Immediately, Matt felt a burn in his cheeks. “Sorry. My mind wandered to something else. I guess I’ll see you next time I’m breathing black air.”
Her brows knotted in the center of her forehead. “Pardon me?”
One corner of Matt’s mouth quirked up. “Sorry. That’s cop talk for working the night shift.”
She smiled and something strange happened in Matt’s stomach. “I get it! That’s really funny!”
“I wouldn’t have called it funny,” he mumbled. “I guess I’ll see you soon, then. Remember, call me any time you have a question, or if you see anything. Until I see you again, stay safe.”
“Will do.” She waved the card in the air, then plopped herself behind the wheel of her car, started the engine, and shut the door.
Matt stood in one spot, without moving, watching her drive away. Not that he intended to call her, but he couldn’t help but memorize her license plate number. It was now a simple matter to run it through the computer if he needed to. Once he got her driver’s license number, he would have access to much of her personal information if he wanted it.
He didn’t need her birthday, but he thought he might just need her phone number for his personal report.
Six
Sarah selected a variety of donuts for a lady at the drive-thru window, then hurried back to the counter for the restaurant area. “Can I help you, Sir?”
“Hi, Sarah. I’ll take one of those chocolate donuts and a medium coffee. When’s your next break?” A familiar face grinned at her, but she had to blink hard to let the rest of the package sink in.
Instead of Matt’s usually bare head, tonight a baseball cap, which sported the logo of one of the local garages, sat neatly atop his head. Instead of his pristine uniform, he wore a baggy sweatshirt that had seen better days, along with a pair of jeans so faded they were almost white.
Sarah glanced at the clock on the wall, then lowered her voice to barely above a whisper. “Matt? What are you doing here?”
His grin widened. “What? I’m not allowed to buy donuts on my day off? And you’ll notice I really am buying a donut today, instead of the usual muffin.”
Sarah smiled back at him. “It’s four in the morning. I’m surprised, but glad you’re here. Let me see what Kristie is doing. I can probably take a break now. I’ll be right with you.”
She quickly filled his order, then hustled to the kitchen where Kristie was standing at the opening to the donut cooker, watching the current batch of donuts make their way through the process. “Would you mind keeping an eye on the front counter? A friend is here, and I’m going to take a coffee break.”
“No problem.”
Sarah ran into the staff room and shut the door while she released her hair from the ponytail and changed from her Donnie’s Donuts smock to the blouse she’d been wearing when she arrived. She was still stuffing her blouse into the waistband of her pants as she reached for the doorknob. In record time, she made it into the restaurant to join Matt. Instead of his usual table, she found him sitting where he could watch both the main door and the path to Donnie’s office without being obvious about it.
He grinned. “How do you like my disguise?”
She grinned back. “It’s not much of a disguise. Where are the sunglasses? I thought cops wore sunglasses when they didn’t want to be recognized.”
“It’s the middle of the night. Wearing sunglasses would draw attention, and I don’t want anyone looking at me. Besides, I’m indoors. I’m dressed like this so Donnie won’t recognize me. I’ve never been here in civilian clothes. I don’t know why, but most people don’t recognize me the first time they see me out of uniform.”
“You know, you’re right.” Sarah remembered the first time she’d seen him out of uniform—at his church, the first time she’d gone. Even though she was deliberately looking for him, she had barely recognized him. His mono-colored tailored suit was probably the closest normal clothes could be to a uniform, and she’d had to look twice. The ratty sweatshirt and worn jeans were quite ordinary for the late night crowd, but not for Matt, who had never been there at night in anything but his pristine uniform.
“Good thinking.” Sarah shifted in her seat so her back was deliberately toward the door of Donnie’s office. Even though she was also currently not wearing her uniform, she didn’t want Donnie to notice her either. “I haven’t seen much of Donnie today. I guess he’s been busy.”
Matt nodded. “I can see that. He usually leaves the door ajar about six inches when he’s in his office, but today it’s fully closed.”
Sarah turned around and glanced quickly at the closed door, then turned back to Matt. “How do you know he’s in there?”
“I can see a crack of light under the door. When he’s not in the office, he turns the light out.”
“Oh. I never thought of that.”
“It’s my job to notice those things. Sometimes it’s how I stay alive.”
Her happy mood vanished as fast if someone had thrown a pail of cold water over her head. Of course, she knew cops had dangerous jobs. They did more than hand out speeding tickets and tell rowdy teenagers to keep the volume down on Saturday nights. Glamorous Hollywood-style television shows and James Bond movies aside, cops really did face unpredictable and dangerous situations often.
Except for going to his church, Sarah had never seen Matt outside the calm, protected atmosphere of Donnie’s Donuts. Since she’d come to know and like him, she blocked the possibilities of Matt facing danger out of her mind. Police officers did get injured and even killed in the line of duty. Reality was often ugly. Matt probably saw things on a regular basis she’d never imagined in her worst nightmares.
“Why did you become a cop?”
His eyebrows rose, and he leaned back in the chair. “I don’t really know. I’ve always wanted to be in the RCMP from as far back as I can remember. It might have had something to do with our neighbor when I was a kid. He was RCMP, and he was such a nice guy, always helping people, even on his days off. My parents adored him as much as us kids. He was just an all-around around great guy, and we all really looked up to him. Of course, we were all even more impressed whenever we saw him in his uniform. Back then, they were more formal than they are today. I remember one day he spoke at our school. All the kids were in awe of him. Of course, I was ever so proud, at seven years old, to say I knew him. Between my neighbor and my parents, with my upbringing, they really instilled a sense of right and wrong in me. Following my neighbor’s footsteps into the RCMP seemed like the natural thing to do.”
Sarah plunked her elbows on the table and rested her chin in her palms. “That’s so interesting.”
“I don’t know about that. Everyone makes his or her career choice for different reasons. Why do you want to become a teacher? I’m sure it’s not just because you have a friend who is a teacher.”
“No. I love kids, and it’s something I’ve wanted to do since high school. I used to help out at the local elementary school a few hours a week as part of one of my courses. When I graduated I couldn’t afford the university; I had to get a job right away to support myself. It was Gwen who told me how I could do it part-time and gave me the push I needed to actually work toward my degree. She’s been helping me a lot with assignments and stuff. I have a feeling she also talked to the administrator at the university for me.”
“It sounds like you’ve known her for a long time.”
Sarah smiled. “Yes, we went to high school together. Do you still see anyone you went to school with?”
Matt shook his head. “Most cops aren’t stationed where they grew up. When we finish training, we’re shipped out wherever there is an opening. Most of the time, we stay there unless we put in for a transfer. I didn’t grow up or go to school here. I grew up in Toronto. After I finished my training, this is where they sent me. I’m okay, but a lot of the guys feel really displaced. It’s hard to get to know people when you do shift work, and you tend to lose track of people eas
ily when you move away and life gets busy. Praise God for E-mail.”
Sarah suddenly felt sad for him. She reached out and rested her fingers on his arm. He stiffened for a second beneath her touch but otherwise didn’t move. Nothing on his face changed to indicate surprise, discomfort, or even pleasure at her touch. “It must be so hard, being here all alone. To make it worse, I know doing shift work doesn’t help your social life. Working graveyard hours hasn’t exactly done wonders for mine.”
He smiled, and with his free hand, he reached over and patted her hand that was on top of his left arm. His hand stilled and stayed where it was, pinning her hand beneath it. The warmth of his touch did strange things to her insides. “I’m doing fine. I love my job, I’ve got my church friends and family, and I’ve got Jesus in my heart. I know that sounds corny, but I’m happy.”
Even though he claimed to be happy, Sarah’s heart still broke for him. She knew what it was like to be lonely, and have to readapt to new surroundings and a new circle of friends and neighbors. Even though she’d lived in the suburbs surrounding Vancouver all her life, her parents had moved frequently, forcing her to start again many times. She knew what it was like to be uprooted from everything familiar. Gwen was the only one who had made any effort to keep in touch with her over the years.
Now, as an adult, everyone had busy lives. It was even more difficult to meet new people than ever before. Once out of high school, the only time she met new people was when she changed jobs, which wasn’t often. She had a few friends she’d made at the university, but like her, their lives were too busy to expand their social circles beyond the occasional shared lunch.
“I really should get back to work. I can’t decide if it’s good or bad that nothing happened tonight.”
He nodded and patted her hand once again, only this time, he pulled away. “I know what you mean. I hate to have something like this hanging with no direction. But on the other hand, I’m sure whatever is going on is bad. Since there hasn’t been anything more bad happening, it’s good.”
Sarah stood. “I have to hurry. I’ve gone over my fifteen minutes. It’s been really good sitting with you. We’ll have to do this again.”
Matt stood as well. “Yes, or maybe one day we can go someplace else to talk. Like maybe out for dinner on the weekend when we can work out some time between shift work and homework. Anyplace but here.”
Suddenly Sarah felt like a schoolgirl being asked out for a first date. She actually felt herself blushing. It was all she could do not to shuffle her feet. “I’d like that,” she mumbled. “See you later.”
Sarah hurried to the staff room to change back into her smock and tie her hair up again. Just before she turned the corner, she peeked over her shoulder to see Matt walking out the main door. If she hadn’t known who he was, she would never have recognized him from the back without his uniform. Not to say he didn’t look good in jeans and a baggy sweatshirt, but she couldn’t deny that he looked great in his uniform.
Sarah sighed. Even in normal clothes, Matt Walker was still every inch a cop. Whatever he did, he moved with precision and determination. At the same time, whether he was moving or not, Matt’s eyes never kept still unless he was looking directly at her and waiting for an answer to a direct question. He was always watching everything. He seldom moved his head or changed his expression, but he paid attention to everything happening around him and everything that was said, all the time. He remembered it later, too.
She wondered if he did the same thing when he was on a date.
Sarah nearly tripped over her own two feet. She didn’t know why she would think about Matt’s dating habits. The only reason they were spending time together was because of her discovery. The other times she’d seen him away from the donut shop she had been the one who had gone looking for him. Today was the first time he’d come to see her, only to see what Donnie was up to.
Of course she liked him, and it wasn’t simply because he was a cop and in a position of power. When she talked to him as a person, rather than about the situation at the donut shop, she found him warm and fascinating and even a little bit funny.
As soon as Sarah returned to the front counter, Kristie disappeared back into the kitchen to start planning her run of fresh donuts and muffins for the morning rush.
Sarah absently patted the pocket of her smock. Back on the job, she focused her thoughts on work, and forced herself not to wonder what it would be like sitting at a private table with Matt on the weekend. Nothing exciting had happened tonight, and Blair had not shown up. Since the pre-rush hour lineup was due to start soon, she doubted anything would happen today. But if it did, she had Matt’s phone number ready, just in case she needed it.
For the rest of her shift, she could relax.
Tomorrow would be another day.
❧
Matt folded his sweatshirt and tucked it into the drawer, then continued to get ready for bed. He couldn’t believe he’d worn his disgusting old gym sweatshirt out in public. He’d picked it only because it was so far from his normal dress code, nobody who had seen him out of uniform would recognize him dressed like that. Besides, at such a late hour, no one had really seen him.
Tonight, he’d seen only the ordinary, middle-of-the-night crowd at Donnie’s Donuts. The Ronsky boys were their usual loud and obnoxious selves at their usual corner table. Two very inebriated men who’d obviously floated in from the bar down the street had been talking loudly in the center of the room, not caring what they said or who heard them. He’d also seen a small group of young women whom he wouldn’t call ladies, talking about their latest escapades in the husband-hunting market.
He hadn’t seen the one person he went to see. For the half hour he was there, Donnie hadn’t come out of his office. Failing that, he wanted to tell Sarah what to watch for the next time she saw Blair but stopped himself. He couldn’t do anything that a defense attorney might, in any way, perceive as coaching. Therefore, instead of describing Blair and asking if his description matched, he had planned to prompt her from the other direction.
Instead of asking if the man had a crooked nose, Matt was going to ask her if Blair’s nose was straight. Instead of asking if he had multiple piercings on his left ear, Matt planned to ask about jewelry in general. Instead of asking about the scar on the right side of Blair’s chin, Matt planned to ask if the man had any birthmarks or distinguishable features.
Instead of saying anything at all about Blair Kincaid, somehow she got him talking about himself, which he usually didn’t do.
No one had ever asked him why he wanted to be a cop. People had asked him what it was like to carry a gun, or what it was like to tell people what to do and have them do it. Or, commonly, people asked him about various law issues and how they could avoid paying for speeding tickets and other infractions. Matt’s usual answer to that was to obey the law and not to speed.
Sarah had asked about him, as a person. No one had ever expressed concern that he was alone, away from his family, the people he’d grown up with, and the friends with whom he’d gone to school. Her concern for him as a person touched a part of him he hadn’t thought about for a long time.
Maybe she was right. Maybe he was a little bit lonely, but it was of his own choosing. When God found the right woman for him, Matt was sure he would know it. Until that right woman came along, Matt didn’t have to stop seeing Sarah; he could still keep seeing her and keep her at a professional distance.
Matt crawled into bed, but he only ended up staring up at the dark ceiling. In not too long, it would be daylight, and he doubted he’d catch any sleep before then. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw a smiling face with enchanting sea green eyes.
Seven
“16Bravo4 copy. I’m on my way from 4th and Maynem. ETA. . .” Matt checked the clock on the dashboard. “. . .four minutes. Who else is attending?” As he spoke, he reached forward to turn on the flashing lights and flick the switch to turn the siren on to wail. He quickly checked around
for traffic, maneuvered the car into a U-turn, and sped off.
“Closest unit is 10Bravo9 at Oak and United. ETA fifteen minutes.”
“16Bravo4 copy.” Matt gritted his teeth as he slowed, then steered onto the shoulder and went over the curb to go around someone who remained stopped at a red light, blocking his way at an intersection.
This time, he was responding to a multi-vehicle accident. According to the dispatcher, the possibility of serious injuries was slim. Fortunately, this was the tail end of the second rush hour, and this accident didn’t involve a pedestrian. For that, Matt was always grateful. From the sound of things, he would be needed only to direct traffic and collect a few statements. That would see him to approximately 7:00 p.m., when he could sign off, do his reports, go home, and go to bed. With today being the first dayshift of the rotation back to work, he felt as if he was ready to fall down, and no amount of coffee could save him.
As usual, he’d found it hard to sleep the night before. Most members experienced the same patterns on the first twelve-hour shift, and Matt was no different. He was exhausted, partly from the long day, and partly because he hadn’t had enough sleep. Instead of relaxing and being able to drift off to sleep, he’d lain awake half the night trying to psyche himself up for the coming four days. In addition to thinking about the investigations he had to finish, Matt also had been thinking about the most important file, one that he hadn’t yet started, at least not officially.
He couldn’t stop thinking of Sarah, and the possibility of Sarah coming face to face with Blair Kincaid.
Kincaid was a dangerous man, not because he was violent. He was dangerous because he was selfish and ruthless. He allowed nothing, and no one, to stand in his way.
In some ways, Matt had hoped Sarah would call him. He needed to hear her say she hadn’t seen anything since he last saw her. Every time the phone rang while he was off duty, he’d checked the time and thought of what Sarah would have been doing. Right now, it was 5:57 p.m. on Wednesday. Sarah would be at home, in bed, where she was safe, sleeping.
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