Nick pulled his gaze from the men and focused on the television suspended in the corner. Cartoon sound effects jangled through the room. Jason sat on the hard couch next to him, pudgy fingers clutching the book they must have read twenty times by now.
The pediatrician they’d seen when they’d first arrived at the hospital had given Jason a clean bill of health. The child psychologist they had seen next had said it might be a while before he could process everything. Nick didn’t know what to think. He wished he could make things easier on the boy, but he didn’t know how. He didn’t know how to deal with all that had happened himself. All he did know was that he needed to get his son somewhere far away from all this.
Somewhere safe.
The conference room door swung open and the blonde who’d sheltered Jason on the sidewalk slipped into the room. Nick had been impressed with how controlled she’d been in the midst of his panic. How she’d told him what to do, watching out for Jason the whole time. How she’d immediately tried to save the people who’d been gunned down. How she’d calmly reported everything to the police who’d finally arrived at the hotel.
She didn’t look so strong and in control now. Her face looked like porcelain, pale and brittle. Her eyes were red-rimmed and puffy. And instead of in charge, she seemed nearly invisible. As if her will had drained away. She walked past the bristling men without giving them a glance and slipped into the chair beside the sofa. She focused on Jason and offered him a tentative smile. “How are you holding up, Buddy?”
“Melissa.”
Jason’s tremulous lisp sliced through Nick.
The boy reached small hands out for her. “Melissa.”
She glanced at Nick. “Do you mind if I hold him?”
“Please do.” Whatever helped his son feel grounded was fine with Nick. Jason had pulled back when Nick had tried to hold him. Natural, since Nick was a stranger. Obviously the boy knew Melissa better than he knew his own dad.
Melissa reached out her hands and gathered the little guy onto her lap. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged. There was a desperation to the gesture, as if she needed anchoring as much as Jason.
“I’m not sure what happened out there, but I don’t think we officially met. I’m Nick Raymond.”
“Melissa Anderson.”
He waited a beat for her to go on, to maybe throw him a bone of information, but she didn’t. Finally he cleared his throat. “Thank you.”
She tilted her head to the side and narrowed her eyes, as if she had no idea what he was talking about.
“For taking care of Jason. For saving…” He eyed his son, unsure of how much he should say.
“Of course.” Her lips seemed to tremble. Then she pressed them together and sank back into silence.
Conversation had never been Nick’s strong suit, not that it had been much of a problem. Usually people were eager to talk. Whether it be a guest at the ranch or an acquaintance in town, all he had to do was give them a little eye contact, and they were on a verbal roll. He had no clue how to draw out information tactfully. He usually just blurted things. Another one of his coarse habits that had driven Gayle crazy. “The people that were shot, are they okay?”
She watched him as if she thought he should already know the answer.
Nick nodded in the direction of the detective and investigator. “No one has told me anything.”
Melissa pursed her lips into a tight line. For a moment he thought she was going to just leave his question hanging. Finally, she let out a sigh.
“I’m sorry. It’s been… difficult.”
“No problem.”
“The victim’s advocate, Essie, is in surgery. They don’t know if she’ll make it or not.” Melissa’s voice sounded as dry as a police report, the objective aloofness undercut by the trembling of her lips.
“And the detective?”
Her focus shifted away from his face and latched on to the television. “Detective Jimmy Bernard died.”
“I’m sorry.”
She bobbed her head. Her mouth formed the word thanks, but no sound came.
He wished he could do something, say something. But he knew there was nothing to say. Jason had a better chance of bringing some kind of comfort with a hug than Nick could with all the words in the English language.
He watched his son nestle in Melissa’s arms. Time ticked by, only the cartoon voices marking the change. Eventually Jason’s eyelids started drooping, and he folded into sleep.
“If you want, you can put him down here on the couch.”
“I’d rather hold him. If that’s okay with you.”
“Sure.”
Melissa narrowed her eyes on him, scrutinizing him for so long, it was all he could do not to look away. “Has anyone told you what to expect? Where you’ll be going from here?”
“I hoped we’d be going home.”
She hesitated, as if unwilling to give him bad news.
“What is it?”
“How much did you see of the car? The shooters?”
The same questions he’d fielded from more people than he could keep straight. “I’ve already answered these questions.”
“For police. I’m an investigator with the district attorney’s office.”
“What’s the difference?”
“No one has explained any of this to you, have they?”
“No.”
“You spoke to Detective Marris?” Melissa asked. She pointed at the cop in the blue blazer.
“Yeah. For what seemed like half my lifetime.”
She gave a hint of a smile. “He’s thorough. Good cop.”
“And the red head Marris is talking to? Who is he?”
“That’s Calhoun.”
“And you don’t like him…”
Melissa shook her head. “It’s not that. I mean, he’s kind of obnoxious, but don’t tell him I said that.”
Nick grinned. “You have my word.”
“Calhoun works as an investigator with the District Attorney’s office.”
“Same as you.”
“Right. But I’m nicer.”
“I don’t doubt it. So, what does an investigator with the D.A.’s office do exactly?”
“When the police arrest someone, that is only the beginning. The D.A.’s office has to charge the suspect and compile a case against them. That’s where people like Calhoun and I come in. We take the evidence the police give us and back it up and build on it, until the district attorney has enough to present a compelling case in court.”
“So you… you’re working on my ex-wife’s murder?”
“Yes. That was Jimmy’s, er… Detective Bernard’s case.”
“And Jason… he’s a witness?”
“No, no… Jason didn’t see anything. He was sleeping the whole time.”
“That’s what Detective Bernard said. But if you’re following up…”
“I’m not following up anything with Jason. We just became friends.” She smiled down at the little guy.
“I’m glad to hear he had a friend through all this.”
Melissa snapped her gaze up to Nick’s. “So back to this morning. Can you go over the details again? Different office, different boss, you know.”
“Why not? I’ve gone over the details so many times already, I almost have it memorized. The car was a midnight-blue sedan with Colorado plates. There were four kids inside, maybe in their late teens or early twenties. They had tattoos on—”
“Ms. Anderson?” a male voice cut through his spiel before he could even get to the part about the police artist.
Nick turned toward the doorway. Marris and Calhoun were gone, replaced by a man wearing a nice suit. Green eyes so intense they were almost shocking focused on Melissa. “Can I speak to you?”
“I’ll be right there.” Melissa carefully handed Jason over to Nick and pushed herself out of her chair. “My boss. I’ll be back.”
Jason snuggled against Nick’s chest, and for a moment, Nick couldn’t
help but smile. He’d dreamed about this. Holding his son. The warmth. The closeness. The responsibility.
Then the circumstances crashed over him. Nick strained to hear the murmured conversation from the hallway. But except for a somewhat startled expression on Melissa’s face, he couldn’t pick up any of the exchange.
Finally, Melissa stepped back into the room. The well-dressed man followed tentatively behind her, as if entering the room wasn’t his idea but hers. He glanced at Jason and then at Nick. “Mr. Raymond? I’m Chief Deputy District Attorney Seth Wallace.”
Nick nodded a greeting.
“I’m sorry your son has had to go through this. I hope we can make your stay here in Denver comfortable, in light of the circumstances.”
“My stay in Denver won’t be long. I’m leaving today.”
The man’s brows arched toward sandy hair. “I’m afraid that’s not possible.”
“Not possible?” Nick looked from Wallace to Melissa and back again.
“You’re the witness to a murder, Mr. Raymond. I’m going to request that you stay in the city, at least until we can determine what happened here. I’ll do my best to arrange for protection.”
“Protection?” Heat rushed to Nick’s face. He’d been careful to hold his tongue around Jason all day, not wanting to frighten his son even more. But with the little guy asleep, he didn’t have to hold back. And now was certainly not the time to let tact get in the way. “Looks to me like you’ve already tried to provide protection. And it almost got my son killed.”
“We’ll get to the bottom of this. You have my word.”
“You must think I’m some kind of Wyoming rube.”
“I assure you, that’s not true. Melissa and I take your concerns seriously. And I promise you, we will get to the bottom of this.”
“What happened this morning is your problem. Mine is taking my son home.”
“I know you don’t want to hear this, sir, but I’m afraid I can’t let either one of you go anywhere.” He focused on Melissa. “You’ll take them?”
She nodded.
Nick had only known Melissa for a blink of time, but somehow, he still felt betrayed. “Take us where?”
“A hotel. Not a bad place. I’ll even spring for room service. Think of it as a vacation, of sorts.”
“Of sorts?”
“It’s for your own protection.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. You can’t make me go anywhere.”
“Actually, I can. But I don’t want to do that.”
Nick looked to Melissa. “He can?”
“We can get a material witness warrant.”
“Warrant? You mean you can throw me in jail?”
“We don’t want to do that, sir,” Deputy D.A. Wallace said.
“Don’t want to… right… but you will. And if I’m in jail, where will Jason go?”
Melissa met his gaze with dispassion, but behind the mask, he thought he saw a glimmer of… sympathy… something. “For him, we’ll have to make arrangements through child services.”
“You can’t do that.”
The deputy D.A. shook his head. “We don’t want to, Mr. Raymond. The hotel is nice. Really. And we can make sure you’re safe.”
Nick kept his attention on Melissa. He knew Wallace was just doing his job, but if Nick looked at the man right now, he’d probably spring out of his chair and choke the lawyer with his own power tie. “You can’t do that to a kid who just lost his mother. He needs some stability. He needs to go home.”
“And he’ll be able to. Eventually. Once we get the chance to sort through a few things.”
So much for the woman he’d thought was his ally
“You’ll go to the hotel with Ms. Anderson?”
Nick looked to Melissa Anderson. His impression from earlier flitted into his mind. She was grief stricken over the police detective who’d died, suffering from the same adrenaline rush aftereffects as he was, and she had a soft spot for Jason. All things he might be able to use to manipulate her. Not that he was wild about taking advantage of her, but if it came down to choosing between her and getting his son the hell out of this town, his choice was an easy one. “Shall we leave, Ms. Anderson?
______
Melissa pushed herself out of the waiting-room chair. Looked like she was in for babysitter duty again. She’d like to say she resented it, but that wouldn’t be true. She loved being with Jason. He was such a sweet kid, and the thought that he’d lost his mother broke her heart. Keeping him safe couldn’t be higher on her list of priorities. But being around his father?
That she could live without.
It wasn’t that she disliked him. Actually, the opposite. Something about those broad shoulders, the cowboy swagger, the sincerity in his eyes, and she had to admit, the way those jeans hugged slim hips… the whole package made her feel weak and needy.
And there was nothing she hated more than feeling weak and needy.
Exactly why she didn’t want to be around him or anyone else right this moment. After Jimmy’s death and with Essie hanging on to life by a thread, she was feeling anything but strong. She needed to get home, draw the blinds, curl up in the fetal position and lose it.
Alone.
But if what Seth Wallace suspected was true, she had little choice. Jason needed her. And she would do whatever she had to in order to keep the four-year-old safe. And his father.
Besides, it would only be temporary.
They had just reached the lobby floor when Nick stopped. “We’d better use the restroom before we leave.”
“All right.” Melissa stretched out her arms for the boy.
“I think he might need the visit, as well.”
She eyed Jason. His cheek flattened against Nick’s shoulder, his mouth open, a little drool glistening on his lips and forming a wet spot on his father’s shirt. “He’s totally out.”
“I’ll wake him if I need to.”
“We aren’t going that far. I’m sure he can wait.”
“No, it’s better this way.”
Melissa wanted to ask who it was better for, but decided to let it go. If she thought she felt a little out of it, Nick Raymond was in undoubtedly worse shape.
At least she worked around tough situations every day. Gang violence. Domestic abuse. Homicide. Nick was a cowboy. He was used to horses and wide-open spaces, not the tragedy of a modern city. Maybe the thought of being away from the son he’d just found again was too much for him. She could understand that. “All right. I’ll wait here.”
He touched the brim of his hat and nodded.
A little shiver ran up her spine.
Pitiful.
Melissa could just imagine how she’d react if he’d called her ma’am or some other cowboy cliché. “Don’t take too long.”
She turned away and walked to a seating area near the side door and lowered herself to a bench. At least the bathroom was in an older section of the hospital, an area small and isolated, so she didn’t have to worry about a lot of people going in and out. She tried to focus on the crowd filing into the main hospital entrance down the hall, rushing to visit relatives or have procedures, some with worry lines etched into their foreheads and some carrying balloons proclaiming that it was a girl. But try as she might, all she could think about was what had happened to Jimmy.
Melissa lost track of time when she finally pulled her gaze from the stream of people and checked her watch.
Nick and Jason had been in the restroom for more than fifteen minutes.
She pushed up from the bench and strode into the hall leading to the men’s room, her heels echoing in the quieter part of the hospital. She stepped to the doorway and pushed the door open a crack, careful not to look inside. “Nick? Nick Raymond? Are you okay?”
No answer.
Melissa pushed the door open wider. “Is anyone in here? Anyone at all?”
Again, no answer.
“I’m coming in.” She shoved it open all the way and stepped inside.
> The room was small, only two stalls flanked one wall and two urinals at different heights hung on the other. The yellow tile seemed of a long ago age, a sharp contrast with the more modern part of the hospital. The smell of disinfectant and strange sweet scent of pink urinal cakes tinted the air. And something else. A mixture of fresh air and exhaust from the street outside.
The ground-level window gaped wide open.
CHAPTER THREE
“MOMMY?” JASON YAWNED AND SQUINTED his eyes open, looking around the inside of the pickup and parking garage.
Pressure assaulted Nick’s chest. He wondered if the four-year-old would wake when he transferred him into his car seat, but he wasn’t ready for him to ask for his mother. He wasn’t sure what to say. “I’m going to take you home, Jason.”
“To Mommy?”
“No. I’m sorry. Mommy won’t be there.” He stretched the belt across the booster seat and clicked it into place.
“I’m not going to see Mommy anymore. She’s dead.”
The matter-of-fact way he stated it made Nick’s heart ache. He had no idea what to say, what to do. He settled on giving the boy a nod.
“Will Melissa be at home?”
The D.A.’s investigator. “Melissa won’t be there, either, Buddy.”
“That’s what Melissa calls me. Buddy.”
“Oh.”
“You can call me Buddy, too.”
“Okay. You can call me Daddy, if you want.”
Jason just stared at him.
Guess he needed more of an explanation than that. “I’m your daddy, Jason. Remember what Melissa said?”
He nodded slowly, but his lower lip pushed out and started to tremble. “I want to see Melissa.”
Distraction. Wasn’t that what those parenting books suggested? The way to head off tears was with a distraction. Nick motioned to the DVD player. “Look here. I have a movie for you to watch. Do you like movies?”
Jason stared at it, lip still trembling. He raised his right hand to his head and tangled his fingers in his hair. His left thumb found his mouth. Tears swamped big blue eyes and rolled down his cheeks.
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