Her Christmas Protector

by Geri Krotow

  “We’re out of officers to cover it all. I’ve had to call in help from two other townships. Next I’ll have to put in a request to the county for more bodies.”

  “Understood.”

  “How’s the new reverend working out?”

  Bryce smiled.

  “Exactly as you’d expect. You know Zora Krasny—nothing stops her. And she’s doing well. The Trail Hikers waste no expense on the best possible training.”

  “Don’t mention them here again, just for security.” Superintendent Todd wasn’t upset but spoke absently as he tossed a glass paperweight between his hands. “I’d hate to see her hurt by this bastard. It’s bad enough that he, or a second assailant, took a shot at her and we couldn’t stop it.”

  “I agree, sir.”

  Superintendent Todd put the weight down heavily on his worn desktop and leaned on his forearms.

  “There’s something not right about the trailer park and these murders happening at the same time.”

  “It could be a coincidence, sir, but Rio’s checking on the trailer park. If there’s a connection, we’ll find it.”

  “If we have what I suspect we might with the new residents who relocated from that tiny town in New York, all hell’s going to break loose here. Silver Valley is not going to tolerate a wacko cult coming into the area.”

  “We can’t do anything until they break the law.” Bryce had to keep the voice of reason alive, because Superintendent Todd looked as if he wanted to round up the new inhabitants of the trailer park himself.

  “No. That’s the tough part, because people the likes of Leonard Wise always break the law again. They can’t help themselves.” He took a deep breath and let it out as he picked up the paperweight again.

  “Claudia told me you’re both working at the church for the time being. I didn’t formally tell you but any work you do for her organization takes precedence. The way they work is that you’ll never work on a case that’s not going to help our area. It’s win-win.”

  Superintendent Todd didn’t have to say “Trail Hikers.” “Yes, sir. It’s interesting that Detective Ortego hasn’t even asked me why I can’t do the cases I’ve handed him. He’s just assuming I’m full-time on the Female Preacher Killer.”

  “That’s good enough. You’ve always done what’s asked of you, too.”

  “Within reason.”

  They shared a look of understanding. It was the code among the fellowship of police officers—do what you’re told, mind your own business as much as possible and make sure you’re keeping the community safe.

  “How’s your personal life, Campbell?” Colt Todd wasn’t a nosy man, but if he felt something might affect any of his team members, he was all over it.

  “I’m keeping it separate from work, sir.”

  “It’s not up to me to tell you to stay away from Zora, Bryce. If there’s something there, I’ll be the first to encourage you to settle your ass down. You need a life partner to ground you—you work too much. But I don’t have to remind you that distractions in the middle of this kind of case can be deadly, do I?”

  “No, sir. Appreciate your concern.” Bryce couldn’t tell Superintendent Todd what he didn’t know himself—how he really felt about Zora being back in his life.

  “Just checking. Keep me in the loop on the whole TH thing, will you?”

  Bryce knew Superintendent Todd was cleared by the Trail Hikers for any operation his officers were assigned to. Claudia kept Colt informed.

  “Will do.”

  Todd nodded.

  “Good man. Now get out of here and stay safe.”

  Bryce left the office with a feeling he’d never had at work before—the sense that maybe he wasn’t being completely honest with his boss.

  Zora couldn’t have gotten under his skin, not this quickly.

  Could she?

  Chapter 10

  Crystal chandeliers glittered in the marble-floored foyer as Zora’s heels clicked on the hard surface. She’d opted for practical but still-pretty shoes, not wanting to look as if she was ready to run the distance in her heels but needing to be able to. The rhinestone-encrusted shoes set off her dress perfectly. As she’d thought, Claudia agreed to Zora ditching her Kevlar “only if Bryce is with you each step of the way, including getting you safely back into your home.”

  She pulled up her crystal-sequined bodice. It felt almost as heavy as her vest, albeit much more sparkly and feminine. Soft navy organza flowed from the bodice’s waist to the floor, making Zora feel like a floating fairy princess.

  “The lights are reflecting off your dress. You look like an angel.” At Bryce’s whispered observation near her left ear, Zora sputtered the tiny sip of champagne she’d tried all over the marble floor.

  “Careful.” His hand kept her grounded as it remained on her bare skin, his arm draped casually over her shoulders and upper back.

  “It’s a little difficult to feel like a heavenly vision with this wig and these glasses.” Instead, she figured she looked like a spinster librarian sprung loose for a night of revelry. And the reassuring pressure of his hand on her back and shoulders was in direct opposition to their mission and her need to keep her heart safe.

  “I see past that.”

  Did he feel the delicious shiver his reply sent through her?

  “You must be Reverend Hammermill.” A strange voice boomed into their intimate space.

  “Yes. And you’re Chuck Wainright, I believe?” At the newscaster’s nod, Zora turned toward Bryce.

  “Allow me to introduce my fiancé, Bryce Campbell.”

  “We’ve met—many moons and cases ago, right, Detective Campbell? How are you doing?”

  Bryce and Chuck shook hands, and they all chatted for a bit about the gala and the beautiful surroundings. The newscaster was a reporter at heart, however, and couldn’t let the opportunity to dig go by.

  “It must make you feel safer to have Bryce around with a serial killer on the loose, Colleen. Especially one targeting female ministers.”

  Zora braced herself and issued her practiced reply.

  “My vocation is to help others with their faith, so what good am I if don’t practice it myself? Having Bryce nearby is certainly a comfort to me and the entire Silver Valley Community Church congregation, but it’s my faith that allows me to go to the office each day, and to continue with our Christmas schedule. And I have faith in SVPD, too. They’ll catch the killer.”

  “Still, it has to be frightening.”

  “I noticed you said ‘serial’ killer, Chuck. Technically we don’t know who we’re dealing with yet.” Bryce’s voice was low and he maintained a casual stance but the challenge in his tone was unmistakable.

  “Come on, Bryce, you and I have known each other long enough. You mean to tell me you don’t think the Female Preacher Killer isn’t a sociopath, a serial killer?”

  “I didn’t say any of that. I’m just stating the facts, Chuck.”

  “The facts are all I’m going by, too.” Chuck looked at Zora as if expecting her to intercede and placate their sparring. Zora kept her smile in place and simply nodded as if they were all having a grand time.

  “Oh, I see someone we must speak to. It was so nice seeing you, Chuck.”

  “You, too.”

  Zora didn’t miss Bryce’s tight smile or the way it quickly disappeared once Chuck was out of sight. “Let me guess, you hate the press in all forms.”

  Bryce looked surprised. “Not at all. They have their job to do, and in Silver Valley they usually do it very well.”

  “But?”

  “But I don’t appreciate the sensationalism that can overshadow otherwise solid reporting. When we’re trying to solve a major case, the last thing we need is a fear-frenzied public trying to take matters in their own hands.”

  “The public needs to know if they should take safety measures.”

  “Of course. That’s why I do this job, why you’re doing yours, I assume. But it’s not license to give out c
rime scene details that could compromise our objectives.”

  “What details have they given out?”

  “None, but only because I spoke to Chuck one-on-one last week. I asked him and the station to withhold the fact that the shooter left flowers with each minister right before he killed her.”

  “Are we sure it’s a he?”

  “Yes. You don’t think the man you saw at the football field was a woman in disguise, do you? The profiler is all but certain it’s a man.”

  “No, it was a man. But he was too far away and I had these awful glasses on. He could have been wearing a wig, I suppose. I do agree, everything suggests it’s a man.” She stopped abruptly and Bryce’s hand moved from her shoulder to her elbow. He gently squeezed.

  “What, Zora?”

  “It’s Colleen, remember? Nothing’s the matter, except...the day I went to see Claudia, when you were...” She didn’t want to mention the Trail Hikers or Claudia in public, no matter they were in a corner of the lobby off by themselves.

  “Yes?”

  “I stopped in to tell her something, and it’s a long shot, but...” She shook her head as she saw the governor approach them. “I can’t talk now. We’ll go over it later.”

  The newly elected governor paid no notice to Zora as he zeroed in on Bryce.

  “Governor.”

  “Bryce.”

  Bryce knew the governor?

  Of course he did. Bryce seemed to know everyone.

  “I can’t thank you enough for all you did for us with the interstate road rage case.”

  “It’s my job, sir. Glad SVPD could help.”

  Sharp eyes met Zora’s and a broad smile lit up the politician’s face.

  “And who is this lovely lady?”

  “Governor Paxton, this is Colleen Hammermill, my fiancée. She’s the new minister at Silver Valley Community Church.”

  “Wonderful to meet you, Colleen.” The governor’s grasp was firm and warm. “My family went there when I was a boy. I have such good memories of Sunday school—well, the cupcakes and other treats are what I remember most—and of picnics and Boy Scout meetings. It’s not the church it was then, but it’s so nice that it’s still thriving and here for the community.”

  “What do you mean it’s not what it was, Governor?”

  “That’s right, you’re the interim. Are you from the area?”

  “More or less. But I don’t know the whole history of my church, if that’s what you mean.”

  The governor paused as if gathering his thoughts.

  “It was originally a place where pioneers seeking to head west stopped for a last-minute prayer before they faced the wilds of western Pennsylvania. Then it was a Civil War interim church, put up as a place for the Union Army to have some respite and say a prayer or two before they had to go into battle. After the war they built a real church on the spot, where it remained for over a hundred and fifty years. When I was in high school—I imagine I’m at least twenty years older than both of you—they made it into the bigger complex it is now, with the intent for it to be nondenominational so that the entire Silver Valley population would feel comfortable there. It was never meant to compete with other churches but to act more as a meeting center for all.”

  “They’ve had a series of ministers of different denominations for as long as I remember.” Bryce nodded in agreement with the governor.

  “I have to admit I’ve been worried about Katherine, and now you know you need to take extra precautions, Colleen.” The governor looked at her with concern.

  She nodded and smiled. “I have the best protection I could hope for.” She turned to Bryce and gave him a smile she imagined a fiancée would offer the man she loved.

  Bryce smiled back and her breath lodged somewhere in her throat.

  The governor coughed, not unlike Shirley Mae had, with a little extra emphasis, and they turned to him.

  “I’m glad to see it. I’ve got to go give the opening remarks, but please, Bryce, call my secretary and get you and Colleen on the docket for dinner with Elaine and me.”

  Dinner with the governor and his wife?

  “Will do, sir.”

  He cut a trim figure as he walked across the lobby toward the dais.

  “I didn’t realize you were friends with the governor.”

  “Neither did I. We met and worked together when he was still a state senator. I was a rookie on SVPD and helped with security on several public events. Sometimes they got a little rowdy and he always remembered to thank the force for our work. Once he was elected governor last year, he called me and asked if I was happy on SVPD, which I am.”

  “Did he offer you a job?”

  “Maybe.” Bryce’s lips twitched. She was so intent on looking at his mouth, she wasn’t prepared when he quickly leaned over and placed it on hers in a brief but warm kiss. “We have to play the part, remember?”

  How could she forget?

  “You’re doing a good job of it.”

  “Let’s keep it going—they’re about to start the orchestra.”

  “We’re not going to dance!” She wasn’t the best at ballroom moves.

  “Oh, yes, we are. We have our ‘future marriage’ to celebrate, and you have to raise some money for Silver Valley Community Church, don’t you, Reverend Hammermill?”

  Without outward protest, she allowed him to grasp her hand and walk her toward the ballroom.

  * * *

  Bryce never stopped being a cop. He knew that much about himself. It was second nature to check for all the exits in any building or room he entered, noting when and if he saw someone or something out of place for the particular event.

  But damn it, he was having a hard time focusing on anything but Zora when he held her in his arms. Her dress and the way she carried herself drew the admiring glances of their fellow gala-goers, but he knew the men were drawn by her figure. She was all curves and elegant sex appeal in the holiday ball gown she wore with confidence born of a woman who’d served in the navy all over the planet as she had.

  “What were you going to tell me earlier?” Keeping it on business would help him focus.

  “Not here.”

  “Is it relevant to the case?”

  “Probably not, no. But you should know, just in case. How long do you think we have to stay here?”

  “Why, Reverend Hammermill, are you propositioning your fiancé?”

  She pulled back and looked up at him. Even with the ugly wig and ridiculous glasses her beauty was evident. As was her agitation.

  “Trying for an acting award, are you?”

  “I always do my job to the best of my ability.” The fact that his job included having her breasts pressed to his chest didn’t hurt, either.

  “You’re wearing your Kevlar, Bryce, aren’t you?”

  “I’m your bodyguard. One of us needs to.”

  Her expression was too grave, too serious.

  “Do you ever relax, Zora?”

  “I’m relaxed now. Why, I’m dancing around with five hundred of my closest friends. And you should talk, Mr. I’m-the-Best-Cop-on-SVPD-and-the-Governor-Knows-Me.”

  He laughed. “All circumstantial. The Harrisburg area is big, but it’s got a small-town feel. And Silver Valley is a tiny part of it.”

  “Okay, I’ll let you be modest.” She glanced around. “Bryce, don’t you think it’s creepy to think the shooter could be in this room with us?”

  The thought of another bullet hitting Zora made him want to put her in the precinct until they caught the killer.

  She’s your work partner.

  Problem was, his instincts didn’t agree.

  * * *

  True to his word, Bryce didn’t leave Zora’s side all night. What surprised her wasn’t how she reacted to his nearness—their chemistry constantly simmered and was something they’d have to ignore if they were going to stay focused on finding the killer. The surprise was that she didn’t care that he was treating her like she imagined he’d tre
at someone he cared about.

  She was letting herself enjoy the thought of Bryce wanting to be her love interest.

  He knew as well as she did that they’d be depending on each other when the killer came after her. She knew he trusted her abilities. She didn’t have anything to prove to him.

  “What do you want to bid on?” They perused an assortment of gift baskets, gift certificates and travel packages that had been donated to the silent auction.

  “The knitting basket from the local yarn shop looks fun.”

  “You’re being facetious, right?”

  “Not at all. Did you notice the afghan on my sofa? Or this shawl?” She held up the beaded navy blue lace stole she’d knit last winter when they’d had the worst cold snap in years. Never in a million years had she thought she’d be using it while posing as a minister with Bryce Campbell at her side.

  “You made this?” His large hands reached for the frothy alpaca creation.

  “Careful—it’s not made of steel.”

  His fingers touched the wrap, and as big and muscular as they were, he handled it with grace and care.

  “You’re quite the talented woman, Zor...” He swore quietly.

  “I know you meant Colleen.”

  She saw him inhale deeply as he pulled back and took in the room.

  “Go ahead and write in your bid. Then we should get back to our seats.”

  “Aye, aye, sir,” she murmured under her breath as she penciled in a fair amount for the basket of assorted fibers.

  “I heard that.”

  Straightening, she put her arm around him and leaned into him, knowing they needed to look like the enamored couple they weren’t.

  “What were you saying about needing to play the part?”

  * * *

  On their way back to the table, a tall woman with what Zora thought was overdone hair and makeup came up to her, smiling a full-voltage smile. She looked familiar and it took Zora a beat to recognize the newly elected mayor of Silver Valley.

  “Mayor Lemmon.”

  “You must be Reverend Hammermill. I heard they were getting an interim at Silver Valley Community Church for the holidays. It’s a delight to meet you.”

  Zora introduced Bryce.

  “Yes, Detective Campbell’s reputation precedes him.” The mayor offered Bryce a curt nod before she resumed her conversation with Zora. “I’m not sure if Reverend Pearson was able to leave you detailed notes, but I was planning on giving a little bit of a sermon myself at the children’s pageant.”