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Since Andrew was on duty, Kat followed him in her own car. Her heart thumped against her ribs as she drove, her mind running through different scenarios that all ended with Matty or Tom injured by a violent intruder. Tom was so friendly he would undoubtedly run right up to a burglar in search of belly rubs. He didn’t know that people could be evil. If anyone had hurt either of her cats . . . Kat gripped the steering wheel as panic clawed at her throat. She didn’t want to think about that.
She pulled up to her apartment building seconds after Andrew. She veered into the first space she saw, cut the engine, and jumped out of the driver’s seat, beating Andrew to the door.
The main entrance was propped open, and Larry was standing just inside the lobby. He didn’t look happy. She figured he was probably the person who had noticed the break-in and phoned the police.
“Matty and Tom,” she wheezed out, winded by her sprint across the parking lot. “Tell me. Are they okay?”
Larry frowned. “Why wouldn’t they be?”
“You didn’t see them?” Kat’s eyes darted from left to right as though she might spot her pets milling around the lobby.
“Aren’t they in your apartment?”
“Yes—or they were when I left.”
Larry shrugged. “Then they should be all right.”
Kat pursed her lips. It was becoming clear that Larry might not have been the person to alert the police after all. Did he even know about the break-in?
Well, Kat wasn’t going to stop to fill him in, at least not until she knew Matty and Tom were okay.
Her sense of urgency renewed, she eyed the elevator. But Larry was like a slab of concrete blocking her path.
“I need to get upstairs,” she told him, shoving her fists in her coat pockets so she wouldn’t be tempted to push him aside. “My place has been burglarized.”
Larry’s forehead furrowed. “You sure?”
“Of course I’m sure. Andrew got the call just now.”
Andrew joined them. “Your place is fine, Kat.”
She wheeled around to face him. “You said somebody broke in.”
He shook his head. “Somebody broke into your apartment building, not your unit.”
Kat processed that, some of her fear subsiding when she realized that Matty and Tom must be safe after all. She must have misunderstood Andrew earlier. It seemed she was doing a lot of that this weekend.
Andrew pulled out a notepad and pen. “So, Larry, tell me what happened.”
Larry eyed the door, a scowl marring his face. “Some hoodlum messed with my lock. See how he bent the frame?”
Andrew gave the doorframe a cursory glance before he surveyed the lobby. “He take anything?”
Larry shook his head. “He didn’t get that far. I was getting off the elevator when I caught him waltzing in like he owned the place. Once he saw me, he took off.”
“You get a good look at the guy?”
“He was tall and all bundled up like we were expecting a big snowstorm, but that’s about all I saw.” Larry shrugged. “This will sound cliché to you, but it all happened so fast I wasn’t paying much attention.”
Andrew nodded. If he was disappointed by Larry’s response, he didn’t let on.
“I did see his car though,” Larry said. “Looked like a black Chevy Cruze.”
Andrew scanned the parking lot. “You get the license plate number?”
“No, but I can tell you it had tinted windows.”
Kat conjured up an image of the dark sedan she had nearly collided with on her way to Andrew’s house that morning, before she had spotted him outside Flowers by Barbara. Could it have been the same car? If the driver had been in a hurry to distance himself from the floral shop, that might explain why he had nearly sideswiped her. Maybe she hadn’t been the one speeding after all.
“What are you thinking, Kat?” Andrew asked. “You have that pensive look on your face.”
“You know who drives the car I’m talking about?” Larry chimed in.
“No, but I saw it too,” she told them. “And if my hunch is correct, whoever broke in here is quite likely the same person who broke into Flowers by Barbara this morning.”
Larry’s eyes widened a fraction. “Flowers by Barbara got robbed?”
“Yes, except Barbara said nothing was taken,” Kat replied. “At least, nothing that she noticed.”
Andrew’s eyes narrowed. “How do you know about that?”
“Oh, I . . . stopped by there this morning,” Kat stammered.
“What business did you have there?”
She thought fast. “I wanted to ask about some flowers. For work.”
Andrew continued to scrutinize her with those piercing eyes of his that seemed capable of seeing straight into her soul. His intensity made her skin itch, and she had to fight the urge to fidget.
Wait a minute. Why should she be the one who felt as though she’d been caught doing something wrong? Andrew was the one whose secrets had driven her to check up on him in the first place. If he wasn’t acting so strangely, she would currently be lounging around her apartment, enjoying a lazy Saturday morning.
“Think these two hoodlums are the same guy?” Larry asked Andrew. “There aren’t too many thugs in Cherry Hills with lock-picking skills.”
“It’s too early to say.” Andrew scribbled something on his notepad before slipping it back into his breast pocket. “But I’ll inspect the parking lot before I leave, see if whoever broke in here left anything behind while he was fleeing the scene.”
Larry smacked the door with his palm. “And I’m going to install a heavy-duty lock on this thing. No sense in inviting trouble twice.”
“Good plan.” Andrew took a step outside. “I’ll let you know if I find anything.”
Larry didn’t look up, his attention already fixed on the door as though he were taking stock of the parts and tools he would need. “Thanks, Andrew.”
Kat followed Andrew into the parking lot. “You know,” she said when they were out of Larry’s earshot, “Sheila said something to Larry yesterday about investing in a security system.”
Andrew stopped walking. “She did?”
“Uh-huh. Seems rather coincidental that less than twenty-four hours after she moves here somebody tries to break in, don’t you think?”
Andrew pulled his pen out of his pocket and used it to poke at a patch of dirt. Kat developed the distinct impression that he was avoiding her gaze, and exasperation bubbled up her chest.
“Don’t you have anything to say?” she demanded.
Andrew sighed as he straightened back up. “Kat, I know what you’re doing.”
She blinked. “What am I doing?”
“You’re trying to get me to talk about something I already told you I can’t discuss.”
She wedged her hands on her hips. “So, what? Now I can’t even share a simple observation without you getting all defensive?”
Andrew’s jaw tensed. “Kat, I have a job to do. Now’s not the time.”
“Well, then . . . are you busy tonight?”
“Yeah.”
She had to bite her tongue to keep herself from asking whether he had plans with Sheila.
Andrew laid his hand on her arm. “I’ll tell you what. Why don’t I take you out to dinner tomorrow night?”
The affection reflected in his eyes neutralized her anger. “You’d better.”
Andrew grinned, those dimples of his that she loved so much sending a little flutter through her stomach. “I promise, tomorrow I’m all yours. But right now I have to get back to work.”
“Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
Andrew waved before resuming his hunt for evidence. She smiled, warmth spreading through her despite the chilly winter air. Although he still hadn’t volunteered much information, the rift between them didn’t feel as severe as it had ten minutes ago. Maybe they would be back on good terms again after dinner tomorrow.
She just wished she knew what he was hiding about Sheila.
