In the Shadow of the Shield (Secret Lives Series Book 2) by Carolyn LaRoche Page B

was only trying to help you with the bed so you had nothing to worry about.”
    Nothing to worry about, except the way his touch sent sparks flying through her nervous system and caused her heart to skip several beats. Forget the fact that she was at least a decade older than him and she had a head injury that could very well be clouding her judgment.
    There was no head injury when you were flirting with him in the diner.
    “So, what about that phone call?” she asked, to change the subject.
    “I stopped by the switchboard on my way up and asked a few questions. The caller said he was your son, so they put him through.”
    “It wasn’t Jackson. He would have used my cell anyway.”
    “I know. I wish I knew where to go from here. I haven’t said a word about my suspicions to anyone but you, but someone obviously knows.”
    “And they aren’t very happy about you involving me.”
    “No.” Carter fell silent for a while, watching the muted episode of NCIS on the television. Years of living with Donnie told her Carter wasn’t actually watching anything. His brain was going a mile a minute, trying to process everything going on and making sense of it in lieu of his suspicions. After about five minutes, she spoke.
    “Can I ask a question? There’s something that has been bothering me, and I was hoping you would be able to help me understand.”
    Carter turned back toward her. “I’ll try.”
    She took a deep breath, and gathered her thoughts. This was something she had wondered from the very beginning, but had no idea who to ask. “If the house Donnie went to was a suspected meth lab, why didn’t he smell anything? I mean, he has told me there is a very pungent odor that goes with cooking meth.”
    “I wondered that too, so I went back and checked. The dispatcher told him that there were children playing in the house alone. The transcript says a neighbor had called it in, but I went and interviewed all the neighbors, and no one admitted to it. Still, you know Massey, he wouldn’t think twice. Probably held his breath and ran right in.”
    She nodded. That did sound like Donnie. “I always knew something like that would get him. He was such a pushover for the innocent.”
    “He did the job justice. No matter what he did, he always stuck to his ethics and morals.”
    “Thank you for recognizing that.” Her cell phone rang; the display said it was Jackson. “Excuse me for a second, it’s my son.”
    Carter nodded and waited while she took the call.
    “Hi, honey. Are you home for the night?”
    “Yeah. How’re you feeling, Mom?”
    “Better. I am sitting up a little now, and I don’t feel like puking my guts out.”
    Jackson laughed. “That’s good, I think.”
    “It is. I’m going to be just fine, don’t you worry about me.”
    “It’s hard not to.”
    “I’ll be home tomorrow.”
    “What time? I’ll be there to pick you up.”
    “I’ll call you when I know.”
    “Okay, Mom. Get some rest.”
    “You too. Love you, Jackson.”
    “Love you too, Mom. Good night.”
    “Good night. Oh—Jackson?”
    “What?”
    “Set the alarm tonight, please. I don’t like you to be home alone.”
    “I’ll be fine.”
    “Just humor me and set the alarm, okay?”
    “Okay. I will, I promise.”
    She ended the call, and set the phone down on the bed beside her. Carter was busy sending a text. When he was done, he dropped the phone in his shirt pocket and smiled at her. “I have arranged for a cruiser to keep an eye on your house tonight.”
    “Thank you. I don’t like the idea of him being there all alone after what happened today.”
    “You should try and get some rest.”
    “No one sleeps in hospitals. Don’t you know that?” she replied. “Besides, I could never sleep now. What if someone sneaks in here?”
    “Not gonna happen. You have your own personal bodyguard now.”
    “No, Carter, I can’t let you do that.”
    He stood up and smoothed the blankets around her legs. After fluffing and