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She shook her head, sending her hair unraveling the rest of the way. She picked out the remainder of the hairpins. Just to make a statement, she put them in his tuxedo pocket, where a little white pocket square rested perfectly folded. “I do have something I want to talk to you about.”
If she could just remember what it was. The man was far too distracting.
Murdoch in jeans and polo was one thing.
Murdoch Lake in a perfectly fitted tuxedo and black cumber band was the stuff dreams to make a woman blush were made of. “Where did you get the penguin garb?”
It fit him far too well to have been rented.
“Little sister’s wedding. Ronnie had us all measured, trimmed, and spiffied right up for Celia’s big shindig. If you look closely, I’m sure Anthony is wearing the exact same set up. I look better, though. He’s just a dorky little nerd.”
“He looked very nice—very attractive. Nerds can be very attractive, you know.” His brother hadn’t been the least bit nerdy at all. He had that whole confidence thing going, too. “Marc will be looking for you—me, too—soon.”
“I think the good old governor is going to sacrifice me to the vampires or something.” His fingers trailed over her shoulders.
Zoey was not going to respond, not going to let him know how he’d affected her. Even though her skin burned where the man had touched. “There’s a meeting tonight.”
“So I’ve heard. You hold my hand and make sure I get where I need to be? I can get lost in a place like this.”
“I think you’ll find your way just fine.” And somehow—the crazy man had pulled her even further out into the garden. “I was going to call you tomorrow.”
“Missed me that much?” His arm hooked around her waist, and he pulled her to sit on a small bench near the fountain. Zoey just…went with it.
“Hardly. It’s business. I think.”
“How so?”
“I had a call today. Forwarded from your office. A call to my old line.”
“What did the caller want? Heavy breather?”
“Hardly. It was a little girl. She said…she was looking for her mommy. She told your dispatcher I was her mother. The dispatcher gave me the number she’d called from, but I think your dispatcher was confused.”
“Yeah, Gladys is new.”
She tried to think of any Gladyses she knew in Garrity. “Gladys Lockwood? She’s like…”
“Eighty-eight, she told me. We needed someone in the afternoons twice a week now. For about an hour. Neil hired her.”
“Isn’t she his grandmother?”
“Yes.”
“She said she’d remembered that the previous sheriff had had a daughter. I’m thinking she probably meant Pen.” People in Garrity had been exceptionally curious about Zoey and her sister. People didn’t often movetoGarrity. Especially a young, single woman with a teenager in tow. When the doctor had moved to town eighteen months ago, there had been practically an uproar. And a parade.
“She does pretty well. Just some details get a bit confused now and then. Neil usually handles the main line, but the nonemergency is next to her desk now. She’s still pretty sharp, and she was a bit bored at home. She wanted to spend some time with Neil. He’s her only family living nearby now. But you left town a year ago; she may not remember you exactly.”
“I need to find out where that child was calling from. It’s most likely a prank and I can’t spend a great deal of time on a prank call at this point. But if it’s genuine…” If it was genuine and she didnothing,and an innocent child was hurt—she would never forgive herself.
Kids in trouble—they wouldalwaysbe her trigger point. Zoey knew that to her soul.
“Tell me what this kid said. I’ll find her when I can. You know, when I’m not rescuing Killer from Peach the Fuzz, anyway.”
Zoey filled him on what she had. “She sounded so young, Murdoch. Afraid. If it’s real and not a voice clone or anything like that…”
“I’ll find her, babe. You can count on that.”
Well, actually, Zoey knew she could. Murdoch lived up to his word. He always had—even when he’d been annoying her along the way.
