“You know Tommy will agree.” She crossed her arms as if she felt it necessary to defend herself from his questioning gaze. She didn’t, though.
He was the one who needed defending from these eyes imploring him to give in. Spending time with the one woman who’d gotten beyond his defenses and made him almost agree to date a coworker wasn’t a wise move.
“I can’t let you help, Kat, without jeopardizing my job.”
“What if you were me?” she asked, her eyes going wide. “What would you want?”
“Wouldn’t matter what I wanted, it’s what I’d make sure happened.”
“Exactly. You’d make sure you were included in the investigation. I’m just trying to do the same thing.” She put a hand on his arm and the warmth of her touch melted his resolve.
Having her by his side would be a good thing, right? If she wouldn’t let her family surround and protect her from this killer, if she worked with him, he’d be able to keep an eye on her.
“Please,” she said softly, and her big brown eyes pleaded with him.
Eyes he’d once looked into where he’d found the same longing he’d felt in his own heart before hurting her. He couldn’t do it again. He’d let her work on the case, but he’d lay down some ground rules. “You don’t call any of the shots. You’re just an observer. You got it?”
“I got it.” She squeezed his arm and smiled. “Thanks.”
He nodded, keeping his look neutral even though he liked the warmth of her hand on his arm.
“So where should we begin?” she asked.
Her sudden enthusiasm made him smile. “It’s late. We’ll start first thing in the morning.”
“No!” The word shot out like a bullet. “If I bring you up to speed on what I know about Nathan, we can hit the ground running in the morning.”
Staying for a few more minutes wouldn’t be a problem, right? “Tell me what you’ve done so far.”
“I started by investigating Nathan Bodig. Everything about the man checks out. He was an all-around good guy, and I couldn’t find any obvious reason why someone would want to kill him.”
“What’d he do for a living?” Mitch picked up his cup and took a long sip.
“Social worker for the Oregon Department of Human Services. He worked with kids at risk. Monitoring them at home and placing them in foster homes.”
“So he dealt with troubled families and might’ve made someone mad. Wouldn’t be the first time someone in a position like his was threatened.”
She nodded. “I was going to talk to his coworkers, but I hadn’t gotten that far yet. With your credentials we’ll have better access to them.”
She so desperately wanted to find Nancy’s killer that she was rushing ahead. As they worked the case, he’d need to keep an eye out for that and make sure they stayed on solid footing. “I’d like to hold off on that until we have evidence that proves the crash wasn’t an accident.”
“You doubt it?”
“Nancy’s death could have nothing to do with her brother’s, and I don’t want to jump to conclusions.” She appeared to get upset with his reluctance to embrace her theory so he moved on before she argued. “Where exactly did the accident occur?”
“On Highway 30 near Clatskanie. Nathan was dating a woman he met at a conference. She lives in Astoria and he was on the way to visit her.”
“And you checked her out, too?”
“She’s as squeaky clean as Nathan. She was the one who reported Nathan missing. When he didn’t show up as scheduled, she tried calling him. After a few tries with no answer, she contacted Nancy. Nancy set out, planning to retrace his route, but by that time, a trucker had spotted the car burning in the ravine and called it in.”
Good. At least Kat hadn’t let her emotions keep her from following strong investigative techniques. If Nathan really had been murdered, then the girlfriend would be a prime suspect and someone they’d need to scrutinize. He was glad Kat had already gotten the basic story—it was a place to start. “You talk with the officer who investigated the accident?”
“That would be Senior Trooper Ed Franklin. I tried to talk with him, but he shut me down.” She crossed her arms. “He said I was no longer a police officer and I’d have to go through proper channels for my information.”
“He was just following protocol, Kat.”
“You and I both know he could’ve helped me if he wanted to.” She ended with an adorable little pout that kicked up his pulse, and he knew it was time for him to get out of there before he did something he’d regret.
“Well, he won’t have a choice with me.” He stood and headed for the door before she tried to stop him again. “We’ll start with him first thing tomorrow.”
She rushed ahead as if she thought he was going to change his mind about including her in the investigation and wanted him to leave before he said anything to that effect. Now that her pleading expression had disappeared and he could think straight, he wanted to do just that.
She shrugged out of his jacket and handed it to him with a sweet smile.
The softness took him by surprise. She’d always been so tough. So independent. Not needing anyone. The very reasons he’d been attracted to her. But this vulnerable side of her tugged at something in him that he’d only felt for his family and Lori. He wanted to protect Kat. To take care of her. But that wasn’t the end of his interest and the rest wasn’t at all familial.
He took the jacket and stepped outside. “Tommy and I’ll pick you up at nine. Make sure you lock the door.”
He heard her snort as he walked away and a smile found his lips. She was starting to get a bit of her spunk back. Good. With a killer running free, she’d need every bit of her determination and then some to stay alive.
THREE
Morning sun filtered through the blinds as Kat laid her Bible on the table and got up to see if Mitch and Tommy had arrived yet. Her usual morning devotions reminded her to let go of her fear. God was here, by her side. Walking before her, beside her. He would take care of her.
Just not those you love, huh, Kat? The thought came from deep inside, and she squelched it. She trusted God. She just wanted to help Him to make sure things didn’t go wrong.
She scissored opened the blinds and saw the same squad car she’d spotted when she’d peeked outside around 3:00 a.m. after a noise woke her. Not a pleasant discovery. Tommy knew how she detested her birth father’s iron control, and she rarely tolerated people making decisions for her. So it had to have been Mitch. Still, she wouldn’t ask them to cancel the unit. Her siblings would be more likely to keep their distance if they thought provisions had been made for her safety.
She let the blinds fall and pressed her only sister’s speed dial number.
“Hello,” Dani answered on the fifth ring, sounding sleepy.
“Hey,” Kat said, trying to be cheerful though the loss of her friend weighed heavy on her heart. “I have something I need to tell you about.”
“Does it have to be this early in the morning?” Dani was so not a morning person.
“Sorry, but it does.” Kat launched into a description of the attack and Nancy’s death.
“Thanks for calling me last night.” Her sarcastic reply hurt, but Kat deserved it and more for shutting out her sister. “Are you okay?”
“Fine, and I’m sorry about last night. I couldn’t very well tell