The only person who had broken down the barriers was Suzie. Somehow, Katrina’s assistant had managed to keep trying until they had developed a lasting friendship. Until now, Katrina would have said she was happy with the way things were. Why had it taken Eliza’s disappearance, a series of threats and a blue-eyed cop to make her question that? And, more importantly, what was she going to do about it?
You don’t know what it’s like to have feelings.
It was the old accusation, one she’d always believed to be true. She shivered. Sitting up in bed with her knees tucked under her chin, all of a sudden, she wasn’t so sure.
* * *
“You can’t start the day without breakfast.” Spencer shot a sidelong glance in the direction of Katrina’s rear as she puttered around the kitchen in shorts and a tank top the following morning. He didn’t want to come across as creepy, but her curves really were irresistible.
“Takeout last night. Breakfast this morning.” She opened the door and shooed all three dogs outside. “Are you on a mission to feed me up, Spencer?”
He held up his hands in a “whoa” gesture. “One of the things my mom taught me and my siblings was to start the day right with a decent breakfast. I guess those habits stick with you.”
“Of course. You told me you’re a triplet.” She came back into the room, regarding him with an intrigued expression. “What was that like, growing up?”
It was a question he got asked a lot once people knew about his family situation. Sometimes he dismissed it with a flippant remark, other times he gave a brief reply. For some reason, he wanted to provide Katrina with a more detailed answer.
“Naturally, my brother Jarvis, my sister Bella and I were very close. As I said, my dad was a distant cousin of Payne Colton, but he wasn’t close with him. Although our parents were hardworking, they were low income. They both died in a car crash when we were ten.”
“Oh, my goodness.” Katrina placed a hand on his forearm. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay. At the time, it was like our world had ended.” He lifted a shoulder. “And it’s still not a good memory. But I can talk about it. One of the worst things was that we didn’t have any family we were already close to.”
“What happened?” Her voice was soft. “Please tell me you were allowed to stay together.”
“We were. But it was only because a childless aunt reluctantly agreed to take us in.” His lips tightened as the contrasting memories came flooding back. “It was a big adjustment. The home we shared with our parents was full of love and warmth, but our aunt Amelia didn’t like kids and she didn’t know how to handle us. It wasn’t a good time.”
In the silence that followed, he caught a glimpse of Katrina’s own emotional storms in the depths of her eyes. It shook him up to realize that she wasn’t cold. The distance she kept from him wasn’t to do with lack of feeling. It was about fear. Katrina was scared of feeling too much. Just as he was coming to grips with what he’d just discovered, she lowered her lids, shutting off her expression.
“Since I have nothing suitable in the house, how about I take you to Bubba’s Diner for breakfast?” she asked.
He plucked at the front of his shirt. “I need to go home, shower and get a change of clothes first. It’s still early, so I’ll meet you there in an hour.”
“Okay. But...” She gave him a confused look. “Don’t you still have to go to work?”
“I need to speak to Chief Barco about protecting you. If he’s okay with it, I can check in at the station each day, then do a lot of stuff from the office at your work premises.”
“If you’re planning on staying here until this is resolved, wouldn’t it be easier if you brought some clothes over instead of going home to change each day?” Katrina asked.
“That’s the plan.” He went to the door and signaled to Boris. “I’ll pack a bag while I’m there. Meanwhile, whenever I’m not with you, I want you to take your dogs with you if you go out and make sure you stick to public places at all times.”
He headed for his vehicle, pausing briefly to look back at the house. The night had been uneventful, with no further attacks. That could have been for any number of reasons. Possibly, the person targeting Katrina was waiting to see what impact the break-in would have. Or Spencer’s presence might have put him, or her, off. Then again, if Katrina had fabricated the harassment against her, she was hardly likely to continue when she had a police officer living in her home.
On the previous evening, as they’d eaten their takeout, he’d kept the conversation light while observing her closely. The only conclusion he’d reached was that Katrina was difficult to read. Now and then, he thought he saw some of the tension in her frame lighten a little. She was such a mystery it was hard to tell what that meant. Was she thankful that he was there to protect her, or relieved that her plan to gain attention had worked?
The Payne Colton case was soon occupying his thoughts. Payne had been moved back to his original private room. Although he wasn’t in ICU, his family wanted to provide the best levels of care and security and these were available in the second-floor suites. Spencer figured the only way forward in the investigation would be to review what they’d already done. They needed to interview witnesses again, take a fresh look at security camera footage, and see if they could find a link that they’d missed.
The move from the shooting inquiry to protecting Katrina had happened so quickly that it had caught him unawares. It wasn’t as if he wanted to give up on the Colton case, exactly. But if he thought about where he’d rather spend his time...
When he reached his vehicle, he checked his messages. There was a missed call from Kerry and a message asking him to get back to her.
“Harley Watts’s lawyer has been in touch.” Kerry got straight to the point. “Harley might be prepared to talk about who hired him to send the email. In return, he’s asking for a very reduced sentence.”
“Set up a meeting for later this morning with Harley and his lawyers,” Spencer said. “Then ask Marlowe and Ainsley Colton if they are available to come into the station this afternoon for an update on the situation.”
He was balancing a number of cases, including his new role of protecting Katrina. With careful planning, he could do them all. While Katrina was at work, she would be reasonably safe. He would have an alert put on her cell phone and make sure that, on the occasions he couldn’t be at Look Who’s Walking, he got a patrol car to do regular checks on the premises. He also figured Suzie would be a useful ally.
Was Harley’s offer the breakthrough they’d been waiting for in the Colton Oil case? And, if so, would it lead them to the person who had shot Payne? He ended the call with Kerry a