She smiled, enjoying him being sweet and attentive. “I’m better. Thank you for the jacket.” She inhaled his scent off it. “But if you wouldn’t mind checking on me once in a while? Just in case.” The fear from earlier when she’d lost her sight and hearing sent a shiver through her.
He put his warm hand on her cheek and gave her a soft kiss. “Of course I will. And I won’t be long. I just want to see if this matches the other cases I’m investigating. The guy I’m looking for has hurt others in the past, like Mrs. Phelps.”
She winced. “This time, he killed someone.”
Hunt glanced up at the house and the ominous sight of the man’s boots.
She waved him off. “Go do your thing. Figure out who’s doing this. I’ll be right here. Maybe sleeping.” She felt drained from all the stress. “It’s just the anxiety hangover from earlier.” She notched her chin toward the house. “You’ll be right there if I need you.”
“Officer Wilde, you want to take a look at this?” one of the other officers called out to him.
“Go, Wilde. The sooner you get this done, the sooner we can eat. And despite the macabre circumstances here, I’m starving.”
He hung his head. “I wish I hadn’t dropped the bag of goodies I bought you at the store in the entry when I got home.”
She sat up straighter, surprised and touched. “You bought me a treat?”
“Double chocolate chunk cookies and brownies from the bakery.”
She melted into the seat. “That’s so sweet. I can’t believe I used to think you were an asshole.”
Hunt chuckled. “Again, I was doing my job and you were breaking the law.”
“Yeah. I know. And you really are a good guy.”
“Wilde,” the officer called again to get his attention, which hadn’t strayed from her at all.
She took his hand and squeezed it. “I’m not going anywhere. Nothing is going to happen to me. You can go do your job and not worry about me.”
He kissed the palm of her hand. “Not going to happen. But I’ll be back soon.” He tucked her hand back under his jacket, kissed her quick, closed the door so she’d stay warm and walked up toward the house, only looking back twice to be sure all was well with her before he conversed with the officer who’d been waiting for him.
Cyn watched him, standing on the porch, the picture of confidence and strength. He concentrated on what the other officer was saying and spoke to him like he knew exactly what he wanted to say, whatever it was. He had a sense of command about him as he gestured to the door and then the empty spot in the driveway the other officer had been scanning earlier.
Hunt checked out the front windows and walked allthe way around the house, using a flashlight to search the ground and surrounding area.
When he walked into the house, she snuggled into his coat and closed her eyes. She couldn’t look again and feel the pain and anguish for the people who lived here and the ones she loved, too.
She came awake with a start when the light inside the car flashed on.
Hunt’s big hand pressed to her chest. “Easy, sweetheart. It’s just me.”
She sucked in a breath. “You startled me.”
“Sorry that took so long.”
She brushed the hair from her face. “I fell asleep.”
“It’s okay. You need it.”
“Did you find any evidence to prove who broke into the house? Did the homeowner get a good look at the guy?”
Hunt started the car and cranked up the heat. “No one has gotten a look at the guy’s face. He wears a mask.”
Something niggled in the back of her mind. “Like one of those ghost Halloween masks from that movie?”
Hunt’s eyes narrowed. “Yeah. How did you know that?”
“Because I saw a mask just like that in the laundry basket at Rad’s house the last time I saw my sister.”