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Bailey had never been so happy to see the TSP post in her life. She’d never been with Clay on a death notification call before. She hoped she never had to go with him on one again. The last hour had been one of the worst she’d ever had in an official capacity.
He hadn’t said a word since they’d left Todd Blaire’s parents’ home. The couple had been devastated. Todd had been their only son. He’d been engaged to a teacher at the Barrattville Elementary. When they left, the parents had been about to call Todd’s younger sister and give her the news.
His fiancée was on her way over now.
She’d never forget their pain.
Daniel McKellen, one of the detectives at Finley Creek, had been going to handle the other two death notifications. The couple had been from his neighborhood in Finley Creek, in their fifties, and driving too small of a car to have a chance.
She was just thankful that it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. Fifteen cars, a slick road, dark, rainy night. If they hadn’t have had two doctors on the road who’d stopped to help, they would have lost more.
The rain soaked her as she climbed out of the Tahoe. Bailey didn’t feel it.
She’d stopped feeling the rain several hours ago.
“Inside. Coffee. It’ll help.”
His order was soft. Bailey hated coffee. But she complied. She hurt in ways she hadn’t in a very long time. Down to her soul.
She was the first inside. Bailey paused in the small lobby, uncertain where to go next. The night dispatcher was away from her desk. A hot hand landed on her shoulder. Bailey jumped.
He was there. Right there.
“Clay?”
“Hmmm?” His hand was still on her.
“How are you supposed to forget tonight?”
“I don’t know. If I did...”
He pulled her closer. And wrapped his arms around her. Bailey just let him. Her tears mixed with the rain that soaked their clothes.
It didn’t matter one bit that anyone driving by could see exactly what they were doing. And they were unmistakable.
She was still in her uniform, and her hair was down her back and drenched.
It didn’t matter. All that mattered was that his arms were strong around her while she cried.