The Reluctant Guardian, page 12
“I’ll be right back, Mia.”
She took off down the hall to her own room and checked under the bed, in the closet and in the bathroom. Then she did the same in Mia’s room and the guest room. Satisfied the house was empty except for the two of them, she stopped long enough to turn on one of Mia’s favorite cartoon shows and then retreated to the kitchen to call Conner.
He answered on the first ring, his cop voice giving every word a sharp edge. “What’s happened? Are you and Mia okay?”
The sound of his voice went a long way toward calming her nerves. “We’re fine. We got home a few minutes ago after spending the day visiting my foster parents in Seattle. Everything in the house looks just like we left it, and there’s no one in the house but us.”
“That’s the good news.” She drew a shuddering breath. “Conner, the back door was unlocked and open about an inch when we got home.”
“You locked it before you left.”
It wasn’t a question, but she affirmed his assumption anyway. “I did. Actually, I locked it before we went to bed last night and checked it again right before we left. I swear it was locked.”
“Did you call it in?”
“No, mainly because there’s no proof that anyone came inside the house at all. I didn’t want to make you or another deputy come all the way here to look at nothing.”
There was a long silence before he spoke again. “Okay, I was about to take my dinner break. Rather than grabbing a burger, I’ll come there instead. If I find anything suspicious, we’ll write up an official report. How does that sound?”
Relief made her knees weak enough that she pulled out a chair and sat down. “It sounds like it’s a good thing I bought an extra-large pizza for dinner.”
He laughed; she suspected it was mainly because she needed him to. “Please tell me it’s not an all-veggie pizza.”
This time, she was the one who laughed. “No, caveman, you’re safe. Pepperoni and sausage all the way.”
“See you soon.”
* * *
It had taken everything Conner had to remain calm on the phone with Jody. This stuff had to end. That wouldn’t happen until they found the person who was terrorizing her and put them behind bars. The only question was how to catch a phantom. At least the time it had taken to reach their neighborhood had given him a chance to rein in his anger.
On impulse, he stopped by his own house first in order to bring Mutt over to Jody’s with him. It would make both Mia and the dog happy to spend some time together while Conner talked to Jody. In fact, he should probably leave Mutt with them while he finished his shift. He couldn’t stay long, and the dog’s presence would help Jody feel safer.
She opened the door as soon as he stepped onto her porch. He released his hold on Mutt, who headed straight into the house to find his little friend. Without hesitation, Conner held out his arms and gathered Jody in close. It was probably unprofessional, but he didn’t care. He was there on his own time and needed the contact as much as she did. “Are you really okay?”
“Better now that you’re here. Thank you for coming.”
“I can’t stay long. But before I have to leave, Mutt and I will take a quick look around out back.” He glanced inside through the front window and smiled. The dog was already snuggled up with Mia. “Well, if I can pry him away from Mia long enough to do a quick patrol.”
“I’ll put her to work setting the table while I serve up the pizza.”
“Good plan.”
First up, he checked the back door. There were a few small scratches, but nothing that normal wear and tear wouldn’t cause. He snapped a few pictures with his phone to compare to the ones from the last time an intruder had tried to break in. All things considered, it was probably a good thing Jody had called him instead of the emergency number. Sheila might have believed Jody had double-checked the lock before she’d left for the day, but it was doubtful that any of the other deputies would’ve done more than a cursory check. Not that they wouldn’t care, but they couldn’t spend a lot of time on a case that offered next to nothing in the way of evidence.
He’d have to remind her to make sure anyone who responded to any future situations contacted Detective Galloway if Conner himself was unavailable. As soon as Mutt gave the area a good sniff, he went from Mia’s cuddly buddy to a K-9 dog on the job. He wove a pattern across the patio and then across the grass with his nose to the ground. Whatever trail he followed led to almost the exact same spot along the back fence as the last time. That wasn’t going to make Jody any happier than it did Conner.
When he went back inside, the smell of pepperoni and sausage scented the air. Mia was already at the table. It was no surprise that Mutt immediately circled around to sit next to her chair. Conner washed his hands at the kitchen sink and took what had somehow become his usual seat at the table. Jody set a glass of iced tea by his plate and another by her own, while Mia got milk.
When Jody sat down, Mia put the palms of her hands together and bowed her head. Jody smiled and then turned to him. “Would you like to say grace for us?”
Conner used the same simple prayer he had the first time Jody and Mia had asked him to say grace, but with one addition. “We thank You, Lord, for the food before us. Please watch over this household and keep those within safe from harm. Amen.”
Mia immediately reached for her milk, but Jody looked stricken. Maybe he should’ve said that last part silently. God would’ve heard it anyway, and it wouldn’t have scared Jody. Still, he had to tell her what he and Mutt had found, so she was bound to be upset anyway. She should also know that he believed her about the door having been locked when she left the house.
Now wasn’t the time for that discussion. It could wait until they finished eating and Mia went back to watching her show.
“So how was your drive to Seattle?”
Jody followed his lead. “It was a perfect day to drive across the pass. I never get tired of the beauty of the Cascades. My foster parents were really glad to finally meet Mia. It had been a while since I’d made the trip over to see them, although we talk frequently. Their kids and I have all tried to explain how Zoom works, but Papa Burks isn’t really into newfangled things like that.”
Then she tipped her head in Mutt’s direction. “And Mia made a new friend named Bessie.”
Conner raised his eyebrows in mock surprise and directed his questions to Mia. “Really? Was she anything like Mutt?”
Mia glanced at Mutt and then shook her head. Then she puffed out her cheeks as she clenched her hands in fists and held her arms out to the side and bent forward at the elbows. It took him a second to decide she was trying to flex her muscles. “So Bessie has a fatter face and is more muscular?”
That earned him a nod. Then Mia snorted several times, sounding more like a pig than a dog. Finally, Jody took pity on him. “Bessie is an English bulldog.”
Ah, now he understood what Mia had been trying to convey. “Did you like her?”
Mia looked to Jody as if hoping she would continue to speak for her. “She did like Bessie. She and my foster father took Bessie for a stroll around the block. The old girl is getting up there in doggy years, so that’s about as far as she is interested in walking. When they got back, Mia made sure Bessie had a full bowl of water. If you’ve never seen how much water a bulldog can store in their jowls, it’s amazing.”
Mia giggled and made motions like something was falling from her cheeks. Again, Jody translated. “When Bessie finished drinking, about half the water dripped out of her jowls onto the floor. Mia was nice enough to clean up after her new friend. After that, Bessie took a long nap.”
Mia followed that up by closing her eyes and snorting again. Conner met Jody’s gaze, relieved to see her now looking amused instead of frightened. “I take it bulldogs snore, or at least Bessie does.”
Mia nodded. Then she reached out to give Mutt a good scratching as if to remind him that he was her best buddy. That spending time with Bessie was a momentary fling.
Conner pointed at his own nose. “Mia, Mutt can probably smell her on you, but he doesn’t mind that you spent time with another dog. He knows how much he means to you.”
Even if that would cause problems when Mia returned to her family. The dog wasn’t the only one who would hate the day the little girl disappeared from their lives. But until that happened, they still needed to keep her safe.
It didn’t take long for Mia to finish her milk and pizza. When she and Mutt were stretched out on the living room floor watching cartoons, Conner finished off his own meal and checked the time. He had about five minutes before he needed to get back out on the road. “I’ll make this short, Jody. There’s not a lot of evidence that someone jimmied the lock on the door.”
When she started to protest, he cut her off. “I didn’t say there was no evidence. It’s just a few scratches that I don’t remember being there the last time. Having said that, if I hadn’t had occasion to look at the lock closely before, I would’ve written the damage off to normal usage. Mutt did pick up a scent at the door and followed it out to the same area as the last time by the back fence. No crushed plants or anything that I could see.”
“So you think someone was here.”
“I think it’s a strong possibility. I will let Detective Galloway know.”
She started clearing the table. “So there’s still nothing we can do.”
He couldn’t argue with her assessment, but at least he could share his plan. “For starters, I’m going to leave Mutt here while I finish my shift. I can either pick him up in the morning or stop by when I get off work. That will be somewhere between eleven thirty and midnight.”
“Would he be okay here all night? I don’t want to upset his routine if it would cause problems.”
Good question. “He should be fine. If you could let him out in the backyard before you turn in for the night or walk him around on his leash out front, that would help. You can always text me if you think I should pick him up.”
“Thanks.”
She stopped what she was doing and faced him, her arms crossed around her waist as if protecting herself from a physical blow. “I’m afraid in my own home. I don’t like it.”
For the second time since he’d arrived, Conner found himself pulling Jody into his arms. “I don’t like it, either. I promise I’ll find a way to fix this.”
There was a hint of confusion in her dark eyes as she stared into his for a heartbeat or two before she spoke. “Because it’s your job?”
The question knocked him sideways, the answer so much more complicated than a simple yes or no. The county paid him to protect its citizens, and he took pride in doing his job to the best of his abilities. That said, he’d be lying to both her and himself if he denied that this case meant so much more.
When he didn’t immediately answer, Jody struggled to free herself of his embrace. Instincts older than time warned him if he let her go now and put the shield of his job between them, he risked losing something special that he might never find again.
Instead, he rested his forehead against hers and shared his truth. “Yes, it’s my job, Jody. But I think we both know this has become something more than that. I care about Mia, and I care about you. A lot. It’s been a long time since I let anyone get this close. It’s easier to sleep nights when I keep some emotional distance from the stuff I see every day.”
She looked at him with such warm concern that it made it hard to draw a full breath. The clock was ticking, and he really should leave. That didn’t mean he would walk away without finishing what he needed to say. “But it’s too late to do that when it comes to you and Mia. I have to look at the facts of the case objectively, but every minute I spend in your company makes that harder and harder. I realize that I’m making a hash of this.”
Jody put her finger across his lips, putting a stop to the flood of words flowing out of his mouth. “It’s good to know that I’m not the only one who is confused here, but I think there are a few things we can agree on. Starting with that Mia’s safety comes first.”
She paused as if awaiting his response. As soon as he nodded, she continued. “The circumstances surrounding her situation threw us together in a way that would never have happened if she hadn’t come to stay with me. Maybe we would have eventually become friends or even something more even without her presence jump-starting the process. We’ll never know, since that’s not how things happened.”
Her fingertips brushed across his cheek, a simple touch that he felt in the depth of his heart. “Like I said, she has to be our first priority right now. When everything is said and done, you and I might remain just friends, or it could be something more. Either way, I’m glad God brought you into our lives right when we needed you the most.”
It had been so long that he’d had someone in his life who was more than a coworker or a casual friend. All the words he wanted to say were so jumbled up inside him that he wasn’t sure he’d make any sense if he tried to speak. Instead, he found another way to express himself.
He kissed her.
THIRTEEN
Jody wasn’t sure which of them was more surprised by the kiss—her or Conner. It was probably a tie, considering her brain was totally scrambled, while he went from being right there in front of her to standing across the room before she even realized he was moving. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
“I’ve got to go, Jody.” Then he frowned. “Not because of what just happened, but I’m on duty.”
She managed to nod. “I know. I’ll keep Mutt. If he seems unhappy, I’ll let you know to pick him up on your way home.”
“Call if you need me. You know, as a deputy.”
Okay, she had to fight hard against the urge to laugh at the note of panic in his voice. She didn’t want to risk hurting his feelings. “Conner, it was a simple kiss.” That was a lie. There was nothing simple about it at all, but she knew he needed to clear his head before returning to work. “Don’t let it cross your mind.”
He didn’t respond. Instead, he picked up his hat off the table and started toward the front door. But along the way, he mumbled something under his breath that sounded something like “Fat chance of that,” but she couldn’t be sure.
He stopped by the pair on the floor in front of the television. “I have to go back to work now, Mia. Would you mind if Mutt hung out with you for a while? It might only be until I get home from work later tonight, or maybe he’ll stay until sometime tomorrow morning.”
She gave him a happy smile but then immediately frowned as she pointed toward her open mouth. “You’re asking if there’s something for him to eat while he’s here. Good question. If it ends up that he’s going to stay overnight, I’ll put his breakfast in a plastic container and leave it on your front porch. Is that okay?”
Evidently Mia figured she’d done her due diligence when it came to taking care of Mutt. She turned her attention back to her show after offering Conner a cursory wave of her hand. Jody had a question of her own. “I’ll put a bowl of water out for him after you leave. Do you let him up on the furniture?”
“Yeah, but I’ll leave that up to you. He’d probably appreciate a blanket on the floor next to Mia’s bed, but he’s not picky.”
By that point, she and Conner were both standing out on her porch. “I’ll text you if I need you to come get Mutt, but I’m betting he’ll be fine spending the night with Mia.”
“Like I said, I’ll leave food on your porch after I get home.”
He started for his car, but turned back. “Lock up after you go in. If Mutt wants out, let him loose in your backyard. He won’t go anywhere, and it won’t hurt to let his presence be known if someone is watching.”
She shivered at the thought of someone lurking out there in the darkness. “We’ll be careful. Promise you’ll do the same.”
“I will. Now go on and head back inside.”
She did as he ordered, but she watched from the front window until he backed out of the driveway and drove off into the darkness.
* * *
Three days later Conner found himself back in Detective Galloway’s office. It had taken him that long to catch up with the man. He’d filled the detective in on the events of the other night. Well, not everything. He didn’t need to know about the kiss.
“So you believe her. You know, about locking the door before she left for the day.”
Conner gritted his teeth to keep from snarling at the detective. If their roles were reversed, he would’ve asked the same question. “She has no reason to lie and every reason to want to keep Mia safe.”
Galloway leaned back in his chair, the springs protesting loudly. “It’s still not enough for me to ask for police protection for them. The brass would laugh me out of the room if I even bothered to try.”
“I know.”
Budgets were always tight, and Conner hadn’t been able to provide any hard proof that someone had broken into Jody’s place. “I wanted to make sure to keep you in the loop.”
When he started to stand up, Galloway motioned him to sit back down. “I’m glad you did, mainly because I was going to call you today.”
The detective sat back up and brought up a file on his laptop. From the way he was clenching his teeth, the news wasn’t going to be good. “We’ve started getting reports back on the body and car we found down in that ravine. The victim’s fingerprints match the ones on Mia’s backpack, but they still aren’t in the system. We’re still waiting on the DNA results, but they’ve promised to have it for us within the week. The lab is always backed up on stuff like that, but I managed to convince the brass that the case is likely connected to Mia. They’ve ordered everything be given priority.”
