by Aimée Thurlo
“Let me go with you. And by the way, as a precaution, don’t turn on any of the lights just yet. The gas should have dissipated enough, but there’s no sense in testing it with a spark.”
As Laura walked into the living room she grasped the full extent of the damage clearly for the first time. All the things she’d loved, that had defined her home and herself, had been tossed onto the floor like trash. She saw her collection of music boxes there, chipped and cracked, some smashed beyond recognition. The small knickknacks that held little value but gave her so much pleasure, like the wind-up toy drummer bear and her collection of mice, had been stepped on, probably not even on purpose. There was so much clutter on the floor it was nearly impossible to pick a path.
“Why would anyone do this to me?” she asked, her voice trembling.
“Take it one step at a time. See if there’s anything missing.” In a gesture of support, Burke placed his hand on her shoulder.
The warmth of his touch melted the coldness that enveloped her. Yet even as it comforted, it stirred other unsettling emotions.
She moved away and picked up a brightly decorated clay pot that had somehow survived undamaged. The miniature rose that had been inside it lay next to it. Laura placed the plant back into the pot along with all the soil she could scoop up.
The small act of restoration made her feel better.
“Look, but don’t touch anything else yet,” Burke said, gazing around the room. “The police will want to work the scene and check for evidence. They’ll search for fingerprints.”
As she saw the debris in the hall, Laura felt a new wave of panic slam into her. Her office. She had to check her computer. The book was finished, but she had other important files on her hard drive—the beginning of a future book, for one.
She rushed down the hall, but although the room was in shambles, her computer appeared untouched. She counted that as a major blessing, and tried to ignore the way her chest tightened as she looked at the chaos surrounding her. Files lay all over the floor, papers everywhere. Reference books had been tossed around, and some of the older ones had lost pages and had their spines broken. Taking a deep, unsteady breath, she stepped back out into the hall.
As she went into the bedrooms, she saw they had not fared well, either. Everything had been rifled through. In her room, the contents of every drawer had been dumped onto the floor. Her small jewelry box had been upended, but as she sorted through the jumble of pieces, she saw that nothing was missing, not even her most expensive watch, earrings or matching pendant.
Laura went through the rest of the house numbly. She checked for the obvious things burglars usually took, like the TV set and VCR, but both were there, intact, and none of the simple tools in the garage had even been touched.
“I just don’t understand this,” she muttered. “What on earth were they after?”
Hearing a loud knock, she returned to the living room. A police officer in a blue uniform had come in the open door and was looking around. She introduced herself and took him from room to room.
“Any idea who did this?” he asked her. Seeing her shake her head, he added, “Smells like you had a gas leak, too.”
She gave him a quick rundown of what had happened, including what the gas company serviceman had said.
“I’m going to check for the point of entry and dust that area for fingerprints, but I’ve got to tell you, we generally don’t have a lot of luck finding the perps in these cases. Our best chance is if we catch them in the act somewhere else, or fencing the stolen property. Of course, we’ll ask your neighbors if they saw or heard anyone or noticed an unfamiliar vehicle. We’ll cover all the usual bases, but after that…”
Laura felt her stomach plummet. In her books the cops always had sufficient resources and the determination to solve every crime. But this was real life, and too often victims were just that—victims. The label made her angry. Someone had broken into her home and turned her life into chaos, and she was supposed to just shrug it off?
Burke came to stand beside her. It was a small gesture, but one she appreciated. He had a commanding presence about him that she found oddly reassuring.
“What you can do is figure out how to get your life back to normal—fast,” Burke advised. “For starters, you’ll need to have dead bolts installed and a good, solid back door. I think the burglar was able to kick it in because it wasn’t constructed to stand up to punishment. Learn from this and you can keep it from ever happening again.”
“And who knows?” the officer agreed. “We may get lucky and catch the perp and recover whatever he stole from you.”
“For now, let’s finish going through the house and see what that could be,” Burke said. “You’ll need to make a list.”
It was like walking through a nightmare. Laura went down the hall with the men and, as they passed the closet containing the gas furnace, Burke stopped and crouched down beside it. The metal panel had been ripped off the heater.
“From the marks I see, it looks like they were trying to search the space between the furnace and wall,” Burke said. “Of course, in doing that, the intruder moved the furnace enough to extinguish the pilot light and break the gas connection. It looks like he damaged the furnace as well.”
As they entered Elena’s room, Laura saw a tiny silver pendant Elena cherished on the floor, along with other items from the top of her dresser. She picked the pendant up, grateful that it hadn’t been stepped on. It had been the last gift Elena had received from her husband before he died. Laura placed it inside her jacket pocket in an attempt to protect this one special thing.
As her thoughts turned to her godmother, Laura began to worry. Elena was in her late sixties and had a weak heart. The last thing she needed was to come home to a disaster like this, and then be forced to spend the night in an unheated house. Lately, the nighttime temperatures had been in the low forties here in the desert. They’d have to find a motel.
“I’ve got to start cleaning up and making arrangements for a place to spend the night,” Laura said.
“I’m going to need a list and description of what’s missing first,” the officer said.
“I haven’t found anything missing yet,” she answered.
With obvious reluctance, Laura headed back to her office. It was here, where she created her stories, that the chaos the intruder had left behind bit into her heart the most. In this room, alone with the ghosts who peopled a writer’s imagination, she’d found peace. But now all there was in here was confusion. The sense that the dearest part of herself had been violated almost brought her to tears.
It would take days to get everything back in order. Thank goodness she’d just ended a project rather than being in the middle of one.
“Was this someone’s idea of a sick joke? They must have looked through every page in here,” Laura murmured, her spirits sagging.
“It appears that they were searching for something in particular, perhaps a letter or document,” Burke said. “Can you think of what that might have been?”
Hearing a familiar but frightened voice calling out from the front of the house, Laura spun around. “Oh, no! Elena’s back early.”
Laura rushed to intercept her godmother. She’d hoped to find a way to soften the blow before Elena returned. As Laura reached the front door, she saw her frozen there, terror and shock on her face.
“It’s all right,” Laura said gently. “No one’s been hurt. We can always replace things.”
Elena was a petite, well-rounded woman with an affable manner and an easy smile that made friends almost anywhere. Now she looked as if she’d just witnessed the death of a loved one.
“Someone broke into the house. In the process, they created this mess and even managed to break off the valve on the furnace,” Laura said calmly. “But the gas is turned off now, so it’s just a matter of cleaning up and repairing or replacing the furnace. And believe it or not, I haven’t discovered anything missing.”
“That’s a
blessing. But without heat, how will we stay warm tonight?” Elena asked. “And just look at what they did to our beautiful home!”
“We’ll be fine. We can stay at a motel until everything is back to normal again. It’ll work out.”
“We’ll need someplace close, Laura. We’ll have to be here daily. We can’t just leave everything in the hands of repairmen,” she countered.
“The motels along the main highway aren’t too far away. We’ll make do.”
“I have an idea, ladies,” Burke interjected. “You know I bought the large three-bedroom next door, and it’s much too big for just me and my dog. Why don’t you both come stay with me until your house is repaired?”
Laura felt a prickle of excitement as she heard his offer. But, of course, it was out of the question. Sharing the home of a drop-dead-gorgeous guy was not her idea of a safe haven. Before she could say anything, however, Elena spoke.
“Such a nice offer! We accept,” she said, looking up at him with a smile. “Okay, Laura?”
Laura nearly choked. “Wait a sec.”
Seeing the police officer coming toward them, Burke turned to him. “Why don’t I go speak with the officer while you two talk things over?”
As soon as he’d moved out of earshot, Laura glowered at Elena, but the older woman beamed a wide smile.
“God always makes something good come out of even the worst of times,” she said. “That young man is single and very attractive. And with me there, he will behave. In the meantime, you two can get to know each other. Before long, you might find out that he’s perfect for you.”
“How can you say that? We don’t know a thing about him! I haven’t even figured out if Burke is his first or last name!”
“That’s one of the things you can ask him,” Elena replied, undaunted. “And we do know quite a bit about him. We know that he always dresses like a gentleman and that he pays attention to details. He heard Mr. Romero call me Doña Elena once, and ever since then he’s addressed me the same way. On a practical side, his offer means we can be close by to let repairmen in and out. I think we should take advantage of his hospitality.”
Seeing that Laura was still hesitant, she played her trump card. “And my heart…well, this has all been quite a shock. I’d like to stay close to home, because here is where I feel the most comfortable.”
Laura’s eyes narrowed. “Do you realize that you never mention your heart unless you want me to do something?” Seeing the crestfallen look on her godmother’s face, she laughed. “All right. You win. We’ll accept his offer.”
“Laura!” A male voice suddenly boomed out from near the front door.
Laura looked up and expelled her breath in a whoosh. “Not him again,” she said softly. “Ken Springer is the last person I want to see here now.”
The police officer who was packing away his fingerprint kit looked up and, seeing Laura’s expression, went to head off the new arrival.
As he approached, Ken flipped open his badge. “County arson investigator, Officer.”
“There’s no arson here, Ken,” Laura said, impatience tainting her tone. The tall, lanky lieutenant from the fire department wasn’t bad looking, but his cocky, self-absorbed attitude put Laura off. They had a brief history, one she never wanted to repeat.
“I just heard the report. Do you have any idea what that gas leak might have done to you if you’d flipped on the light? This is attempted arson as far as I’m concerned.”
“No. The gas leak was an accident. The break-in…” She shrugged.
Seeing Burke, Ken placed his arm over Laura’s shoulder.
Biting back her annoyance, Laura shrugged it off. “I’m very tired, Lieutenant Springer. If you have business here, then get on with it. Otherwise, please leave.”
Burke’s gaze locked with Ken’s. The fireman reached into his back pocket and once again flashed his ID. “And your business here is…?”
“Mine,” Laura said firmly.
Anger sharpened Ken’s features as he glanced at Laura. “You don’t need help from a civilian, Laura. I’ll handle this.”
“I want him here,” she said firmly. “Remember that you’re in my home.”
Ken held her gaze, a muscle in his jaw twitching. “I’m going to take a look around.”
As he strode off, Burke glanced at her. “Old boyfriend?”
“I went out with him twice—and that was two times too many.”
“But he’s never given up trying to make himself part of her life.” Elena shook her head sadly.
Burke nodded, but before he could comment, the police officer came up to Laura. “I just wanted to tell you that I’m leaving now. We’ll be increasing our patrols in this area, but stay alert and call us if you have any problems.” He reached into his pocket and handed her a card.
After the man left, Laura saw that Ken was still walking around the house, looking through her things. Annoyed, she strode up to him. “It’s not arson, Ken. Not even a match was lit in here. Perhaps you should go work on one of your cases.”
“How do you explain what’s happened?” he countered harshly.
Elena came up and joined them. “I didn’t mention this to the officer because it’s just speculation, but the break-in is more than likely the work of my brother-in-law,” she stated. “He’s been hoping to get his hands on the deed to a piece of property my husband left me, or the original will. He filed a lawsuit, but no hearing has been scheduled yet.”
Laura looked at Elena with dawning understanding. “You’re right. This would be something he’d do.”
“You shouldn’t have to put up with this from anyone,” Ken said. “Tell me where I can find him and I’ll go over and take care of this for you.”
“No, Ken, you won’t,” Laura said firmly. “I’ll handle this myself. I appreciate you coming by, but as you can see, this has nothing to do with the type of case you handle for the county.”
Ken looked at Burke, his expression venomous. “Then it looks like it’s time for us to go.”
“Burke, if you don’t mind, I’d like you to stay for a while. You can help us get things organized here,” Laura said, more to make a point than anything else.
“If you want—” Ken said.
“Ken, go,” she interrupted. “You’re working now. He’s not.”
“Unemployed?” Ken sneered.
The cold, level look that passed between the men made a shiver course up Laura’s spine.
“Call if you need me. This is my new cell number,” Ken said, handing Laura his card.
She took it, then set it down on a coffee table. “Goodbye, Ken.”
The tall fireman left wordlessly.
Laura exhaled softly as soon as Ken had gone. “Ken Springer is harmless, but he’s such a pain. I’ve tried to tell him I’m just not interested, but he keeps finding a reason to come around.”
“Nothing but a solid hit with a two-by-four deters a man of that kind,” Elena said.
Burke laughed. “Listen to your godmother,” he said, looking at Laura. “I think she’s right on target.”
His generous lips curved sensually when he smiled, and Laura felt a sudden jolt of awareness—the earthy kind that reminded her that he was all-male, and she a woman who enjoyed her femininity. She took a breath, trying to tone down her reaction to him for the sake of her own peace of mind.
A man as confident as Burke surely knew the effect he had on women. He’d undoubtedly grown to accept it as natural—something that was as much a part of him as his broad shoulders and six-foot frame. The last thing she intended to do was feed his ego by letting him sense her reaction to him.
“Why don’t you both go through the house one last time and make a list of all the repairs that’ll have to be done? We’ll need it when we file the insurance claim,” Elena said.
“Good idea,” Laura answered.
“You should look at the back door,” Burke said to Laura. “That’s one of the first things you’ll need to get fixed.
”
Laura went into the kitchen and studied the damage. The door frame had been splintered and the lock damaged by a vicious kick. A partial boot print was still on the door. This had clearly been the point of entry. “I never thought of that door as flimsy, but I’ll make sure I get a solid-core one now.”
They methodically checked out each room in the house, Laura adding to the list of things to do. As they worked, she was acutely aware of everything about the man beside her. She stole fleeting, furtive glances at him, taking in his square-cut jaw and his absolutely delicious mouth.
A guy like this is used to leaving a trail of brokenhearted women behind him. Be careful. Don’t add to the number.
The sun had sunk well below the horizon by the time they rejoined Elena in the living room. They’d been able to close the doors and windows and turn on the lights, but the house had grown decidedly chilly.
“It’s going to take awhile to get things back to normal,” Laura said with a sigh.
“Don’t be so pessimistic,” Elena chided. “Once we clear up the mess, everything will look one hundred percent better. We’ll have a claims adjuster come over tomorrow, then the repairmen can come to fix the heater, replace the door and put in better locks. The damaged furniture can go out to be repaired, or we can go shopping for some new pieces. Before you know it, we’ll be back at home and it’ll be like nothing happened.” Elena stood, wavered, then sat down heavily.
Seeing it, Laura felt her stomach fall. “Are you all right?” She should have expected this. The whole thing had been a total shock for Elena.
“I’m fine. It’s nothing. I just took my pills a little late today and I’m a little woozy.”
“Let’s just sit here for a bit then,” Laura said, watching her for signs of a serious problem with her heart.
Burke sat on an easy chair that had been slashed but not completely depleted of stuffing. He leaned back, projecting an ease that helped Elena relax. For several minutes he made small talk, discussing the neighborhood and the upcoming growing season. Elena bragged about Laura’s rose garden, promising to show him around in full daylight to point out the buds and new season’s growth.