AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She walks up behind me and wraps her arms around my waist, and it’s exactly what I need right now. I’m all spun up inside, and as soon as her arms tighten around me, I feel myself relax into the embrace. I turn around in her arms and bring her in close to me.
“I’m sorry this morning isn’t going quite like I planned,” I say into her hair.
“What did you have in mind instead?” she asks, looking up at me with a smile.
“Well, for starters, it would involve some breakfast, and then maybe a little of this.” I lean down, giving her a quick kiss.
“Mmm, well that’ll give us something to look forward to.” Quinn steps back to let me finish getting ready. “Do you want me to take Piper? She can hang with me for the day while you do what you need to.” At the sound of her name, Piper jumps up from her bed and comes over to say hello.
“Are you sure? That would be great, but I can also take her to my mom and dad’s if you don’t want to deal with her.” I give Piper’s head a pat. Quinn leans down to pet Piper too and says, “I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t want to hang with her.”
“Thank you. I need to head out, but please stay and make breakfast or whatever.” My mind is racing with every thought about what I’m going to be walking into at the lake as I head downstairs with Quinn and Piper following behind me. Quinn lets Piper out into the backyard and comes back into the kitchen as I’m rummaging around.
When I find what I’m looking for, I turn to Quinn. “I wish I could spend the morning with you, but I want you to know that last night was incredible, and I really, really like you,” I tell her, handing over the spare key to my house. If I had more time, I would contemplate how comfortable I am handing over a key to my house to this woman but I don’t, so I’m giving it to her anyway.
“It’s your job, Cooper, but I understand what you’re saying. I’m glad you enjoyed last night because I definitely did too. We can talk more later,” Quinn says, her eyes heating while a blush creeps into her cheeks. I want to throw her over my shoulder and take her back upstairs, but I can’t, and it’s killing me.
I cup her face and lean in to kiss her, making sure she knows exactly how I feel right now and how much I want her.
“I’m not sure how long I’ll be today, but I would like it if you stayed here again tonight instead of going home.” There are a million things I want to say to her but right now is not the time.
“Okay, call me when you can, and I’ll be here when you get back,” Quinn says. I nod at her and walk out the door before I lose all of my control.
Once I’m in my truck and headed to the lake, my mind immediately shifts to what’s waiting for me there. Despite my efforts, my thoughts go straight to the worst-case scenario.
If my gut is correct, this will be a first for Sonoma. Our town has always been safe. The only crimes that ever happen here are underage drinking, bar fights, and every now and then some stolen property. Although, if I’m being honest with myself, I feel like this has been headed our way since the very first B and E in Westlake.
A feeling of disquiet has blanketed the town since the first report, and that sensation has only amplified since then. With each new case being more aggressive than the last, our sense of safety has diminished and weakened. Knowing that my town feels unsafe and distressed has been a much larger weight on my shoulders than even I realized.
It’s my job to protect these people, and if they feel scared or uncertain then that’s on me. Protecting them should be my number one priority, but how do I protect them from something we’ve never encountered before? Something so unknown and feared yet so well studied there are textbooks on the subject.
It’s foreign and uncharted territory which, in turn, makes me feel out of control, and that is the crux of the issue. I do not have control of this situation and without it, I am unsure of how to lead.
I pull into the parking lot of the lake for a much different reason than the last time I was here. I hope Quinn is comfortable at my house. I feel bad having to leave her there, but I didn’t have any other options, and I definitely do not want her to go back to her house without me. With what I’m about to walk into, I’m not convinced it is safe anymore.
Looking around, I see a myriad of activities happening all at the same time. There are police cruisers and an ambulance parked as close to the beach as they can get. The lights on a few of the cruisers are flashing from red to blue, scattering their light across the other cars. A couple of deputies are standing back watching the parking lot, and I nod in their direction as I walk towards Todd who is standing by the building.
“What have we got?” I ask him when I get close enough. He turns and starts to lead me behind the tackle shop and into the woods.
“Female victim, early twenties. Tom was doing his normal checks of the grounds before opening up the marina and called it in.” He stops walking for a minute and turns to me. “Cooper,” he pauses and looks at me. It’s then I know this is going to be worse than any worst-case scenario I could’ve dreamed up. I see turmoil and revulsion swirling in his eyes. “It’s bad.”
Not in the least bit prepared for what I’m about to see, I nod my head for him to continue on, and it’s then I see the caution tape wrapped around the trees. Our deputies stand silently on the outer fringes as the medical examiner works in the middle.
As we get closer, the scene becomes clearer, and I almost wish I could stay on the edges with my deputies. I don’t want to go in there, but I owe it to the victim to do my job.
Ducking under the tape, I see her fully now. A sheet covers her body to give her some dignity. Her hands and feet are bound to stakes in the ground and spread out like a star. Her skin is so pale it has almost a bluish tint. The earth around her is stained dark from her blood, telling me she was brought here alive.
Everything about this scene points to one hard truth.
This was murder.
23
QUINN
Iwatch as Cooper pulls out of the driveway from the window over the kitchen sink. His tail lights fade down the road until I can’t see them anymore, and the silence of the house fills the room. I turn around and take in my surroundings. His kitchen is a U-shape and pretty modern with dark cabinets and countertops, masculine but still nice all the same.
My eyes catch the lone key on the counter and the significance of this morning wraps around me like a cherished blanket. I pull the edges of those feelings closer as I pick the key up and hold it in my hand.
