police."
Chapter 5
Claire dressed hurriedly. She heard Riley prowling around downstairs, and he'd called to her twice. She took a navy blue skirt from the closet and held it in front of herself. Boring. No wonder no one was interested in her.
Riley's voice came from downstairs. "How much longer?"
"Almost ready." On impulse, she dropped the dull woolen skirt on the bed and snatched a red jersey dress off its hanger. She couldn't remember the last time she'd worn it. She wiggled into it—had it always been this snug?—and smoothed it down over her hips, grabbed a chunky gold necklace from her jewelry box, and her purse.
Riley raised an eyebrow when she clattered down the steps, still struggling to fasten the necklace. He turned away without comment and took her coat from the hall tree, holding it for her.
Mildly disappointed at his lack of reaction, she slid her arms into the coat and followed him to the car.
Riley issued instructions along the way. "Don't leave the shop by yourself. If anyone unusual or threatening comes in, call me right away. I'll be working on your alarm."
She nodded, half listening. A few more hours' sleep would have been good.
Mary had already opened up when Riley let her out in front of Mistletoe.
Claire barely made it in the door before Mary showed up, her face alight with curiosity. "Did you hear from Ben Riley again? Ray said he talked to him about you."
"Yes. We ran into each other last night—literally," she said, recalling the scene in the alley. Only yesterday? "He's not a typical knight in shining armor, but he did save my life." She told Mary about the car and Riley's timely appearance, what he'd found last night at her house.
"My goodness! Are you all right?" Mary put her arms around Claire and hugged her, avoiding the sore shoulder. "Honey, what are you going to do?"
"Follow orders, I guess. Riley sure knows how to give them." She made a wry face. "But he seems to know what he's doing. He's gone back to my house now, to install some kind of alarm system. He's making it himself — he said it won't cost much, and he guarantees it will work."
"I'm glad he's interested. Someone needs to help you. What did you think of him — other than his competence."
She considered the man who'd come out of nowhere and rolled her in the alley. He'd been great with Jason. She also thought he was honorable, and she did trust him. That he'd cared enough to stay through the night touched her. "He's a strange man, rude and aggressive. But I think he's okay underneath the gruff manners."
Claire eased her arm out of her coat, noticing Mary's skeptical expression. Maybe she'd overdone it with the dress and jewelry. She glanced at her feet. And high heels. Not her usual attire.
Mary lifted the coat from her shoulders and hung it on the rack. "This is so bizarre — I wonder why someone is after you."
"You're not the only one."
They wandered back into the shop, straightening and rearranging as they talked. Claire tweaked the branches of an artificial tree and added a cranberry glass ball to a high branch, replacing one that had been sold. The lower branches, those in reach of little fingers, held less fragile ornaments. "Tell Ray I owe him a good dinner. At first I wanted to chew him out for sending me to Riley, but it's hard to be angry when you're grateful to be alive."
* * *
Riley stopped at a Radio Shack for the components of his alarm system, then drove out to his house for a shave and change of clothes. Spike greeted him by parking his lazy butt in his empty bowl. Riley gave him fresh water and slit open a large bag of cat meal to leave out. He wasn't sure how long he'd be gone on this case.
Before returning to Claire's, Riley spent an hour on his computer and found that Elton Burley, a former member of Congress, had become a powerful developer who'd use all the influence he could muster to defeat Jennings's bill and further weaken the current interpretation of the Clean Water
Chapter 5
Claire dressed hurriedly. She heard Riley prowling around downstairs, and he'd called to her twice. She took a navy blue skirt from the closet and held it in front of herself. Boring. No wonder no one was interested in her.
Riley's voice came from downstairs. "How much longer?"
"Almost ready." On impulse, she dropped the dull woolen skirt on the bed and snatched a red jersey dress off its hanger. She couldn't remember the last time she'd worn it. She wiggled into it—had it always been this snug?—and smoothed it down over her hips, grabbed a chunky gold necklace from her jewelry box, and her purse.
Riley raised an eyebrow when she clattered down the steps, still struggling to fasten the necklace. He turned away without comment and took her coat from the hall tree, holding it for her.
Mildly disappointed at his lack of reaction, she slid her arms into the coat and followed him to the car.
Riley issued instructions along the way. "Don't leave the shop by yourself. If anyone unusual or threatening comes in, call me right away. I'll be working on your alarm."
She nodded, half listening. A few more hours' sleep would have been good.
Mary had already opened up when Riley let her out in front of Mistletoe.
Claire barely made it in the door before Mary showed up, her face alight with curiosity. "Did you hear from Ben Riley again? Ray said he talked to him about you."
"Yes. We ran into each other last night—literally," she said, recalling the scene in the alley. Only yesterday? "He's not a typical knight in shining armor, but he did save my life." She told Mary about the car and Riley's timely appearance, what he'd found last night at her house.
"My goodness! Are you all right?" Mary put her arms around Claire and hugged her, avoiding the sore shoulder. "Honey, what are you going to do?"
"Follow orders, I guess. Riley sure knows how to give them." She made a wry face. "But he seems to know what he's doing. He's gone back to my house now, to install some kind of alarm system. He's making it himself — he said it won't cost much, and he guarantees it will work."
"I'm glad he's interested. Someone needs to help you. What did you think of him — other than his competence."
She considered the man who'd come out of nowhere and rolled her in the alley. He'd been great with Jason. She also thought he was honorable, and she did trust him. That he'd cared enough to stay through the night touched her. "He's a strange man, rude and aggressive. But I think he's okay underneath the gruff manners."
Claire eased her arm out of her coat, noticing Mary's skeptical expression. Maybe she'd overdone it with the dress and jewelry. She glanced at her feet. And high heels. Not her usual attire.
Mary lifted the coat from her shoulders and hung it on the rack. "This is so bizarre — I wonder why someone is after you."
"You're not the only one."
They wandered back into the shop, straightening and rearranging as they talked. Claire tweaked the branches of an artificial tree and added a cranberry glass ball to a high branch, replacing one that had been sold. The lower branches, those in reach of little fingers, held less fragile ornaments. "Tell Ray I owe him a good dinner. At first I wanted to chew him out for sending me to Riley, but it's hard to be angry when you're grateful to be alive."
* * *
Riley stopped at a Radio Shack for the components of his alarm system, then drove out to his house for a shave and change of clothes. Spike greeted him by parking his lazy butt in his empty bowl. Riley gave him fresh water and slit open a large bag of cat meal to leave out. He wasn't sure how long he'd be gone on this case.
Before returning to Claire's, Riley spent an hour on his computer and found that Elton Burley, a former member of Congress, had become a powerful developer who'd use all the influence he could muster to defeat Jennings's bill and further weaken the current interpretation of the Clean Water
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