around her middle to ward off the chill that came over.
* * *
Shane took a moment to clear the immediate area from one corner of the yard near the house to the other. He didn’t want anyone sneaking up behind them. He wanted to catch whoever was out here on sheer principle for ruining his date.
Not that he hadn’t come close to wrecking the evening all by himself. This was different.
Moving off the patio, he gave Stumps the command to search, wary of what might be waiting for them beyond the reach of the floodlights. He had the lead in one hand with the flashlight and the other hand on his gun. He knew every inch of his yard, had repaired the fence himself, making it safe for Stumps.
The corgi knew his boundaries, but Shane didn’t trust neighboring cats or dogs, and local wildlife could be a problem, too, on occasion. If someone had jumped the fence and been close enough to the house for Stumps to notice, Shane wasn’t going to take any chances.
When he’d hit the floodlights, he’d seen a shadow scramble back toward the walking trail. Hopefully whoever had been trespassing was smart enough to get away and not look back. That assumed trespassing or petty theft was the only goal.
Reaching the middle of the yard, Shane called a halt and Stumps stopped. Glancing over his shoulder, he confirmed what he’d suspected. Anyone back here would have a clear view of him and Danica on the couch, distracted by the movie. Right now, even with the floodlights in his face, he could see Danica framed by the window, her hands clutching her cell phone.
He put Stumps back on the search and followed the trail of footprints in the spring grass illuminated by the beam of the flashlight. Shane kept Stumps on that path and the dog dropped into a quiet alert right at the fence.
“Stay,” Shane said. With the aid of the flashlight, he spotted the scrap of fabric Stumps had found caught in the fence. Shane took a picture with his phone and kept searching. It was probably time to call in an RRPD team, but he was hoping for more. Carefully, he peered over the fence, sweeping his flashlight across the dirt and tall grasses between his fence and the walking trail.
There, as if planted just for him, he found a clear footprint. He took a picture and hopped over the fence. With gun in hand, he found two more clear prints. At least there’d been only one person here.
He climbed back into his yard knowing his evening had just taken a turn that might drive an insurmountable wedge between him and Danica. Considering the bad blood between their families, that was saying something.
Releasing Stumps, he praised his partner and let him romp around the yard for a minute before heading back to the house for the good treats. Danica was waiting, her lower lip rosy from where she’d chewed on it. He wanted to kiss her first, before she started arguing with him over what he’d found.
Knowing the drill, she let him give Stumps his reward and more praise. “What did he find?” she asked.
Reluctantly, Shane pulled up the pictures and handed her the phone. “Piece of T-shirt caught in the fence and a clear print from a shoe.”
“Looks like a Converse shoe.”
“I thought the same thing,” Shane said. The sole pattern on those shoes remained distinct. “Give me a minute to change clothes.”
“Why change?” she asked as she trailed him down the hallway.
If she followed him into his bedroom, he might just wait until morning to haul in his prime suspect. With more self-control than he thought he possessed, he closed the door in her face. She was waiting, clearly perturbed, when he opened the door dressed in his jeans and a work shirt, his badge clipped to his belt.
He rolled back his sleeves as he slipped past her to get his backup boots from the front closet. After prison, he’d known he would never be comfortable in a real uniform. As a P.I. attached to the RRPD K9 unit, he had a little leeway when it came to official attire. The plain gray work shirt and badge were as far as he could go without hyperventilating. The boots were practical since crime scenes and searches could take him anywhere in the county in any conditions. Right now, the boots were going to take him back to the old neighborhood—after he dropped Danica at home.
Danica pursed her lips, hands on her hips as her gaze swept over him. He wasn’t too proud to admit he hoped she liked the view.
“You’re going to make an arrest?”
Apparently, he failed to appeal. “Only cops can do that.” She didn’t need the reminder. “I’m not a cop. I’m just going to have a conversation.”
“With?”
He shot her a look. She already knew. “Tyler Miller,” he said anyway.
“Shane, you can’t.”
“Can and will. Grab your purse.” He needed to get her out of the house and away from the happier, sexier thoughts his mind would rather entertain. “He was wearing those shoes when he was at your place earlier.”
She blanched. “Nearly every kid in town wears those. You probably have a pair. Or you did once. Can’t this wait until morning, at least? He’ll be at the training center.”
“No.” If he looked at her again, he’d be tempted to give in. He clipped his holster into place, snapped his fingers for Stumps. “This is what I do. He trespassed on my property. He’s been following you and he’s involved in the thefts.”
“You’re blowing this out of proportion,” she snapped. “Where’s your proof?”
“I’m about to get it.”
“Shane.” She’d lowered her voice to a quiet plea.
“Stop defending him, Danica. The kid is hiding something.”
“I’m coming with you,” she stated.
He muttered an oath and then counted to ten, searching for the patience he’d developed in prison. “Whatever you think, I’m not planning to water board him.”
“I’
m coming with you.”
“Fine.” Not exactly a ringing endorsement of him as a person, but that would have to wait. Her riding along wasn’t a horrible idea. Tyler trusted Danica and with any luck, the kid would open up if she was nearby.
She gave him the address and then didn’t speak again on the drive across town. The silence wasn’t a problem for him. He wasn’t feeling chatty. In prison, where it was never quiet, he’d learned true silence was invaluable.
The closer they got to the house, the worse Shane felt. They passed his father’s bar and wound along the dark streets, deep into the shabby neighborhoods he knew too well.
Maybe, when this was done, he should leave Red Ridge and make a real fresh start. He’d proven all he could prove here, anyway. If people still gossiped about his time as an inmate after nearly a decade, sticking around wasn’t going to change anything.
Danica reached over and laid a hand on his arm when he parked in front of the house. “He’s a good kid, Shane.”
“He’s hiding something.” In the dark, under the wavering gloom of the weak streetlight on the corner, the house didn’t look too bad. Shane figured it probably looked worse in the daytime when sunlight highlighted all the flaws and neglect.
She gave a nearly imperceptible nod of agreement. “Probably. Regardless, you can’t mention that he was at my place. Please.”
He started to snap at her and stopped. If someone had given him the benefit of the doubt, or double-checked the sergeant’s work, he might have graduated with his class and enjoyed a completely different life. “Why not?”
“He often sneaks out and walks around town.”
“To spy on you?” Shane asked.
“No,” she replied indignantly. “He’s biding his time until he’s in control of his future. You remember how it was.”
Yes, Shane remembered the feeling. And he remembered having his plans derailed by her grandfather’s blind determination to close a murder case. “You said the parents aren’t abusive?”
The curtain rippled at the front window. Someone had noticed their arrival.
“That doesn’t mean they care,” she said. “Tread lightly. You know how feeling cornered brings out the worst in people and dogs.”
Was she kidding? He’d been the cornered kid, not much older than Tyler. During his time as an inmate, he’d seen it happen time and again. If a man couldn’t fight, he was considered fair game or wasted space.
“Let’s go.” Better to get this over with before it grew any later. With Stumps trotting between them, he and Danica approached the house.
The front door opened before he could press the doorbell. Tyler stood there, his eyes full of worry. “What are you doing here?”
Shane noted the red T-shirt and flip-flops the kid wore now, rather than the darker shirt and Converse shoes he’d had on when he was at Danica’s condo and in his backyard. “I need a word with you,” he said.
Tyler looked to Danica. “I’ll talk to you at the center tomorrow,” he said in a hoarse whisper. “Please, not here.”
“No, not here and not tomorrow. Right now and at the station,” Shane clarified. “This has gone on long enough. You’ll need a parent to join us.”
“What the hell is the problem?” a deep voice boomed from somewhere in the house.
Tyler swore. “Tomorrow,” he said, trying to close the door.
Shane, noticing Stumps had dropped into a quiet alert stance, shoved his boot into the dwindling space. “Now.”
A light flared overhead and exposed the cracked and peeling linoleum of the entry floor, along with what might have been white-painted walls hazed yellow from perpetual smokers. The assessment was confirmed when the owner of the voice stalked up behind the kid, exhaling a plume of smoke. “What do you want with my kid?”
Tyler’s dad was taller than Shane with the bulk of a man who preferred beer and burgers to fresh air and exercise. “Sir,” Shane began. “I’m working a case for the Red Ridge Police Department and I need to speak with Tyler for a few minutes.”
The man’s beefy hand covered Tyler’s narrow shoulder with a hard grip. “What the hell did you do now?”
“Nothing, Dad.”
“You hurt this girl?”
“What?” Tyler said as Danica gave a resounding “No.”
“Tyler works with me at the training center,” she began, but Mr. Miller wasn’t in the mood to listen.
“You’re the Miss Good Samaritan, huh? Thinking you can give my boy something I can’t?”
Shane bristled at the long look Mr. Miller aimed at Danica. On instinct, Shane moved to shield her. “I have a few questions for Tyler, pertaining to an official case.”
A woman in torn-up jeans and a dingy sweater pulled tight across her body shuffled into view, a cigarette hanging out of her mouth. Her hair was pulled back into a severe ponytail and the circles under her eyes were likely beyond any help.
“He’s a minor.” Her voice, rough as sandpaper, flowed out of her along with a trail of smoke. “You can’t take him anywhere without us.”
“I’m not arresting him,” Shane said.
“Damn straight,” she interrupted.
“I believe Tyler may have information essential to a case,” Shane finished as if she hadn’t spoken.
“Talk to him here.” She smacked her husband. “Out of the way so they can come in.”
Shane had no intention of allowing his dog or Danica into this house. He had an irrational urge to grab Tyler and run. Suppressing the ridiculous reaction, he infused his voice with all the authority he possessed and insisted the three of them come to the station. “If I need to, I can have an officer escort you,” he finished.
For a moment, he thought Mr. Miller would protest again, but Mrs. Miller intervened, her eyes angry slits through the haze of smoke. “We’ll be right behind you.”
Tyler was forcibly jerked back and the door slammed in their faces.
Shane waited until he saw a side door open and the light under the carport come on as Tyler and his parents piled into a pickup that had seen better days.
“You weren’t kidding,” he said when they were on their way, the Miller family behind them.
“They either don’t know or don’t care what a good kid they have,” she said sadly.
“They have a kid who was trespassing and, according to you, sneaks out regularly.”
“Every kid in town sneaks out or tries to at his age.”
She wasn’t wrong. He would’ve done that and worse if his mother hadn’t been so vigilant and dedicated to his growing up right.
“Can you think of any reason Tyler would have been in my yard?”
Her jaw set, she gazed out the window.
“Danica, that kid needs your help here. If there’s a reason, tell me so I can adjust.”
“A little late to consult me.” She gave a gusty sigh. “I honestly don’t know what is going on with him. He wouldn’t have come to my place—or yours—if there wasn’t something on his mind.”
“Will he talk in front of his parents?”
She shook her head. “I doubt it. They’re likely to believe the worst, however you handle it. We should have talked to him at home.”
“Not a chance,” Shane said emphatically. “This is already the worst first date on record. I wasn’t going to compound it by letting you walk into potential danger.”
The sound she made couldn’t be classified as laughter. “Why did you ask me out?”
He checked his rearview mirror and then shot her a wicked grin as he waited for the traffic light to change. “I figured my mom’s red sauce was the best chance you’d give me another kiss.”
“You stole the first one,” she said. “And a few after.”
“Did I?” He saw the smile tugging at her lips. “Maybe you should press charges.” He pulled
forward as the light turned green, his mind getting back to the issue at hand. “Later.”
“We’ll see.”
He hoped that didn’t mean any future kisses were dependent on how this conversation with Tyler went. Tempted to ask, he thought better of it. Just having her here was enough of a distraction. If he started watching her reactions more than the kid’s, the interview was doomed from the start.
Steeling himself for the task ahead, he shoved the personal stuff aside and escorted the unhappy kid and unhappier parents through the front doors and into a conference room.
* * *
Danica didn’t have much to go on other than the stories shared by the police officers in her family, but she could tell this wasn’t going to be a successful interrogation. She appreciated Shane’s calm approach, though Tyler remained sullen and uncooperative. She was also aware Shane had no obligation to honor her request about keeping seeing Tyler at her condo to himself.
No matter how informal Shane kept it, no matter how he focused questions on the dogs, Tyler refused to provide helpful answers.
Shane asked for his whereabouts on the nights Nico and the puppy were stolen and Mrs. Miller answered for him. Tyler just deferred to her with a shrug. Mr. Miller grew agitated with his son, claiming Tyler should answer so they could all go back home.
Danica left the room at one point to get everyone water from the vending machine, including Stumps. It was the only time Tyler became the least bit animated, as she let him care for the dog. The compassionate gesture only served to confirm her assessment that whatever was going on with him, it couldn’t possibly have resulted in harm to the dogs or training center.
Shane tried another tack, barely skirting Tyler’s tendency to walk around town at night, and still the boy wouldn’t crack.
She desperately wanted to give Shane a signal to drop it, but she didn’t dare. He was the official and she was only here because…well, she wasn’t quite sure why he’d let her come along. Sure, the chief had told him to work with her, but she wasn’t helping with the case, other than to identify Nico and the puppy.