She frowned and quieted. All she could see was his profile. What was he studying so intently? And why did he keep peering into the side mirror that way?
“Hey. What’s wrong?” she asked, surprised to see him twitch at the sound of her voice. Boy, when that guy concentrated, he really concentrated.
“Nothing. Why?”
“Because you keep looking behind us as if you think we’re being followed.”
His head snapped around. “Did you notice something out of place?”
“Of course not. Why are you so nervous? I wouldn’t think catching a prowler in your room would upset you so much. Is your head bothering you? Maybe you have a concussion. Do you need to see a doctor?”
“My head’s fine. Let’s drop the subject of my fitness for duty, shall we?”
“Sure. No problem,” she said, although what she really wanted to do was insist he tell her why he was acting so edgy. Everything looked normal to Keira. Then again, she did see one strange pickup truck traveling in their direction about half a block back.
Disgusted, she shook off her misgivings. They crossed Oak Street, heading past the red-roofed old lighthouse keeper’s quarters where her brother Charles and the twins resided. Keeping an eye on the reflections in her mirror she watched the nondescript truck turn and disappear down an alley.
See? There was nothing to it, Keira assured herself. So there were one or two vehicles around town that she couldn’t readily ID. So what? That didn’t mean there was any reason to jump at shadows the way her new partner seemed so prone to do.
Maybe he had personal problems, she concluded. If so, he’d come to the right place for healing. Except for the one recent murder—the first they’d had there in over forty years—he’d have absolutely nothing to worry about. Fitzgerald Bay was probably the safest town in the whole state of Massachusetts.
“I’ll swing by Douglas’s condo so you can see if it suits you,” Keira said. “It should feel more like a real home than the inn does.”
He shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. Any port in a storm.”
“Really? What kind of place do you have in Boston?”
“The usual.”
The last thing he wanted to do was discuss his private life, not that he had much to talk about beyond his job. His Boston apartment was little more than a convenient place to crash. And the few romances that had crossed his path had always faltered because of his dedication to duty. At least that’s what those women had each claimed when they’d broken up with him.
Nick glanced in the mirror for the hundredth time. His eyes narrowed. Could that be the same old truck he’d been watching a few minutes ago?
“Do you recognize the tan pickup behind us?” he asked.
“Not offhand, although I saw a similar one earlier. Want me to slow down so you can get a look at the license?”
Swiveling, Nick loosened his seat belt. “Don’t bother. There’s ice or snow plastered on the plate. I can’t even tell what state it’s from.”
“I could pull over and let him pass.”
“No. Keep driving steady.”
“Why am I getting the idea this is more than curiosity on your part?” Keira asked, hands fisted on the wheel, eyes on the road.
“Just being cautious.” He wasn’t about to reveal the nagging notion that someone was already bent on stopping him from doing his job in Fitzgerald Bay. Whether he was dealing with a conspiracy or with an individual was a moot point. Danger was danger no matter who was behind it.
Of course, there was also a chance that his imagination was playing tricks on him. It had before.
Yet it was that kind of keen awareness of surroundings that kept veteran officers alive. He’d be a fool to laugh it off.
THREE
Nick was out of the vehicle the moment Keira came to a stop at the curb in front of the condo. Remaining close to the SUV he waited for her to join him.
“See anything now?” she asked.
“No.” Although her position wasn’t too exposed, it didn’t suit him so he nudged her between himself and the side of the car.
“Then why are we skulking around? This is broad daylight in Fitzgerald Bay, not the middle of the night in some dark alley in Boston.”
He forced himself to relax on the outside while his heightened senses continued their vigilance. “Look. Whoever was ransacking my room might have been no more than a run-of-the-mill thief. Or—” he cleared his throat “—he might have been somebody who knows why I’m here and intends to stop me, one way or another.”
“Hardly anybody was aware of your assignment yesterday when you surprised the burglar, though.”
“I’m not so sure of that. By the time I had a little chat with the proprietor of the inn around suppertime, she seemed to know all about me. She even understood why I wanted to transfer into Olivia’s old room for the night.”
“What can I tell you? It’s a small town.”
“Okay. So what if somebody is trying to convince me to give up and go back to Boston? Who do you know who might object to my being brought in to investigate the Henry killing?”
Keira chuckled quietly, grinned and arched her eyebrows at him. “Is that a trick question?”
It was frustrating to see that she wasn’t taking this situation seriously enough. That was the problem with being raised in the same place she was sworn to protect. She liked it here so much that she was unable to see the worst, even when it was staring her in the face.
“Look,” Nick said, “I know none of you are thrilled to have me butting in on your murder case but the chief did agree to accept my help so we may as well bite the bullet, so to speak, and make the best of it.”
“Agreed.”
“Good. That’s a start. You also need to anticipate heightened danger once we poke our noses into other people’s business. I don’t think you’re ready for that.”
“We’ve been over this subject before, Delfino. What do you expect me to do, suspect everybody?”
“All I’m asking is that you keep an open mind in both directions, good and bad. Just because a person may be familiar to you, that doesn’t make them innocent.”
“Aren’t you getting tired of hinting that my brother is guilty? I’m sure getting tired of listening to you.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Sounded like it to me.” She pushed past him and started for the condo. “Take my advice. You’ll get along a lot better around here by keeping your unfounded deductions to yourself.”
Nick followed closely, continuing to scan the area. “Noted. Look, Keira, I’m not oblivious to your family conflict. I’ll back your decision if you ask to be reassigned.” To his astonishment he saw her set her jaw and start to shake her head.
“Uh-uh. Not on your life. You’re supposed to be the best. I not only want to learn from you, I want to be in on solving poor Olivia’s murder. She didn’t deserve to die, and whoever is responsible needs to pay. Scripture says that vengeance is the Lord’s but I’d be overjoyed to have Him use me—use us—to bring that killer to justice.”
“I believe you,” Nick said, smiling in spite of himself. “You’re quite a woman.”
“I’m a cop,” she countered, chin lifted proudly. “That’s what I was born to be and that’s all that matters right now. We’ll get along fine as long as you add that important fact to the list of other things I’ve told you.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said with a snappy salute.
“Humph.” Keira made a fist and slugged him playfully on the upper arm while exhibiting a lopsided smile. “I’m glad we understand each other. Remember, I grew up with four brothers. If I could hold my own with them, I can certainly keep up with you.”
She produced a key. “Come on. Let’s have a look at the apartment. I think you’ll like it.”
As Keira unlocked the front door of the former flour mill, he studied the old stone building. It had two visible stories, indicated by parallel rows of multipaned windows. The idle
wooden waterwheel had been left in place on one side and definitely increased the rustic structure’s character.
Several cars were inching past, obviously taking it easy because of the slick roadways and the hidden hazards presented by the cobblestones beneath the packed snow and ice.
At first, Nick didn’t notice anything odd. Then, in the background, he spotted a truck that looked like the one that had been following them before. It was parked in a private driveway with only the front part of its hood visible from behind a board fence. Clouds of rising exhaust indicated that the motor was running.
He tapped Keira’s shoulder. “Wait. Look. Do you see what I see?”
She wheeled. “Where?”
“There. Half a block south. By the yellow house.”
“That property belongs to the Smiths. They always go away for the winter.”
“Any chance they’re home now?”
“No. Their nephew sometimes stops by to check the place but he drives a red SUV so that’s not him, either.”
“Only one way to find out for sure what’s going on, then.” Nick was scanning the surrounding area. “It’s too open right around here. What’s the best way to work my way there on foot without being spotted?”
“The mill basement joins up with a river that’s probably still frozen solid. We could travel along the banks until we got to some cover, then cut through a few backyards and come up behind him.”
“Not we. I,” Nick said firmly.
“But…”
“No buts, rookie. I’ll need you to keep an eye on that truck and provide a distraction if necessary.”
“Okay, okay,” she finally said with a sigh. “Come on. I’ll show you through to the back.”
Nick followed her. The vacant apartment was sparsely furnished yet appealing. Crossing the polished, wood-floored living space they hurried through the kitchen to a door that led them down a dusty flight of stairs into the former grain-storage area. The cavernous, musty-smelling room served as a catchall for extra building supplies and some antiquated milling equipment.
Keira threw a dead bolt and slid open a heavy, wooden, garage-type door. She pointed. “Head that way. It’s a little steep but not bad. Once you reach the river, keep off the ice just in case it’s starting to melt.”
Nick might have rolled his eyes at her if she hadn’t looked so apprehensive. Truth to tell, he’d been skating on figurative thin ice ever since he’d taken that first IA assignment and had begun to seek out and expose crooked cops—the kind who gave the whole profession a bad name.
“I know enough to keep from breaking through the ice,” he said wryly.
“Sorry. Be careful, okay?”
“I will.” He pointed back up at the living area they had just passed through. “Turn on a light in there so it looks like I’m making myself at home, then go back out to the patrol car and be ready for a pursuit if it comes to that.”
“Gotcha.” She reached for her belt, unclipped a small leather case and handed it to him. “Here. There’s a base radio in the car so you can take mine.”
“Thanks. Call me if he makes the slightest move. And don’t look so grim. I won’t get lost.”
“See that you don’t.”
Glad that he’d thought to order her back to the SUV where she’d be safe, he clipped the handheld radio to his belt and started off at a jog. The way he saw it, the less Keira was exposed to added risk, the better he’d feel.
The thought of what her reaction would be if he actually said as much made him smile. Admittedly, his initial judgment of her capabilities had been too low but she was still far too green to be considered reliable, at least in his professional opinion. Many a rookie had learned the hard way that real life on the streets wasn’t the same as acing tests in a classroom. Keira Fitzgerald was one cop he wanted to see get her seasoning without being hurt along the way.
Or disillusioned, he added. He didn’t know what she’d do if her brother Charles turned out to be a murderer.
Racing back up the stairs and into the living room, Keira flipped a light switch on the wall and raised the blinds so any observer would be sure to notice occupancy. Using the side of her fist she wiped condensation off the window pane and peered out.
The tan truck remained parked where it had been, still puffing exhaust. What she couldn’t see was whether or not the driver had stayed behind the wheel. That didn’t really matter. If Nick radioed for help, and she prayed he wouldn’t have to, she’d be back in the patrol car, waiting and watching, just as he’d ordered.
Checking the readiness of her Glock she holstered it and headed for the street. The trick was to appear nonchalant in case she was being watched. Part of her kept insisting she was being silly while the part that had listened to Nick’s warnings shivered and surreptitiously scanned her surroundings.
Her jaw dropped when she noticed a crouching figure working his way closer, moving from shrub to shrub in nearby yards. Her initial reaction provided a jolt of adrenaline. Then, she realized who and what she was seeing.
Nick? It was him! The man must have run all the way in spite of the slippery riverbanks. And, judging by the darker-looking knees and ankles of his uniform, he hadn’t made the trip without getting wet.
Proceeding slowly and taking extra care to avoid staring at Nick, Keira rounded the patrol car and started to open the driver’s door.
In the distance a motor revved. The tan truck they’d been watching was not moving but a different one, a slightly lighter-colored one, was coming toward them from the opposite direction.
Keira reached for her belt out of habit, intending to alert Nick. Of course, there was no radio clipped there. She’d given it to him because he hadn’t picked one up for himself at the station.
Muttering to herself she quickly slid into the SUV and picked up the mike. He didn’t have a call sign so she simply used his name. “Nick. Come in.”
Although he was now hidden from her sight she peered out at the area where she’d last seen him and tried again. “Delfino. Do you copy?”
Still no reply. The hair at the nape of Keira’s neck prickled. Where could he be? Why wasn’t he answering? Only moments ago he’d been working his way closer, so what was keeping him from using his radio? Had something bad happened to him or was he simply observing radio silence because of his present position?
If she spent too much time trying to reach Nick or called him on a different frequency, their dispatcher would surely get involved. Right now, that was the last thing she wanted.
In Keira’s view, this incident with the truck was probably either a simple case of mistaken identity or her new partner was making a mountain out of a molehill. Being around a guy like him was going to take some getting used to. What a pity he was so uptight all the time. Life couldn’t be much fun when he never relaxed.
And speaking of relaxing, she wasn’t going to be able to dial back her own anxiety until her partner responded. She keyed the mike again. “Delfino? Come in?”
What she wanted to do was add, “Don’t make me come out there and get you,” like a mother chiding an unmanageable child, but she restrained herself. He’d be fine. He was a seasoned detective. And, after all, this was Fitzgerald Bay.
Clouds of Nick’s breath condensed in the icy air as he panted, hunched over, hands resting on his knees. A dog barked in the background. Gulls circled and called in the cloudy, grayish sky, concentrating most of their attention on the wharf and the shoreline.
The driveway where he’d last spotted the truck was only a few houses away. To his left was the condo and the police vehicle where Keira waited. So far, so good.
Dropping into a crouch he began to work his way closer to the idling tan truck. Almost there.
Suddenly, the engine roared. Rear tires spinning in the partially melted snow threw icy, gray rooster tails off both sides.
Nick dodged behind the trunk of a tree, peering out in time to see the truck gain traction and slew into the street. It was too la
te to identify the driver or get even a glimpse of the rear license plate.
His shoulders slumped. Looking toward Keira he saw her standing beside the open door of the SUV and waving something. Nick knew it was the microphone to the police radio because the spiraling black cord stood out against the vehicle’s white door panel.
Confused, he checked the handheld unit she’d given him when they’d split up. Oops. He’d meant to switch it to vibrate so it wouldn’t sound off when he was sneaking up on the truck and he’d apparently turned it all the way off, instead.
Nick displayed it and gave an exaggerated shrug as he approached her. “Sorry.”
“You should be. I was about to call out the marines.” She gestured in the direction the truck had gone. “So, did you get a good look at him?”
“No. How about you?”
“Me? I was cooling my heels just like you’d ordered. I did try to radio when I spotted a similar truck.” She was checking the area as she spoke. “It’s long gone now.”
“Well, that’s that.”
He was starting to get into the passenger side of the SUV when a loud motor caught his attention. He paused and pointed. “You mean that truck?”
“Where? I don’t see…” Keira put one foot inside the car and stepped up to gain a higher vantage point, using the open door for balance.
“Get in!” Nick shouted.
Although Keira did lean down and look at him to ask, “Why?” she didn’t slide into place behind the wheel the way he’d hoped she would.
There was no time to argue. Or to explain. He grabbed a fistful of her jacket and yanked, pulling her off her feet and getting most of her inside with him before the second truck raced past and clipped the half-open door.
Keira yelped.
Metal sliding against metal screeched for a split second.
Nick gathered her up and held tight in spite of the way she was pushing him away. “Stop struggling,” he ordered. “Are you all right?”
The Rookie's Assignment Page 3
