Pledged To Protect Complete Box Set: Three Romantic Suspense Romances

by Vella Day

  The detective returned a moment later and handed her a glass of ice water. “Thanks.” Tessa held the glass tight, not wanting her shaky hand to lose its grip.

  “I know this is a terrible blow to you,” he began, “and I hate to impose, but the sooner we can begin working on the case, the sooner we can solve it. Was there anything of great value in the house an intruder might have wanted?”

  Mentally, she searched each room but came up empty. After a moment of silence, it occurred to her something wasn’t right. “My dad lives, or rather lived, in Indian Rocks Beach. Why would you be investigating a crime across the Bay?

  He stuffed both hands in his pockets and spread his legs. “One of the men at my precinct heard the police call on the scanner. When the name Redman came up, he recognized the name and contacted me. He knew I was working on the Wilkerson case, and I guess he figured—”

  “I see.” She didn’t really.

  “Back to my original question. Why would someone want to rob your dad?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t know. There was little value in the house. I had to send him money monthly just to pay for his medication.”

  “Did your dad have any enemies?”

  This question was more preposterous than the last. “No. Everyone loved my dad. He played cards with some friends a couple nights a week, but other than that, he kept to himself.”

  “Did he play last night?”

  “Normally he played on Saturday night, but not last night. One of the men was out of town, and another was sick.”

  The detective walked to the front window and planted his hands on his hips, looking as if the answer lay outside.

  As if a thunderbolt crashed to the earth, she knew who’d killed her father. “Ohmigod, it was Ralph.”

  Mandy started to cry, and Tessa’s stomach threatened to revolt. Before she could stand up, Detective Rossi flew to her side and lifted Mandy from her arms. Tessa didn’t even look at him as she raced into the bathroom and vomited.

  Tessa had never been more sure of anything in her life. Ralph had killed her father. He must have wanted to know where to find her. And her gut told her she’d be next.

  The contents of her stomach came up repeatedly until there was nothing left of her breakfast. A soft knock sounded at the bathroom door a few moments later.

  “Are you all right?” Detective Rossi’s voice had softened almost to a whisper.

  Something stirred in her. Other than Charley, she couldn’t remember the last time someone had spoken to her in such a kind manner.

  “Yes, I’ll be out in a minute.”

  Now embarrassed, Tessa rinsed out her mouth and wiped a drop of food from her shirt. The mirror reflected a frightened-looking woman—one who could scare even the most secure child.

  She hand-pressed her pants and stepped back into the living room. “I’m sorry,” Tess said, not daring to look at him.

  “Don’t be.”

  She looked up at his comforting tone and caught his half smile. Somehow that one look helped repair the ache in her heart.

  “I was nine when I lost both my parents,” he said. “I understand endless grief.” His voice trailed off as his gaze grabbed the floor.

  She didn’t think he’d meant to tell her but was glad he had. Tessa wanted to ask what had happened, and how he’d handled the crisis, but she forced herself to turn off her incessant need to heal others. She had to think of herself for a change.

  Knowing Detective Rossi grew up without a family made him more human. And it had been hard for her to think well of the police after she’d been conned by her husband.

  Detective Rossi placed Mandy over his shoulder and absently patted her back, looking as if he’d been a father many times.

  The idea of him as a dad jolted her. Tessa blurted out, “Are you married?”

  He jerked out of his daze. “No, why?”

  Once again, heat raced up her face. “The way you hold Mandy, I thought you might have a child.”

  “Oh, that. One of my foster parents had a baby when I came to live with them. I got used to caring for her.”

  She couldn’t imagine being in foster care. True, her dad had raised her after her mom stormed off, but at least she had one real parent.

  This awkward conversation only had one residual benefit. It had made the horror of her father’s death recede for a few moments.

  “Do you mind taking a seat?” he asked.

  She wanted to ask why, but she didn’t have the energy to argue. “Sure. I don’t think my legs can take standing much longer anyway.” She slipped down to the sofa’s edge and laced her hands together. As if clairvoyant, Tessa knew his next question.

  “Who’s Ralph?” he asked.

  She was right. Tessa closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. “My ex-husband.”

  “And why do you think he killed your dad?”

  “Because he was trying to find me.”

  Detective Rossi parked himself at the end of the sofa, as if being in her proximity made him uneasy. “Why would he kill someone for an address? Couldn’t he look you up in the phone book?”

  “For starters, my number’s unlisted for that very reason. No number, no address. As to why he would kill my dad, it’s simple. He wants me dead. Very badly.”

  Tessa was surprised when she noted no reaction to her bombshell announcement.

  “And yet you married him.” His statement held no judgment.

  She’d questioned her unfortunate choice many times. “Yes. He used to be a Vice cop, so I trusted him.”

  This time, Rossi’s eyes did flash with surprise. Mandy wriggled in his arms, but he kept his gaze tightly on Tessa. “Want to tell me about it?”

  No. “What good would it do if I did?”

  She could tell he wanted to shrug, but instead he answered. “It might help me find the guy. Maybe we can tie him to your father’s death and put him away for life.”

  If only. “Fine. His name is Ralph Ferino. He worked in Denver for five years.”

  Detective Rossi’s brows shot up. “Go on.”

  “We got married when I was in graduate school. I thought it was love at first sight. Ralph was supportive of my getting my PhD in psychology, but school took a lot of my time—a whole lot. I guess it’s partly my fault he spent more and more time with his friends. About a year into our marriage he began to gamble. Living on one salary was more than he could handle.”

  “I know quite a few of the men in the precinct who gamble, but they’re not killers. I went once to the Indian Reservation and played a little roulette, and I’m no murderer.”

  She shook her head. “It’s not the same thing. It wasn’t really the gambling that turned him into a killer. He lost a lot of money in a short period of time. To make up for his losses, he started taking bribes.”

  The detective returned to his stoic posture, showing no outward reaction other than to clench his fist on Mandy’s back. “How did you find out about the bribes?”

  “I happened to pick up the extension in the bedroom one night and overheard a conversation." She held up a hand. "I know. Who has a land line anymore? Anyway, I’ve regretted that move every day since. I waited for Ralph to tell me about his problem, but he never did. In the end I called the precinct and reported him.”

  “I see.”

  Tessa expected to see hate in his eyes, but instead she saw a man who was trying to understand, and she wasn’t quite sure how to handle his reaction. The other cops’ wives told her she was lower than scum to turn on her husband. Ralph was a decent man, they'd claimed.

  They had no idea.

  “I don’t think you could understand what it was like watching a good man turn bad,” Tessa said, encouraged by his willingness not to judge. “My husband conveniently lost evidence, evidence that would have put a rapist behind bars for a long time. My sister had ben raped thirteen years ago, and it tore our family apart.”

  “Is she better now?”

  Had his g
ray eyes not held a pained expression, she wouldn’t have answered. “Better, yes. Over it, never. Actually, she left home after the incident and never contacted us again. It hurts sometimes to think of her alone, without a family.”

  “Did Ferino’s case ever go to trial?”

  “Yes. He was found guilty and sentenced to three years. Ralph believes I’m solely to blame for his situation.”

  “When was the last time you saw him?”

  Tessa didn’t have to search her mind for long. “That would be four years ago, on September 19th at 2:30 p.m.”

  “That memorable, huh?”

  “Yeah, that memorable.” The sparkle in his eyes helped erase a bit of the hate that lay in her belly. Hate not only for Ralph and everything he stood for, but hate for herself for being such a sucker for the charming man. Every synapse in her brain bought his I-believe-in-justice speech. Fool.

  Detective Rossi handed her back a quieted Mandy and withdrew a pad from his pocket. He carefully wrote down the information. They sat in silence until he seemed satisfied with his notes.

  “One more question,” he said, pen poised to add the rest of her story. “Did your ex ever send you any threatening letters from prison? Anything that would indicate he planned to harm you?”

  Ah, the rub. “He sent letters, but I burned everything he wrote without opening a one.”

  The detective made a note of her comment in neat handwriting. “Do you know when Mr. Ferino was released from prison?”

  “Three weeks ago yesterday.”

  More jotting. “If your ex-husband was responsible for your father’s death, why do you think he waited three weeks before coming down the Florida?”

  “Who says he waited?” A chill ran down her spine thinking the man might have been in town all this time.

  “You have a point.” The detective stood, the interview obviously over. “Again, I’m sorry for your loss.” Dominic Rossi sounded sincere. “Would you like me to call someone to stay with you? It’s standard policy.”

  “Thank you, but I’ll be fine.”

  As he headed for the door, Tessa realized she didn’t want to be alone, but talking to some policewoman wouldn’t help either, but she could hardly ask him to stay. She was a big girl and could take care of herself and hadn’t taken lessons in shooting a gun for nothing. Of course, she didn’t own a weapon, so maybe her I-can-handle-anything plan wasn’t foolproof.

  With his hand on the knob, the detective turned back to her. “You might want to put in an alarm system.”

  “It’s a rental unit. I don’t think the landlord would approve.”

  “Then maybe you could ask someone to stay with you—or you could stay with a friend or relative until we resolve your dad’s case.”

  “I’ll think about it.”

  Besides Annie, she’d not made many friends since moving to Tampa. Annie had her hands full, what with a husband, two kids of her own, and countless number of women she was trying to help at the local women’s shelter.

  “Well, call me if you need me.” He printed his cell number on the back of his card and handed it to her.

  When Detective Rossi closed the door, Tess felt more alone than ever before. She stood there facing the door trying to get a grip on what he’d told her. Between her mother splitting years ago, a now dead father, and a half-brother about to die if he didn’t find a liver, the isolation nearly squeezed the life from her.

  As she headed into the kitchen for another drink, she stopped short. She’d have to break the news to Judd. Oh God. He would be devastated. He and Dad were so close. Poor Judd. It was bad enough he’d lost his mom when he was only five, but to find out someone murdered his father might cause his shaky health to take a dive. If it turned out Ralph had been the killer, she might never be able to face her half-brother again.

  Dumb cop. The guy had left Dan’s place and driven directly to Tessa’s home. How sweet was that? No doubt the cop had come here to tell her of her father’s death. Ralph was sure she was in her small hovel bawling her eyes out over her loss. He loved it.

  Ralph wanted to confront her, right here, right now, but even he realized the timing sucked. The police might send in a support group.

  There was no doubt in his mind she’d figure out who offed her dad. And the best part? She couldn’t do a damned thing about it. Nope. He’d covered all his bases. He’d even thought to burn his sneakers so the police wouldn’t get him for having shoes that matched any prints left in the house. And his car tires? The ones that surely had made an imprint in the soft sand? Not a problem. He’d swapped them out with similar tires on another car. The owner would never catch the difference. Given he’d tossed his knife in the Gulf, the murder weapon would forever remain a mystery.

  The cover-up move he was most proud of though was changing hands when he sliced Dan’s throat. Naturally left-handed, he’d switched to his right when he did the deed.

  Ralph let out a laugh, jumped in his car, and raced back to the motel for a quick snooze. For some reason, an immediate resolution didn’t matter anymore. He wanted to savor his time when he tortured his prim and proper Tess.

  5

  Dear Audrey Mae,

  I’m getting closer to the quota I promised you. Only two more to go before the month is over. The guy I did in tonight deserved to die. Not only did he drink too much, he bothered people I care about. And you know how I feel about abuse. I couldn’t let him die like the rest. No, a bullet to the head was too good for this guy. But don’t you worry about me, I was real careful. The only thing I feel bad about was that his kids might find him all cut up and bleeding. But such is life, or should I say death.

  I wanted to leave a note so his family would know why I had to kill him, but then I figured the police might trace the paper or something. You know how good they are these days with all that forensic stuff. Damn CSI.

  Soon, my sweet, I’ll be reunited with you and Bobby in heaven.

  Sincerely,

  Morton Richter

  Dom sat as his desk, strumming his fingers against his Formica desk, waiting for the Denver police to fax him a picture of Ralph Ferino. Everything Tessa told him about her ex-husband had panned out. The guy was a scum, a turncoat, and a loser—at least according to Ferino’s commanding officer. How had Tessa ever married the guy? She must have been heartbroken when she learned what a jerk the guy was. It had to be tough to be a wannabe psychologist.

  According to Ferino’s superior, Tessa’s husband had taken bribes all right, but the Denver squad had only been able to nail him for one involving a rapist. How could the man live with himself aiding someone like that?

  The shrill ring of his phone set his already frayed nerves further on edge. “Rossi.”

  “Jack Watters, here. Thought you’d like to know, we dusted for fingerprints at the Redman residence, but the place was pretty clean. The killer must have used gloves.”

  Damn. “Anything else? Tire tracks, shoe prints, trace evidence?” His muscles tensed.

  “Nada. Your average Joe parks along the street for beach access, so taking casts of them won’t help. I wanted to check to see if you’d spoken with his daughter.”

  Dom swiveled his chair away from the precinct office window since the shifting sun was streaming right into his eyes.

  “I did. She took it hard too. She’s convinced it was her ex-husband who did the deed. Claims he’s out to get her, but since he didn't know where she lived, he must have tried to squeeze the information out of the dad.”

  “Does she have any evidence to this fact?”

  “No, but get this. Her ex got out of prison three weeks ago. I’m waiting for a fax of the guy’s photo right now. And the worst of it? He was a dirty vice cop from Denver. Tessa Redman was the one to turn him in.”

  Jack whistled. “Send the stuff over when you get it.”

  “Will do. Let’s keep each other in the loop.”

  “You got it.”

  He’d hoped Watters and his men would hav
e come up with something and fast. Hopefully, it would be something that pointed the finger away from Tessa’s ex. She didn’t need the anxiety of believing he was around and possibly out to get her.

  The lost, frightened, and tormented look on her face when he’d told her about her dad still haunted him. Usually he focused his efforts on the facts of the case and worked hard to ignore the people. Their grief was too much to handle on a daily basis. But with Tessa, he had the urge to protect.

  If Ralph Ferino was after her, as an officer of the law, Dom needed to watch her back.

  “This yours?” Captain John Leffers stood next to his desk with a fax in his hands.

  Dominic pulled himself back to the job. He spotted the name Ralph Ferino at the top. “Definitely. It could be the killer in a murder over in Indian Rocks.”

  Leffers snickered. “What, don’t we give you enough work to do?”

  “Actually I thought the guy might be related to the Wilkerson case, but I can’t find the thread to connect them.”

  “Good luck. Say when you have time, you might want to look at this. Came in an hour ago. Bill Murtz is lead on this one. You and Phil will be assisting.” He tossed a folder on Dom’s desk.

  “It’s my day off,” Dom complained to his boss’s retreating back. No surprise, the boss didn’t respond.

  Dominic picked up the fax and studied Ralph Ferino’s photo. Good-looking guy in a surly sort of way. Dark hair, tanned skin, a rugged jaw line, and brows that shaded his eyes. He could see why Tessa might be attracted to him.

  An odd sensation he refused to acknowledge stirred in his gut. It couldn’t be jealousy. He hardly knew the woman.

  Dominic shoved back his chair and marched over to the fax machine. Should Ferino be the intruder/murderer in the Redman case, Watters should have a picture of the guy. Killers often visited the site a second time to revel in their handiwork. Rossi wanted the Indian Rocks force to keep an eye out for the guy, and stop him before he did anything else dangerous, assuming he murdered Tessa’s dad.

  After he faxed over the photo to Jack Watters, Dom picked up the case file the Captain had dropped without fanfare on his desk. He flipped opened the cover and a familiar face stared up at him. Bob Dirkman’s face to be exact. “Holy shit.”