He didn’t believe her.
Over and over, that truth bored into her thoughts. Evangeline wanted to scream with the frustration of it all. She knew what she’d seen.
What she’d witnessed.
That woman had been shot in the alley, in a way that left no question murder was the intended outcome.
But there was no evidence. No sign of a struggle. Nothing that would indicate what she had seen had actually happened.
Although adrenaline still pumped through her in heavy, syrupy waves, Evangeline forced herself to focus. Yes, she had been edgy over the past several weeks. That feeling of being watched had become oppressive and cloying. Not to mention scary.
She also had to acknowledge that she was under a tremendous amount of stress with work and with the chilling reality of knowing Len Davison was out on the streets. She had always taken pride in working hard at her job and being a model employee. Yet over the past few months, all of that hard work and all of that effort had felt like it was for nothing.
The questions she had seen other people’s eyes. The questions that had rattled around in her own mind.
And now, the questions she saw in Troy Colton’s serious, hazel gaze.
He was a good cop. A good detective. She had worked around him long enough to know those things were true. She had to trust him, even if his initial response left her feeling vulnerable and alone.
“The dog didn’t pick up any scent at all?” she finally asked.
“No, not based on Brett’s text.”
“It doesn’t make sense. Any of it. I know what I saw. And even if the woman did survive, there would be some evidence of it. Troy, the man shot her at point-blank range.”
Despite that weird sense of being followed and the oppressiveness of feeling trapped in her own home, Evangeline knew what she had seen. She didn’t doubt herself. How did you doubt watching two people fight and another one pull out a gun and shoot the other?
Yet as the minutes ticked past, the inevitable questions crept in.
Was there some sort of stain already on that white shirt? Something she hadn’t noticed at first glance.
Had that fight been some sort of strange role-playing between the two of them?
Or worse, was it just two people, fed up and irritated with all that had been going on in Grave Gulch, simply having a fight? But even then, the dog would have found a scent.
“Why don’t we look at this from a different angle?” Troy said. “Was there anybody else around you when you saw the altercation in the alleyway?”
“No, there wasn’t. I was avoiding the protest happening at the opposite end of town and decided to go a different direction to get a slice of pizza.”
“So, no one was near you?”
“No, not at all,” she said.
“What made you look down the alleyway at all?”
Evangeline recognized the tactic. She had used it herself, many times, questioning a witness. It was an effort to get her to re-create the scene, and also give Troy an opportunity to see where there might be holes in her story.
“I understand how suspicious this looks. But I know what I saw. You’re not going to trip me up or get me to say something different.”
“That wasn’t my goal,” Troy said.
“Oh no?”
“No, actually I’m trying to see if we can find anyone to corroborate your story. Because while I recognize we haven’t found a lick of evidence, I saw your face when Brett and I arrived. And I know you, and I don’t believe you’re making up fake calls to nine-one-one about women being shot in alleys.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah. Oh.”
Evangeline considered his words, and that small moment of heat that had risen in his eyes when she had suggested he was trying to trip her up. Was it possible he did believe her?
Or more to the point, that he was on her side?
It had only been the past few weeks, since she was put on extended leave, that Evangeline had realized just how alone she was. Her job was consistently busy and she took a deep pride in doing it well, but the time spent with her own thoughts had been rather revealing.
She talked to her mother regularly, on their twice-weekly calls, but those remained light and airy, with Evangeline unwilling to say anything that might ruffle her. Her mother had spent far too many years dealing with the fallout of her father’s behavior, and Evangeline had no wish to add to the now stress-free life she led post-divorce.
Her father was different. They exchanged bland, cordial emails and the rare phone call to celebrate an annual holiday. A decision that suited them both but kept her life somewhat stress-free, as well.
Or, it had.
The Davison case and the truth that had come out of Randall Bowe’s deception had upended every bit of order she had managed to create in her adult life. Order that she now realized was dependent on keeping others at arm’s length. A fact that made the creepy sensation of being watched or the long, endless days with nothing to do suddenly overwhelming.
“Why don’t I drive you home?” Troy’s offer interrupted the direction of her thoughts and she was grateful for it.
“You don’t have to do that.”
“Sure I do. I can swing by and get you something to eat, too. You never did get dinner.”
The offer was thoughtful and a reminder of all she’d always believed about the good and upstanding Troy Colton. He was a consummate professional, focused on his job, but also unfailingly kind. A man who took care of others with a simple ease that often went unnoticed.
Only, she had noticed.
She’d noticed him often, burying her little crush on the attractive detective with a focus on work and a line of questions on whatever case they might be discussing. It would never do to show that side of herself. The one that was woman first, lawyer second.
She had been raised in a home that had proven women couldn’t have it all. She’d taken that learning into her own life and career and had never deviated from those beliefs.
It was only now, when she’d been forced to question all she held close, that she had to wonder if she’d been wrong all along.
Because it felt incredibly good to have a nice, thoughtful man to lean on.
Troy waited until Evangeline was buckled into the passenger seat of his SUV before he turned on the ignition.
Although there were still a few things he wanted to look into on the Davison and Bowe cases, based on the way his evening had gone Troy knew it was time to call it a day. He had connected with Brett shortly before heading out of the precinct to let him know he was done for the day, and Brett’s response was all Troy could want in a partner. After asking after Evangeline, Brett had promised he was going to put another couple of hours in on the Davison case and would follow up with an email on any notes he made.
They weren’t formal partners yet, Brett’s recent arrival in Grave Gulch ensuring he was still getting the lay of the land in the department, but the two men had found a good, working rhythm with each other. Troy knew the addition set Melissa’s mind at ease and his own thoughts had improved since he’d realized he had such a qualified person to help work through various cases.
It made it easier to leave tonight and take Evangeline home. He’d decided it was important to do that in his own car instead of in a police vehicle. As he pulled out of his parking spot, he briefly glanced at her face. She looked considerably less tense than when she had sat in the back of the cruiser.
“What are you hungry for?”
“You really don’t have to get me dinner.”
“I think I do. Especially since I’m stopping for something myself.”
“Okay. Well, what do you want to eat, then?”
He fought the smile at the ease with which she’d shifted the conversation—just like a lawyer—and went with honesty on his part. “A burger is always a good idea.”
“That is an excellent point. A burger sounds great.”
And he knew a local place that did pretty good carryout. Troy dialed them from his in-car dash, his phone quickly connecting. In a matter of minutes, he’d ordered two cheeseburgers and added the fries for good measure.
Based on the directions she’d shared, it wasn’t far to Evangeline’s condo and he was grateful for the extra time needed on the food prep to observe her a bit more. After navigating his way out of downtown, Troy turned into the parking lot of the burger joint. Cutting the ignition, he turned to face her.
“How have you been holding up?”
She hesitated for the briefest of seconds, as if weighing how much she was going to say, before she spoke. The trembling, upset tones he’d heard back at the precinct had faded, replaced by a layer of something he could only interpret as resignation.
“I’m fine. It’s been a bit jarring not waking up on a schedule every day, but I’m doing okay.”
“Honestly, I was a bit surprised when you mentioned that you were still out of the office. I heard the lightest rumblings when you went on leave but since I hadn’t heard anything else about it, I’d assumed you were cleared to return.”
“You did?”
“Yes. Which is good because it means your personal business is being kept private. As it should be.”
“It doesn’t make it any less embarrassing.”
Troy heard those notes of frustration once again lining her voice and he had to admit he would feel the same if the position was reversed. For him, being a cop was a calling. He had worked so hard to make detective and strived every day to make sure that he lived up to the responsibility of the badge.
While he knew a lot of his professional drive came from emotionally processing his mother’s murder, it wasn’t just Amanda Colton’s premature death when he’d been just a child that had affected him. The Coltons believed in justice, honesty and the value of hard work. It was important that they conveyed back to the public that their trust was placed in capable hands.
He wore the badge with honor and he had learned early in his career that others in the GGPD felt the same. He had certainly always believed that of his counterparts in the DA’s office, as well.
It was what made the situation with Randall Bowe so terrible. Yes, the man might be CSI, but he still had the responsibilities of a cop. Of protection. Of honesty. Of integrity.
And he’d betrayed all of them.
Evangeline let out a light sigh. “Embarrassing or not, thank you for telling me that. I assumed everyone knew about my situation.”
Her words pulled Troy out of the angry thoughts that always accompanied any mental wanderings about Bowe. The man had proven himself scum and it was Troy’s biggest wish to see him arrested and prosecuted to the full extent of the law. “You’re welcome.”
“You look sort of upset for a guy who’s about to eat a juicy cheeseburger. You want to talk about it?”
Troy shifted in his seat to look fully at Evangeline. She still had the big floppy hat on but had tucked her sunglasses away somewhere. The look didn’t diminish her beauty. Instead, the long waves of dark hair that had escaped her hat now fell down her back, soft, enticing and eminently touchable.
Shaking off the thoughts he had no business having, he keyed in on her observation. “Was I that obvious?”
“Kind of. Your face got a little squinty and your lips fell into a straight line. I figured something upset you.”
“What isn’t upsetting lately? Something is happening in Grave Gulch and it has been since the start of the year. My sister’s little boy, Danny, was kidnapped. Twice.” Troy shook his head, the mental anguish that Desiree had lived through not once, but twice, still fresh in his memory. “Then there’s the obvious situation with Davison and with Bowe. But even beyond the two of them, there have been some incredibly strange things that have happened to my cousins, too. There’s this general sense of unrest and unease and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to process.”
It felt good to say the words. To actually let out all of the things that had been bothering him the past several months. But it was because it felt good that Troy realized he should say nothing.
Police business was one thing. Family business was another. And the Coltons had certainly dealt with their fair share of both. His nephew’s recent kidnapping as well as his cousin’s run-in with a drug kingpin. It had all felt overwhelming at times.
Evangeline’s voice was gentle and pulled him back from the dark direction of his thoughts. “Although I haven’t been as closely in the loop as usual, I was very happy to hear that everything worked out okay for your sister. And also happy to hear she’s engaged.”
“Thank you. Desiree had a tough time there for a while. Her son, Danny, was at the heart of it all, at serious risk as a kidnapping target. Stavros has changed her life. Both their lives.”
“I can’t imagine anything scarier for a mother. Or for your family.”
He saw the genuine compassion in her face and recognized that even in the midst of her own troubles that day, Evangeline could still think of others.
Wasn’t that one of the things he was struggling with?
Of all the things they had discovered about Randall Bowe over the past few months, his lack of compassion for others had been the worst.
Recently, some of the GGPD had noticed a pattern—that Bowe’s behavior appeared tied to the ending of his marriage. Although they were still technically married, the relationship was now over. Melissa’s discussion with Bowe’s wife had confirmed that, his wife confessing that things had gone bad after her infidelity.
The GGPD had determined that it was that betrayal that indicated which cases Bowe played with in the CSI files. A cheating spouse or a relationship gone sour? Consistently, Bowe tampered with those files.
It indicated someone who not only lacked compassion for others, but who could only assuage his own feelings of anger by hurting other people.
Danny’s initial kidnapping, from the wedding of Mary Suzuki, had been the first clue that ultimately broke the case wide open. The note that came after his nephew’s kidnapping had been very clear. The GGPD needed to reopen a case that had been handled improperly if they wanted the boy back. The kidnapping was an act of desperation by the grandmother of a woman whose case had been mishandled from the start. Everleigh Emerson had been innocent of her estranged husband’s murder, but the evidence had been fairly clear-cut against her.
Or it had appeared clear-cut.
In the rush to get Danny back, Troy and the rest of the GGPD had listened to the warning in the note and done what was asked of them. From there, it was only a matter of reading Randall Bowe’s files more closely, and then they’d begun to find inconsistencies.
As tactics went, Troy was still seething over the approach taken to use his nephew as bait, but no one could argue with the outcome. Bowe’s crimes had been uncovered. Everleigh was innocent of murdering her husband, had never cheated on the man as Bowe had believed, and remained equally innocent of any involvement in Danny’s kidnapping. A fact that had brought her even closer to his family.
When the man who had actually murdered her husband came after Everleigh, Troy’s cousin Clarke had put all of his PI skills into finding the real killer and keeping her safe. So safe that Everleigh was about to become a Colton, her and Clarke’s intense time together having led to love.
He couldn’t help but compare that situation to Evangeline’s.
Confused at the direction of his thoughts—she was hardly a victim like Everleigh—Troy brushed them aside with brisk efficiency. It was fine to think this woman was attractive. It was another to let those thoughts of her cloud his judgment when it came to handling cases.
Instead, he fell back on his training and the polite veneer he used in any and all situations. The “Colton polish,” as he’d heard fellow townsfolk refer to it, never failed. “Thank you for that. I know my sister really struggled to find any sense of peace and normalcy for a while. It helped that the motive for kidnapping Danny was discovered and dealt with.”
“How? I mean, I know he was kidnapped but I never heard the reason why.”
Troy was surprised Evangeline didn’t know the story. “I guess the GGPD and the DA’s office aren’t talking as much as I thought.”
“Maybe that’s part of the problem,” Evangeline muttered.
“You think?”
For the first time since he came upon her outside the alleyway, Troy saw a spark of the Evangeline he knew and admired. It lit the depths of her eyes and framed her voice in a layer of passion and determination. “We’re matched resources, right? Law enforcement captures the criminals and the DA’s office prosecutes them. Yet here are two very intimate issues that neither of us knew details about. You barely knew I was on leave, save for a few light whispers. And I had no idea your nephew’s case had been solved. Twice.”
“I’m sure Arielle was trying to give you your privacy with respect to your leave.” Arielle Parks, the well-respected Grave Gulch County DA, was under a ton of scrutiny herself. He could only imagine she wanted to shield her staff as much as possible.
“And I am more grateful for that than I can say. But it still doesn’t change the fact that our organizations should be talking more.”
He was prevented from saying anything by the ping on his phone that said the order was ready.
As he got out of the car to go retrieve their burgers, Troy couldn’t help but take Evangeline’s impassioned words to heart. It had meant a lot to him to sit and talk with her, openly and honestly, about all that had happened in Grave Gulch since the new year.
More than he would have ever thought possible.
Evangeline directed Troy through town and back toward her condo complex. She’d lived in the elegant building for about three years now, her home a product of years of saving as much as possible and then the satisfaction of building a place in the world that was all hers.
She directed him to a parking area in front of her building and then quickly got out of the car before he could come around to help her. It was hard to explain, but she felt as if they had reached some sort of intimacy as they sat and talked while waiting for the burgers. She knew Troy Colton, obviously, but didn’t actually know him. To talk the way they had, in the car and before, while they sat at the precinct, had meant something. Even there, he was in full cop mode but he never made her feel badly.
That ability to talk, engage and, ultimately, to understand—that was a skill. One she knew was incredibly valuable for someone in law enforcement. Because in the end, wasn’t that all anyone wanted? A fair shake. The feeling of being listened to.
The feeling that they mattered.
Of course, she acknowledged to herself, it also helped that she wasn’t accused of anything.
Yet, a small voice whispered in her ear.
“Evangeline?”
She turned to see Troy’s expectant face staring up at the building. “Sorry, I was woolgathering. I’m right down this way. The third door.”
“I guess I’ve been a bit presumptive.” Troy held up the brown paper bag. “But I assumed we would have dinner together.”
“Oh, yeah, sure, that would be great.”
It’s not a date. It’s not a date. It’s not a date. She mentally whispered those words to herself over and over as she unlocked the door, flipped on the lights and invited him into her home.
“Here, let me take that.”
“Oh, no, ma’am, this is door-to-door service. Just direct me to the kitchen.”
She smiled at that and pointed down the small hallway that led to her kitchen. “Right down there, then.”
It was simple, but his silliness was enough to set her back at ease. This wasn’t a date and she was perfectly capable of sharing a meal with a man. But that didn’t mean it couldn’t feel nice to have a houseguest. Someone to talk to.
Something that would break the monotony of what she had been living with for the past few weeks.
Evangeline followed him into the kitchen, heading for the cabinet where she kept plates. Troy had already torn open the bag, the scents of cheeseburgers and fries filling the room with a delicious aroma that had her stomach growling.
“That smells amazing. Burgers were an inspired idea.”
“They usually are.” Troy smiled. “I also find they help on the days when I had a really big adrenaline rush and need an energy pick-me-up. Are you doing okay?”
The concern was completely unexpected. “Yeah, I’m okay.”
“All right. I just wanted to check.” He turned back to the burgers, busy setting the wax paper–wrapped halves onto plates.
“I can tell by your tone of voice that you don’t believe me.” The words came out more accusatory than she’d intended, yet Evangeline found she couldn’t quite pedal them back.
“I believe you. My question is if you believe yourself.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“You’ve been under a lot of stress. It’s okay not to have all the answers, or to be perfect.”
Although she had appreciated the sharing of confidences in the car, this felt like a bit too much intimacy. And it cut a little too close to home. “You don’t know anything about my life, Troy. I’m telling you I’m okay, because I am okay.”
She eyed him but refused to engage any further. She’d spent her life trying to one-up her father in conversation and when confronted like this, all she wanted to do was back off and curl up into herself.
In the courtroom, she never backed down.
In her personal life, she backed away so quickly she left proverbial tire tracks in the dirt.
“All right, then.” He shrugged before handing her a plate. “You’re okay.”
The “damn right” was on the tip of her tongue but she held it back, refusing to give him any satisfaction.
Settling in at the table, she had just pulled a napkin onto her lap when his phone went off. He set his plate on the table and dug his phone out, frowning as he stared down at the face. “Excuse me.”
Troy left the kitchen, all signs of the lighthearted dinner companion who’d followed her into the house vanishing.
All she saw was the stiff and stoic back of a cop.
How had their conversation turned so quickly? One minute he was teasing her about door-to-door service and the next she was backing away like she’d been stung by a rattlesnake. Of course, she couldn’t quite forget the personal snapback in between.
Way to welcome your guest, Whittaker.
She left her burger on her plate, unwilling to start eating before he came back, but she did sneak a fry as his words drifted toward her from the hallway.
“What did CSI say about the alley?”
CSI?
He hadn’t mentioned putting CSI on anything. Sure, Detective Shea and his K-9 had looked into the surrounding area but they’d sent more cops down there, too?
And what would they have back in hand so quickly? She understood the processing of evidence took time. No matter how riveting a TV crime drama, securing evidence simply didn’t work the way it was portrayed in entertainment. Add on the fact that Sunday night at the GGPD wasn’t exactly crawling with CSI experts on duty and his questions to whomever was on the other end of the phone were a puzzle.
It was only when he walked back into the kitchen, grim-faced, that Evangeline felt those frissons of fear she’d finally managed to force back on the ride home rise up again in full force.
“What happened?”
“CSI combed the alley for evidence.”
“You didn’t tell me that.” The accusations were back but Evangeline didn’t care. Was this the way he operated? A few nice words and dinner, all while keeping a suspect on the hook?
For the first time, she saw the heat and sparks of anger fire up under her direct gaze. “I didn’t need to tell you that. It’s part of my job and as an assistant district attorney, you’re well aware of that. In fact, if I hadn’t sent out a CSI team your office would be on my ass for violating proper protocol.”
He was right.
Damn it all, he was 100 percent right.
And still, she felt a tiny sting of betrayal she couldn’t quite define.
“And suddenly CSI works overtime on a Sunday night?”
“They do when a serial killer is on the loose in my jurisdiction.”
Damn. Once again, he had an answer. And once again, she had to admit it was the right one. More than right. It was proof the GGPD was determined to take any and all action to get a killer off the streets.
“Our jurisdiction, Troy. We’re in this together.”
He nodded, even as his face remained grim. “Yes. Ours.”
She appreciated his ready agreement, even as she couldn’t get past the broader issue at hand. “Killer or no killer, CSI can’t process evidence that quickly.”
Troy sighed but his gaze never left hers. Never dropped in the split second before he delivered bad news. “They can when there isn’t any evidence to process.”