“I was with you both times,” he pointed out. “I know for a fact that there was no way you could have poisoned your aunt. Wasn’t I with you from almost the instant you left the prison this morning?”
She laughed bitterly, shaking her head in a confused fashion. “Was that only this morning? I feel like I’ve aged a year since then.”
As if drawn, her eyes again moved to his. Her lips opened as if to ask a question. Then she stopped, and turned her eyes again to the house. Lifting her chin, she reached for the door handle.
“I’ll be fine.”
Jace sighed and unlocked the doors. They both exited the vehicle. Melanie drew her arms tightly around her waist. Jace wondered if it was the cold or fear making her shiver, but decided not to ask. He knew her well enough now to know such a question would not be met with favor. Shutting the car door, he moved beside her.
As they moved toward the house, he kept up his vigilance. If there was a danger present, he was determined to find it before he left her inside by herself. Since she refused to go to a hotel, he knew he would be spending the night in his cruiser, keeping watch.
Jace opened his mouth to try to persuade her one last time to come back to town. His pager went off before he could say anything. Calling in, he learned that he was needed for a situation downtown. The knowledge that he would have to go left him torn between relief that he could leave her disturbing presence and frustration that he would be leaving her unguarded. If only he could have requested an officer to be on guard outside her house, he would have felt better. But he knew that wouldn’t happen. The events of the day had stretched the resources of their small town police department to the limit. There was literally no one else available. He momentarily considered taking her on the call with him and having her remain in the car. He quickly discounted that idea. He was going into a potentially volatile situation. She would be safer locked in the house.
Melanie put her hand on his arm. Her eyes were a little sad, but understanding.
“Go do your job. I’ll be fine.”
Still, he hesitated.
“Let me check out your house first,” he conceded reluctantly.
A quick check of her house and grounds showed nothing suspicious. The broken window had been boarded, he was pleased to note. The uneasy knot in his stomach persisted, but Jace was sure he was being paranoid. Melanie was a grown woman. If she locked her doors and windows, and kept the phone handy, she would be fine until he returned.
“Keep your doors locked. Don’t let anyone in,” he ordered at the door. “As soon as this situation downtown is settled, I’ll be back.”
“Jace, no. You’ll be exhausted,” Melanie protested.
But he saw the relief in her eyes.
“I’ll be back.”
Jace walked out and shut the door firmly behind him. He waited until the sound of the dead bolt told him she had followed his orders. Forcing himself to move, he returned to his vehicle and turned it around. Heading back toward town, he allowed himself one last glance back in his rearview mirror. She would be fine, he told himself. He didn’t need to worry about her. It was probably good for him to get some distance from her, anyway. After the day she had had, he was feeling too sympathetic toward her for his own peace of mind. He would protect her—that was his job. But he wouldn’t get emotionally attached. No good could come of letting himself feel anything for her. Thanks to what had happened with Ellie, he knew that affection and duty did not mix. In his experience, affection weakened the ability to look at a situation objectively.
He dragged his mind away from his little sister.
“Lord, help me to focus on the truth,” he prayed. “I think this girl could really get to me. I know I’m attracted to her. Help me to do Your will. Oh,” he added, “and please protect Melanie while I am gone.”
Satisfied, he pushed down on the gas pedal and answered his call to duty.
* * *
Jace finished filling out his report and sighed. Stretching, he looked at the clock and grimaced. Seven o’clock. Who would have ever thought a Monday evening could be so eventful? Man, he was bushed. And hungry. He had been so busy, he had completely skipped dinner. He decided to pick up a pizza before he headed back to Melanie’s place.
A knock on the door made him look up.
“Jace, got a moment?”
Jace turned, his eyebrow raised as he watched his boss stride quickly toward him. Paul Kennedy was the kind of man who instilled trust and confidence. He did everything with purpose.
“Sure, Paul. What’s up?” Jace greeted his friend more casually than he would if others were about. Even though the two men had been best friends for twenty years, they both strove to keep their working relationship professional. Neither wanted any claims of favoritism when Jace started advancing in the ranks. Good thing, too. Some of the other officers had shown jealousy early on.
“I wanted to know how things were going with the Swanson case. I heard there’ve been some incidents.”
Nodding, Jace brought Paul up to date. Paul’s face went from concerned to astonished to thoughtful.
“Jace, we’ve known each other most of our lives. What are you not telling me?”
Jace sighed. He should have known Paul would sense he was holding back.
“This whole situation makes me edgy. I might have bought that Sarah Swanson had an accidental allergic reaction, but her niece insists that isn’t possible. Sarah was too careful.”
“You trust her judgment?”
Jace shrugged. “Yeah, I do. Add to that the murder of Alayna Brown shortly after she spoke to Mrs. Swanson about being threatened, and my cop instinct is yelling at me that Miss Swanson is in danger.”
“Any chance Miss Swanson is somehow behind all of this?”
Jace stood and started to pace the confines of his office as he assessed the situation, thinking out loud as he did.
“No way. Remember, I was with her from the courthouse to her aunt’s house. On your orders. I saw her face when she found her aunt. There was no way she was responsible for that. And this afternoon? She didn’t have anything to do with that, either. And why would she want to? She’d have nothing to gain from Alayna Brown’s death, and might actually have something to lose if Miss Brown really did have information about having been threatened to give a guilty verdict.” He turned to face his boss’s impassive expression. “I can’t help feeling she’s in danger.”
“We should move her to a motel for a more secure environment. Her aunt’s house is surrounded by a lot of nothing. A perp could close in on her way too easily.”
Jace laughed. There was no humor in the sound. “I already tried to persuade her. She won’t go.”
Paul sighed. Then shrugged. “Fine. Davis is back on duty. I can have him keep watch tonight so you can have a break.”
“Not necessary, Paul. I plan to park my cruiser outside her house and keep watch tonight. I know we’re short staffed.”
Paul raised one questioning brow. “You sure you want to do that, Jace?”
“Of course.”
“Very well. You’re approved to keep watch tonight. I’ll schedule other officers for the next day or so. Can’t let you wear yourself out.” Paul started to leave, then turned back. “My brother-in-law wants to know if he can join us at the hunting camp for the first day of trout season.”
Jace laughed. “I can’t believe