The phone clicked off and he replaced the receiver. Why would the family, specifically Lynda Hudson, not want law enforcement to know the results of her step-daughter’s tests? The baby maybe, but this level of secrecy seemed like something more. What, Greg couldn’t fathom.

  ****

  That bodyguard blocked Tyson’s angle. He couldn’t see the cards Nova held. But he saw the rest. It would have to be enough.

  “Full house.” Nova laid down her winning cards for the third time in a row.

  “You may have met your match, Grunley.” Mystery leaned back and pushed his hat further on top of his head.

  Tyson smiled. Maybe losing wasn’t bad for his overall game, but for his overall goal it was a disaster.

  Nova motioned for her man to lean down. Then he disappeared out the door. Tyson could finally see all the cards. Now was his shot. He was going to make this right.

  Once he won for the night, he would be almost finished. He just needed a little more.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Ericka had Quinn move once she was certain why she was still winning. She sent him outside to call about the players. Tyson looked as happy as a lark.

  Ericka lost the next game. She could have won the next two but refrained.

  “Sorry. Looks like you lost your mojo, lady.” Mystery actually looked sad. “I guess you won’t be coming back.”

  Ericka shook her head and let out a whimper as she bit her knuckle. Once the night ended her purse was considerably lighter. She rose to her feet. “It’s been a pleasure meeting you.”

  Tyson leaned back. “Come back anytime.”

  Her eyelid twitched. She thought it was a nice touch. “Oh, I’ll be back.”

  Heat from the other players stares struck her back, but she kept going. Cool air from outside hit her flushed cheeks. Outside, Quinn opened the car door, and she slid onto the cracked leather. Once he was behind the wheel, he said, “Did you lose?”

  “I’m proud to say, I finally did.”

  “Did you figure everything out?”

  “I think we did that too.”

  “I guess we had a good afternoon then.”

  “What about you? Any information on the players?”

  “I had to research on my own, but yeah. Mystery owns the local dog grooming shop. The others are all local business owners of places I don’t see us frequenting on this work trip.”

  Ericka nodded but she really focused on what the other two were doing while they were away. They couldn’t go to the dry cleaners in the afternoon because they closed early. If they hadn’t been able to search out the people who’d been at the game, what were they doing?

  “We should go to the office. This polyester suit is starting to chaff.”

  Ericka laughed under her breath as he started the motion of wiggling and scratching in the chair.

  “You think this is funny? Well, maybe.” He pulled out into traffic.

  They were really close to the office. Once they arrived, he would have to return the rented car otherwise it might be spotted. Especially since local business owners had been at the game. She would need to be careful.

  They arrived at the office. An alarm blared. The shrill sound pounded in her head and caused her ears to hurt.

  A huge gaping hole in the front tinted glass let light stream onto the sidewalk. Sharp shards of glass poked up from the metal frame. Some lay on the walkway.

  Quinn was out of the car first and running to the door. He pulled the glass door open, and the entire thing fell off the hinges in his hand. He cast it aside as he continued to enter.

  Ericka moved slower. If Greg was in there, she didn’t want to rush in. Her movements felt like they were in slow mo. It was almost as if her body wouldn’t work properly. Once she reached the door, she scanned the room. Her heartbeat echoed in her ears.

  She couldn’t lose him.

  Not now.

  She rotated. Her vision hit the stairwell. And there he was. He ran toward her and put his arms around her. He smoothed her hair and muttered soft words in her ears.

  “It’s all right. We’re all all right.”

  She swallowed. She didn’t want to pull away, but she wanted to know what happened, so she muttered the question against his chest. “What happened?”

  “We left to go upstairs and heard a pop and a crash. We’re not sure exactly what happened.”

  Her eyes landed on a hole in the wall. She moved out of his embrace. When she reached the dark paneling, she placed her finger in the hole and moved it around. Out came a large slug.

  “A thirty-eight.”

  “Someone shot into the office.” Greg ran his hands through his hair and made a complete circle.

  “They don’t want us to investigate Ann Marie’s death.”

  “So, it would seem.”

  “Too bad for them.” Ericka held out the bullet and dropped it into an evidence bag that Greg had opened.

  Tristan and Fanny came down the stairs with a gym bag in their hands. Quinn was behind them.

  Maggie came to Tristan’s side. “We’re going to the local bed and breakfast for the night. I think the office is going to put us up.”

  Ericka agreed it was a good idea.

  Greg said, “You two go pack, I’m going to wait until Agent Bagger gets here. We need to document the scene. And I’m not leaving until I know what they find.”

  “I’ll stay as well.”

  Greg looked her up and down.

  “I can change.” She rolled her eyes.

  “Just pack up. I’ll deal with everything here. On the off chance someone from the game arrives we don’t need them finding you.”

  He had a point, even though she didn’t necessarily like it.

  “I’ll get my things.”

  She rubbed her upper arms as she reluctantly moved away from the warmth. Upstairs, she threw her clothes in her go bag. Then she went to the bathroom and grabbed her toiletries. She heard Quinn muttering under his breath as he did the same.

  “That glass should have been bulletproof. Why did I bring Fanny? This is too much, too much.”

  Ericka moved to the wall and leaned against it. She placed her head back against the ancient dark paneling. Tears clogged her throat, but she pushed them back.

  Safe.

  They weren’t safe.

  No matter where they went, their jobs put them in danger. Tristan and Fanny wouldn’t be safe with them either. They needed to go back to New York or make peace with that fact.

  Fanny might make peace with it easier. Her life had been dangerous for a long time. Her brother and his choice to do the right thing had brought that on her. On the other hand, Tristan didn’t have a clue what life could be like in regard to danger. Other than playing football, his most dangerous activity was getting a papercut from sheet music.

  She pushed herself off the wall and closed her door. The dress she wore came over her head easily enough. Quickly, she pulled on a T-shirt and a pair of jeans. The slinky heels were replaced with white sneakers. When she finished, she shoved the dress and the shoes in her bag and made her way into the hallway. Quinn had entered the bathroom, and she followed behind him.

  She leaned against the door facing. He didn’t seem to notice. She placed her hand on his arm, and he jumped.

  “Oh, Ericka. Sorry, I didn’t know you were there.”

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

  He ran his face down his hand and looked at the stairs. No one was coming up. He leaned in close. “I need Fanny to leave. I can’t have anything happen to her.”

  “I understand.”

  He shook his head. “You don’t. You can’t.”

  “Tell me.”

  He guffawed painfully under his breath.

  “You don’t have to.”

  He nodded. “You’re right, I don’t. But maybe it would help you to understand me. I-I, had a girlfriend in high school. Not odd, right?”

  “Nope.” She smiled.

  “This girl, she’s why I decided to become a cop. She, well, she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Someone came through, took a shot, and hit her by mistake. She didn’t make it. They never figured out who did it.”

  “Oh, Quinn, I’m sorry.”

  “I can’t lose Fanny too. That was a dark time in my life.”

  “I understand.”

  He touched her shoulder gently. “I know you do.” He sighed and removed his hand. “I guess we better get going. They are waiting on us.”

  Ericka grabbed her shampoo, conditioner, soap, and dental hygiene items and shoved them in her bathroom bag. Once she had done that, she quickly ran to catch up with Quinn. He had his arm around Fanny and his head lowered. She could imagine that he was whispering words of encouragement.

  Warmth spread over her side. Greg’s hot breath struck her cheek. “Are you ready?”

  “I guess so.”

  He took her bag from her hand. He’d already shouldered his own. When he walked before her, her heart swelled. She swallowed. He’d taken her bag. Why was that so romantic?

  ****

  Greg held the door open, but Ericka wasn’t moving. She stared at him with tears coating her eyes. He would have rushed over to see what the problem was, but he was hampered by her bag and his own. Finally, she started to move toward him.

  “You need anything?”

  She shook her head.

  He let the door close behind her. He thought about locking it, but he realized that it didn’t matter. The large gaping hole in the glass pretty much meant that a locked door was useless.

  Ericka climbed into the front seat of his car. Her shoulders slumped as she slipped farther onto the seat.

  He stowed their items in the trunk before walking around and sliding behind the wheel. “I guess that you’re trying to keep from being seen.”

  “I am. Although I don’t know if there is much of a point. Quinn and I figured out within the first five minutes of the game how Tyson Grunley is cheating.”

  “Impressive.” He paused as he took a sharp curve in the road. “Want to tell me about it?”

  He was happy when she started talking about the case. It might keep her mind off other things. It was working to keep his mind off other things.

  “Tyson has a series of cameras in the walls of the room. He is controlling them with artificial intelligence glasses. He clicks a button on the side of his glasses to flip between the different cameras. The reason no one notices a lens glare is because he’s put in special lighting.”

  “I see.”

  “I did win the first few rounds where Quinn was blocking his view. However, Tyson seemed pleased that I won. I imagine it gave him a legitimacy that he needed for the game.”

  “You’re amazing.”

  “Well, thank you. I try.” She swooped her hair to the side in a silly gesture. Then she grew all serious. “In all honesty, though, how could anyone in law enforcement not figure this out? I think we’re being punished by being sent here.” She crossed her arms over her chest, and he could have sworn her lip protruded in a pout, but only for a second before her tough girl persona was back in place.

  “Maybe, but now we have Ann Marie, and this town needs our help to catch her killer.”

  “That’s for sure. The officers don’t seem to have a clue what they’re doing.”

  He would have argued they had a lack of experience in certain crimes, which wasn’t really a bad thing when one thought about it. Not having a high crime rate was really a good thing.

  “Who found the bed and breakfast place for us?”

  “Tristan.”

  She nodded. “Good. If it had been someone in town or on the force I would have been concerned.”

  Greg understood her worry, he’d had it too. But Tristan had apparently been looking for better accommodations for a while. He didn’t like Maggie coming home with work right below her. It was too easy for her to leave again. Greg would have explained that in her line of work it would always be like that, but he decided not to.

  “So, who is investigating the bullet hole in the office?”

  Greg sighed. Bagger had called that he wasn’t coming over but to give an update. The cameras that were installed near the building and pointed at the front door hadn’t been turned on yet. So, there was nothing to look at. There were no skid marks or any other evidence. No one saw the car race away because it was dark. Basically, they had nothing to go on. Not that he was surprised. They’d invaded the town’s space. They weren’t wanted or needed according to some. He hadn’t expected a warm welcome.

  The parking lot of the bed and breakfast was almost empty.

  “Let me go in and get registered. I’ll be back out to get the bags.”

  “I can carry my own bag.”

  “I know you can, but I want to, all right?”

  “All right.”

  Her smile was large and bright. He’d never seen her beam so much over such a simple thing. He’d asked Maggie later why a woman would look like that. For right now, they needed rooms and he was determined his woman would have the nicest one.

  ****

  “Why did you have to go and do that?” Von threw down his leather glove making a popping noise against the floor.

  Horace shrugged right before replacing the weapon in his gun cabinet. Those people from New York City had no right to come into his town and try to start bossing everyone around. They’d done been chased from their favorite spot. What else could happen?

  Von slapped his arm. “Are you hearing me? They are going to be investigating every troublemaker within a fifty-mile radius to find leads on Ann Marie’s death and you done went and made us suspect number one.”

  “I didn’t kill Ann Marie.”

  “Of course not! Why would we do that? She was pretty to look at. But that ain’t my point! The fact is that we’re the biggest troublemakers in town, you idiot. They are going to be knocking on our doors by morning.” Von went off muttering to himself.

  If Pa could see them now, he would have rung Horace’s neck. But Pa wasn’t there. After Ma passed, he ran off with some stripper and he hadn’t been back. Now Von and he had to fend for themselves. They weren’t doing too bad since that last run. Maybe shooting out the window was a mistake. But he knew he wasn’t going to hit nobody. ‘Course that lady walked down the stairs at the last minute, and he came within a hair, but he didn’t hit her.

  Just a little broken glass. And a whole lot of scaring.

  Besides Von had to be wrong. Those people would crawl into their holes and cry like babies. They might even go home and not come back. That was what he was hoping for.

  It could happen.

  It would happen.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Ericka wasn’t leaving town until she found out who took their office away and who killed Ann Marie. After the night she had she would never forget what the people had done to the team.

  The bed and breakfast was quaint. The mismatched quilts, the original hardwood floors, the old-timey portraits on the wall. The decorations matched the theme of small town. Her lips quirked upward in a smile as she placed her bag on a paisley highbacked chair. The dark walnut wood had a few scratches but otherwise looked in perfect condition, just like everything else in the room.

  The wall opposite her already contained Maggie and Fanny’s bags. That was one downside, still no privacy. Apparently, they were staying at a peak vacation season.

  Greg’s voice came from the doorway. “Everything okay in here?”

  “It’s beautiful, thank you.”

  He nodded. “I understand every room has its own bathroom. And before I forget, breakfast is in the morning at precisely seven. Being late is not an option, even though the food is buffet style.”

  “Good to know.” Since they’d start dating most of their conversations seemed awkward. Although what they were doing didn’t really seem like dating. They spent time together, at work. They kissed, at work. They held hands, at work. There wasn’t much besides time together at work.

  Was that really dating?

  He stepped into the room and put his hands on her waist, pulling her closer to him. “What do you say when this case is over that we take a few days just for ourselves? We can go to dinner. Maybe catch a movie. I feel like since we started formally being a couple we’ve had less personal time together.”

  “You feel it too?” She was kind of glad to hear that she wasn’t the only one that felt that way.

  “I do. So, you agree to date days?”

  “Oh, I totally agree. And I want you to teach me how to camp and fish.” She studied the buttons on his shirt. Looking him in the eye seemed too difficult.

  “Camping and fishing, huh? I thought you’d never ask.”

  She laughed under her breath as heat flushed her cheeks. There was that awkward embarrassment again. When would that stop?

  He nudged her chin upward. “None of that. It’ll take a while for us to feel like a couple. We’ve been co-workers and friends, but this is new territory. We’ll get there.”

  Did he know everything? How she felt? How to make her feel better? Everything about relationships? But she wasn’t going to say that. Instead, she said, “Truthfully, I’m not sure I ever knew how to be a couple.”

  He shrugged. “Since I haven’t had any successful relationships maybe I don’t either. I guess we’ll figure it out together.”

  She smiled. “Sounds like a deal.”

  Quinn’s voice came from the hallway. “Hey, guys, we’re about to grab a late supper. You two want to go?”

  Greg hadn’t released her. He looked down at her. “You hungry?”

  “I could eat.”

  Greg turned. “I guess we’re going to join you. Where are you guys going?”

  “Some country club that Fanny found online.”

  Greg cocked his brow.

  Quinn added, “They have steak.”

  “I’m in.”

  Ericka chuckled. Greg loved steak. She liked it as well, but she was more about the cheesecake.

  “Give us a few minutes and we’ll be down.”

  Quinn nodded and walked away.

  Greg focused on her again. He removed a hand from her waist so that he could put a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “I wish you could wear that slinky number you had on earlier.”