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Faith followed Chase to the front door. Tom, bundled in a thick wool coat and gloves, hurried from his SUV up the walkway. He carried a basket in his hands. A sliver of fear ran down Faith’s spine, but she shook it off. There was no reason to be afraid of Tom.
She waited until he reached the bottom porch step and then unlocked and opened the front door. A blast of frigid air washed over her cheeks. “Tom, what a pleasant surprise. Please come in.”
“Sorry, I can’t stay.” He thrust the basket in her direction. “My wife asked me to drop this off. I’ve got four more to deliver before it gets dark and the icy rain comes back.”
Faith took the gift. Cookies, hot chocolate, scones, and other goodies were visible through the clear cellophane wrapper covering the outside. A handwritten card dangled from the ribbon at the top. It read Merry Christmas. Marsha sent over a gift basket every year.
Tom ran a gloved hand over his beard. “The sweets are homemade. Marsha made them with the kids this afternoon.”
“That’s so kind. Thank you.”
He waved off her appreciation. “It’s the least we could do after all the trouble you’ve been going through recently. It’s good you have extra protection from the police. I heard about the car accident y’all were in this morning. Glad to see you’re all right.”
Faith wasn’t surprised by that. Cutler was a small town and news traveled fast.
Tom’s gaze drifted toward Chase standing guard nearby. “Is there any progress on the case?”
“Every officer in the department is actively working on it.” Chase was angled behind the door so his sling wasn’t visible, but his muscles were tense. Faith had the sense he was prepared to spring into a protective mode should the need arise. Clearly, she wasn’t the only one feeling on edge. “We’re determined to get to the truth.”
Tom shook his head. “I keep thinking about Hillary. I can’t get over the fact that she’s dead. It’s surreal.”
Some emotion buried in his voice caught Faith’s attention. She’d heard rumors around town that Tom had a wandering eye, but she’d never put any stock in it. Gossip always bothered her. But the fact that Hillary had kept the identity of her father’s child secret niggled her. Why would she do that unless there was a very good reason? Faith gripped the door handle. “How close were you and Hillary?”
Tom’s gaze narrowed at the question. “We weren’t close at all. She was a sweet woman, that’s all.”
Beside Faith, Chase stiffened. He’d obviously caught on to what she was alluding to. Not surprising in the least. The man had always been able to follow her chain of thought—with one exception. Her feelings about him.
Chase stepped closer to Faith, his chest pressing against her back. “We’ve been told she was having a secret relationship. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you? Did Hillary ever mention dating someone other than Dr. Whitcomb?”
“Not to me.” Tom’s tone was light. “Like I said, we weren’t close. I’ll ask my wife though. You know women. They chatter sometimes.”
The frosty air was numbing her fingers. Faith gestured for Tom to come inside, hoping they could wheedle a few more minutes of his time. It might help determine if there was anything more than a professional relationship between him and Hillary. “Would you like a cup of coffee? Or tea?”
“No, thank you.” He offered her a smile. “Like I said, I’ve got four more baskets to deliver before the icy rain starts back up again. I’d better get a move on.” Tom bounded down the porch steps. “Y’all have a good night.”
“You too.” Faith waved and then shut the front door. She watched Tom climb into his SUV and drive away. “Well, that was interesting. Is it just me, or did Tom act as if he had something to hide?”
“Could be.” Chase shrugged. “Then again, gossip and rumors could be coloring our impressions. I’ve heard Tom has cheated on his wife a time or two, but I don’t know how valid that information is. And even if it’s true, that doesn’t mean he had a secret relationship with Hillary. We have to be careful and let the evidence lead us, otherwise we’ll head in the wrong direction.”
Faith nodded, guilt pricking her. Chase was right. They had no evidence that Hillary and Tom were romantically involved. Once again, he seemed to follow the chain of her thoughts because he said, “I’ll ask Aiden to re-interview Hillary’s friends, specifically asking them about her relationship with the Bradleys. Maybe there’s more to this than we know at the moment.”
She let out a breath she was holding. “Thank you, Chase.” Faith picked up the gift basket from the table next to the door. “Well, you’re in for a real treat. Marsha’s hot chocolate is homemade. Some kind of special blend of light and dark cocoa. It’s delicious. Want a cup?”
“Sure.” Faith started for the kitchen, but Chase stopped her with a hand on her arm. His touch was warm and firm. “Wait. Before we have hot chocolate, maybe we should talk. Anna will wake up soon for her bottle and this isn’t something we can put off.”
Her heart skipped a beat. She had a sinking feeling Chase wanted to discuss that second near-kiss from a few minutes ago. But Faith’s emotions were so raw and exposed, she didn’t trust herself to handle his rejection with grace.
“It’s okay, Chase. I already know what you’re going to say. We don’t need to talk about it.”
Faith shook off his hand and headed for the kitchen. Relief weakened her knees when the swinging door closed behind her. Hot tears pressed against her eyes. Silly, foolish tears. What on earth was she so upset about? She’d known all along Chase didn’t see her romantically.
She undid the ribbon on the gift basket. The scents of chocolate and vanilla wafted up. Faith breathed them in, letting the comforting smells soothe her hurt feelings. From inside the living room, Chase’s ringtone sang out, followed by the low murmur of his voice.
His footsteps preceded him into the kitchen. Faith sucked in a breath before turning to face him. Her muscles stiffened at the look on his face. “What is it?”
Chase lifted his cell phone. “Aiden called. They’ve found Silas.”
