Dead Ringer. Sharon Dunn
He noticed though that the number of single guys on the force who mentioned having dates seemed to go up quite a bit after that.
William had even signed Eli up, but he’d missed the only two dates he’d agreed to because of work. He’d been twenty-six when he had caught the Spokane killer; now at thirty, his life was his work and that was fine with him. He couldn’t imagine a woman who would put up with the kind of hours he kept. He had nieces and nephews and mentored kids through the church youth group. He never sat at home, twiddling his thumbs and thinking about taking up watercolor painting.
Eli got out of his car and sauntered toward Lucy.
Her granite gaze told him all he needed to know. After a few words of instruction to the kids, she walked over to him. “The guy who called asking about the rental didn’t sound like you on the phone.”
“I had my partner call in and ask about it when I saw the newspaper ad.” She probably would have hung up on him. “I do need a place to live.”
Her chin jerked up slightly. “Wouldn’t you rather get a place closer to town?”
He had counted on meeting some resistance. “It’s not like there are a ton of rental choices. I like how quiet it is out here.”
She studied him for a moment. Her expression softened. “That much is true.” She kept her voice level, completely neutral. “It’s been vacant for a couple of months, and I really do need the income.”
If it was about money to her, fine. He’d stay close any way he could.
She stepped onto the wraparound porch, pulled a key from her pocket and opened the door. The house was clean and airy. Like her place, it had a loft. He would have taken it if it had been a dump.
“It’s nice. I like that it’s a furnished place. I didn’t bring a whole lot with me from Spokane,” he said. “I like being out in the country, but still minutes from town.”
“I like it, too. I’m close to the river, close to my work.” Lucy’s voice lilted slightly when she spoke about the river.
Eli wandered through the house, opened and closed the bathroom door. He had to at least look as if he was considering. He pointed at another door.
“That leads to a half basement—sump pump and hot-water tank are down there,” Lucy offered.
After a cursory glance into the bedroom, he opened the back door and stepped out on the porch.
“Be careful.” Her voice grew closer. “The floorboards on that side are old.”
Eli pressed his boot against a board that bowed from his weight. Several of the planks were broken and there were some gaps where wood should have been. He lifted his head. The air smelled of pine. The breeze brushed his cheeks. A guy could get used to this. “I definitely want to take it.”
Lucy came to the open door. “I’m glad to hear that.” She pointed to a hole in the porch. “My friend Nelson is coming this afternoon to help me fix this. I do upkeep as I get the funds.”
“The porch is not really what you notice when you step out here.” He pointed to the view of the open field and the surrounding evergreens.
“It’s the reason I stay.” A faint smile graced her lips.
Ah, so the way to this woman’s heart is to mention the beautiful landscape.
“I have rental forms for you to fill out. The lease is month-to-month.” She stood, twisting the knob. “Does that sound good to you, Detective Hawkins?”
Obviously, her name choice indicated she wanted the relationship to be about business. It would be nice though if she would call him by his first name. “I did a little digging into your robbery.”
“I did some work, too. I wrote out a description of what was taken. There wasn’t anything else missing from the room besides the jewelry and the fishing rod.” She stepped out on the porch and stood three feet from him. “What did you find out?”
“Couple down the road had a laptop and money taken a few weeks ago.”
She crossed her arms. The breeze stirred the wispy hair around her face. She gazed at him with wide, round eyes—blue eyes, just like the other victims.
“I don’t know if this is important or not, but I wasn’t supposed to be home the night of the robbery. I delayed a fly fishing clinic because of the storm. It rains a lot in May.”
“Who would have known you were gone?”
Lucy let out a gust of air. “Everyone.”
He chuckled. “Oh, I forgot, small town.”
She stepped away from him and stared out at the forest that surrounded her property. “What made you want to leave the city? I’m sure work in Spokane was more exciting.”
He chose his answer with care, not wanting to reveal more than he had to. “Change of pace.” He pressed on a weak floorboard with his foot. “So, the robber might have been surprised when you came down those stairs?”
“I hadn’t told anyone other than the clients that I decided to cancel.”
He hadn’t seen any sign of forced entry. “Your doors were unlocked?”
“I never had a reason to lock them…until now. I’m looking into getting a security latch for the window, too.”
Eli recalled the layout of Lucy’s house. “The thief could have entered from either door?”
Lucy shaded her eyes from the sun as she stepped farther out on the porch. “He probably entered from this side, the back side. There is a road beyond that forest where he could have parked his car.”
“So he entered by the door that led into the kitchen and left by the bedroom window.” If he had come up on the front side, neighbors might have seen his car. There had been some premeditation to the whole thing. Somehow, it just didn’t feel like some kid wandering the neighborhood looking for unlocked doors.
One of the teenage students, a girl with hunched shoulders and chubby cheeks, peeked around to the back side of the house. “Miss Kimbol, Tyler got his line snagged on a bush.”
“I’ll be there, Marnie.” She turned toward Eli after jumping off the porch. “Rent is due on the first, and there is a three-hundred-dollar deposit.”
She disappeared around the corner of the house.
Eli leaned against a porch post. That had gone better than he had hoped. She hadn’t been warm, but she hadn’t been hostile, either. He’d have to find a way to change that. It would be easier to protect her if she trusted him.
Solving her robbery and recovering the stolen items would go a long way toward rebuilding her confidence in the police. Finding out why her trust had been broken in the first place would help even more.
Shortly after a parent came for the last student, Lucy heard Nelson’s truck pull up and she bounded out onto the porch. Even before she had made her way to the truck, Lucy heard Eli’s tenor voice behind her.
“I could help out. I worked construction during college.”
She whirled around to face him. Eli’s hands hung at his sides. He squared his shoulders like a soldier waiting inspection.
Why was he being so nice? “I know I said I didn’t like the police. Believe me, I have my reasons. Are you offering to do repairs to prove to me that cops are okay?” If that was why he wanted to help, he would want to hear the whole story and she had no desire to revisit that part of her past. “Don’t feel like you have to be the police ambassador for Mountain Springs.”
Eli’s shoulders slumped. “I’m just trying to be a good neighbor.” He offered her a megawatt smile. “I won’t take no for an answer.”
She tilted her head skyward. Partly to show exasperation