Shots in the Dark by Allyson K Abbott

Milwaukee area from the state of Washington, and he worked undercover. His current assignment was with a construction company whose boss and owner was suspected of fraud. Mal’s family ran a construction company back in Washington, so he had the necessary knowledge and skill set to pull off the job. He had managed to get hired by the suspect company and had been working with them for a while when he and I were set up as a blind date. We pretended he was a friend of Cora’s, and ever since a couple of trial “dates,” we’d been acting like a couple. Unfortunately, Duncan’s plan to use Mal as a form of incognito protection for me backfired. Mal and I shared a strong attraction to one another, and our deception had trickled over into reality. The fact that my relationship with Duncan was a bit up in the air at the time hadn’t helped the situation.
    â€œI’ll run it by Mal, too,” I told Cora. “I don’t see why he can’t continue to function in his undercover role even if Clay is involved. None of the other group members know the truth about him except for you, Joe, and Frank. We can dupe Clay just as easily.”
    Cora’s frown deepened, and I could tell she wasn’t convinced. “See what Duncan and Mal have to say on the matter,” she said. “I’ll keep an open mind in the meantime. Speaking of which, when are you supposed to see Duncan again?”
    This was a prickly question. “I’m not sure,” I said. “He called yesterday and said he’d be in touch sometime this weekend. Mal is coming by later today, and we’re supposed to go out to a movie and dinner. But now that we have this new case to look into, I’m not sure I want to do that.”
    â€œIs that the only reason you don’t want to do it?” Cora asked cagily. “You two are hitting it off quite well, it seems. You have feelings for him, don’t you?”
    I sighed and sank down onto the couch in my office, propping my crutches alongside of me. “I like him a lot,” I admitted. “We get along well. I’m comfortable around him.”
    â€œAnd he’s pretty easy on the eyes,” Cora added with a wiggle of her eyebrows. “Does Duncan know?”
    â€œHe knows Mal has feelings for me, but I’m not sure if he realizes they’re reciprocated to some extent. We’ve circled around the topic a time or two, but Duncan has avoided coming out and asking directly, and I’ve avoided making any claims. My feelings for Duncan are strong, stronger than what I feel for Mal at this point, but I’m not sure our relationship is going anywhere. He’s not being very committal.”
    â€œYou haven’t known either one of them for all that long,” Cora said. “Give yourself time with both of them. There’s no need to rush into anything.”
    â€œNo, I suppose there isn’t.”
    â€œYou don’t sound convinced.”
    â€œIt’s just that ever since my dad died, I feel so alone and adrift. In the past I always had him here to share things with and to talk to about stuff. Now I don’t have that.”
    â€œYou have me. Anytime you want to talk, you know I’m here for you.”
    I gave her a grateful smile. “I know that, and I appreciate it, Cora. Believe me, I do. But there are times, like late at night, after the bar closes down, or early in the morning, when I’m having my breakfast, when I feel the loss and the loneliness so strongly. Those are the times when I can put work and crimes and all this other crap behind me. Those were the times when my father and I would chew the fat and discuss news stories, our futures, current events, philosophical ideas . . . whatever struck our fancy. They were relaxing, normal moments in my life, and I miss them. I miss him,” I said, tears welling in my eyes.
    Cora walked over and sat down beside me. She took me in her arms