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“Do you think he—or she—will be back?” Marlowe asked.
“I know it. And he knows we’re after him or her. That means he’s worried.”
There was a sense of defeat in the air as they ended the meeting. Although they knew that Harley Watts had sent the email to the Colton Oil board members, they didn’t know who had paid him to do it. They were no closer to finding the real Ace Colton and they didn’t know who had shot Payne.
There had been a recent distraction when a man called Jace Smith tried to pass himself off as the real Ace Colton. Although the con was uncovered, the last thing the police or the family wanted was any similar attempts to gain from the Coltons’ misfortune.
In addition to everything else, Spencer was also dealing with the additional mystery of Eliza Perry’s disappearance and the threats to Katrina.
Once Ainsley and Marlowe had left, he called Kerry into his office. “I know you haven’t had much time, but have you gotten anywhere with your background checks on Micheline Anderson and Leigh Dennings?”
“I don’t have anything of interest,” Kerry said. “So far, they are both model citizens with records of good deeds.”
“Keep digging. If there’s anything there, I know you’ll find it.”
When he was alone, Spencer leaned back in his chair and studied the fluorescent light fitting. His mind kept returning to the issue of how he had been manipulated into doubting Katrina. The first seed had been planted by Micheline Anderson with her not-all-actors-are-on-the-stage remark. Then Aidan Hannant had fueled his suspicions with his nice-guy act.
And the mysterious Christie Foster? Where did she come into this? He made a note to ask Kerry to look into her as well. Was she genuinely scared and wanted to tell her story, or was she yet another attempt to make Katrina look like she couldn’t be trusted?
There was no avoiding the truth. Spencer had been deliberately played. Guilt churned like acid in his gut and he needed to figure out why. So he’d fallen for a ploy to make Katrina look bad. He couldn’t have known what was going on. Even so, his conscience continued to haunt him. And the reason was staring him in the face.
It was about Katrina. Right or wrong, she was not just another crime victim. In the brief time he had known her, she had come to mean so much more. He had let her down. The problem was that he had no idea how to explain to her how and why it had happened.
How could he tell her he had suspected that she might be making these threats up to get attention? Even if he approached it logically and explained that, as a police officer, he needed to keep an open mind, she would be hurt. And hurting her felt like the worst thing he could possibly do.
He shook his head, trying to restore some normality to his thoughts. Right now, he needed a little perspective before he called the hospital to see how Aidan Hannant was doing. He wasn’t proud of the way he had fallen into the trap set by Katrina’s enemie
s, but it was an issue he would come back to.
* * *
When Katrina arrived home, Spencer had used the spare keys she’d given him and was already there. The first thing she noticed as she entered the house was the delicious aroma of fragrant spices. The second was how much work the Linehan brothers had already done on her living room. They had done a good job of matching the color she’d used on the walls and had covered up the spray paint. Her furniture had been cleaned and Suzie had told her that Rusty had taken some items away to be repaired. The place was almost back to normal.
When she walked through to the kitchen, what caught her attention was the enticing rear view of muscular shoulders, a trim waist, long, strong thighs and a seriously touchable butt.
Where did that thought come from? And where did my headache go?
Spencer turned to look over his shoulder and the weariness and weirdness of the day drained away with his smile. “I took a chance that you’d like white wine. It’s in the refrigerator.”
“I’d better go say hi to the dogs first.”
“Yeah.” He pointed to the yard, where she could see Holly and Dobby racing around with Boris watching them like a kindly uncle. “I haven’t fed them yet, but I’ve topped up their water bowls and given them a few treats. I’ve also checked that all the windows and doors are locked, and that the dogs’ food hasn’t been tampered with.”
“Even when this is all over, I may never let you leave.” Realizing what she’d said, she gave an embarrassed laugh. “I should, uh...” She pointed to the door. “I need to go see the pooches.”
Spencer waved a hand as he turned back to his food preparation.
As she stepped outside, Holly and Dobby hurtled across the grass toward her. Squatting, she petted the two squirming canines. Boris, who took a more dignified approach, sat next to her and she stroked his head before resting her cheek on his broad back.
“I’m an idiot,” she murmured into his silken fur. “I think I just invited your master to move in permanently. And you know what the worst thing was? He didn’t even notice.”
The big dog wagged his tail and, obviously feeling that something more was needed, gave a soft woof. Clearly feeling that this was some sort of signal, Holly and Dobby started dashing around in circles, then darting back to Boris as though inviting him to join in their game. The patient canine watched them like an indulgent nanny before charging after them. Laughing, Katrina watched their antics for a few minutes before returning to the kitchen.
“Boris is giving the kids a workout. You’d never know he was actually younger than Dobby.” She went to the fridge and withdrew the bottle of wine. Although her knowledge was limited, it looked like Spencer had good taste. “Do you want some?”
He grinned. “Of course. And your timing is perfect because this is ready.”
She poured two glasses and brought them to the table as he served dinner. As they sat and ate companionably, she was struck again by the ease with which they’d slipped into this new normalcy. Awkwardness had always come naturally to Katrina. Overthinking what she said, being unsure of what to do with her body, just generally high discomfort levels around other people, particularly new ones, was her default setting.
