“No problem. My niece lives close by.” Trevor fumbled in a drawer and handed him a card. “This is her address, and Melanie is my guest and will be here with me.”
Trevor walked toward the officers and offered his hand to shake. “Now, if you will excuse us, dinner is served…unless, of course, you care to join us?”
“No, thank you. We’re on duty tonight.” He glanced at Melanie and chuckled. “I recall the graveyard shift being your favorite. Always certain that the next serial killer was about to strike?”
“Let me walk you out. Trevor, I’ll be back in a jiffy,” she said.
Melanie scooped her arm through Doug’s and led the way from the room. “How is that family of yours?”
At the front door, she re-routed the conversation. “Doug, there is definitely more here than meets the eye. I need to talk to you – at the station, if possible. In the meantime, you can contact the Langley police and get some background. Tell them I sent you. It will be nice to have a local contact that I know I can trust.”
“You know it, girl. How about tomorrow at two? I’ll be back to work by then. Short staffed. Forensics should have the fingerprints tested by then so we can discuss it all.”
“Thank you, Doug. Tomorrow at two it is – at the old haunt – full of good memories. I miss you and the bunch there that gave me my beginnings in law enforcement.”
“We miss you, too. You had great potential…for a rookie.” He laughed. “Good night. See you tomorrow.”
Melanie closed the door and hurried back to the dining room. Trevor was seated in his usual spot at the head of the table, but there was no sign of Chelsea.
“Will Chelsea be dining with us tonight?”
“No, thankfully. I couldn’t bear to look at her accusing face another moment. Come – sit next to me.”
Melanie hesitated, staring at the place he beckoned her to sit. It shortened the long table drastically and put him within touching distance. Her emotions were piqued, and she feared an endearing moment in which she’d helplessly fall into his arms. Now was not the time to fall in love – too much baggage to unload.
Trevor tapped the table to speed her along. “Come – sit next to me. I’m starved, and I hope you are, as well. The kitchen has prepared a feast.”
For a few moments, the two fell into the routine of being served, speaking only when Trevor dismissed the staff from the room.
“Finally. I’ve counted the hours since lunch, anxious for the opportunity to dine with you again. It’s kept me sane while enduring these new developments.”
“I also enjoy the time I spend with you. It’s been a stressful day. Tends to zap one’s energy,” Melanie said.
He laughed. “My everyday world is stress, but today is the first time I freely admit to feeling its effect on my workaholic tendencies. I wonder why?” When she didn’t bite, he finished filling in the blanks. “It’s you, Melanie. I’m eager to push my work aside just to sit and enjoy your presence.”
“Be careful what you declare, sir – you could be harboring a druggie.”
The remark went unchallenged. Melanie dodged his penetrating gaze and filled her mouth with salad. When she had thoroughly chewed, she commented on the tasty dressing, of all things. She received a faint smile and the lifting of his brows. Obviously, food was not his preferred topic of interest. The only subject remaining that bound them together was the case, and she badly needed something to distract her from the emotional currents swirling in the air around them.
Trevor could be intimidating, in an awkwardly familiar sort of way. Her sensibilities probably rated at an all-time high state of confusion at that moment.
Melanie sighed. “I think family stress is the worst kind to overcome.”
“And Chelsea is my biggest source of anxiety. Even my business clients and their sad states of affairs take a back seat to the chaos she can create.”
Melanie glanced down, refusing to bite on the baited line dangling before her. Denial was something for which Trevor knew no boundaries, and he cornered her easily. “You have opinions, my dear – please, share.”
“It’s none of my business.”
“That hasn’t stopped your forwardness these last of couple days. And did I tell you that’s the trait I like most about you? Spill the beans. I have wide shoulders, and I’d be eternally grateful for even a tablespoon of honesty in my world today.”
Melanie took a deep breath, then exhaled. “During my brief encounter with Chelsea, I couldn’t stop myself from attempting to understand the emotions spawning her angry outbursts.”
“You’ve missed your calling. Perhaps a psychologist is more suited to your talents.”
“Police work involves a variety of skills. Reading people is one of my strengths.”
“Enlighten me. What positive, inner, emotions might outweigh my niece’s outward hatred and spoiled nature?”
“Strong words, Trevor. Perhaps jealousy and hurt could explain the hatred she spouts so venomously.”
“I agree. She was devastated when her father died, and I suppose I didn’t help her recovery, being angry at the mess he left behind.”
“Have you told Chelsea that you’re sorry for not being there?”
“No. My relationship with her father is none of her business. She was young and vulnerable, not ready to hear my rendition of his life.”
“That doesn’t sound too Christ-like. Perhaps I was wrong to think you were different from the general religious crowd.”
“Ah, yes – I recall your convictions in that area,” he said in a thoughtful tone. “You are very black and white – call it as you see it.”
“I consider that a good quality, Trevor. Here you sit and freely unload your heart to me, Chrissy’s friend.
