“Are you okay?” I run my hand up and down his broad back. I feel some of the tension leave his body.
“Better than I was, now that I’m here with you.” He carries me over to the sofa before sitting down. I start to get up, but his hands grip my hips, keeping me in place. “It’s not safe for you to be out after dark even with your dog. And you need to be setting the alarm. Someone could have slipped in here while you were gone.”
“Really?” I roll my eyes. He acts as though he didn’t grow up in this town where nothing interesting ever happens.
“Have you really not heard? Where is your phone?”
“On the charger in the kitchen.”
“Let me get this straight. You left to go on a walk without your phone!” he growls. Teddy stands up from his bed and growls right back at him.
“I’m okay,” I tell Teddy. “Sit.” He plops back down but keeps his eyes on us.
“The vet, Dean. He was murdered today.”
“Ha ha.” I shake my head. “I told you that veterinarian was the first thing that popped into my head. I don’t have some crush on Dean.” Frank stares at me, his face somber. “Wait, you’re serious?” He nods.
“The receptionist—"
“Taylor too?” I gasp before he can finish.
“I’m sorry, sugar.” I put my hand over my mouth, not wanting to believe this. I wasn’t close to either of them. Dean was still new to town, and Taylor came with him because she was a licensed vet tech. They were both so nice.
“How? I mean…” I trail off. “This is Harrisville. Things like this don’t happen here.”
“Bad shit can happen anywhere.” He reaches up and pulls the tie out of my hair so it falls down all around me.
“What happens now?” Since I moved here as a teen there has never been a murder.
“Right now, I just want to be with you before I need to get back to work.”
“You took the job?”
“Kind of walked in on the job.”
“What?”
“Vincent and I discovered the bodies.”
“Bodies,” I whisper, not wanting to think of them that way, but it’s the reality of it.
“Wait, why were you at the vet’s office?”
“I was with Vincent.”
“Is that your alibi or are you saying Vincent was there to get a new pet ‘cause I don’t think Vincent is a good alibi.”
“Why not? He’s the best alibi.”
“That’s my point. You two probably know how to pass lie detectors and to withstand torture.”
“Came with the training.” He gives a small tug on a piece of my hair. I know now isn’t the time to be teasing, but it’s better than crying.
“Have you eaten?”
“No.”
“Will you eat if I make you something?”
“Will you let me crash here for a few hours after?”
“How is that a bargain?” I snort. Though I’m not hating the idea with everything going on.
“Please.” He pulls me in closer, his mouth brushing against mine in a feather-like kiss.
“All right.” I give. Biscuit wins this round.
CHAPTER 7
FRANK
I leave Melody’s place at six in the morning. The dog growls at me, but I give him fresh water and a can full of food, and he seems appeased enough that he’s not barking my ass out the door. Melody’s still sleeping like an angel. I turn on the security system and lock up. I text Vincent to drive by and check up on Melody while I’m at the law enforcement center. I want to put up a murder map and try to wrap my head around why we’ve got two dead bodies at the vet’s office.
The police chief’s office is a mess. The dispatcher, Holly Rice, gives me a sheepish smile as I survey the piles of paperwork. Some of the old manila folders appear to have been created a decade ago, given the faded ink stains on the cover.
I flip one over and wave the cloud of dust out of my face. “How come none of this is digitized? Didn’t the city get some kind of state grant to go completely electronic?”
“We did, but Blake didn’t know how to implement it. He said it was too complicated and would type up his reports on Word or have me do it. I saved them in a folder on the city server, but he never looked at them unless I printed it out.”
“What’s the budget look like? Do we have enough to hire a secretary? We can’t have you making copies and filing when you need to be monitoring the emergency lines.”
“I don’t know. Blake handled all of that.”
I suspect Blake took the money and spent it, but there’s no point in crying over spilled milk. “Go on back to your desk,” I direct. Using the desk phone, I punch in the number to the mayor’s office. A cheery voice patches me through to Alderman Reid right away.