Safe From the Dark

by Lily Rede

  Evie slapped him. She couldn’t help it. He looked as stunned as she felt, and though the cemetery was mostly empty now, the few that lingered got a good look. Evie was sure that they’d be fueling the gossip mill at the local watering holes within an hour.

  She let her hand drop, clenching her fist.

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”

  He was breathing hard, but he nodded.

  “I’m sorry, too. This is why I try to keep all my relationships casual, but God, Evie, you just push all my buttons.”

  “You’re distracting me when I need to focus on keeping you safe and on stopping that lunatic out there. Besides, I can’t get involved. I just can’t.”

  Not again.

  Colin blew out a frustrated breath.

  “This whole situation is driving me batty. Deirdre’s been murdered. I can’t go anywhere without a police escort. And this thing between us isn’t doing either of us any good right now. So let’s table it until the stalker is caught. Truce?”

  “Truce. It’s just as well,” she said, with a small smile, “Casual isn’t my thing.”

  “COLIN! COLIN DANIELS. I need a word.” The voice was imperious and unfortunately, very familiar.

  Colin looked up to see Dreyer Morton hurrying up the hill, his gold-tipped walking cane gouging holes in the cemetery turf. He didn’t actually need it, but carried it anyway, a not-so-subtle reminder to the community that he was a wealthy man. A very wealthy man who owned a piece of half the businesses in town. The middle-aged black man was frowning, as usual, and for the millionth time, Colin wondered how a man so successful could find so many petty little things to be unhappy about.

  “Good afternoon, Dreyer. I didn’t realize that you and Deirdre were acquainted. How kind of you to come pay your respects.” Colin was all smooth politeness.

  Dreyer glared at him before turning to the grave that two workmen were busily filling in. Ignoring them, he folded his hands over his cane and tipped his head down respectfully. After a moment, he muttered, “Amen,” and turned back to them, a scowl on his face.

  “Despite her unfortunate promiscuity, Deirdre Small had roots in this community that went back for generations. No parent should have to bury a child, no matter what kind of a disappointment they turn out to be. May the poor girl rest in peace.”

  “I’ll pass your kind words along to her parents.” Colin was having trouble keeping his tone even, but Dreyer seemed oblivious. He spared Evie a quick glance, dismissing her almost immediately as being beneath his notice.

  “Was there something I could do for you, Dreyer?”

  “I want to know why you’re permitting the Sheriff’s Department to question Althea. She doesn’t know anything about this foul business.”

  Colin groaned internally, but some wickedly amused inner demon pushed him to point at Evie.

  “Why don’t you ask them yourself? Dreyer, have you met Bright’s Ferry’s newest deputy? Dreyer Morton, Evie Asher.”

  Evie gave him a look that could cut glass, but stepped forward, holding out a hand. Dreyer ignored it, and Colin could see her biting her lip as she adjusted, pulling on the cop demeanor with ease.

  “Mr. Morton, we’re questioning anyone who may have a connection to Mr. Daniels, no matter how small.”

  “If that’s the case, you may as well line up the entire population of Bright’s Ferry. For God’s sake, he’s the mayor. But leave my daughter out of it.”

  Dreyer towered over Evie, but she stood her ground, her back ramrod straight.

  “We have reason to believe that these…incidents…may have something to do with Mr. Daniels’ romantic entanglements. Your daughter had a brief relationship with Mr. Daniels last year, so we just needed to get her statement.”

  “What she had, Deputy Asher, was a brief moment of insanity. Otherwise, she would never have embarked on an adulterous affair with a known womanizer half her age.”

  “Careful, Dreyer.” Colin had long since learned to ignore most of Dreyer’s blather, but there was a limit. “First of all, it’s none of your business. Secondly, Althea and I had a short, mutually satisfying relationship shortly after her divorce and then parted ways. That’s all.”

  Dreyer looked like he was about to blow a gasket.

  “The divorce was a mistake. She would have gone back to her husband if you hadn’t been there to seduce her away.”

  Colin could feel Evie’s eyes on him, fascinated, as he shook his head in disbelief.

  “You’re deluding yourself, Dreyer. That rich asshole you pushed her to marry had a mistress in Boston for years. What do you think all of those business trips were about? Besides, she’s remarried now, and as far as I can tell, blissfully happy.”

  “Married to a man who can’t possibly give her or my granddaughters the life they deserve,” Dreyer snapped, getting in Colin’s face. Colin refused to back down.

  “You’re a snob, Dreyer. Cal is a good man. He may not be a corporate hack – ”

  “He works in a hardware store!”

  “He’s a small business owner!”

  Evie cleared her throat.

  Colin got a grip on his temper. Much as he wanted to ram that gold-tipped cane down Dreyer’s throat, physical violence wouldn’t help the situation.

  “Your daughter is a grown woman. Her choices in life are exactly that. Her choices.”

  “When it comes to my daughter being accused of murder, young man, I have a parental duty to protect her interests.”

  Evie tried, once more, for diplomacy.

  “No one has accused your daughter of anything, Mr. Morton. We’re in the early stages of trying to find out what happened so that we can prevent it from happening again.”

  “I’ll tell you how to prevent it from happening again. Keep him,” and he pointed the sharp end of his cane toward Colin, “away from my Althea. And the same goes for you.”

  Evie stiffened, as Dreyer sneered at her.

  “Oh yes, don’t think I don’t know who you are. Your grandmother was a pillar of the community. Her only mistake was in letting her daughter run off with that no account boy. Laura Asher was stubborn, and too independent for her own good. If your grandfather were alive, he never would have permitted it to happen.”

  Colin expected bloodshed from Evie as the vile, judgmental drivel spewed from Dreyer’s mouth. What he didn’t expect was the shattered look in her eyes, and the way she seemed to shrink into herself. He realized with a shock that she wasn’t going to defend herself or her family. But, of course, Dreyer wasn’t done.

  “And it seems that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. I have friends in New York, Miss Asher. No wonder you’ve become a target for this so-called stalker. He’s clearly seeking out women with loose morals, the kind that wreck homes and ruin lives. You have experience in that area, don’t you?”

  “Dreyer, that’s enough.”

  “I think the town has a right to know what kind of woman is policing their streets, Mr. Daniels.”

  Colin forgot that he was supposed to be playing peacemaker and grabbed the older man by the lapels.

  “If you breathe one word to anyone, I will personally take this cane and shove it so far up your ass – ”

  “Colin, stop.”

  Evie’s quiet voice, grave and calm, broke through the red haze clouding his vision. Dreyer squirmed in his grasp and Colin dropped him. Shakily straightening his jacket, Dreyer aimed poisoned glares at both of them.

  “I’m just protecting my own. Althea was a good girl until Colin came back to town.”

  “She’s still a good woman. And I may not have been in love with her, but I liked her. I’ve always liked her. I respect her enormously.”

  Dreyer scoffed, “You don’t know the meaning of the word.”

  He started to march away, but Evie suddenly snapped out of her daze.

  “Where were you Monday night?”

  She hurried after him, blocking his path down the hill.

&nb
sp; “My private life is none of your business, young lady.”

  “It’s a simple question.” Evie’s voice was like ice.

  “And if I choose not to answer it?”

  “Then we’ll have to talk down at the station. I’m sure you don’t want that.”

  “Unless you’re charging me with something, Miss Asher, get out of my way. This constitutes harassment, and I assure you that you’ll be hearing from my lawyer,” he sputtered, and Colin was amused to see him shaken by Evie’s cool glare.

  “Why would you need a lawyer? Have you done something illegal? Tell him I’ll be expecting his call. We’re going to sit down and have a chat, Mr. Morton, with or without legal counsel. Your call.”

  Not giving him a chance to respond, she marched back toward Colin. For a moment it looked as if Dreyer would storm back to confront her, but he simply stomped down the hill, stabbing the ground as he went, muttering darkly under his breath.

  For the first time all day, Colin felt like smiling.

  “I want to kiss you so badly right now.”

  He didn’t miss the little flare of heat in her eyes, but she lowered long lashes.

  “Well, restrain yourself.” Her voice was prim.

  But it thrilled him to the core as she darted a quick look up at him. And smiled.

  CHAPTER NINE

  SOMETIMES THIS JOB REALLY, really sucks, thought Evie as she stepped out of the Sheriff’s Department into the square after a long morning of interviews.

  Preparations for the upcoming Harvest Festival were already in full swing, and a bandstand was going up, along with rows of tents and a dance floor. The carnival rides were still in pieces, waiting to be put together, but already a crowd of eager kids had gathered near the roped-off area, puzzling out which gears and beams belonged to which carnival deathtrap, and which should be avoided on a stomach full of cotton candy and popcorn.

  Evie watched the fun, wistful – she’d never had a gaggle of friends like that. Her father put her to work cooking and cleaning for him from the moment she was tall enough to reach the stove or handle a broom. At least there was school, where she could be around other kids her own age, but she was shy and awkward, and never wanted to explain her family situation. As a result, Evie had had a Cinderella-esque childhood, minus the Prince Charming or the magic pumpkins – school dances were skipped to make dinner for Dad, boyfriends were avoided for their own protection. Dad often couldn’t tell the difference between her and her late mother, and Evie always tried to avoid his alcohol-soaked rages, with varying degrees of success. She had quickly realized that she would have to be her own fairy godmother, and the moment she graduated from her city college, she applied to the Police Academy.

  But there had never been the kind of fun for fun’s sake that seemed to shimmer in the air in Bright’s Ferry, and Evie longed to be a part of it. She wanted to escort the local kids through the scary corn maze, gorge herself sick on cider and apple pie, and dance with a cute guy who would hold her close and whisper how pretty she looked under the lights of the Harvest Dance. Hot hazel eyes flashed into her mind and she frowned.

  She did not want to try to figure out which one of her new neighbors was a killer.

  And she really did not want to fall under the spell of Bright’s Ferry’s boy toy mayor.

  The last couple of days of interviews had given her a clearer picture of Colin. He worked hard, he played hard, but was almost always gone by morning. Tender and compassionate, but unwilling to let a relationship go further than friendship. A sexual force between the sheets. All of the women agreed on that point – Colin had plenty to offer a woman, and knew exactly how to offer it. He liked to be in charge – no surprise there – and women were putty in his hands.

  Evie had asked practical questions of the eight women she questioned – How long were you together? Was the relationship sexual in nature? Did anyone get hurt when it ended? Where were you the night of the murder? Through each interview, Evie attempted to keep her tone calm and professional, trying to ignore the irrelevant pieces of information she picked up as the women recounted their flings with Colin, with little success. Magnetically attractive? Check. Sex god? Check. Body to make the angels weep? Double check.

  It was humiliating to note how similar her reactions were to those of Colin’s bevy of former girlfriends. Her stomach fluttered as she took note of the one major difference – all of her close encounters with Colin had been intense. No casual friendship. No easygoing, fun-filled sexual romps. What does it mean? She thought about the way he’d pleasured her, driving her upward with hands and mouth as though he would never stop.

  Enough, Evie, the inner cop bitched, stop thinking about him dragging you behind the gazebo to have his wicked way with you and deal with the situation at hand. Hello, killer?

  Evie started toward Town Hall, sifting through the various interviews and pieces of information of the last few days. The problem was that there were too many suspects, and not enough at the same time. None of the women Colin had dated seemed to bear him any ill will, although that would be easy to conceal. Dreyer Morton was a possibility, but Evie accepted the fact that being a total asshole didn’t necessarily make him a killer.

  Millicent Graysonis next on my list. Unfortunately, the mousy little waitress was proving difficult to track down. A stop at the restaurant had revealed that she’d been home caring for her sick toddler, but she hadn’t returned any of the messages Evie or Tony had left for her over the last couple of days.

  There were two options – they could either wait for the stalker to strike again and hope to find more evidence to point them in the right direction, or they could cast the net wider and hope for a break in the case. Given that Evie seemed to be directly in the path of danger, she was putting her efforts into the second option. Besides, she wasn’t going to sit around and wait for some deranged lunatic to put a bullet in her skull because he or she was under the mistaken impression that Evie and Colin were a couple. Evie firmly banished the thought of Colin’s mouth on her skin and started up the steps of Town Hall.

  Sometimes this job totally sucks, she thought again, sighing. There were still two people to interview from her initial list, and Evie had a feeling that Colin was going to be a tad bit upset.

  “WOW, YOUR OFFICE IS so swanky.”

  Colin looked up to see Evie lounging in the doorway, admiring the high ceiling and polished antique furniture that hadn’t been upgraded in a century. As always, his pulse jumped at the sight of her.

  “Makes me look like a grownup, right? I’ve got them all fooled.” He smiled and gestured toward a chair.

  Shutting the door behind her, Evie returned his grin and sprawled in the visitor’s chair across the desk.

  “I hear you’re a computer genius.”

  Colin leaned back, getting comfortable. He knew that there was no way this was a social call, but if he could steal a few minutes of casual conversation with Evie before she dropped whatever bomb she was planning to ruin his day with, he would take it. Pathetic, man, he scolded himself, but without heat. The funeral that morning had been difficult, and it was refreshing to sit across from Evie without arguments, without accusations, in the relative safety of his office – since the attacks, Tony had the place guarded like Fort Knox.

  “I dabble.”

  “I dabble in baking and make a decent strawberry rhubarb pie. You dabble in computer technology and make millions. You could be running a company somewhere.” A note of disbelief crept into her voice, and Colin waved a hand dismissively.

  “I thought about it. But then Mom and Dad died, and I came home to sort things out. After a few weeks I realized that I liked everyone knowing my name, and having a town full of quirky little traditions. So I stayed.”

  “Do you still do the computer stuff?”

  Colin shrugged, self-conscious.

  “Sometimes. It pays well, and…I kind of like being a geek.”

  Evie burst out laughing as he felt heat creeping up
his neck.

  “I promise I won’t tell,” she teased.

  “On another note,” Colin leaned forward across the desk, his voice low and suggestive, “I’d love to taste your strawberry rhubarb pie.”

  There it is, he thought, as a punch of heat hit low and sparks seemed to arc between them.

  Until her eyes went sad and dark.

  “How would that work?” Evie asked softly, “We’d have a few nights together, maybe a few weeks. Everywhere we’d go, I’d hear them thinking, there goes Laura Asher’s daughter, what a shame. Her father was a philandering drunk and her mother killed three people. Oh, and did you hear? She was fucking her boss. Makes sense, since she’s currently fucking the mayor. And after a while, you’d lose interest and move on.”

  “You don’t think much of me. Or yourself.” he gritted out.

  Evie shook her head.

  “I can’t be another fling, Colin.”

  “It wouldn’t be like that.”

  Her eyes widened as the words hung between them.

  “Don’t make promises,” she urged, “We’re all acting on stress and adrenaline right now. I want us to be friends when this is over.”

  “I don’t think we can just be friends, Evie.” He thought of her coming apart against his mouth, the soft weight of her breast in his hand.

  “That’s the only offer on the table, Mr. Daniels.”

  They stared at each other for a long moment. Colin could feel the frustration churning inside him. On a purely intellectual level, he knew she was right – “relationship” wasn’t exactly a term he’d embraced in the past. But he knew one thing – he wanted her. Badly enough to consider locking the door so he could lay her on his desk and suckle her sweet tits until she was begging him to fuck her. Badly enough to risk courting her, stalker or no stalker. Badly enough to actually think about what a real relationship might be like.

  Sure, they fought like cats and dogs, but he’d seen her with Grace, watched as she comforted a grief-stricken Tom. Evie was damaged and suspicious, but so damned sweet under the tough and capable cop that his teeth ached. He was dying for another taste of her, and she wanted that, too, whether she was willing to admit it or not. But until she was ready to budge even the tiniest bit –