Friday, David knocked on Whitney’s front door and waited. They’d agreed to go out to dinner tonight, but Whitney had decided they should stay in.
“I’m afraid to take Shelby out of the house.” Two days had passed with no incidents, but that didn’t mean they were safe. If it made her feel better to have her baby in her sights right now, he certainly understood. He also figured the baby would serve as a buffer to keep him from getting too close.
She opened the door with a smile playing across her lips. A smile that left him speechless. She looked amazing in a casual denim sundress and strappy sandals, her blond hair falling around her face.
In her uniform, she was impressive.
In a dress, she was a knockout.
“Come in,” she said waving him in with her hand in the air. “I ordered delivery from the steak house. It should be here in fifteen minutes. Have a seat, and I’ll go get Shelby.”
“Okay.” He followed her inside and patted Hunter’s head, sensing that she still wasn’t sure about this date. “Hey, big boy. How you doing?”
Hunter enjoyed being scratched between the ears.
“He’s looking forward to a night of rest,” Whitney said. “And so am I.”
David sat down on the blue chair, Hunter at his feet. “Long week, huh?”
“Yes. And today was the longest. I’ve been pulling files all day, hoping to find clues.”
That explained things. She was exhausted and probably preoccupied with watching her back. Better that they stayed here, even if it did mean things would be more intimate.
Whitney came back into the living room, little Shelby in her arms. The baby shot a smile toward David, but he was pretty sure Shelby was really smiling at her buddy Hunter. The dog seemed to have a special bond with the baby.
“Need any help?”
She sat down and stretched some bright green baby socks that mimicked real shoes over Shelby’s kicking feet. “No. By the way, Chief Jones pulled me aside yesterday and told me to do some asking around regarding a few cold cases.”
“That sounds dangerous.”
“Not really. A lot of what we do involves pounding the pavement and asking the right questions. It’s the boring part of our job, but it’s still the best way to follow through on leads.”
David watched her with her baby and wished she’d chosen another profession. No wonder Lucas worried about her. But it wasn’t David’s place to protest Whitney’s work. She was more than capable of doing her job.
And yet, he also pictured this same image in a different frame that included him coming home after a long day to kiss his wife and baby.
Whoa. He needed to clear that image right out of his head. Whitney wasn’t his wife, and Shelby wasn’t his daughter.
“Just be careful,” he said to hide the awareness racing throughout his system.
Whitney finished gathering Shelby’s things. “I will. Routine stuff.” Then she did a little pivot. “I’m still missing her other white bootie. The dryer seems to eat them.”
“Well, she looks great,” David said, watching as she put Shelby into her play swing. “A well-dressed little girl.” Then he looked at Whitney. “And her mother is a well-dressed woman.”
Whitney’s smile widened as something like heat lightning sizzled between them.
After they settled on the couch and started munching on chips and salsa, she turned to David. “I need you to know the truth, David. The chief finally gave me permission to pursue something I’ve had on my mind for a while now. I’m working on my own time tomorrow to find out what really happened to Brian Miller.”
David saw the shadows falling across her face. “Who’s that?”
“One of the rookies from last year’s class. He died in a house fire last summer, on the night of the police dance. It’s a fund-raising event we hold every year. I believe someone murdered him. I’ve always believed that, along with a couple of others. Now the chief thinks so, too.”
David let that soak in. “Okay. Does this have anything to do with the dog trainer’s murder?”
“It could,” she said. “We need to establish some sort of connection between all the deaths with the K9 Training Center in common—the two K9 rookies, Melanie Hayes, who was the wife of a then rookie, and the lead dog trainer.”
David could understand that. “Makes sense.”
Whitney glanced at Shelby and then looked straight into David’s eyes. “I have another important reason to investigate Brian’s death,” she said. “He’s the father of my baby.”
David stared back in shock, thinking that now a whole lot of other things were beginning to make sense, too.
“So you had a thing for a fellow rookie?”
“We weren’t rookies yet,” she corrected him. “We went through training together.” She kept checking on Shelby. The baby kicked her chubby legs. “But it was more than just a thing to me. I thought... Well, never mind what I thought. It didn’t work out.”
David could see it all now. “Did he know about your pregnancy before he died?”
She shook her head. “No. Brian lived in a house in another town about twenty miles from here. He worked part-time as a security guard at a strip mall near his house, so he stayed there most of the time, even when he was training at the center with the rest of us.”
She closed her eyes. “I fell for him right away. I was naive, and I hadn’t had a serious boyfriend since high school. Brian made it so easy.”
Shelby started fussing, her little feet gearing up for a tantrum.
“She’s getting hungry,” Whitney said. “I can go ahead and feed her, since our food isn’t here yet.”
David lifted Shelby up out of her little playpen. “And we can finish this conversation while you’re at it.”
* * *
Whitney wished she hadn’t just blurted it out, but she had to tell David sometime. Better tonight, before she got involved in searching for answers. Tonight they could have a few quiet hours. Tomorrow she’d get serious about these deaths.
Whitney put Shelby in her high chair and offered her a cracker while she prepared the tiny jar of baby food. “We weren’t supposed to fraternize. But going over to his house for pizza and movies didn’t seem like fraternizing. It felt so natural, so right. We became an item even though we tried to keep it a secret. I thought I’d found the one, at last.”
“But it didn’t turn out that way?”
“No.” She wished she could sugarcoat it, but Shelby was living proof of how far Brian and she had taken things. “We were halfway through training when I realized I might be pregnant. I did a home pregnancy test, got tested at our clinic here and followed up with a doctor in another town, just to be sure and to set up health care for my baby. When I got a positive confirmation, I immediately went to Brian’s house to tell him. And found him with another woman.”
David’s frown clouded with anger. “What?”
“Yes. Kissing her and telling her pretty much all the same things he’d been telling me. I saw them and heard all of it through the open window by the front door.” She smiled while she spooned carrots and peas into Shelby’s little mouth. “I left before he saw me through the window. The police dance was the next weekend. We were supposed to meet up there, and I thought maybe if I told him he was going to be a father, he’d...change.”
She blinked back the tears that always stayed right below the surface, the tears she refused to shed. “But he never made it to the dance. His house burned down that night.”
David stayed quiet for a couple of minutes, but Whitney could tell he was doing the math in his head. “So you decided not to complete the training?”
“How could I?” she said after she’d finished feeding Shelby. “It was too risky, and besides, I’m pretty sure I would have gotten kicked out anyway.” She shrugged. “I had a little money saved up from the job I left in Tucson to become a police officer. I went back to work for the insurance company until I had Shelby.”
“So you had a job, health insurance and a place to stay in Tucson. Shelby was born there?”
“Yes.” Wiping at Shelby’s dimpled face, she tried to explain. “Once I was settled there, I planned to tell my brother. But I kept putting it off. And then, of course, I got the news that he’d been wounded and had died.” Putting her elbows on the table, Whitney knuckled her hands against her chin. “I wish I’d told him. He would have been angry and worried, but Lucas would have loved being an uncle.”
David finally looked up and into her eyes. “Yes, Lucas would have loved Shelby.”
“I’ve made a mess of so many things,” Whitney said. “But I thank God every day for Shelby and for the lessons I’ve learned. I’m trying to be a good mother to her. I won’t be so naive next time, though.”
And she needed to remember that pledge each time her feelings for David made her become all mushy and hopeful. Shelby was her first priority now. She had to guard her heart and take care of her little girl.
He gave her a wry smile, followed by a serious look of appraisal. “And yet you’re determined to prove that her father was murdered.”
“Yes,” she said. “Brian might not have been the best choice as a boyfriend but...he would have been a good police officer. And I’d like to believe that whether he loved me or not, he would have been a good father to Shelby. He can’t have that chance now, but I can find out who took his life.”
“And what if that person comes looking for you, too, Whitney? What happens then?”
She hadn’t thought about that, but it wouldn’t stop her. “I don’t intend on letting that happen,” she replied. “Everyone is so caught up in Veronica’s murder that I don’t think I’ll have to worry about them noticing anything different.”
She didn’t tell him that she’d already pored over Melanie Hayes’ file, gone back to the houses near the Hayes ranch and questioned neighbors. But the only thing she’d found out was from a widow who said Melanie often took that path home since she loved to walk for exercise.
That could mean someone had been watching her or knew her well enough to be aware of her habits.
“Unless these deaths are connected to Veronica’s death,” David said, bringing Whitney back to the present. “You said yourself the same person might have committed all of these murders.”
She knew she shouldn’t tell him anything more, but she wanted to be honest. “Chief Jones has finally given me the go-ahead to do some more digging. Brian knew a lot of people, and he probably left a few broken hearts in his wake. I need to find out who might have had it in for him, because I know this was no accident. Even if I didn’t want to do this, which I do, the chief put me on this case.”
“Yes, since you’ve made it known how you feel.”
“The other rookies are beginning to agree with me.” She watched as Shelby’s eyelids started drooping. “Shouldn’t I let him know my suspicions, especially if we all have concerns?”
“Yes. I can’t argue with that. You’re a good cop. You were right to go to your superior with this.”
“Well, everyone pretty much feels the same now that we’ve been comparing notes,” she said. “None of it makes any sense if the deaths aren’t connected.”
“No, it doesn’t. I get why you’re so determined,” he said. “You’re also investigating this on your own time. Are you obsessed with this because you couldn’t save Brian?”
“Yes, I am,” she admitted. “I’m obsessed with finding out the truth.” She lifted Shelby out of her little chair and held her tight. “I can’t seem to find any closure. I’ll always wonder if he might have been a good father to Shelby, even if he clearly didn’t love me.”
David jabbed a chip into the spicy dip. “It won’t bring him back.”
“No, but it will bring about justice. That’s all I have left to show my daughter what real honesty and integrity are all about.”
“I can see why you’d want that. So no problem. I mean, you don’t need my permission anyway.”
But she wanted his approval for some reason. His opinion mattered to her, even if she’d only known him for a week. Reminding herself not to rush into anything, she took a deep breath. Holding Shelby, she glanced at the clock in the kitchen.
“The food is late. I’m sorry.”
David stood up and turned to stare into the empty fireplace.
“We won’t be able to hang out as much,” she told him. “Maybe you should leave and get on with your life.”
“I am getting on with my life,” he said, pivoting to face her. “But I’m not leaving Desert Valley yet.”
“I just told you—”
“I know. You’ll be busy.” He leaned in, his tone even and firm. “But you won’t be alone. I’m going to help you find out the truth, whether you like having me around or not.”
Before she could protest, the doorbell rang. Whitney grabbed some cash and hurried to answer it. David took the baby so she could pay the delivery person and take the food.
When the door opened, Whitney was surprised but handed the skinny blond-haired man the money. “Thank you. Keep the change.”
The man moved into the room and handed Whitney the big bag full of food. “You two have the cutest little girl.”
That innocent comment did not go over well.
Whitney’s eyes crashed with David’s, embarrassment and awareness hitting her in the gut. “Uh...she’s mine. David is just a friend.”
The scrawny man watched as Whitney took the food and set it on the nearby table. Then he stepped back and drew a pistol out from underneath his lightweight jacket. “Too bad.”