He flexed again as he started across the room, felt the sting of the bruise the bullet had made and silently thanked God for his survival. Then he chided himself for the delay. “Better late than never.”

  Emily met him halfway and held up a photograph. “This is Kirsty McAdams. Tell me you don’t know her.”

  Noah stared at the picture and sighed with genuine relief. “Never saw her before in my life.”

  FOURTEEN

  Disappointed, Emily said, “That’s too bad,” before she stopped to think.

  “Too bad? You want to tie all those poor women to me?”

  “I didn’t mean it that way.” And she hadn’t. But connections between victims would help them eventually solve these crimes, so an odd one out was an unfortunate anomaly.

  It was a relief when Noah nodded and took the photo from her. “I get it. If I was the key, you’d have narrowed the list of suspects.” He was staring at the smiling face in the picture. “There may be something familiar about her, but I can’t recall what. It may just be because I was expecting to see someone I knew.”

  “Why don’t you go back to the safe house and finish going through those videos?”

  “Can’t I do that here?”

  Racking her brain for a valid excuse to deny him, she came up empty. “I suppose so, if it’s okay with the chief.”

  She noted how he flinched when he moved too quickly. “You could just rest until you’re feeling better.”

  “Nonsense. What’s a little discomfort compared to the chance to save lives?”

  There was no argument against such perfect logic. “Okay. I’ll set you up in an interview room. What can I do to make you more comfortable?”

  “Ice packs would be nice,” Noah said. “The medics recommended that.”

  “Done.” Emily pointed to a hallway. “Follow me.”

  Their footsteps were muted by the athletic shoes they both wore and let her hear her rapid heartbeats. Flashes of memory, visions of Noah collapsed in the car, kept intruding and upping her pulse rate. The urge to stop and turn, to open her arms and embrace him, grew stronger and stronger as the moments passed.

  Pausing at a door at the end of the hallway, Emily looked up into his dark eyes and couldn’t make herself look away. She sensed tears of thankfulness welling behind her lashes and was afraid if she blinked they’d start to trickle down her cheeks.

  She willed time to stop. There was a new glistening in Noah’s gaze, too. He lifted one arm, apparently intending to slip it around her shoulders. That was not going to be enough for her. Not nearly enough.

  Emily stepped closer, wrapped her arms around his waist and began to give him a gentle hug.

  The sensation of him returning the embrace undid her. Eyes closed, tears flowing, she laid her cheek on his chest and held on as if he was her anchor in a storm, which he was. There were no arguments left in her. No good reasons to stop what was happening so spontaneously. She needed this closeness and, if her senses weren’t fooling her, Noah did, too.

  At that precious moment, if she could have chosen, she would have agreed to stand there like that for the rest of her life.

  A whistle split the quiet. Noah jumped away and groaned softly. Staying behind him to block anyone from seeing, Emily quickly wiped away her tears and opened the door to the interview room. “After you, Mr. Holden.”

  Noah’s chuckle was accompanied by a grimace but that didn’t stop him. “Yes, Officer Zwalt. Whatever you say.”

  Leaving the door open on purpose, she stuck her head out and called to the whistler, her usual patrol partner. “Bring me my laptop, Cal. It’s out in the unmarked cruiser.”

  “The one full of holes?” he asked, sounding amused.

  “Yes. And hurry up.”

  Emily figured it was just as well she hadn’t been able to hear his reply since he’d punctuated it with wry laughter. She gestured to Noah. “Have a seat. I’ll get someone to bring you cold packs for your back.”

  “Emily, I’m...”

  “My fault. Totally my fault,” she interrupted. “Sorry. It was unprofessional of me.”

  “But nice,” Noah said, eyeing the open door and raising an eyebrow.

  “Don’t go getting the wrong idea, Mr. Holden. It won’t happen again. I was simply happy that you’d survived.”

  Noah was grinning. “I’m pretty happy about that, myself.”

  The arrival of Calvin Dodge with the laptop ended Emily’s need for small talk and relieved some of her tension. “All right,” she said, gesturing at Noah, “make yourself as comfortable as possible while I unlock this and set it up for you. Do you want to start at the beginning or pick up where you left off?”

  From behind her, Dodge snorted.

  “That’s enough, Cal,” Emily ordered. “You’re excused. Go find somebody else to harass.”

  Although he backed toward the door, he didn’t seem to be in a hurry. Without looking, Emily knew Noah had stepped closer behind her as if to provide protection, and she was not pleased.

  Turning her back on Cal, she faced her erstwhile protector. “Sit down. I’m in charge here.”

  Noah didn’t help her waning sense of control by first saluting and saying, “Yes, ma’am. Sir. Officer.”

  The sound of Cal’s muted chuckling echoed down the hallway. In a few minutes, if it hadn’t already happened, the news of her embracing Noah was going to be the talk of the station. From there, it was bound to bring amusement all over town.

  Emily didn’t need a mirror to tell she was blushing.

  “If it’s any consolation,” Noah said, “I’ve wanted to do that for a long time.”

  “It isn’t,” she insisted, wondering if she was telling the truth or merely fooling herself. The laptop rested on the interview table in front of Noah. Emily could have moved it or turned it around and seated herself on the opposite side of the table, but she didn’t.

  Before she could change her mind, she rounded the table, placed a chair next to Noah’s and pulled the computer to her so she could work. If he noticed a difference in her reaction he didn’t mention it.

  Once the correct file was opened and she’d located the right time stamp, she pushed the laptop to him. “Here you go. Have fun.”

  His hand reached out to touch hers. “Emily.”

  Pull away! her mind screamed.

  Noah closed his fingers around hers. “I just want to tell you something.”

  “I really need to go see Chief Rowlings about the latest victim.”

  “In a second.”

  She tried to keep her gaze from meeting Noah’s because she was afraid if she ever looked directly into those dark eyes of his again, she’d be trapped like before, a hapless explorer sinking in jungle quicksand. When he cupped her chin and gently raised her face to his, she was lost.

  “I want you to know how blessed I am to be here with you.”

  Emily opened her mouth to object, but he silenced her.

  “No. Let me get this out before I change my mind.”

  She saw him swallow hard and waited.

  “Nothing about my return to Paradise was planned, yet I seem to be in the right place at the right time, and I have to believe it’s no accident.”

  Something in Emily insisted he was right no matter how hard she tried to make herself disagree.

  Noah went on. “I could have been killed several times, yet I wasn’t, and since I don’t believe in luck, I have to credit my Maker—and you—for my survival. I was wrong when I thought I was the only one rescuing the innocent. You’re doing it too, even if you don’t see past the retribution phase of your job, and I’m sorry. I misjudged you.”

  Embarrassed and more than a little touched, Emily eased her hand from his and sat back. “You don’t need to apologize.”

  “Yes, I do. I’d already been thinking along those lines, and when that bullet slammed into me, I was afraid I’d lost my chance to tell you so.”

  Truth hit her hard. Noah was right. How many nights had she lain awake, wishing she could reverse time and say the loving things she’d only thought about in the past?

  Saying “thank you” and heading for the door because tears threatened, Emily escaped to the hallway.

  Actually, she’d had a similar reaction to the one Noah had described when she’d thought he’d been shot. In a split second of intense awareness, she’d realized how deeply she cared about him. At that time, she’d entertained no criticism of his job or his motives. All that had mattered was Noah. Him. The man who seemed to be pitted against her, yet had found an empty spot in her heart to fill with appreciation of his character, his kindness and honesty, and the faith they shared.

  It suddenly occurred to Emily that she was showing a lack of faith every time she lamented the loss of her late fiancé, every time anger caused her to hate lawbreakers, every time she shed a tear over the perfect future she’d dreamed of.

  Sniffling, then blowing her nose in the restroom, she pulled herself together, squared her shoulders and marched back up the hall, intending to confess as much to Noah. She silently rehearsed expressions of acceptance and appreciation, words that would intelligently prove her change of heart without sounding too flowery or formal.

  She had the perfect spiel ready to deliver when she opened the door to the room and peeked in. He looked up from the computer, smiled, and erased every vestige of her speech in a millisecond.

  Emily’s burning desire to air her feelings remained. The ideal words she’d chosen, however, did not, so she went with the first thing that popped into her head and blurted, “I’m glad you’re not dead.”

  Noah’s warm laughter followed her back down the hall and even into the chief’s office until she closed the door.

  * * *

  There was nothing Noah wanted more than to help Emily and stop the killing. That goal kept him at the computer long past personal comfort. Finally giving in to the throbbing in his back and leaning back to stretch, he decided to refresh his concentration by taking a stroll through the station.

  The Paradise facility looked small from the outside, but that was nothing compared to how tiny it was inside. Between the section set apart for cells and extra storage for supplies that were part of the police department’s disaster relief program, offices took up barely half of the single-story building.

  Conversation between the desks in the squad room buzzed like agitated bees in a hive—until the occupants noticed him. Then the noise damped down as if someone had flipped a switch to turn it all off at once. Judging by a few snickers and a thumbs-up gesture from Cal Dodge, Emily had been right about their embrace causing gossip. Noah wasn’t sure how he felt about that, not that it mattered in the grand scheme of things. Small towns were infamous for perpetuating rumors, usually with plenty of embellishment, and his only regret was causing trouble for her.

  Undeserved guilt tried to intrude on his thoughts. Noah wouldn’t let it. There was nothing wrong with hugging an old friend. Nothing at all. He wasn’t about to defend himself or Emily unless her boss had a problem with their newfound closeness. Even if that did happen, he had plenty of plausible excuses cataloged and ready. What he did not have, unfortunately, was new evidence to share.

  He lingered near an unoccupied desk and watched her speaking to Rowlings. The chief didn’t look overly impressed with whatever she was telling him, but he didn’t look upset, either. That was comforting because it meant the man wasn’t likely to discipline Emily for hugging a prime witness. Yes, he was innocent of any crime. Yes, he was cooperating. But as long as he wasn’t coming up with any new evidence or recollections to assist the police, he figured he was being allowed to stay as a favor, period.

  Racking his brain for a good reason to remain near Emily, Noah came up with one he felt was totally plausible. Now that he thought about it, there was a real possibility he could be right. There was only one way to find out.

  Zigzagging between the desks, he found one that clearly reflected a feminine touch and paused there, biding his time and watching. He didn’t have long to wait.

  “Finished with all those tapes? Wow, I’m impressed. You’re fast.”

  “I would be if I was done, but I’m not. I wondered, can you scare me up a print copy of the most recent victim?”

  “Did you change your mind about knowing her?”

  “No. It just seemed smart to see if I can spot her in the party crowd I’m watching, and I couldn’t remember exactly what she looked like.”

  “Okay, hang on. I’ll print you out a copy.”

  “Thanks.” Noah stuffed his hands into his pants pockets and tried to appear nonchalant. “Any word on Vangie? Is she still sedated?”

  “Even if she isn’t, there’s no real reason for us to drive all the way to Memphis to interview her.”

  That was disappointing. Noah shrugged. “If you say so.”

  “It’s not up to me. If the chief thought it was necessary, he’d send us.”

  “I notice you keep saying us. Is he planning on keeping me around?” Noah asked.

  “Apparently.”

  “I do have to spend some time at my office, you know.”

  Emily was nodding thoughtfully. “I know. I’ve been waiting for you to insist on that.”

  “I can stay a little longer. I checked in with Stephanie and had her move today’s appointments to tomorrow. I do have one court date I can’t change, but otherwise my day-to-day schedule is pretty flexible.”

  Assuming that would placate her, he was surprised when she frowned. “I asked the chief to assign an officer to guard you.”

  “And?”

  “And he said we’re too shorthanded.”

  “No problem. I can take care of myself. I always did fine before.”

  She fisted her hands on her hips and took a firm stance. “How many times were you shot at in the big city?”

  “That’s not relevant.”

  “Of course it is.” Emily’s voice was raised enough to attract attention.

  “Okay. Never. But you still haven’t proved to me that I’m the target.”

  “Humph.” She sent an expression of disgust his way. “You look smarter than you sound.”

  Purposely changing the subject, Noah braced himself to keep from showing pain and held out his hand. “Give me that photo you promised and I’ll go back to the videos.”

  “Pizza?” Emily asked.

  “I beg your pardon.”

  “You have to eat, and so do I. What kind of pizza do you like? My treat.”

  He could tell she was trying to not smile, and as she slowly failed, he grinned back at her. “Do you mean to tell me you forgot in ten short years?”

  The blush on her fair cheeks answered his question. She did remember, but he chose to lessen the pressure on her. They needed to start over. He could see now that trying to build on the amiable relationship they’d once shared wasn’t going to work under current circumstances.

  “No mushrooms,” he said, continuing to smile. To his relief, Emily turned back to her desk and proceeded to sort paperwork that he suspected had been fine in the first place.

  Watching her, really watching her, Noah realized how precious to him she was. When she wasn’t acting the part of a tough, no-nonsense cop with a chip on her shoulder, she was a pretty woman. Maybe even beautiful in her own, natural way. She didn’t need makeup or anything fake to be so appealing he could hardly make himself leave her.

  But he had to, didn’t he? Their present closeness had been brought about by outside forces. In order to see if there could be anything more between them, he had to see this confusion through to its climax, figure out the puzzle and bide his time until Emily was free to consider him a friend instead of tying him to horrible crimes.

  And then what? Noah chuckled under his breath. He had absolutely no idea. All he knew for sure was that a killer or killers were out there somewhere, watching, waiting, perhaps choosing another victim.

  Turning away to start back down the hall to view more videos, he shivered. Every time he pictured the serial killer’s victims, those thoughts included Emily Zwalt, as if her presence was a necessary element of the overall crime spree.

  He hoped it wasn’t. He prayed it wasn’t. Because at this point he cared way too much, and the more he thought about everything that had been happening, the harder it was for him to separate her from impending tragedy.

  FIFTEEN

  To Emily’s disappointment, Chief Rowlings had ordered pizzas for the whole station, so her plan to dine in private with Noah had failed. All she could do was accept the way her idea had blossomed and share the meal with everybody, which meant inviting Noah into the station break room with the others and acting as if she didn’t mind.

  Funny how things turned out, wasn’t it? she thought. This was the perfect opportunity for him to meet other officers as well as the dispatchers and their maintenance people. That had to be to his advantage, so what was bugging her?

  Everything and nothing. She flipped open the lids of all the pizza boxes and found mushrooms on every variety, so she grabbed a fork and started flipping them off a large slice for Noah.

  He appeared at her elbow and leaned over. “What are you doing?”

  “Taking off the mushrooms for you.”

  “That’s not necessary.”

  “Just trying to help.”

  “My arm and my back may hurt, but I don’t need to be coddled,” he said flatly.

  Suddenly she felt foolish, so she thrust the paper plate at him. “Here.”