Emergency Reunion

by Sandra Orchard

  He stood, scooping up a takeout tray of coffees, and touched Sherri’s arm that rested on the table. “Good talking to you. You take care.”

  Oh, yeah. This guy was into her. Cole’s stomach knotted. He nodded to him as he left and then commandeered the seat he’d vacated. “Who was that guy?”

  “Joe Martello. He’s stopping by the ambulance base to visit the guys.”

  “Why?”

  “They’re old friends.” She pushed a second mug of coffee across the table toward him. “Why are you all worked up? Did Jake say something more about Ned after I left?”

  “No, I’m worked up because—” Cole glanced at the nearby patrons and lowered his voice “—you told me you didn’t have any wannabe boyfriends. Care to change that status report?”

  She laughed, but it didn’t sound nearly as sweet as her one for Joe. “Trust me. He is not a wannabe boyfriend.”

  “He’s never asked you out?”

  She glanced out the window at his departing back—a jock’s back in designer clothes—and a smile played on her lips. “I suppose he did, once.”

  The amusement in her voice riled him beyond reason. “And you’re telling me that fact didn’t cross your mind when we were tabulating potential suspects?”

  She blinked. “No, it didn’t.”

  He reined in his rising voice. “I’m sorry. It’s just...” Cole clamped his mouth shut. Was it jealousy that made him cringe at the fleeting touch Joe had given her before leaving?

  Sherri shook her head, amusement dancing in her eyes as if she knew it. “It was over two years ago and only weeks after he got out of rehab. I’m sure he never really expected me to say yes. I politely declined and that was the end of it.”

  Cole squinted at her. “What do you mean he never expected you to say yes? Guys don’t ask women out if they know they’re going to get shot down.”

  She bobbed her head as if not quite ready to agree. “I hadn’t exactly been his favorite person, but maybe rehab had made him see that I should’ve been.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  Sherri sipped her coffee, her gaze shuttered.

  “Sherri?”

  Blowing out a heavy sigh, she set down her coffee. “He was my first partner. His wife left him and he started drinking heavily, maybe even taking drugs. It started to affect his work. The day his wife remarried, he showed up drunk to work. I reported him to our boss. He was fired soon after.”

  Cole gaped at her. “And you didn’t tell me this, why?” He couldn’t keep the irritation out of his voice, but he managed to haul it down a dozen decibels before continuing. “I can’t think of a better motive than that for wanting to terrorize you.”

  Sherri paled. “But...” She glanced out the window then at her trembling hands. She jerked them beneath the table. “But that was three years ago. He’s better now. He’s sober. Has a great job, if his new SUV and designer clothes are anything to go by. And he looks fitter than I’ve ever seen him. I don’t run into him often, but when I have he’s always been friendly. I doubt he’d ever say so, but my reporting him was probably the best thing that ever happened to him.”

  Cole downed a gulp of the black coffee to give himself a chance to rein in the are-you-really-that-naive lecture burning his lips. “As true as that might be, no guy appreciates being fired, however good the end result. And absolutely no guy enjoys putting himself out there to be shot down. You burned him twice. He’s worth looking into.”

  Sherri visibly squirmed. “If he was that mad don’t you think he would’ve taken revenge years ago?”

  Cole clenched his jaw, thinking about how many years he’d stewed over what Dad had done to Mom. It’d only made the anger intensify, not lessen, especially as each year passed by with scarcely an attempt on Dad’s part to make amends. “Not necessarily. We’ll go through the list of patients’ names like we planned and see if any names pop, but then I’m going to dig into your former partner’s activities. Find out if he’s friendly with our dispatcher.”

  “Please don’t confront him directly. If he thinks I’ve accused him, he’ll go ballistic.”

  “Oh?” he said wryly. “I thought he was charmed by you?”

  She snorted and resumed sipping her coffee.

  “Sounds to me like you already know he’s capable of pulling these stunts.”

  “No, he’s changed. It’s just he said all kinds of nasty things to me after I reported him and he lost his job. And it was hard on my colleagues, because they were old friends and I’d broken some brotherhood code by snitching on him, even though deep down I’m sure they knew I’d done the right thing.”

  Yet another reason why she’d been so quick to suspect her colleagues. So why not her former partner? “In all our brainstorming of people with motivation to torment you, Joe honestly never occurred to you?”

  “No. This stuff only started happening in the last couple of months. We weren’t looking much further back than that. And I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen Joe.”

  “But now...? You’ve got to agree he’s our prime suspect. He knows the protocol, would know better than anyone ways to make you look bad or to frighten you while still making it look like it’s all a coincidence.”

  “Sure, I guess. But if it’s not him, I don’t want him hearing that he was under suspicion, or he’ll hate me all over again.”

  Cole bristled at the admission that the man had hated her. Certain he was their man, Cole sped through the review of her ambulance logs in the couple of months prior to the start of the incidents. Beside Reinhart, who he’d already eliminated, along with his son, since the latter hadn’t been in the area in the past two months, Sherri put forward only three other possibilities. “Okay, I’ll run background checks on these and check on connections to our dispatcher and then get back to you.”

  “Can’t I help?”

  “At this point I need to do face-to-face interviews. It’s probably better if you’re not seen.”

  She looked almost relieved. She had another week of medical leave before her stitches would be healed enough for her to return to work. And hopefully he’d have enough to make an arrest before then. “C’mon, I’ll drive you back to your parents’.”

  “Just so you know, I told my mom and dad that I was moving back to my apartment tonight.”

  “Why?” Cole wrestled down his uneasiness with the idea, knowing she wouldn’t want to hear it, and worse than that, pretty sure hearing it would only make her more determined.

  “I need to.” Her tone confirmed it wasn’t open for discussion.

  “Let me know if you go out.” It was an order, not a question. “I can arrange extra patrols. And it’d be a good idea not to go out alone if it can be helped.”

  “I run every morning on the river trail. Well, it’ll be a walk until the stitches heal a little more.”

  “Call me and I’ll accompany you.”

  “But all the incidents happened when I was on the job.”

  “And maybe the guy will stick to that pattern. Maybe he won’t,” Cole said sternly. “It’s not a chance I’m willing to take. Are you?”

  She looked up, a stubborn glint in her eyes. She was too headstrong for her own good.

  “If you don’t promise to call me—” he sipped his coffee, then slowly set the cup down “—I’ll camp outside your apartment, if that’s what it takes to keep you safe.”

  Her jaw dropped open, bobbed shut. Then she emitted a nervous-sounding laugh, clearly not sure what to read into the ultimatum.

  Not wanting to examine his motives too closely himself, he raised his eyebrow to let her know he was waiting for her promise.

  “Okay, yes, I promise to call you before I go out anywhere.” She let out a little huff. “Happy?”

  Ridiculously.

  EIGHT

  Stepping out of her favorite boutique, Sherri slung her shopping bag over her good shoulder and gave her new cousin-in-law a sideways hug. “I needed this. Thanks for
dragging me out.” Being cooped up in her apartment for the past week had been pure torture.

  Well, except for the morning jogs with Cole.

  Kara returned her hug. “Anytime. Besides—” Kara’s voice dropped conspiratorially “—you weren’t the only one who needed new clothes.”

  Sherri laughed. “But your reason is so much better!” Kara had confided that she and Jake were expecting. Buying new clothes to accommodate an expanding waistline beat opting for loose-fitting blouses over tank tops to hide an ugly dog bite any day.

  Kara frowned. “Does the wound still hurt?”

  “No.” She quickly dropped her hand, realizing she’d self-consciously palmed her shoulder. “I’m back to work tomorrow.” Thank goodness. She missed the distraction of work. Her nightmares had taken on a whole new level of horror, with savage dogs and drug-house booby traps added to her desperate efforts to save Luke.

  Her heart stuttered. Yes, she wanted to be working, but what if the attacks started again?

  Cole hadn’t found anything that linked their suspect dispatcher to any of her disgruntled patients or to Joe. And Joe’s employer wouldn’t share Joe’s schedule, so Cole hadn’t been able to compare it to the times of the various incidents. She hoped Joe’s boss could be trusted to keep the request confidential.

  Gulping, she glanced over her shoulder and then scanned the cars parked along the curb and the shoppers strolling the street.

  “Don’t push yourself too hard, Sherri. You don’t have to prove yourself to anyone.”

  Maybe not. But none of the guys wanted her back at work. And what little satisfaction she’d gotten from refusing to bend to their pressure tactics had withered with Cole’s doubts that they were behind the incidents.

  Kara stopped in front of the bakery window and inhaled. “The baby thinks it’s time to eat.”

  Sherri burst into a much-needed giggle. “Oh, you’re going to love using that excuse on Jake, aren’t you?” She peered in at the tempting treats and noticed a reflection of someone watching her. She whirled around.

  The man slipped into the hardware store across the street.

  “What’s wrong?” Kara tracked the direction of her gaze and Sherri suddenly felt foolish.

  “Uh, nothing. I just thought I saw someone I knew.” Except it wasn’t Cole. The build had been too slight. “Let’s go in and treat ourselves to a doughnut.”

  “Yes, my treat.”

  As Kara labored over her choice of flavors, Sherri edged to the front window and scanned the other side of the street again. When she’d told Cole about her Main Street shopping trip with Kara, he’d said he’d make extra patrols in the area. He’d sounded so concerned. Maybe he’d sent out an undercover guy. After all, any guy who’d change his morning routine and meet her at the river trailhead at seven sharp every morning to ensure she didn’t jog alone wasn’t likely to rest easy over her going shopping. Only, no one seemed to be paying particular attention to the bakery shop. She peered up and down the street. Maybe all this talk about the attacks just had her spooked.

  “What kind do you want?” Kara called over to her.

  “Apple fritter.”

  “You always get that. You should try something new.”

  Sherri shook her head and accepted the fritter from the clerk. “I like to stick to what I know.” An image of Cole inexplicably flashed through her mind. Hiding a secret smile, she sank her teeth into the confectionery. Yeah, she knew Cole. It may have taken him seven years to get his feet squarely underneath him, but he’d grown into a caring, protective man. The kind of man who could sweep her off her feet if she wasn’t careful.

  Except when she saw how deliriously happy Kara looked with her hand straying to her scarcely bulging tummy every few minutes, Sherri didn’t want to be careful. She wanted to let herself fall in love. Get married. Have a family.

  Kara nudged her arm. “You know, with all this time you’ve had off, we should have gone on a double date. Maybe with that deputy whose been joining you on your morning jogs?” Her voice rose suggestively.

  Sherri rolled her eyes. “He’s investigating my case, not dating me.” Cole had kept his professional distance since comforting her in the cemetery, but from the softness in his gaze when he looked at her, she liked to think his caution had more to do with not wanting to get kicked off the case. And that she hadn’t exactly invited any more hugs.

  Kara laughed. “But you wish he would.” She drew out the last word in a lyrical tease.

  Sherri’s face heated. Was she that easy to read? She’d had a crush on Cole forever and the man version was a hundred times more attractive, from his chiseled good looks to his strong arms to his fierce protectiveness.

  She turned to the door. She’d been operating on the premise that if she hid her emotions, no one could use them against her. Except Cole hadn’t used her breakdown at the cemetery against her. Maybe she could open up a little more. What was the worst that could happen?

  The fritter turned to dust in her mouth. He’d find out she was an emotional wreck. And get her kicked out of her job and then leave her again.

  Sherri yanked open the bakery door, feeling suddenly claustrophobic. Except would he leave again?

  The man who had held her in the cemetery and asked about Luke, hadn’t seemed like the kind of man who’d walk away. A chill shivered down her spine and she instinctively backed up, bumping Kara’s arm.

  Kara fumbled her doughnut, nearly losing it. “What’s wrong?”

  “Uh—” Sherri scanned the street and shop windows she couldn’t see through. “Nothing. It was nothing.”

  Cole cruised slowly past in his patrol car and waved.

  Smiling giddily, she waved back, taking more pleasure than she should in her apparent sixth sense of his nearness.

  “Hey!” A man called from across the street. It was the guy who’d tried to save her from the dog. He dodged traffic to get to her. “How’s the shoulder?”

  “Better. Thanks to you.” She turned to Kara. “This is the guy I was telling you about, who pulled the rodeo-clown routine on that dog.”

  He extended his hand to Kara. “Hi, the name’s Ted.” His warm gaze returned to Sherri as he released Kara’s hand and touched Sherri’s arm. “I’m just glad I was there. When are you back to work?”

  “Tomorrow.”

  “Well, you take care.” He dipped his chin to Kara. “Nice meeting you.”

  “Wow, he seems nice.” Kara waggled her eyebrows. “If I wasn’t already married to the best guy in town, I wouldn’t mind being rescued by a guy like him.”

  Sherri scratched at her scar. “Trust me. It’s not worth it.”

  Kara shrugged, a twinkle in her eye. “You’re forgetting that I married the man who rescued me.” She led the way down the street and motioned to the fire station. “Mind if we stop in and say hi to Jake?”

  “No problem. You go ahead. I wouldn’t mind dropping by the ambulance base.” Sherri skirted the fire station and headed for the ambulance bays in the lot behind.

  “Hey,” Dan said as she stuck her head into the lounge. He slanted a guilty glance at Joe, and then headed her off, steering her back into the hall. “I thought you weren’t due back until tomorrow.”

  “I’m not.” She held up her bag, wondering if Cole knew Joe was here again. “I was out shopping and thought I’d say hi.”

  “I guess you heard that they confirmed the bogus 9-1-1 call came from that cell phone Cole found?”

  “No, I didn’t hear anything about a phone.” Her hopes rose. “Do they know who it belongs to?”

  Dan snickered. “Yeah, I should’ve figured he wouldn’t tell you. The guy shouldn’t be on the case. He’s been grilling the rest of us as if we’d pull these stunts. Or Luke’s father. Can you believe the nerve?”

  Her pulse quickened. If not for Cole’s tenacity, there wouldn’t be a case. “Who made the call?”

  Compassion filled Dan’s eyes, quickly replaced by irritation as he raked his ha
nd over his whiskers, looking like he didn’t want to be the one to tell her. “That punk brother of his.”

  “What?” The image flashed through her mind of Eddie hunched outside the ambulance after he caught sight of her wound. Looking guilty?

  Dan squeezed her arm. “I’m sorry. I know you didn’t want it to be him.”

  She sloughed off his touch. “Excuse me. I have to go.” She stormed out the door and veered across the parking lot toward the sheriff’s office. No wonder their leads had dried up. Even Cole’s supposed suspicions of Joe. He’d just been pretending to investigate. Probably just pretending to care about her, too, to dupe her into trusting him.

  “Hey, wait up.” Kara hurried out the side door of the fire station.

  Sherri pressed her shopping bag into Kara’s hand. “Take this and go visit longer with Jake. I need to talk to Cole. Alone.”

  Kara took the bag, looking worried. “Want to talk about it first?”

  “No. This is between me and Cole.”

  He was stepping out of a cruiser when she stalked up to the station. He took one glance at her and said to his partner, “Go on in. I’ll catch up with you in a minute.”

  She closed the distance between them in three long strides and didn’t bother waiting until Zeke was out of earshot before she drilled a finger into Cole’s chest. “What are you playing at, Cole Andrew Donovan?” Thinking, for the first time in her life, that his initials suited him all too well. He was a cad, with a capital C.

  The light blinked out of his eyes. “You heard about the cell phone.” He sounded disappointed or maybe resigned.

  “Yes, and I’m wondering why I didn’t hear about it from you.” She poked his chest. “Did you think I wouldn’t find out?” Thank goodness she hadn’t actually started opening up to him. Clearly she couldn’t be open and honest with a man hiding facts from her.

  He enclosed her hand in his and drew closer. “I was going to tell you.”