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“We need you to check locations for one more thing. Wells. Not the kind with the pump above ground but the old ones. Those not used anymore. Is there such a place to look?”
“Yes, sir. The water district should have a list going back fifty years. They’ve been tracking those old wells to seal them.”
“Good enough, Deputy. Don’t let me keep you.”
She grinned at him. “Yes, sir.”
He was still standing in his doorway when the front door to the station opened and Harry and Wanda came in carrying a huge coffee urn and a stack of boxes.
“Thought y’all could use some decent coffee,” Harry announced. “It’s all made and hot. We just need to plug this thing in. And that’s all the donuts and rolls I had. Lean pickings for breakfast tomorrow, but they’ll survive.”
“Harry, if you weren’t so ugly, I’d kiss you,” Cole said.
They carried everything into the conference room and set it up on the long table. He and Scott each drew a cup of coffee and went back to his office. The two men drank in silence, just staring at each other across the desktop.
The hot brew settled through Cole’s system, washing away some of the fatigue and giving his brain a kick-start. But he felt as if he’d been up for days and discouragement sat heavy on his shoulders.
“Why don’t you take a break?” Scott suggested. “My guess is you’ve been short on sleep since the Pritchard girl’s body was found. Gaylen’s going to need a break pretty soon and if you’re dead on your feet, you won’t be able to give it to him.”
“I don’t know if I feel right about that,” Cole protested.
“Why not? Things are wrapping up at the Marquez house, and everyone will be back here before long. I’m going to the High Ridge Motel to crash myself.” He gave a short laugh. “Maybe if I close my eyes as soon as I walk in, I won’t have to look at that godawful spread. So go on. I’ll need you back here when the chopper arrives.”
“You’re right.” Cole drained his cup, crushed it, and tossed it in the trash. “I think I’ll do that. I’ll get someone to spell Kelly on the computer, check in with Gaylen, then get an hour or two of sack time.”
He stopped to call the hospital and learned Stacy Corona was still under heavy sedation. She’d woken up once and was so hysterical Barry had to put her under again. Her husband hadn’t left her side, sitting in the chair next to the bed clutching her hand in a death grip.
“I’ll check back in the morning,” Cole said before hanging up.
The circle of lives being damaged by this whole thing just kept widening.
After telling the deputy handling dispatch to call him in four hours, he finally headed out to the parking lot. He had to force himself not to speed as he headed for his house. In front of the house, he speed dialed Dana’s number on his cell.
She picked up at once. “Cole?”
“There better not be any other man calling you at this hour of the night.” He tried to inject a little humor in his voice.
She laughed softly. “Where are you?”
“In front of the house.” He beeped his horn twice.
“I’ll be right there.”
He wanted to see her. Needed to see her. He felt steeped in filth and needed her presence to cleanse him.
The front door opened, and she stood there in her sleep shirt, holding the phone to her ear, a smile playing on her lips. “You gave the right signal, so get yourself inside.”
He was out of the truck and on the porch in seconds, stuffing his phone into his pocket. As if they’d been doing it forever, he reached for her and she wound her arms around his neck. The kiss was so full of fire he thought they would burn up just from touching each other. Lips and tongues and teeth collided. Hands explored bodies that pressed hard against each other. When they broke the kiss, they were both breathless.
“I think the first order of business is a shower,” she told him. “Let’s get the traces of the crime scene off of you.”
How had she known that was exactly what he needed? He let her lead him to the bathroom—hisbathroom. Her small hands tugged at his clothes, unbuttoning buttons, unzipping zippers, unbuckling buckles. When his clothes lay in a heap on the floor, she let her eyes roam over him, taking in every detail. When she got to his erection, her eyes widened, and she wet her bottom lip with her tongue.
“I had a little more than staring in mind,” he said with a touch of humor.
The pulse at her throat was beating harder. She reached around him and turned on the shower, then waited for him to step inside.
“Go on,” she urged. “It will feel good.”
