“Thank you. You’ll never know how good that makes me feel. Today has not been a good day. Feeling rather homesick,” Lorraine said.
Melanie reached over and squeezed the girl’s hand. “Sorry to rush our visit, but the meter is ticking, and I need to run. Keep your chin up, okay? I’ll be back within the hour with your money. Bless you.”
She hurried from the store, leaned inside the open passenger’s side window, and handed the driver the money. “Thank you for waiting. Keep the change.”
“Thanks,” the driver called out as he put his vehicle into drive and sped away.
Melanie stepped back and collided with a man standing directly behind her.
He caught her before she tumbled awkwardly to the ground. “My apologies, miss.” He stepped back, and his face beamed. “Why, I can’t believe my luck. Melanie Braxton – it is a small world.”
Trevor Knight was dressed in a navy, three-piece suit, his black hair was styled short and combed to perfection, and the fragrance of his aftershave released a surging wave to drown her senses.
A movement distracted her. She noted that Lorraine was standing and waving from the huge storefront window, a broad smile pasted on her face. Melanie returned the smile, waved, and hoped Lorraine would also conveniently forget about having seen her converse with the visiting stranger in town. Melanie focused her attention on the man who stood by, waiting patiently.
“I’m in a hurry, sir. What can I help you with?”
“Hardly the greeting I expected from Chrissy’s friend.”
Melanie bit her lip. “I’m sorry. You caught me at a bad moment.”
“Days after you left Knight’s Tower, I found a note from Chrissy. I wish she’d have spoken with me directly, but that doesn’t seem to be her style these days. In short, I’ve come searching for my niece.” He pointed at the nearby apartment complex. “This is the home address she included in her letter, but Chrissy forgot to write down the unit number, and her name is not listed on the ground floor’s buzzer system.”
“Mine is,” Melanie said. “Am I so unforgettable, Mr. Knight?” That came out wrong. Irritation at being delayed in her mission was shredding her mind in thin layers. She sounded uncouth, even to her own ears.
“Not at all, Miss Braxton. In fact, quite the contrary.” Trevor’s eyes spewed kindness and Melanie felt guilty at her remark. “I did note yours on the board, but no one answered my ring, so the main doors remained locked.”
“As you can see, I’m not home and Chrissy is likely off to work by now. Her vacation is over.”
Melanie swayed under his intense scrutiny. Was he the enemy, fishing for answers or should she trust that he just so happened to show up the day after his niece’s murder? She held his stare and could not detect any surprise from him at his seeing her alive. That fact alone helped her believe his story about the letter.
As if he’d read her mind, he reached into his pocket. Melanie flinched and he noticed.
“You’re nervous? Please, it’s not my intention to frighten you. I just wanted to show you the letter to satisfy those serious, doubting eyes. Chrissy remains under my guardianship until her twenty-first birthday. When her folks died, it hurt that she refused to accept my help, but I respectfully backed off – until now. She’s reached out to me, so I’m here to help however I can.” He waved the envelope in the air. “Do you care to read it, or will you simply point me in Chrissy’s direction so I can let you continue on with your business?”
Melanie bit her lip, a sure-fire indication of her embarrassment. “You’re young to be responsible for a twenty-year-old woman,” she muttered, wondering if she could put her foot in her mouth any more during their brief conversation.
Trevor merely grinned. “So glad you noticed. It so happens, I was a surprise arrival for my middle-aged parents who were told they’d never get pregnant again after Charles, my older brother. Chrissy’s father led a rather flamboyant life. He’s deceased, and so are our parents – it’s a rather tragic circumstance. That leaves me alone to watch out for Chrissy.” Trevor Knight said this matter-of-factly, like he’d had to clarify his responsibility countless times in the past.
“Chrissy is blessed to have someone watching out for her. She’s been through a lot.” Melanie bit her tongue to stop the words from flowing. In her mind, she murmured, “but you’re a little too late to do the right thing now.” Her impatience returned. Melanie had no time for a friendly chit-chat when snooping was her destination.
The need to arrive before her uninvited guests left the apartment spurred her on. She glanced nervously at the building to see if anyone was exiting and said the first thing that entered her mind. “Can we meet later, Mr. Knight?”
He raised his eyebrows at the obvious snub. “Heading me in the direction of her workplace will be sufficient. I don’t want to interfere with your day.”
“No! I mean she won’t be able to talk. You’ll have to wait for tomorrow.” Melanie had responded too quickly and she watched his guard go up, and the questions swirl behind his eyes.
“You’re keeping secrets from me, Melanie? In my line of work, the best have tried their hand at conning me.” He spoke in a tone she interpreted as being slightly flirtatious. Chrissy’s uncle was hitting on her. It had been a long time since a man had looked at her the way he did now. He was only eight years her senior, so the idea wasn’t so far-fetched. He also knew she was a cop, and it didn’t faze him one bit. Most men felt undermined and on edge
