television. The news.
The news. Working with Jennifer, she'd
forgotten all about Randy's case. Home it would be. She'd find something to
nuke and use paper plates, the best of both worlds. But first she gave her
answering machine another look and checked her cell phone for missed messages.
She swallowed her disappointment that Randy hadn't found time to call.
Stop it, idiot. He's dealing with murder.
Murder meant murderers. What if Randy had
found the killer? Killers killed people, didn't they? Not the sort of thing
Randy should be mixed up with. But that was his job.
As she drove home, she glared at her cell
phone lying within easy reach beside her, but it remained annoyingly quiet. Her
frustration turned to worry when there were no messages on her home phone,
either. She tried to tell herself no news was good news. Maggie would have
called if she'd heard anything.
Her appetite gone, she forced herself to
eat some soup as she flipped through the television channels. Relief flooded
her as one broadcast gave her a glimpse of Randy standing on the top of the
steps of the red brick Municipal Building. Judging from the light, it had been
taped earlier in the day. He stood, staring into the distance, behind the Chief
of Police who was fielding questions from reporters.
When the segment ended, all she'd learned
was the police chief could say nothing in a lot of different ways and Randy
looked exhausted. Her stomach clenched. Is this what it would be like if she
continued her relationship with Randy? Worry, relief, more worry? Wondering if
he didn't call because he couldn't and what might be the reason behind
it? Or if he didn't call because he didn't think she needed to know? Or thought
she couldn't handle it?
Then again, Pine Hills was a small town.
Not a lot of violent crime. If she was going to hook up with a cop, this might
be the safest place to be.
But was anyone really safe? Look what had
happened to David. And to her. There were nutcases everywhere and no
guarantees. She would definitely call Janie and arrange a get-together. Someone
living the life had to have better advice than Maggie's "love conquers all"
attitude.
Besides, Janie had injected her with a
massive dose of the curiosities with her revelation of Kovak's nickname. And
maybe if they talked, she could help Janie with whatever was bothering her,
too. The tight bands in her stomach eased.
When the phone rang while she brushed her
teeth, she turned from the sink. Randy? No matter. It was late and this couldn't
possibly be the first chance he'd had to call to say he was all right. She let
the machine pick up.
Chapter Five
Randy sat on the edge of his bed, phone
to his ear, listening to Sarah's voice from her answering machine. Polite,
almost formal, but the sound quickened his pulse. He waited until her message
played out, then gently set the receiver in the cradle before the beep.
Was she asleep? It was almost eleven. She
should be in bed. As should he. With her curled up beside him, in his arms.
Which was about all he'd be able to manage. He'd been out for all of thirty minutes
before Brody had awakened him from his embarrassing dream and now he didn't
think even Sarah in the flesh could get a rise out of him. He tugged off his
slacks and lay back, trying to clear his mind. Nothing else could be done. They
had no clue who their victim was and virtually no leads. Every possible avenue
was being explored and until the planet opened for business in the morning,
sleep was his priority. He closed his eyes and ran through the afternoon,
knowing he wouldn't sleep until he could check everything off his mental list.
Serial killer was the biggie, but until
the ViCAP reports were back, they were spinning their wheels. He drew a big red
check in his mind.
The key from the crime scene. Connor had
taken it to Pine Hills' hardware store where Charlie MacGregor proclaimed it
belonged to a safe deposit box. Charlie had been around since the discovery of
dirt
The news. Working with Jennifer, she'd
forgotten all about Randy's case. Home it would be. She'd find something to
nuke and use paper plates, the best of both worlds. But first she gave her
answering machine another look and checked her cell phone for missed messages.
She swallowed her disappointment that Randy hadn't found time to call.
Stop it, idiot. He's dealing with murder.
Murder meant murderers. What if Randy had
found the killer? Killers killed people, didn't they? Not the sort of thing
Randy should be mixed up with. But that was his job.
As she drove home, she glared at her cell
phone lying within easy reach beside her, but it remained annoyingly quiet. Her
frustration turned to worry when there were no messages on her home phone,
either. She tried to tell herself no news was good news. Maggie would have
called if she'd heard anything.
Her appetite gone, she forced herself to
eat some soup as she flipped through the television channels. Relief flooded
her as one broadcast gave her a glimpse of Randy standing on the top of the
steps of the red brick Municipal Building. Judging from the light, it had been
taped earlier in the day. He stood, staring into the distance, behind the Chief
of Police who was fielding questions from reporters.
When the segment ended, all she'd learned
was the police chief could say nothing in a lot of different ways and Randy
looked exhausted. Her stomach clenched. Is this what it would be like if she
continued her relationship with Randy? Worry, relief, more worry? Wondering if
he didn't call because he couldn't and what might be the reason behind
it? Or if he didn't call because he didn't think she needed to know? Or thought
she couldn't handle it?
Then again, Pine Hills was a small town.
Not a lot of violent crime. If she was going to hook up with a cop, this might
be the safest place to be.
But was anyone really safe? Look what had
happened to David. And to her. There were nutcases everywhere and no
guarantees. She would definitely call Janie and arrange a get-together. Someone
living the life had to have better advice than Maggie's "love conquers all"
attitude.
Besides, Janie had injected her with a
massive dose of the curiosities with her revelation of Kovak's nickname. And
maybe if they talked, she could help Janie with whatever was bothering her,
too. The tight bands in her stomach eased.
When the phone rang while she brushed her
teeth, she turned from the sink. Randy? No matter. It was late and this couldn't
possibly be the first chance he'd had to call to say he was all right. She let
the machine pick up.
Chapter Five
Randy sat on the edge of his bed, phone
to his ear, listening to Sarah's voice from her answering machine. Polite,
almost formal, but the sound quickened his pulse. He waited until her message
played out, then gently set the receiver in the cradle before the beep.
Was she asleep? It was almost eleven. She
should be in bed. As should he. With her curled up beside him, in his arms.
Which was about all he'd be able to manage. He'd been out for all of thirty minutes
before Brody had awakened him from his embarrassing dream and now he didn't
think even Sarah in the flesh could get a rise out of him. He tugged off his
slacks and lay back, trying to clear his mind. Nothing else could be done. They
had no clue who their victim was and virtually no leads. Every possible avenue
was being explored and until the planet opened for business in the morning,
sleep was his priority. He closed his eyes and ran through the afternoon,
knowing he wouldn't sleep until he could check everything off his mental list.
Serial killer was the biggie, but until
the ViCAP reports were back, they were spinning their wheels. He drew a big red
check in his mind.
The key from the crime scene. Connor had
taken it to Pine Hills' hardware store where Charlie MacGregor proclaimed it
belonged to a safe deposit box. Charlie had been around since the discovery of
dirt
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