"And you always won?"
"Hardly ever," Rafe said. "Nick was a good athlete and student. He pushed me to try harder, get stronger, and be smarter. I tried, but he was usually a step faster and a little brainier. All that changed when he started experimenting with drugs. After he became addicted, he lost interest in sports and school."
"I've read that losing your twin is like having a part of yourself missing." Erin's tone was sincere, without sounding like pity, and Rafe appreciated that. "I can't imagine how much his death hurt you."
"I took it hard. At first, I was filled with anger at him. It took a long time for me to forgive him, but I'll never forgive the drugs."
"Which is why you're dedicated to your job."
"If you're trying to make up for telling me my hair needs to be cut, it's not working," he joked, figuring he'd already spilled too much personal shit to her. Nick wasn't a subject Rafe liked to discuss. Why he'd brought him up to Erin was a mystery, except she was so damn easy to talk to.
He parked his car in the lot across from the YMCA and walked across the street with her, stopping at the entrance. "I'll catch up with you in a few."
The sunlight bounced off her face as she graced him with a big grin. "You're going to the barbershop."
"Don't start thinking it's because of you," he teased, and her eyes sparkled in the light. "I'd been planning on getting a haircut. I just hadn't had time."
She'd never know how close he'd come to kissing her again.
****
Erin couldn't wipe the smile off her face as she entered the Y and walked to the office. The sound of squeaking tennis shoes and a whistle blowing filled her with joy. It was like waking up from a nightmare. Her step was lively as she walked around the corner to the basketball court. The girls were in a huddle, listening to the school principal. One of the players spotted her and called out her name. The entire group looked up, squealed, and ran to her, all talking at once.
Erin's heart was so full she was sure it would explode. Smiling teenage faces crowded around her, everyone patting and hugging her. Tears filled Erin's eyes. She swallowed and tried to sound serious. "Why aren't you ladies in school?"
"Teacher in-service day," Gayle, one of the seniors, said.
"I seem to have lost track of time," Erin said.
"You're back, right?" one of the girls asked. The rest of the team echoed the question.
"We'll see. I'm here to speak with the director about it." Movement caught Erin's attention, and she glanced up to see Principal Mueller waiting to speak with her. "When did the principal take over?"
"Just for today," Gayle whispered. "Principal Mueller said he could sneak off easier than Coach Evans, which was fine with us. We were glad he couldn't make it today."
"I wasn't aware he coached basketball." Erin had a bad feeling considering every girl standing around her was frowning.
"He doesn't," Gayle answered. "We're all ready to quit rather than have him yell and trash-talk us..."
Sensing Gayle had stopped talking for a reason, Erin turned to find the principal had walked closer.
"Ms. Brady," he said. "It's good to see you."
"You, too. This is my lucky day," she said. "After I spoke with Dom, you were going to be my next stop."
"You girls divide up and scrimmage for a minute." Principal Mueller shooed the team back to the court. "Last time I saw Dom, he was in his office. I'll walk with you."
The principal seemed overly pleased to see her, which she tried to ignore since he tended to be a flirt. No matter, Erin edged away from him. She took a deep breath and thought through what she wanted to say before speaking. "I appreciate you and Coach Evans filling in. The girls are important to me, and I look forward to getting back to coaching here and my counseling work at school."
"It's a matter of formality. The district police contacted me this morning. They've already filed their report. Your reinstatement should come soon."
"Great news. I'm ready. My normally quiet life was perfect without all the notoriety." Erin knocked on the office door, expecting the principal to move on. Instead, he stood a little too close. His fingers wrapped around her arm, causing her to jump. Could he be the one who'd left the last message at her house? Had he killed Penny and Sara?
"You're an asset to the school, and I'm glad the trouble is over. I'd better get back to the girls."
Before she could speak, he released her arm and jogged back to the basketball court. Erin felt like a fool. Was she going to view every male she knew as if he were a suspect?
"Looking for me?"
"Dom?" She whirled to find him strolling down the hall. "As a matter of fact, I was."
"I hate sitting in an office. Walk with me. We can talk while I check on the water aerobics class."
"Perfect." Erin fell in step with him. "I'm hoping you've heard that I'm no longer a suspect in the murders."
"It was on the news, and Principal Mueller stopped by my office this morning. I hated to ask you not to come back until this mess was cleared up, but my primary concern will always be the kids."
"I expected nothing less. But I'd like to come back. The girls need me."
"Excuse me just a second." He walked to the edge of the pool and spoke with the instructor.
Erin didn't recognize the new woman. She wore her dark hair pulled up in a knot, and her flashing brown eyes brightened as Dom dropped to one knee and chatted with her. From where Erin stood, it appeared to be a rather friendly conversation. Dom was all smiles as the young woman spoke.
Erin gave herself a mental shake. She'd done it again. Overanalyzing was going to get her nowhere. Besides, Dom's private life was none of her business.
Dom returned, smiling from ear to ear. Had he been flirting? Here at work?
"She's lovely." Erin hoped that would open a line of dialogue.
"Indeed. She's new." He restarted their walk. "As to your job as coach, based on what I've heard, I support you coming back. The girls have complained that Terry Evans pushes too hard."
Erin stopped in her tracks. Shocked to think her life might be getting back to normal, she felt lightheaded. "How's today sound?"
"Go for it. The girls will be thrilled." With a nod, Dom strode around the corner.
She breathed a sigh of relief on the way back to the basketball court. She interrupted practice again to extract a promise from the principal to call off Coach Evans. Her heart soared when the players cheered at her return.
"Why are you ladies standing around?" Erin dug out her whistle, which she'd tucked away in her bag just in case she was reinstated, and joined the team, hanging the lanyard around her neck. It was like being hugged by an old friend. "I need ten free throws from each of you. Run a lap for each one you miss."
Every player grinned from ear to ear. The chorus of "Yes, Coach" was a welcome sound. The girls ran drills and sprints and worked on defense without one complaint.
Grace McCain, one of the newer players on the team, jogged over to Erin. "I'm glad you're back."
"Thank you," Erin said, knowing how hard it must have been for the teenager to initiate contact. "It feels good to be back."
The girl shifted from one foot to the other. Her gaze seemed locked on her shoelaces. "I...I..."
Erin's heart melted. "I'm okay, Grace. If you need to talk, I'll make time for you."
The teenager lifted her head and smiled. "Thanks, Coach."
"You better get back to the drills."
"Oh," Grace said, her gaze shifting to something behind Erin. "Don't look now, but there's a stranger watching you."
Icy fingers crawled up Erin's spine. "Where is he?"
"Sitting in the stands."
"Maybe he's a college scout." Erin tried to sound convincing, hoping she was right.
"If he is, I'll play on his team." Grace's eyes sparkled. "He's hot."
Feeling a little foolish for being paranoid, Erin knew without looking who was in the stands. "He's a friend."
"Guys who
look like that aren't 'friends."'
Erin gave in to curiosity and glanced over her shoulder. The man smiled, nodded, and then removed his Western hat. Without breaking eye contact, he walked toward them.
"Who is he?" Grace asked.
"I was wrong. I have no idea." Erin had expected to see Rafe, but this man was a stranger. "Now go back to the team and let me find out what he wants." Erin didn't wait for a response. She joined the stranger where he'd stopped at the edge of the court.
Grace had been right about his looks. His sandy-colored hair was neatly trimmed, a white shirt covered his broad shoulders, and black jeans fit snugly across his trim hips. With a face structured like Matthew McConaughey's, he could've been a stand-in for the star. By the time her gaze got to his Western boots, she'd solved the riddle.
"You must be Colton Weir." Erin extended her hand.
His grip was strong and his smile wide. "Yes, ma'am. Rafe texted me where you two were going, but I haven't located him. Figured he wouldn't be too far away. Is it okay if I wait?"
"Of course, although I'm not sure my girls will pay me any attention with you in the stands."
"It appears to me that Rafe left out a lot of information about you. He failed to tell me that you're beautiful and charming."
Erin held back a laugh. Rafe had also failed to mention his partner's heavy Southern drawl. "Rafe is two doors down at the barbershop, if you'd like to join him."
Colton looked behind her. A grin spread, flashing his straight white teeth. Erin hadn't heard a ball hit the floor since they started talking. No doubt, the entire team was staring.
"Thanks for the intel. Maybe I'd better go check in with him." He put on his hat, tipped the brim with his finger, then swaggered out of sight.
Erin whirled and caught the team standing perfectly still. She clamped her hand over her mouth to keep from busting out laughing. "Okay, ladies, wipe your chins. You act as if you've never seen a handsome man." She blew her whistle and tried to get the girls' minds back on basketball.
Rafe's partner was eye candy for sure. But his looks paled in comparison to Rafe's. His olive skin, stormy gray eyes, and perfectly shaped lips won in Erin's opinion poll.
CHAPTER 14
Rafe heard the bell over the door to the barbershop jingle. He paid little attention as he paid for his haircut. The familiar voice turned him around. He and Colton had both grown up in Texas, though in different parts, and Colton spoke with a much heavier accent. Colton had grown up in Midland, where oil wells, heat, and dust were the norm. Rafe, on the other hand, had lived here, just thirty miles west of Dallas, until he'd left for college.
"Aww. He got prettied up to impress the coach next door," Colton said to no one in particular. He could mask his heavy drawl with a Jersey accent faster than you could blink.
"You made good time," Rafe said, choosing to ignore the comment about getting prettied up.
Colton nodded. "I missed the heavy traffic coming out of Dallas. Must've been luck."
"Erin told you where to find me." They walked out onto the sidewalk and headed back to the gym.
"Yeah. I watched her and the basketball team for a few minutes."
"She was coaching the girls?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"That means she's been allowed to resume her volunteer work." Rafe brought Colton up to speed on her situation with the Y.
"You could've warned me that she's the hottest thing within a three-state radius."
"I hadn't noticed," Rafe said.
"You lie."
Rafe didn't dispute it. "Let's get back to the gym. I'll leave my keys with Erin just in case something happens, which it shouldn't. We need to be back in time for me to drive her home. You need to check in with the narcs and Linc."
"I spoke at length with Linc while I was on the road."
"Good. You already know most of what's happening. The guys at the precinct can tell you the rest."
They entered the YMCA and walked back to the basketball court. The silence unsettled Rafe's nerves. He'd expected squeaking tennis shoes and female voices.
"Hell of a lot quieter than ten minutes ago," Colton said, reading Rafe's thoughts.
Rafe increased his pace, stopping as they turned the corner. Sitting on the floor in the middle of the court, surrounded by teenage girls, Erin had never been so beautiful. The team was focused on her every word, and she was lost in the moment.
"That's the first time since I got home that I've seen her looking relaxed."
"Partner," Colton said, drawing out the word and pronouncing it as pardner. "Do you have history with this woman?"
"Not the kind you're thinking. We went to the same school." Rafe sat on one of the metal bench seats that sufficed for bleachers. "These damn things were built for people the size of a first-grader."
Erin's gaze lifted in his direction. She nodded then returned her attention to the team. They stood, circled her, each girl stuck one hand out, and then cheered. The girls changed shoes, grabbed their backpacks, and took the long way to the front door.
"Afternoon," Colton said as each girl passed the bleachers. His slow drawl caused pink hues to race up all but one of the girls' cheeks.
Rafe watched as she swung wide and left quickly. He'd recognized Grace. He'd spoken with her at the high school. He turned his attention back to Colton. "You made their day. Just keep in mind the average age of this team is sixteen."
"What?" Colton made an exaggerated show of folding his arms across his chest and burying his hands in his armpits. "These girls remind me of my baby sister, which is why I was interested in helping you bust this drug supplier."
Erin stopped at the bottom of the stands. She planted both hands on her hips and scowled up at Rafe and Colton. "I may have to ban you two from practice."
"It was his fault." Rafe pointed at Colton.
Erin raised an eyebrow. "Right."
"Why are they out of school?" Colton asked.
"Teacher in-service day," Erin said. "So what's the game plan?"
"We were going to drop by and let Colton make nice with the local narcs, but if you're finished, those plans just changed."
"I'm easy. Just tell me what to do." Colton stepped down off the bleachers and waited.
"First," Rafe said to Erin, "tell me about Grace."
Erin's eyebrows rose. "How do you know her?"
"She stopped me the day I went by the school. I could tell she wanted to tell the truth, but she was just too scared."
"Her family moved from Houston at the beginning of this semester. I believe she's a good kid who got swept up by the wrong crowd."
"Is her family wealthy?"
"That's what I've heard, yes."
"That's probably why that particular group befriended her so quickly," Colton said.
"Could be." Rafe and Erin followed Colton out of the gym.
"You think Grace's money made her attractive to the other girls?" Erin asked.
"It's a good guess." Rafe stopped next to his car. "If she ponied up a little cash for drugs, it would've lifted the burden off the rest of them."
Erin shook her head. "Grace is smart and a great athlete. I'd hate to see her ruin her chances to get into a good college because of drugs."
"Maybe that's why she wanted to speak with me. We were interrupted when another girl kept calling her name, which noticeably spooked her. A few minutes later, she ran out the front door and got into a yellow sports car."
"That would be her brother's car."
"Interesting." Rafe turned to Colton. "Follow us out to the house. Then we can make a run downtown." Rafe opened Erin's door for her. "Does that work for you?"
"It does if you'll swing by my house and pick up my mail." Erin slid into the car.
Rafe drove out of the parking lot and drove toward the highway. "You'll like Colton. I wouldn't take anybody else with me to a gunfight."
"Look, I'm going back to work soon and will have to be at the Y two or three times a week. My moving to yo
ur house might not have been a good idea. We're not even sure my admirer is dangerous to me."
"Give us at least a few days to figure it out. It's safer if one of us drives you wherever you need to go."
"Won't I be the talk of the school? My own entourage of good-looking men taking turns dropping me off and picking me up. That should give the gossips something to talk about." Erin laughed.
"I'm afraid your entourage will consist of one man. Me."
"In that case, how can I refuse?"
Rafe parked in his driveway and killed the engine. "Truth be told, I'm not comfortable leaving you alone out here."
"Are you kidding?" she said on a laugh. "My whereabouts are safer than most state secrets. I have Jeff's gun, and I'll lock the door."
****
Rafe was pleased with the reception he and Colton had received during their meeting with the narcotics squad. They'd allowed Rafe to sit in unofficially and listen. The empty desks in the bullpen were indicative of the cutbacks the city had made. Rafe understood budget cuts, but he'd didn't get reducing the size of the police department. Westbrook Hills had three high schools. If drugs were a problem at one, he'd bet the other two were experiencing issues, too.
Colton had met with two detectives and their sergeant for two hours, going over interviews, drug busts, and recent arrests. The flow of narcotics had been slowed, but the main supplier was still at large. The meeting ended with the sergeant emailing the case files to Colton.
"Let's check in with Wade Beckett," Rafe said. "See if he's looked at the note left at Erin's last night." They turned right and walked down the hall to the homicide division.
"What's your take on Beckett?" Colton asked.
"He's okay. Serious. All business." Rafe walked through the open door and scanned the open space. "That's him coming out of the side office."
Wade waved, dropped a manila folder on a desk, and walked to meet them.
"Granite-faced. He must be a shitload of fun," Colton observed.
"Can't say. I haven't socialized with him."
Rafe made introductions then followed Wade back inside a small office. One chair sat across from a weathered gray metal desk, but the detective dragged one from an empty desk outside the office and let Rafe position it to suit himself. Colton remained standing, moving around the room.
Till Justice Is Served Page 12
