But it wouldn’t be welcome. He knew without asking. Her dog was providing the comfort he wanted to give. Her rocking slowed and stopped. How often did Alcee have to chase away the terrors that lurked in her mind?
“What happened? What were you dreaming?”
“I just had a nightmare.” Her gaze dipped to her dog, still in her lap. She made a long stroke down Alcee’s back, then reversed the motion, burying her fingers in the thick white fur.
“That must have been one doozy of a dream.”
She shrugged. “Just an ordinary nightmare. It’s not a big deal.”
He pressed a hand to the side of his face. “My jaw would beg to differ.”
“I’m sorry I hit you. For future reference, never grab someone who’s having a nightmare.”
Yeah, he knew that about people suffering from PTSD. Like soldiers who’d seen the horrors of battle. Not ordinary people.
But nothing about Erin had ever been ordinary.
She wasn’t military. She hadn’t seen war. But apparently, sometime during the past twelve years, she’d experienced her own terrors.
SIX
Cody sat at Erin’s dining room table, his computer in front of him. A TV played in the background, the sound coming from the slightly open door of the mother-in-law suite. Except for dinnertime, which they all shared together, Mimi and Opa stayed in their quarters. Alcee had the run of the place and hung out with whoever would give her the most attention.
As he’d promised Erin, Cody had spent the day yesterday coming up with kitchen ideas. Last night they’d gone to Lowe’s together and picked out appliances and selected several flooring samples. They’d also planned meals for the next week, and since Erin had the day off today, she was at Publix tackling the lengthy grocery list while Cody worked on cabinet design.
He made several clicks with the mouse, typing in intermittent commands, and a drawing took shape on the screen. Erin had chosen a style she liked from the photos in his portfolio, and he’d taken measurements and done rough sketches. But the two-and three-D renderings he was doing in AutoCAD would let her visualize the image he already had in his mind. It would also give his cabinet guy something easier to work with than the scribbles on the legal pad sitting next to his computer.
Once he finished the kitchen remodel, Erin wanted to modernize the bathrooms, then the rest of the house. The mother-in-law suite would be last, long after Mimi and Opa returned to their home in LaBelle.
The way things were going with the investigation, he’d be living at Erin’s indefinitely. Everything was at a standstill. Police hadn’t found the Camry, and the traps they’d laid yesterday getting his truck to Erin’s had come to naught. No one had showed the slightest bit of interest.
Tracing the phone number of the alleged Detective Roland had led nowhere. The call had come from a burner phone. They’d interviewed the developer also, and none of his associates matched the description of the guy in the hospital.
Alcee slipped through the open door, announcing her presence with the tap of her claws against the linoleum floor.
Cody looked away from his work. “Hey, girl. Are you coming for another visit?”
She tilted her head and lifted an ear.
“Mimi and Opa aren’t giving you enough love?”
She tipped her head in the other direction, and that ear lifted. Erin had said she was smart. Cody had no idea how much she understood, but she made it look convincing.
He scratched her neck and jaw, and she pressed her head into his hand. When he stopped, instead of lying next to him, she put a paw in his lap.
He checked the time on his computer. Eleven. She wasn’t due to eat for another hour.
“What do you want, girl? Do you need to go out?”
She barked once and trotted to the sliding glass door. He rose to let her into the fenced backyard. She would paw at the door when she was ready to come inside again.
After completing his drawing, Cody lifted both arms and arched his back over the chair. He’d slept well last night. After the previous night, he’d been too exhausted to do anything but. Erin had slept well, too. At least, she claimed she had. But even if her nightmare had returned, she wasn’t likely to tell him about it. The Erin of old had been an open book, guard down, the world her playground. That Erin no longer existed.
He clicked the mouse and sent what he’d done to the printer in the middle bedroom. With his tools in his truck, his blank invoices and estimate forms in his computer bag, and his laptop connected to Erin’s printer, he was ready for business.
His phone rang, interrupting his thoughts. Erin’s name displayed on the screen.
“I’m getting ready to check out. Anything else you want me to get while I’m here?”
“I don’t think so. That list we made last night was pretty extensive.”
“Tell me about it. My cart’s heaping. Food preparation for four is a little different from food preparation for one.”
A lot more expensive, too. But they’d all agreed to do an even four-way split—half the bill paid by Mimi and Opa and a quarter each by him and Erin.
“Sounds like you’ll make it home before I leave.” He was meeting Bobby for lunch at Zaxby’s, then stopping by Sherwin-Williams for paint chips. “You’re welcome to join us.” He laughed. “If I bring a woman along, maybe Bobby will stop trying to match me up with his coworker.”
Her laughter joined his. “Thanks for the invite. Although I’d love to be able to bail you out, I think I’ll just have lunch with Mimi and Opa. Since your friend’s a cop, I’d say you’re in good hands.”
As he disconnected the call, Alcee scratched against the sliding glass door frame. He slid the door back on its track. “Come on, girl.”
She bounded in, tail wagging. Lunchtime was close, and she knew it. The dog had a built-in clock. Cody walked into the kitchen and picked up the porcelain bowl. The white dish with a big blue paw print in the bottom was licked clean.
“Are you ready to eat?” Her head tilted again, and her ear lifted when he said eat. That was a word she did understand, like almost every other pet in America.
He took a can of Purina ONE from the pantry and popped the top. After he’d dumped the contents into the dish, he glanced at the clock hanging on the opposite wall. He was feeding her fifteen minutes early. If it was a problem, he’d stick to a stricter schedule in the future.
A short time later Erin arrived home with the back of her RAV4 filled with groceries. He met her outside and, after looping several bags over each arm, nodded down at what he held. “You can start putting everything away, since you know where it goes. I’ll tote the rest in.”
When they finished, it was time for him to leave. He picked up his keys and stuffed his phone into his pocket. “I’ll see you in a couple of hours.”
“If you see anything suspicious, or are even slightly uneasy, call the police. Then get a hold of me.”
He grinned. “You are the police. So is Bobby.”
“Someone on duty whose sirens and lights can get them there in a hurry.”
When he arrived at Zaxby’s, Bobby was already inside waiting near the door. The larger man clapped Cody on the shoulder in greeting, and he winced. He was still sore, as much from slamming into the concrete barrier as spending the night trapped in the collapsed building. The dive in the parking lot hadn’t helped, either. Neither had being blown halfway across his front yard.
But Bobby knew none of that. Cody had gotten a hold of him yesterday to let him know he’d relocated to Fort Myers and wouldn’t need the ride from his house. He would fill him in on everything else over lunch. Soon, they were seated at a table, two plates of wings and fries in front of them.
Cody picked up a fry and dipped it in ketchup. “Did you hear about the apartment building collapsing in Bokeelia, on Pine Island?”
“Not onl
y did I hear about it, I was on duty, keeping people who didn’t belong from venturing back there. I didn’t see the story air, but I heard the collapse was intentional.”
“It was. I was inside when it went down, even spent a little time in the hospital with a concussion and some broken ribs.”
“Whoa. I had no idea that was you. What were you doing there?”
“Trying to convince my stubborn grandfather to evacuate.”
Bobby shook his head. “You don’t look much worse for wear. How about your pops?”
Cody pressed his lips together. “He didn’t make it.”
“Ah, man, that’s rough. Sorry to hear that.”
Cody nodded his thanks. “What have you heard about the case?”
“Nothing. Being in patrol, I’m not involved in homicide investigations.”
As they ate, Cody filled him in on everything that had happened. Finally, Bobby sat back and shook his head. “You’ve gotten yourself tangled up in a mess.”
“I know.” He was still having a hard time wrapping his mind around it. “I’m not used to having people out to get me. I get along with everybody.” At least, once he’d gotten through his troubled adolescent and early teen years. “The last time I had an enemy was in ninth grade when someone tripped me in the cafeteria and I spilled Kool-Aid on Jimmy Thompson’s new Izod shirt.”
Bobby laughed, then grew silent, thinking as he finished off the last of his chicken. “Have you checked with the planning department to see if the developer sought approval for anything there?”
Cody picked up one of his wings and took a bite. His plate was still half-full. He’d been the one doing almost all the talking.
“I don’t know if anyone has thought of that. As a contractor, I know the people there pretty well. I’ll see what I can find out. If he’s already been to the planning people, he’s pretty serious about buying.” Of course, the offer Erin said the developer had made to Whitmer showed some pretty strong determination.
“So where are you staying? You said somewhere here in Fort Myers.”
“Yeah. I’m staying with someone I just reconnected with, who also happens to be one of the detectives working the case.”
“That’s convenient. He’s letting you live there until this gets wrapped up?”
“Not he—she. And yes, she’s letting me stay until this is over. Actually, she’s not giving me a choice. Everything that’s happened has her pretty worried.”
Bobby grinned. “Hmm. Sounds promising.”
Cody shook his head. “It’s not like that. There’s no romance going on. I’ve got my own room and so do her grandparents.”
Bobby had been around for the implosion of Cody’s marriage and had been on a mission ever since to secure him a happily-ever-after. Cody had made it clear he wasn’t interested, but his friend still hadn’t given up. The man wasn’t dense, just determined.
Bobby shrugged. “No romance now, and grandparents to chaperone. But you never know where things might lead.” He waggled his brows, which looked more silly than anything. Knowing Bobby, the effect was intentional.
Yeah, one never knew where things might lead. But some paths were so unlikely it didn’t make sense to even consider them. Neither he nor Erin had any intention of letting down their guard. He didn’t know what was behind her resistance, but he understood his own. He’d had enough people he loved walk away that he wasn’t interested in going another round. Life alone was pretty good, as long as he stayed busy and never dwelled on what he’d lost.
Bobby crumpled up his napkin and dropped it on the empty plate. “Well, if things don’t work out with this lady, I can always introduce you to my cute coworker.”
“Sorry, I’m going to pass on both.”
Bobby’s brow creased. “Actually, if you were conscious when they pulled you out of the rubble, you might have already met her. Cute lady about this tall.” He held up a hand. “White German shepherd dog.”
“Erin? That’s who I’m staying with.”
Bobby bellowed with laughter, slapping the table and struggling to catch his breath.
Cody frowned. “You wanna tell me what’s so funny so we can both enjoy the joke?”
Bobby gradually got control of himself. “Erin Jeffries is the woman I’ve been trying to introduce you to.”
“You told me she was in patrol with you.”
“She was. Then she moved to detective. I guess I didn’t tell you that part.” He chuckled a couple more times.
“Do you work with somebody named Joe?”
“You got a last name?”
Cody shook his head. “He’s been trying to match Erin up with a friend of his. She keeps turning him down, but the guy’s persistent.”
The laughter bubbled up again.
Cody waited, his frown deepening. “I’m glad you’re finding this so entertaining.”
“Sorry, I can’t help it.” He made a valiant attempt at seriousness, but his lips quivered with the effort. “I’m Joe.”
“Huh?” He and Bobby had been friends for four years. How would Cody not know that?
“My given name is Joseph Robert Morris Junior. With my dad being Joe, it was too confusing having two of us in the house, so I was Bobby. Everywhere I’ve worked, though, they’ve called me Joseph or Joe.” A couple more chuckles escaped. “As much as I wanted to introduce you guys and got nowhere, your paths still managed to cross. God does work in mysterious ways.”
Cody’s frown returned. God probably didn’t have anything to do with it. But crediting the coincidences of life with the intervention of God was what he’d expect from Bobby. His friend had invited him to several of his church’s activities over the years. Cody had turned down those invitations the same way he’d rejected the matchmaking attempts—with a good-natured but firm no.
He didn’t need church. He was doing all right. He had his work, his hobbies, his friends and his home. But he wasn’t just wrapped up in his own life. He’d always been generous with his money, making regular donations to several charitable organizations, at least until his ex-wife wiped him out. That generosity had to rack up some brownie points with the man upstairs. If some people needed more to feel fulfilled, he understood. But the whole religion scene wasn’t for him.
Cody had almost finished his meal when a buzz notified him of an incoming text. He held up an index finger. “I need to take this, in case it’s Erin.”
At least now Bobby would leave him alone about the pretty fellow law-enforcement officer. Or maybe not. Now that they were living under the same roof, he’d probably be even more relentless.
Cody pulled out his phone. The notification wasn’t from Erin. “Finally. I’ve had protein powder on back order since two days before the storm. It just got delivered an hour ago.” He pocketed the phone. “Would you mind running me by there to grab it? Then you can drop me back by here.”
Erin wouldn’t like it, but he couldn’t expect Lee County or Cape Coral PD to act as errand boys.
Bobby’s eyebrows dipped toward his nose. “You sure it’s not a trap? It’s definitely your package?”
“Yeah. The notification came from the company.”
Bobby nodded, but deep vertical lines still marked the space between his eyebrows. “I think you should check with Erin.”
Cody scowled. He hadn’t asked for permission to go somewhere since he was a kid. But Bobby was right. Erin was doing everything in her power to keep him safe. She deserved to know if he was getting ready to do something reckless. Besides, he’d already vowed he’d listen to her from now on.
He pulled his phone back out and dialed Erin. Her “hello” sounded anxious. Of course it would. She’d told him to call her at the first sign of danger.
“Everything’s all right. I just wanted to let you know about another stop I need to make.”
“O-kay.”
The anxiousness had turned to hesitation.
“My protein powder finally arrived. I was going to have Bobby run me by to pick it up.”
“Are you trying to get yourself killed?”
He ignored the sharpness in her tone. “We’ll be in his truck. I’ll even stay inside. Bobby can jump out and grab the box.” He paused. “No one knows I’m going over there.”
“No one except whoever might have seen that package being delivered.”
“Do you really think someone’s watching my house twenty-four/seven?”
“Can you guarantee someone isn’t?”
No, he couldn’t guarantee anything, except that less than two weeks had passed since the destruction of his grandfather’s apartment building, and he already couldn’t wait to get his life back.
“Don’t forget, Bobby’s a police officer.” His arguments were losing their conviction.
“And he’s bringing along an explosives detection dog?”
The last of his resistance fled like air escaping from a balloon.
“I didn’t think so.” She paused, but not for long. “Some guy blew the supports out from under your grandfather’s apartment building, then blew up your rental car. You know how easy it would be to cut open your package, put something inside, rig it to explode the moment the box is opened, then seal it back up?”
He nodded, his lower lip pulled between his teeth. Okay, he was properly chastised.
“Go on to my place. I’ll call it in and have a dog check it out before anyone touches it. If it’s clean, we’ll have it delivered here.”
Cody agreed and disconnected the call. Two wings still sat on his plate, but he’d lost his appetite. He said his farewells to Bobby, promising to keep him posted, then walked to his truck. As he slid into the seat, a bolt of panic shot through him. His neighbor Jack was keeping an eye on his place. If he noticed the package on his porch, he’d pick it up and take it home for safekeeping.
He brought up Jack’s number and pressed the call icon. After Jack’s voice-mail message played, Cody left his own message and then sent a text as backup. All he could do was hope Jack saw the text or missed call before noticing the package. Or that the police arrived there first.
Trailing a Killer Page 10