“Not if they knew the prowler.”
“Carrie?” She could hardly make herself say it.
“Or one of the volunteers or cadets who help out. It could also have been a stranger, somebody who knew we’d all be busy at the street fair and thought it was a good time for a raid.”
“Here? What were they after, kibble?”
“Or vests or ammo or even the dogs. You never know with crooks.”
“True. It seems to me that if Carrie were involved she wouldn’t have run off. She’d have confronted me or tried to hurt me.”
“Logically, yes. Stay here. I’m going to go check the entire building.”
Left with the dogs and rearmed for self-defense, she kept both of them leashed and close. Nevertheless, she was filled with relief when Ryder returned.
“Nothing?”
“Nothing. I’d already done a walk-through upstairs when you yelled. There was nothing wrong up there, either.”
“Okay. We’ll chalk it up to my nerves. Now that I think about it, it may have been Phoenix who bumped into me from behind and sent me flying.”
“What changed your mind?”
“The fact that they didn’t try to chase anybody. All they were interested in was licking me. Maybe they felt guilty.”
“Or maybe you tasted good. Did you have a corn dog at the fair?”
“Hours ago. Titus and I were talking about getting a steak for supper before he alerted to the upstairs rooms. He thought steak was a great idea.” The smile she had expected bloomed on Ryder’s face.
“He would.”
“Of course,” Sophie quipped, “he’s very smart.” She lowered her voice as if the dog might actually understand what she was about to say. “At least he used to be. I’m so glad you’ve agreed to retire him.”
“Not so fast,” Ryder countered. “He can still take part in things like stakeouts and help with tracking. All we have to do is make it easy on him.”
“Speaking of which,” she added, “what do you propose to do about Eddie, Dennis and Louise. Eddie’s a little younger than the others but they’re all vested so they can safely retire at any time.”
“And make room for a few of the rookies who might want to stay on once Carrie is caught and we can officially tie her to Veronica’s murder and the attack on Marian Foxcroft? I’d thought of that.” He glanced at her. “So, how about that steak dinner? Minus the dogs. The Canyon Steakhouse serves a good rib eye.”
Sophie blushed and made a face. “I can’t go to a nice restaurant when I’m dressed like a refugee from a hobo jungle.”
“You’re not that bad.” Ryder was chuckling.
“Thanks a heap, Chief.”
“You’re welcome. As soon as some of the others drift back to the station, I’ll have a couple of them dust doors and the upstairs for strange fingerprints. Until then, you have time to go home and change.”
Her eyes narrowed and she peered at him. “This is starting to sound suspiciously like a date. And I don’t think that’s a very good idea.”
Laughing, he shook his head. “You have quite an imagination, Ms. Williams. Tell you what. I’ll order a couple of large pizzas delivered to the station and you can come join us over there if you want to. Is that impersonal enough to suit you?”
“It’s better, even if I won’t get my steak,” she said, hoping she was successfully concealing her disappointment. Everything she’d said was true. They should not give anybody ideas about them dating, yet she couldn’t help wishing he’d have argued with her about dinner, at least a little. He didn’t seem to have trouble disagreeing about pretty much everything else.
As for the notion of a prowler, Sophie was beginning to realize that Ryder had been placating her.
He obviously believed she had imagined a threat this time—and maybe he was right. The whole town had been on edge for months, not to mention the heightened awareness once Carrie’s crimes were identified and made public.
After the harrowing day she’d had, Sophie figured her own nerves had to be as overstimulated as those of a puppy chasing a favorite toy. She was a thinking, reasonable human being who needed to settle down and stop letting her imagination carry her away. If she kept calling for help when there was no need, Ryder and the others would soon stop racing to her rescue.
Oh, they’d respond. It was their duty. But they might not hurry enough to keep a real threat from ending her life. And she wasn’t finished living. Not by a long shot.
* * *
Ryder kept his promise. He and Shane had time to discuss the day’s events while rookies James Harrison and Whitney Godwin went with Officer Harmon to fingerprint the training building.
“You told everybody to use the side doors?” Ryder asked.
Shane nodded. “And to stay downstairs. Do you think they’ll find any usable prints?”
“This time? No.” Ryder shook his head.
“Then what scared Sophie?”
He shrugged. “I have no idea. The stress on all of us has been bad. It’s possible she has the kind of mind that invents trouble.”
“You don’t really believe that, do you?”
Sighing, Ryder said, “Beats me. She hasn’t acted like herself since the depot shooting. Trouble has followed her like a lonely pup.”
“She was a cop once. Maybe she misses the excitement and is seeing danger everywhere.”
“Possibly. But that doesn’t explain everything.”
“You mean since we arrested her late partner’s crazy brother? Before that, the attacks come back to him. Right?”
Ryder’s brow knit and he slowly shook his head. “I wonder. Do they? He hasn’t admitted to anything besides making threats and breaking into Sophie’s house. That leaves all the rifle attacks unexplained.”
“So, he had two guns. He probably stashed the rifle after missing so often.”
“What about today? In the square? Somebody else shot at those balloons right over her head.”
“Somebody whose aim is a whole lot better,” Shane reminded him. “If the shooter had wanted to hit one of us, he could have.”
“I suppose so. I’ll be anxious to get the ballistics report back. If we find out that the bullets at the depot match the ones fired at the training center and the fair, we’ll have to rethink the whole scenario.”
“You still think it’s Carrie?”
“No. The MO doesn’t fit her. She likes to be face-to-face.”
Ryder could tell that the rookie was struggling. “Go ahead. Spit it out. Say what you’re thinking.”
“Okay. You asked for it.” Shane cleared his throat. “Think all the way back. Her first victim was shot, perhaps from a distance. Then one was pushed down the stairs. That was a hands-on crime. But the next was arson. Then Veronica Earnshaw was shot while microchipping a pup without a clue to who was about to kill her. Next, Marian Foxcroft was attacked and hit on the head. Once we ID’d Carrie as the perp—at least on Melanie and the rookies’ murders because of the crazy evidence in her home—a rifle came into play. Seems to me our Carrie, if it is her, is an equal opportunity assassin.”
“You may have a valid point.”
“Thanks. Some of us have discussed it and we agree. Nothing is beyond that woman. We can’t expect her actions to make sense to us when her thinking is so distorted.”
Ryder shivered. “It makes me queasy when I think of all the delicious baked goods and other food she brought to work. There could have been poison in any of it and we’d never have suspected until it was too late.”
“Only if she could have made sure you didn’t eat any,” Shane reminded him. “As far as we know, she still thinks you belong to her and fate will bring you together.”
“Yeah. Too bad for her that psychopaths are not my style.”
&
nbsp; Shane chuckled at the bad joke. “Right. You prefer women who are so independent and spunky they only ask for help as a last resort.”
“I wouldn’t go quite that far.” Nevertheless, Ryder was smiling and looking in the direction of the training center, a quarter of a mile away. He sobered. “I was afraid I’d lost Sophie when that inflatable collapsed. It could have suffocated her if bystanders hadn’t helped hold it up until we could pull her out.”
“Did you hear what you just said? You said, ‘I could have lost her,’ not we. Sounds pretty personal to me.”
“Slip of the tongue,” Ryder alibied.
Shane laughed as the door opened and the rookies who were coming off duty filed in. Gina was with them and went straight to her fiancé. It did Ryder’s heart good to see the couple so happy. Once this special assignment was over and Shane transferred to a permanent position the way he’d planned, Gina would go with him and Sophie would be short an assistant. Would she leave, too?
That idea settled in Ryder’s chest like a boulder. Without Sophie to tease and laugh with, he’d be nearly as bereft as he’d been after losing Melanie.
“Not a good sign,” he muttered to himself.
The pizzas were delivered just as Shane asked, “What?” saving Ryder from having to answer, and by the time everyone had grabbed a slice and settled down to eat, he figured he was going to escape having to explain.
Then Sophie walked in. Not only did the conversation lag, all focus turned to her. She had not only spruced up, she had tied her hair back, leaving ringlets loose around her face. Her cheeks were a natural pink, her lipstick rosy and her hazel eyes sparkling.
Greeting the group, she ended with Ryder and gave him the most beautiful smile he had ever seen.
His face warmed, and he grinned back at her.
Judging by the whoops and catcalls from his officers and others, he wasn’t the only one who had noticed the mutual reactions.
But he was the sole problem. Carrie had already proved she’d do anything to have him for herself, including murder. Any personal changes in his life would have to wait.
Ryder grabbed a half-empty pizza box and held it out to Sophie, keeping her from coming too close.
“Your steak, Ms. Williams?”
She accepted a slice, held it up and made a face. “Looks like a poor substitute to me. Titus would be very disappointed.”
So am I, Ryder thought. Keeping his distance from the attractive trainer was getting harder and harder. He didn’t mind if his staff noticed. All he needed to be sure of was that their growing attraction didn’t spill over to their times in public and give a practiced murderer another target.
* * *
Okay, I did my best, Sophie told herself. Short of dressing in her church clothes, she’d spruced up well. At least she’d thought so. And Ryder’s initial reaction had been favorable. So why had he shut down as though he was sorry he’d acted glad to see her?
She’d bided her time long enough for most of the others to leave before she cornered him to ask. “Can I have a word with you, Chief?”
He finished cleaning up napkins and stuffing them in the empty boxes before he said, “Sure. I’ll run this out to the Dumpster so the office doesn’t smell like an Italian restaurant. Be right back.”
“You can do that later,” she insisted.
Ryder’s left eyebrow arched. “Are you giving me orders?”
“Since you seem to need them, yes,” she said flatly. Her insides were quaking but as far as she could tell, it didn’t show.
“My office.”
She preceded him, sensing his presence as he followed closely. When he shut the door, she had reached the edge of his desk so she turned and perched there, intending to appear casual.
“What won’t wait?” he demanded, hands fisted.
The words she’d been rehearsing for the past hour deserted her and she was left with a disturbing void, both in thought and action. She clasped her hands in front of her. “Maybe this was a bad idea.”
“Maybe it was. But I’m here now and I expect you to explain. Spit it out. What’s on your mind?”
“You,” she said honestly. “All the time. Night and day. On or off duty. And I wonder if I should have my head examined.”
Ryder’s slow progress toward her gave her hope—until he abruptly circled his desk, making it a barrier between them.
He sat, laced his fingers together on the desktop and looked up at her. “Has it occurred to you that by showing interest in me you are risking your life?”
Sophie rolled her eyes. “Oh, no, I never thought of that.” Her voice rose. “Of course it’s occurred to me.”
“Then you understand.”
“No. I don’t. I can see not flaunting it but I’d sure like to know if my feelings are as far off base as Carrie’s were. Do you like me or don’t you?”
“Of course I like you.”
The calmness of delivery and the lack of evident emotion in his affirmation made her wonder if he was merely being polite to placate a slightly unhinged coworker. That was certainly how it came across.
“Oooo-kay,” she drawled. “And?”
Ryder took a deep breath and blew it out, apparently making a decision. “And, it is killing me to have to stay away from you.”
“Really? Why didn’t you say so?”
“Because...” He paused to study his folded hands, then went on, “Because I was afraid to.”
“Afraid for me or of me?”
“Take your pick. If Carrie got wind of my interest in you she’d do all she could to eliminate her so-called competition. Maybe she’s already started. Plus, if you didn’t share my feelings or decided to move away from Desert Valley, I wasn’t sure I’d survive. It was easier to keep my distance and let everything else work itself out first.”
“Very logical. You must have green Vulcan blood, Chief.”
He chuckled wryly. “Because I want you to live long and prosper?”
“Something like that.” Feeling her courage swell as the seconds ticked by, Sophie approached him. “Stand up.”
Cautiously, he got to his feet. She could see his breathing growing more rapid, his cheeks reddening. The handsome, powerful, commanding man did have gentle, loving traits. She’d seen them when he was working with the dogs. And it was even more evident when he spoke about Lily.
Her own heart fluttered. When Ryder had claimed he’d be hurt if she left, he had touched a nerve. It was one thing to be hugged after a near escape and quite another to share a quiet, mutual embrace.
Slipping her arms around his waist she took the last step and laid her cheek on his chest. The rapid pounding of his heart echoed that of her own speeding pulse. He didn’t push her away, nor did he complete the affectionate gesture.
“Sophie, I...”
There were unshed tears in her eyes when she lifted her gaze and said, “If you aren’t going to kiss me, at least give me a hug.”
Ryder’s arms tightened. She felt his warm breath on her hair, sensed him kissing her there. Until she had begun to fall for him she had not realized how lonely she was. Now? Now she was head over heels for a man who had been as lonely as she was and had only recently let down his guard. She didn’t want to push him. She only wanted the affection she now knew he’d been withholding.
His hand stroked her cheek, his thumb whisking away a tear. He crooked a finger beneath her chin and lifted it.
Sophie had dreamed what his kiss would be like but her fantasy had fallen far short of reality. The touch of his lips was light, tender and warm, yet infused with a sense of love beyond anything she had ever imagined.
All too soon Ryder released her and stepped back. Resting his hands on her shoulders he said, “There. Now you know how I feel. All I ask is that we bide our time bef
ore we try to explore our feelings for each other any more. Please, Sophie?”
The best she could do was nod. No wonder he’d worried about Carrie’s jealousy. This was no simple fling. She and Ryder were falling in love.
Hiding that much serious emotion from a stalker and murderer was not going to be easy.
Could they? Sophie seriously doubted it.
FIFTEEN
The following week passed without incident. A cleanup crew made up of volunteers from Desert Valley service clubs and other helpful individuals had Main Street and the square swept and scrubbed, looking cleaner than it had before the homecoming.
Ryder was dreading having to send Lily back to school soon because that would mean she’d be vulnerable until he or Opal picked her up in the afternoon. Worse, the child had developed a case of hero worship regarding a certain female dog trainer. He didn’t mind the crush; he simply wanted to keep his daughter away from any possible source of danger.
Right now, he felt as if he, himself, posed the biggest risk. He’d often been told that it was easy to see how much he cared for Sophie, whether he denied it or not. If his friends and staff could tell at a glance, it was likely that any observer could.
Still, there had been no local sightings of Carrie and the state police were clueless, too. That was a good sign providing she was gone—a bad sign if she wasn’t.
Office hours were usually more of a suggestion than a rule, particularly concerning the law officers, and Ryder was often the last to leave.
This particular day he had told Opal he’d be late picking up Lily because he was going to work Phoenix in the evening. There were several reason for choosing that time. The first was to take advantage of less daytime distraction. The second was to keep from being noticed spending extra time with Sophie.
Unfortunately, Opal phoned just as he was leaving his office. “Hayes.”
“I hate to bother you, Chief, but my sister in Mesa’s been hauled to the hospital. She’s a widow and I need to go be with her. Can you come get Lily now?”
Ryder sighed, disappointed. “Sure. I’ll be there in a couple of minutes. Is there anything else I can do for you? Do you need a ride?”
Search and Rescue Page 14
