AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Eva popped one of her ear buds free and glanced up from her computer into the clear blue eyes of Deputy Morris. “Pardon?” She’d been ignoring his presence; it was safer for him that way. The hospital wifi in the surgery waiting room was dreadfully slow and the lack of immediate progress exacerbated her edgy mood.
“The blinds. If your friend didn’t have a headache, why close them?”
“Why are you so hung up on the stupid blinds? Wouldn’t you rather be up on the post office roof trying to find a lead on the sniper?”
“Yes, but I’m assigned to you.”
She saw his resignation and understood it completely. “Outranked and outflanked.” She slumped in the chair and stared up at the ceiling. “We’re a sorry pair.”
“I could probably help you more if you’d talk about it.”
“Nothing to talk about until I know what’s what.” She closed her laptop. Defeat and getting stonewalled seemed to be the themes for her day.
“Why did he close the blinds?”
She groaned. “You are a broken record.” Putting one of her ear buds back in, she said, “I’m pretending you’re not here.”
“Fair enough, since I’d rather be anywhere else.”
That stung, even if she felt the same way. “Are the blinds that important to your report?”
“It was practically your first comment at the scene. You could veg with whatever’s on your playlist, but why not do something for the case? The wifi here sucks.”
“Gee, do you come here often?” She leaned away from the annoyed look he aimed at her.
“It’s common knowledge.”
Guilt slammed into her. He must have spent hours here at the hospital when his dad was sick and dying. Whether he meant the connectivity issues or his father’s death didn’t matter. What was wrong with her? Curt or abrasive she would own up to, but she’d never been accused of being completely insensitive. “Deputy M—”
“Carson.”
“Carson.” She swallowed, trying to clear the lump out of her throat. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend.”
“I know how you could make it up to me,” he said with a teasing half grin that held too much appeal.
She arched a brow and smothered the urge to grin back at him. “Only if your request applies to the official business we’re supposed to be discussing.” When he rolled his eyes she gave herself a point in whatever contest they were having. “To be clear, Bart isn’t some kind of traitor or double agent. He wasn’t at the window sending a signal. The only reason that makes sense is that Bart dropped the blinds because he was afraid for me.”
“Rightly so, it turns out.”
She shrugged. “Maybe.”
“You really aren’t convinced you’re the target?”
“Nope.” Denial was a beautiful thing and she’d indulge it on this topic until the last possible second. She leaned into him, close enough so no one else could hear, and the subtle, crisp scent of his cologne teased her nose. He didn’t seem like the cologne type, but she liked it. “Because we don’t reallyknowanything other than some idiot with a gun shot out a court house window.”
“Fair enough. So Bart’s trustworthy and the sniper is just a random idiot. Got any other theories that might lead to an arrest in this case?”
She was saved from telling him outright lies—or worse, the truth—when a young woman walked up sporting a hospital ID that read ‘S. O’Kelly’.
Hmm. With Haleswood’s modest population, it surprised her that she hadn’t met any of the O’Kellys yet. Unless mother O’Kelly had a thing for alliteration in naming her children, this was likely Carson’s prospect Shannon, as the sheriff had put it.
Blonde, blue-eyed, cheerleader type. Eva took in the details with the thoroughness of a jealous lover, which only added to her irritation with the whole day. Shannon and Carson would be a perfect, charming picture together.Ack. Hairball. It was one thing to feel possessive about a man she was dating. To feel this way about a man who’d only asked her out as a way to appease her boss was a new low.
“Ms. Battaglia?”
As if there was any real question. She was likely the only person in the room Miss O’Kelly didn’t know personally. She set her laptop aside and stood. “Is he out of surgery?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
