“Smirked?”
“Yeah.”
“Bet that made your knuckles itch.”
The man had no idea. “Thanks for the update.”
“Sure. How’s Marco?”
“In pain, probably a broken cheekbone and jaw, but he’ll live. What about you?”
“Mine’s not broken, but it’s going to hurt for a while. I’ll check on him soon.”
Bob hung up and Izzy slipped a hand in the crook of Ryan’s elbow. Her warmth surrounded him and he found himself glad she was there. More glad than he probably should be.
He gave her fingers a squeeze.
“I just wanted to say goodbye and I’ll see you later,” she said.
His phone buzzed and he glanced at it. It was Bob texting him with an update.
Found the car. It’s stolen. Will let you know if anything else develops.
Ryan tucked the phone back into his clip then reached out and pulled Izzy to him. After a brief hesitation, her arms encircled his waist.
“Can I do anything?” she said into his chest.
Yeah, you can stay right here forever.
He cleared his throat. “No.” He frowned. “Maybe. Where are you going to be tonight?”
She stepped back and met his gaze. “With Chloe. Why?”
“Just want to make sure you’re safe. Hulk … Young got away. That was Bob texting me. The car he was driving was abandoned not too far from here and the plate came back stolen.”
Izzy sighed. “Great.”
“Yeah.”
“And where are you going to be? With your family?”
“Probably. For a little while.”
“And after?”
He shrugged. “I’m not sure yet.”
“Call me if you need anything.”
“Of course.” He kissed her cheek, then stepped back. “Thanks, Izzy.”
“Sure.” She swallowed hard and lifted a hand to the cheek he’d kissed. “Um … bye.”
Then she was gone, weaving her way through the crowd to the back of the church. Two officers followed her and Ryan breathed a relieved sigh that she would be safe for tonight. And while his heart wanted to follow after her, he had things to do—and a killer to find.
Izzy found Chloe and the two of them walked out of the church. Chloe’s eyes were red-rimmed and she sniffed every so often. Izzy knew exactly how she felt. Her own nose was clogged and her eyes scratchy from the tears. “I know Mom’s expecting us for lunch, but I’m not sure I could eat a bite.”
“We’ll try.”
“Yeah.”
“Izzy?”
Her steps faltered at the voice. A voice from the past. Chloe’s gasp reached her ears and they both turned at the same time.
“Mick?”
At six feet two inches, Mick looked every inch the athlete he’d once been. Pro football in college had given his nose the odd little lump in the middle, but other than that, his sparkling blue eyes and twin dimples drew women like flies to honey.
At least until he took the mask off and released his true character. Obsessive. Needy. Violent.
Chloe stepped in front of Izzy. “What are you doing here?”
Izzy grasped Chloe’s arm and pulled her out of the way. “I thought I told you never to come near me again.”
Mick swallowed and looked around before his gaze landed on the ground. He shoved his hands in his pockets, and Izzy settled her grip on her weapon while Chloe did the same.
When he looked up, he flinched and freed his hands. Holding them in plain view, he shook his head. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”
“No. You weren’t.”
“I didn’t come to cause trouble.”
“Then why?” Izzy asked.
“I wanted to tell you how sorry I am about Kevin and that I’m …”
“What? Just say whatever it is you need to say and leave.”
He nodded. “I wanted to say I’m sorry about … what happened. Between us, I mean. I was wrong.”
“Yes. You were.” Izzy backed toward the vehicle while Chloe kept an eye on Mick. She needed to say more. But what? “Mick, I’ve forgiven you. I really have. And I’m glad you’re getting help.”
As though her words were just what he needed to hear, his features softened and tears glittered in his eyes. “Thank you, Izzy.”
And for a moment she remembered why she’d been so attracted to him, why she’d fallen for him. It had been the kindness in his eyes, the fun-loving spirit that had challenged her to live for more than the job. But now, all she felt were pity and the desire to just be away from him.
“Could we … maybe get coffee or something?”
Her tension returned. “No, Mick. We can’t, I’m sorry. I’ve forgiven you, but I don’t want to spend time with you.”
“Izzy—” Frustration flashed and Izzy tensed, her mind spinning back to that summer afternoon at his home. He’d lured her there with a request to talk. She’d agreed because she felt bad about the way she’d ended things. Once there, he knocked her unconscious and tied her up. When she woke to a throbbing headache, double vision, and a knife to her throat, she’d frozen with horror and fear.
“I love you, Izzy,” he’d cried. “I can’t live without you. And if you won’t stay with me, you can’t live. I can’t know you’re out there, in love with someone else.”
“Mick,” she whispered. “No. Don’t do this. I care about you or I wouldn’t have come. Please don’t throw your life away like this.”
His tear-filled eyes met hers. “You care about me, but you broke up with me.”
She couldn’t tell him why, but she couldn’t agree to get back together with him. He’d see right through the quick lie. “I know. I needed time to think.”
“About what?”
“About us. About what the future would hold. What it would mean if we got married.”
He stared. “You were thinking about marriage too?”
“Yes.” And she had been. And she hadn’t liked the picture that had unfolded each time she thought about marriage to this man. She hadn’t been able to put her finger on exactly what made her uneasy about the guy. Until he’d held her hostage.
“I—I didn’t know.”
“I wasn’t cutting you out of my life forever,” she said. “I just wanted … time. That’s all.”
“I’m sorry, Izzy.” He closed his eyes and groaned. “Oh no. I’ve messed up again, haven’t I? I’ve completely messed up. I don’t want to hurt you, I just can’t deal with not having you.” He leaned against her and wept.
She had compassion for him after he’d cut the duct tape binding her and handed her the knife with pleas of forgiveness. She held him until the police arrived and she’d walked out alive, physically in one piece, but emotionally shattered—and with a new inability to trust her instincts when it came to men. She’d avoided any kind of romantic entanglement for the past two years.
Izzy straightened her shoulders and stared him in the eye. “I mean it, Mick. Don’t bother me again, okay?”
She climbed in the car and slammed the door. But kept her eye on the side mirror. Mick punched a fist into his palm and stared at the vehicle a moment longer, nostrils flaring, but a certain sadness, maybe even acceptance, in his eyes as well. Then, without another word, he spun on his heel and marched off.
Izzy’s breath whooshed from her lungs and she shut her eyes against the dizziness that hit her.
Chloe’s door shut. Her sister sat in silence for a brief moment. “Are you okay?” she finally asked.
“Yes. I am.”
“You sure?”
Izzy opened her eyes and stared out the windshield. Then laughed.
“Iz?”
“I’m okay.” She held up her hands. “I’m not even shaking.” She’d been a wreck after testifying in court. She hadn’t stopped trembling for days.
Chloe started the truck.
“That felt good,” Izzy said.
“He didn’t like the way
that ended.”
“I know, but that’s okay. I think the nightmares might start to fade now.” The ones with Mick anyway. She had a feeling the ones with the giant hulking killer weren’t going away anytime soon. “I’m actually glad he showed up.”
“You are?”
“There’s something to be said for facing your fears. I’ve been avoiding even thinking about Mick—other than when I had a nightmare about him—avoiding facing the fact that he had a serious impact on my mental well-being.”
“And now?”
“Now?” She shrugged. “I don’t know. Standing up to him in court was one thing, but seeing him out, away from the whole legal setting, makes him seem … smaller somehow.”
“He could be dangerous, Izzy.”
“I know.” She drew in a deep breath. “And I’ll watch my back.”
Chloe fell silent and Izzy pulled her phone from her pocket to open the file Derek had sent her. Anxiety pulsed through her.
Within seconds, she had the file open and started scanning the names. In alphabetical order, there were twenty-seven in all, including hers, her mother’s, and several other officers she knew. And several she didn’t. They had to be out of different regions. But each name had a number next to it off to the left. It made no sense to her, but Derek’s name wasn’t on there, and neither was Chloe’s or Linc’s or any other family member. But Kevin’s was—he was number twenty-one.
Izzy frowned and clicked off of it.
“You okay?” Chloe asked.
“Just thinking.”
“About?”
“A lot of stuff.” Like why did Derek think she’d be able to figure it out if he couldn’t? Because her name was on it?
One thing was certain, Derek had finally gotten it right. This wasn’t a list of dirty cops, it was something else. He must have gotten it without a legitimate search warrant and couldn’t use it as evidence, but finding out what it meant or was related to could send him in the right direction. She shut the file and let possibilities play out in her mind. When Chloe pulled into their parents’ driveway, Izzy was no closer to an answer than she had been before she’d opened the file.
Her father stepped out onto the front porch.
“They made it home pretty fast,” Izzy said.
“I’m sure they didn’t feel like participating in the media madhouse going on outside the church. Mom made her statement before walking inside for the funeral.”
“I missed that.” It must have been when Izzy was talking to Derek.
Chloe let Hank out of his area in the back of the Tahoe, and he took off for the gate that led to the backyard. Her father waved a hand. “I’ll let him back there. Mozart’s been waiting for him. Your mother’s setting the table.”
Izzy led the way inside the front door. Chloe stepped in behind her and went straight for the kitchen. Izzy stayed still for a moment, drew in a deep breath, the comfort of home immediately washing over her. The smell of roast beef, mashed potatoes, green beans, fresh pies, and some chocolate creation hung in the air. For just a split second, Izzy let herself be transported back to before Kevin’s death when all was right with her world.
Brady sat on the couch with the remote in his hand. “Is it wrong to have the game on?”
She shrugged. “Kevin would be watching it if he was here.”
“Yeah.” He turned it down. “I’m not in the mood.”
Derek stepped out of the half bath and joined Brady on the couch. Izzy’s jaw dropped. His gaze collided with hers and he gave her a subtle shake of his head. She nodded and looked past him to see her mother working in the kitchen. Ruthie set a platter of meat on the dining room table to the left of the kitchen.
The front door opened again and this time Linc stepped in and shrugged out of his coat. He tossed it over the banister post.
“There’s a closet right there,” she said. “It’s the door on the left.”
“I know.” He patted her cheek and headed for the den.
Izzy rolled her eyes. Her sarcasm never did have the desired effect. He took a seat in the recliner with a satisfied sigh.
Her father was back in the kitchen with her mother. The rolls were done. “Time to eat,” he called.
As one, they moved to the ten-person table her brothers and father had crafted almost fifteen years ago. But the television remained on, albeit on mute.
“They scored,” Brady said, nodding toward the television.
“Kevin would be thrilled,” Izzy said. She slid into her seat beside Brady, Ruthie took the one by her. With a sigh, her father held out his hands. One by one, each family member joined together until they made a circle around the table. “Father, we ask that you bless this food to our bodies. Thank you for the abundance that you’ve provided. And Lord, we ask for your healing touch on the Marshall family tonight. This is a tough time for them. For all of us. We need your grace, your strength, and your peace. Amen.”
Amens echoed quietly.
Izzy stared at her plate, emotions swirling inside her. She knew the Marshalls did this every week as well. A family dinner. And now they would have two empty places. Kevin’s funeral was over. There was nothing left to do but get through life without him.
“Iz?” Linc’s soft voice reached her. She looked up to find all eyes on her. Concerned, caring, compassionate. They hurt because she hurt. Because the Marshall family hurt. “You okay?”
“No. I’m not.”
“Yeah.” Ruthie’s right hand grasped Izzy’s left. “You’ll get through it.”
“I know.” And she did. She set her napkin on the table. “I’m not hungry, though. I think I’m going to go hang out with Mozart and Hank for a while.”
She stood among protests and walked to the door that led to the big backyard she’d grown up playing in. Mozart raced to greet her and Hank lumbered along behind. He would have been more interested if she’d been Chloe.
Izzy sat on the steps to the deck and let Mozart talk her into scratching his belly.
But while she scratched, she fought the fatigue washing over her. If she didn’t get some rest, she was going to crash and burn. But first she dialed Louis Harper’s number. And got voice mail yet again. She had a really bad feeling about the man and was afraid the next time she saw him would be in a body bag. She stood. It was time to make a plate and head back to Chloe’s house. She needed sleep to help keep up her strength if she was going to be able to fight another day.
Sitting in his parents’ den once more, Ryan tried to ignore the heavy pall that had fallen over the house. When his phone rang, he grabbed it like a drowning man snags a life preserver. David. “Hey.”
“Hey, I’m sorry I didn’t make the funeral.”
“It’s all right. No need to apologize.”
“The reason I didn’t was because I managed to track down the photographer for that charity event. I told her a little about the case and she sent me the pictures without hesitation. I sent them to Charice just to make sure all was kosher with the investigation, but she said she would show them to you ASAP.”
“David, that’s great. I really appreciate it.” His phone buzzed and he glanced at the screen. “That’s Charice calling me now. I’ll catch up to you later.”
“Hope you find something,” he said.
“Me too.” Ryan switched over to the other call. “Hey, partner.”
“Hey. I’ve got the pictures from the charity banquet.”
“I just got off the phone with David.”
“Where do you want to meet me?”
Ryan hesitated. “Let me see if I can get ahold of Lee and I’ll text you.”
“I’ll be waiting.” She hung up and Ryan rose to pace to the window. He peered out and noticed all the cars in the St. John driveway. Izzy’s father had probably fixed a family meal.
Thankfully, his parents’ house was finally quiet. He’d convinced his mother to try to sleep, and it worried him that she hadn’t argued with him. Aunt Jessica was talking on her cell phone
and Lilianna was lounging on the couch with her headphones in. Cathy and Dale were at the table with his father.
He dialed Lee’s number and got voice mail. “Lee, I’ve got the pictures. Call me back and let me know when you can take a look.”
Ryan hung up and rose to walk into the kitchen. His father looked up, grief shadowing his eyes even though he smiled at Ryan. “I’m heading home, Dad. I’ll check on y’all later.”
“All right.”
He gripped his father’s shoulder. “See you later, Cath. Dale.”
Cathy rose to hug him. “Be careful, Ryan,” she whispered.
“Always.”
Once outside and in his vehicle, he sent up a silent prayer. Please, God, let these pictures get us somewhere.
Five minutes later his phone rang and he engaged the Bluetooth. “Hello.”
“Hey, Ryan, it’s Lee. I just got your message.”
“You have some time to meet later this evening?”
“I’m out of town. Had to fly a client down to Florida, but I’ll be back in Columbia around nine o’clock tomorrow morning. Want to meet at that little diner not too far from your parents’ house? The one Chris liked.”
“I’d love to. Charice will be there too. She’s the one that actually has the pictures.”
“See you then.”
Once home, he texted Charice the plan for the morning. He’d text Izzy too. There was no way she’d be okay with being left out of this one.
Monday
22
Monday morning, Izzy heard Chloe leave and rolled over to glance at the clock. Five thirty in the morning and she was wide awake. Not surprising. She’d crashed into bed shortly after getting home from her parents’, and while she hadn’t had nightmares about Mick, the Hulk kept intruding. As a result, she’d had a less than restful night’s sleep.
But at least she’d been horizontal for a while.
She yawned and kicked the covers off. She had two more days of leave, then she’d be back at work full time. Which would sorely cut into her time to work on finding Kevin’s killer.
Her first day back on duty would begin with security detail at the speech the winner of the election would make. Izzy had received a reminder email before falling into bed last night detailing her assignment. Everybody who was anybody would be there and security would be massive.
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