Broken Promises by Marie-Nicole Ryan Page B

brains to confiscate them. “Bette’s too?”
    “Yeah, hers too.”
    Good thing he’d left his Bureau-issued
computer in his rental car or the locals might’ve tried
confiscating that one too. Not that it would’ve done any good. At
least with access to the federal data bases, he could do some
digging on his own. And the first thing he wanted to know was if
there were similar cases logged into the Violent Criminal
Apprehension Program or ViCAP.
    Now what he needed was to get back to the
motel and get to work. Bette was probably chomping at the bit to
get back into her apartment, but if Spitz was halfway telling the
truth, it would be at least a couple of days before she could
settle in with her new four-legged companion. At the thought of the
dog, Alex shivered. Involuntary, but there it was.
    ~~*~~
    While Alex was out playing special-agent man,
Bette took Shadow for a long walk along Eastern Boulevard, then
toward Muar Lake. Ducks were swimming in the small man-made lake,
and tall trees gave dappled shade and cool respite from the bright
summer sun. A small shop sold frozen custard, but she couldn’t take
the Sheltie inside. Luckily, it had a walk-up window where she
could buy a cone of the rich creamy treat. It’d been ages since she
tasted frozen custard. Certainly couldn’t find anything like it in
Nashville.
    She licked the cone of latte-flavored custard
and sat on a park bench. Shadow gazed at her intently, not quite
begging, but there was no mistaking what the small dog wanted.
    Watching the ducks swim in leisurely circles
was so relaxing. Bette’s eyelids grew heavy.
    Without warning, the hair rose on the back of
her neck. The Sheltie pulled at the leash as if she saw something
to chase. Bette straightened, whipped around, looking for whoever
was watching her.
    No one. At least no one she could see. But
she hadn’t imagined it. Oh, no. And Shadow had certainly reacted to
something as well. Whether it was a scent or a sound inaudible to
human ears, she didn’t know. Clouds had covered the sun, turning
the bright day into one of shadows. She shivered and rubbed her
arms.
    “Time to go, Shadow.”
    Somehow, the walk back to their room seemed a
lot longer. More urgent. The gloom deepened, and fat drops of rain
splattered on the concrete ahead of them. She picked up their pace
to a jog, and the small dog managed to keep up through the
downpour.
    ~~*~~
    Bette’s T-shirt and shorts were soaked by the
time she and one very wet dog reached the motel. Just as they
dashed inside the motel lobby and headed down the hall, Alex
emerged from their room. “Where the hell have you been?”
    She scowled. “What does it look like? I was
walking Shadow—thank you very much.” She rubbed her arms to abate
the wet chill. “I’d like to get dry, if it’s not too much
trouble.”
    He shook his head but unlocked the door and
let them inside. “I was afraid someone might’ve grabbed you
too.”
    She brushed past him, then turned. “Grabbed
me? With this ferocious guard dog?” She held back a shiver. Should
she tell him about the weird feeling someone was watching her? More
likely it was just her imagination.
    She walked into the bathroom and grabbed a
towel, then bent down to dry the Sheltie’s fur. Once she’d gotten
Shadow’s coat as dry as possible, she dried the dog’s dainty paws,
one by one. She straightened and reached for another towel.
    “What’re you holding back?” Cocking his head
to the side, Alex stood with his arms folded across his chest.
“What happened while you were gone?”
    “Who said anything happened?” Damn. Was the
man a mind reader?
    “Your expression. Body language. Eyes
averted. Hesitation. Come on, Jersey, spill it.”
    Still holding the towel, she straightened,
set her hands on her hips, and glared. “Is this how you interrogate
suspects? I really need to get out of these wet clothes.” She
wrapped the towel around her head, turban style.
    “Don’t change the