him.â
Mick caught the bile that dripped from the last word. âAbout Tucker?â
John didnât answer, but Mick saw the look on Keeleyâs face as she studied him.
âDr. Bender,â Mason called. âWould you mind answering a few questions now?â
John squeezed Keeley around the shoulders, pressed a kiss to her temple and trudged off.
Mick stared after him, and Reggie, who had sauntered closer, did, too.
âGuyâs a coiled spring,â Reggie said. âMust have had it bad for LeeAnn.â
Mick watched Keeley, whose eyes changed from blue to pewter in the shifting rays of sun. âI wonder.â
Reggie ran a thumb under his eye patch. âWhat?â
âJohn was so concerned about Keeley that he stopped me as I was on my way up, and then he risked getting himself shot by interrupting you.â
âYeah, so?â
âSo if he was deeply concerned,â Mick continued, âwhy did he wait so long to call the cops?â
Reggie considered. âDunno. Doesnât trust them, maybe?â
Iâm not sure I do, either
, Mick thought.
Chief Uttley joined them. âPhotographed everything, took the roof diagram, but in my opinion Tuckerâs been staying here alone. Thereâs some other trash, but itâs old.â
âBut...â Keeley said.
Uttley cut her off and looked at Reggie. âMr. Donaldson, Iâm looking forward to hearing your part in this messy little encounter. There will be a nice bit of paperwork to go through, especially since you discharged your weapon twice. Weâll secure the scene and drive back to the station. I trust that wonât ruin your plans?â
âNah,â Reggie said with an airy wave. âIâve got to call my travel agent and book a cruise, but it can wait.â He winked at Keeley and headed for his car. âCatch you later, Mick.â His tone hardened, probably imperceptibly to anyone, but not to Mick. âWeâve got some things to talk over.â
Understatement. Mick still burned inside at Reggieâs negligence. He was so bent on revenge that he was willing to endanger Keeley. Mick was going to have to keep tabs on that escalating problem.
Further, Mick was going to have to figure out why Uttley was protecting whoever was holed up in the building with Tucker. But the bigger issue at the moment was, who had sent the text that delivered Keeley to the rooftop? Was it Tucker, or did he have someone else helping him?
* * *
Keeleyâs knees were still shaking, but she insisted on driving herself to the police station. She wanted to be away from Reggie and John and, most important, from Mick, to sort out her feelings. How was a person supposed to put their emotions in order after being cornered by their sisterâs killer and told her child was the real target?
She gripped the wheel and used the hands-free phone to dial Aunt Viv.
âThe police have already been here,â Aunt Viv reassured her. âTheyâre not anyone I know, I think theyâre on loan from another department, but the chief is coming later.â She shushed Cornelius, who loved to chatter away when she was on the phone. âI think Cornelius knows Iâm taking him for a wing and nail trim soon. Itâs not his favorite thing.â
She knew her aunt had a tendency to rattle on when she was overwrought. âAunt Viv, are you and June okay?â
âYes,â she said. âOur lives are perfectly normal except for the police car parked outside. They said weâre completely safe. They came inside to check all the locks and such, too. So embarrassing. I hadnât gotten around to dusting in the family room for ages, and my violin sheet music was all over the study.â
Keeley smiled through her worry. âI donât know whatâs going to happen.â Her voice wobbled.
âHoney,â her aunt said quietly. âItâs going to be okay. Junie is safe
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