Navy SEAL Rescuer by Shirlee McCoy Page A

their first year
of high school, and Catherine knew the gesture for what it was. Nervous
energy.
    “Did the bomb squad find anything else?” she asked.
    “Nothing. The evidence team is here. It may be a while before
they finish. I’d like to take your statement now. The more information we have,
the more likely it is we’ll find our perp. How about we go down to the station?
We’ll be more comfortable there.”
    “I won’t be.”
    “You’ll be safer, though. You’ve been attacked twice in one
day, and I don’t want to take a chance of there being a third time. As a matter
of fact, I think it would be best if you and Eileen stay with a friend or family
member until we figure out what’s going on.”
    “I can tell you what’s going on, Logan. Someone is terrorizing
me because he thinks I’m a murderer. I may have been exonerated, but to some
people, that doesn’t mean a whole lot.”
    “Maybe you’re right, but we need evidence. Not conjecture. Come
on. I’ll drive you to the station. We can find a safe place for you to stay
after I take your statement.”
    “Do you know the kind of news coverage that will get?”
    “I’m not worried about news coverage. I’m worried about
you.”
    “And I’m worried about Eileen. She needs to rest. That’s not
going to happen with news reporters knocking on the door and calling the house
hoping for an interview.”
    “I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen.” Logan sighed, obviously
trying to be patient. His patience seemed to be wearing thin, though. He tapped
a pen against his thigh and ran a hand down his jaw. Four years ago, Catherine
would have given in. Gone along with the plan because it was what she was
expected to do.
    She’d changed a lot since then.
    She’d toughened up and hardened, and she no longer went where
other people led.
    “I’m not going down to the station.”
    “Catherine—”
    “Let’s go to my place. Eileen is already there. It’s a safer
option than standing out here.” Darius offered a reasonable solution to their
impasse, but Catherine was tempted to fight him on it.
    Fight for the sake of fighting, because she hadn’t been allowed
to do anything but conform for four very long years.
    “Sounds good to me. We can go in my cruiser.” Logan walked
away, and Catherine followed.
    She might want to fight the plan,
but she knew it was a good one. Leave the house, put some distance between
herself and whatever trouble was stalking her. She needed to stay safe and
healthy for Eileen’s sake. Hopefully, she’d be able to convince her grandmother
to move out of the house for a while. They could rent a place on the coast far
away from the danger. Getting away from Pine Bluff would be a bonus. Eileen
could get as good medical care in Seattle or Oregon as she could in downtown
Spokane.
    It was simply a matter of talking her into it.
    If only that were going to be as easy as it sounded.

SIX
    D arius hadn’t planned on giving up his
solitude, but once he committed to it, he could see the benefits. He’d already
decided to keep an eye out for his neighbors. Maybe it wasn’t his business, but
he didn’t like the idea of Eileen and Catherine staying at the end of their
dead-end road alone. Tonight, he’d been home. He’d heard the car passing his
house at two in the morning, and it had been an anomaly he couldn’t ignore.
    But what if he hadn’t been there?
    The best security system in the world couldn’t keep out someone
who was determined to get in, and the ten or fifteen minutes it would take the
police to respond to a call for help might be too long.
    He needed to get Eileen and Catherine moved to a safer location
before his vacation ended. Having them at his place would give him an
opportunity to convince them that they shouldn’t return home.
    Logan opened the front door of his cruiser, and Catherine
climbed in. Shoulders tense, back ramrod-straight, she didn’t spare Darius a
glance as she shut the door.
    She was tough.