her mouth was already watering for the soup. "It's like I told you. There was just the one quick flash. I mean, I can try to get more from him if you want, but it's going to mean putting me in the interview room with him and getting him to be okay with me holding his hands for a while."
"Yeah, not sure I like that plan," he agreed, closing the driver's door and walking with her up the steps to their front door. "I think he gave me everything he could anyway. He really wants that deal from the District Attorney's office."
"Think he'll get it?" she asked, unlocking the front door and then stepping through into their kitchen. "The deal, I mean?"
"I don't know. Probably. The DA will offer him a plea to a lesser charge and then—"
It happened so suddenly that it took Darcy's mind a moment to catch up. Jon pushed past her, throwing his arm up across her chest as he did, pushing her down to the floor as he pulled his gun out of its holster in one smooth movement and pointed it at the person sitting at their kitchen table drinking a cup of coffee from Darcy's own blue ceramic mug. One of the mugs from her shop with her new logo on it, "The Mysterious Is All Around Us."
Jon kept his gun pointed levelly, three feet away from the woman in her blue denim top and khaki cargo pants. Her hiking boots were up on the chair across from her, under the table. Blue eyes the color of a summer sky watched Jon with amusement and absolutely no hint of concern. Tight blonde curls framed a face that Darcy recognized immediately.
Setting the coffee cup down on the table, she ignored Jon's gun and shook her head.
"Is this the welcome I get?" Running a fingertip across her lips, wiping away a drop or two of coffee, she sucked her finger clean with a quiet popping sound.
"JoEllen," Jon growled. "You better have a good reason for being in my house."
Chapter Five
JoEllen Meyers, retired contract killer, shifted in her seat to look around Jon to where Darcy was still hunched down on the floor. "Hiya Darcy."
Shaking her head, feeling foolish, Darcy stood up again, gently pushing aside Jon's protective arm. "Hi, JoEllen. How'd you get in here? The door was locked."
She quirked an eyebrow, as if to ask how something as simple as a lock was supposed to stop her. Then she turned back to Jon. "Do me a favor, will you?"
"I don't think you're in a position to ask for favors," he told her.
"Well, do me one anyway. Put the gun away before my son sees you? It took me a long time just to get him to sleep through the night without waking up screaming. Nightmares." She waited for several seconds while Jon stayed where he was. "Please?"
Finally Jon nodded, pursing his lips as he put the gun back into its holster. "Doesn't mean we're friends," he told her.
"'Kay." She smiled, apparently more sure of their friendship than Jon was.
Connor, JoEllen's son, had every reason to have nightmares in Darcy's opinion. Kidnapped by a psychopath, held as leverage against his mother, kept in a dark pit for days on end. She'd have nightmares too.
"Where is Connor?" she asked JoEllen.
"Asleep on your couch, for now. I hope that's all right?"
"Well," Jon said, sarcasm curling his lip, "if you're going to go to all the trouble of breaking into our house I guess you should at least get to use our couch."
Darcy barely kept herself from rolling her eyes. She'd forgotten how easily these two baited each other.
JoEllen stood up, bringing her empty coffee cup to the sink. "We had a long drive to get here. Connor needed a nap. I could use a solid eight hours myself, I just wanted to get us here as fast as I could."
"I'm betting you had a good reason, right?" Jon asked.
"What?" JoEllen said with a smile. "You don't think I'd come here just to see you?"
"All right, you two," Darcy interrupted them. "Enough playful banter. Jon, you know she wouldn't be here if it wasn't serious. JoEllen, why
"Yeah, not sure I like that plan," he agreed, closing the driver's door and walking with her up the steps to their front door. "I think he gave me everything he could anyway. He really wants that deal from the District Attorney's office."
"Think he'll get it?" she asked, unlocking the front door and then stepping through into their kitchen. "The deal, I mean?"
"I don't know. Probably. The DA will offer him a plea to a lesser charge and then—"
It happened so suddenly that it took Darcy's mind a moment to catch up. Jon pushed past her, throwing his arm up across her chest as he did, pushing her down to the floor as he pulled his gun out of its holster in one smooth movement and pointed it at the person sitting at their kitchen table drinking a cup of coffee from Darcy's own blue ceramic mug. One of the mugs from her shop with her new logo on it, "The Mysterious Is All Around Us."
Jon kept his gun pointed levelly, three feet away from the woman in her blue denim top and khaki cargo pants. Her hiking boots were up on the chair across from her, under the table. Blue eyes the color of a summer sky watched Jon with amusement and absolutely no hint of concern. Tight blonde curls framed a face that Darcy recognized immediately.
Setting the coffee cup down on the table, she ignored Jon's gun and shook her head.
"Is this the welcome I get?" Running a fingertip across her lips, wiping away a drop or two of coffee, she sucked her finger clean with a quiet popping sound.
"JoEllen," Jon growled. "You better have a good reason for being in my house."
Chapter Five
JoEllen Meyers, retired contract killer, shifted in her seat to look around Jon to where Darcy was still hunched down on the floor. "Hiya Darcy."
Shaking her head, feeling foolish, Darcy stood up again, gently pushing aside Jon's protective arm. "Hi, JoEllen. How'd you get in here? The door was locked."
She quirked an eyebrow, as if to ask how something as simple as a lock was supposed to stop her. Then she turned back to Jon. "Do me a favor, will you?"
"I don't think you're in a position to ask for favors," he told her.
"Well, do me one anyway. Put the gun away before my son sees you? It took me a long time just to get him to sleep through the night without waking up screaming. Nightmares." She waited for several seconds while Jon stayed where he was. "Please?"
Finally Jon nodded, pursing his lips as he put the gun back into its holster. "Doesn't mean we're friends," he told her.
"'Kay." She smiled, apparently more sure of their friendship than Jon was.
Connor, JoEllen's son, had every reason to have nightmares in Darcy's opinion. Kidnapped by a psychopath, held as leverage against his mother, kept in a dark pit for days on end. She'd have nightmares too.
"Where is Connor?" she asked JoEllen.
"Asleep on your couch, for now. I hope that's all right?"
"Well," Jon said, sarcasm curling his lip, "if you're going to go to all the trouble of breaking into our house I guess you should at least get to use our couch."
Darcy barely kept herself from rolling her eyes. She'd forgotten how easily these two baited each other.
JoEllen stood up, bringing her empty coffee cup to the sink. "We had a long drive to get here. Connor needed a nap. I could use a solid eight hours myself, I just wanted to get us here as fast as I could."
"I'm betting you had a good reason, right?" Jon asked.
"What?" JoEllen said with a smile. "You don't think I'd come here just to see you?"
"All right, you two," Darcy interrupted them. "Enough playful banter. Jon, you know she wouldn't be here if it wasn't serious. JoEllen, why
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