"I would never harm your daughter, sir."
"Good.” He looked at Piper, back at Wolf. “Do you like her, son?”
Wolf hesitated.
“I asked you a question.”
"Yes, sir."
“Yes, sir, what?”
“Yes, sir. I like your daughter.”
"Look at her," he beamed at Cain. She looked down at the ground.
"She looks beautiful, doesn't she?"
"Yes,” Wolf said, this time not hesitating.
Cain looked up at him. Tears streaked down her face.
“She does look beautiful," he added.
Her eyes flicked back to the ground.
"Well, you two have a good time. Come give me a kiss, honey."
Cain went over, took the gun from his hands and hugged him. She held out the shotgun behind her and Wolf eased up quickly, took it from her, and backed away, cracking open the barrel and expelling the shells.
Wolf went to the back of his SUV, popped open the back and put the shotgun inside. He grabbed a thermal blanket, shut the hatch and went back. He handed over the blanket to Cain, who took it and wrapped it around the shoulders of her father before steering him into the passenger seat.
"Thank you,” her father said. “I'm cold."
Wolf watched in silence as she shut the door, walked back to the driver’s side, got in, and drove away the way they had come in.
“Everything okay?” A light flicked on the neighbors’ front porch.
“You tell me,” Wolf said. “Are you two all right?”
“We’ll be fine.” The light flicked off and the front door closed as they went back inside.
Wolf stared at the darkened house for a second, watching the two people inside settling down in front of a television.
He got back in his SUV and turned around. Slowly, he eased down the road, coming up on the next house with the sprawling lawn and wraparound porch.
At the top of the driveway near the side of the home, Cain’s Jeep lights blossomed red, and then went black.
He pulled over at the mouth of the driveway, rolled down his window, and watched her escort her father up the side steps, onto the porch, and into the house.
She left the front door wide open, letting the light spill out in a long dagger across the lawn, reaching the road in front of Wolf. He put it in park, turned off the engine, put his elbow out into the cool air, watching through the house windows as she walked her father into a back hallway and out of sight.
She came out into the hallway again, ducked into another room, flicked on a light. After a second the light flicked off and she appeared briefly before disappearing again.
He felt a twinge of guilt looking in on their life. He was unwelcome guest. Had he just helped or almost blown a situation completely out of control? Staring at the still wide-open front door, he remembered her words before. I need to take care of this myself.
Just then Cain came outside, shutting the door behind her. She waved at him and ran down the steps, jogged across the lawn and crunched her way down the dirt driveway to his window.
She put both hands on the edge of the door either side of his elbow. She was slightly out of breath. Her eyes glimmered like pools of oil in the shadow of her face.
“Everything okay?” he asked, shifting back into park.
She said nothing.
“Sorry. Stupid question.”
“I left him here alone,” she said.
“Oh,” Wolf said. He wasn’t sure what else to say.
They stood in silence for a beat. She stared past the hood of his car into the trees, looking like she wanted to say something.
“Listen,” he said. “I’m sorry about—”
He stopped talking, because at that moment she grabbed his arm and squeezed. Her hand was warm and soft. Firm but gentle. It lingered there, and then when she pulled it away it was almost a caress.
“Thanks for your help,” she said.
He opened his mouth to respond, but she turned and ran back up the driveway and across the lawn.
He watched her go, hypnotized by her quick, fluid strides. She climbed the steps two at a time, ducked back inside, flicked off the light, and shut the door, sending the front lawn into darkness again.
Wolf shook his head and fired up the engine. He shifted into drive, and when he started coasting down the road he said, “You’re welcome.”
Chapter 15
Patterson got out the elevator on the third floor and hobbled down the hall to the spacious office she would call her own for a few more weeks. Pretty soon she would be back in the squad room sitting in that desk across from Rachette with all the sights, smells, and sounds that came with.
She pulled the blinds up all the way, letting the view to the west fill her vision. At 6:15 a.m. the sun had not yet risen above the peaks that caged in the eastern half of the Chautauqua Valley, but the land outside was brightening into full beauty.
She loved this time of the morning, before the swing shift started, when the bustle of the nighttime deputies clashing with the daytime starters riled the building into a frenzy of activity. This was her time.
She set down her stuff, grabbed her crutches, and went out into the squad room for a coffee. Wolf's glass-enclosed office was dark, the blinds pulled tight, and she wondered if he was sleeping inside again.
“Hey there.” A voice called from the squad room.
Charlotte Munford-Rachette stood up from her desk and stretched her arms overhead. “How’s your ankle feeling?”
“You scared me.” Patterson hobbled over. “It’s feeling better this morning. But not by much, I guess.”
Charlotte’s eyes were half-closed and bloodshot. Her normally vibrant smile was subdued.
Patterson looked at the stack of paperwork on Charlotte’s desk. “What are you doing?”
Charlotte suppressed a yawn. “I’m just trying to catch up.”
Patterson sighed, seeing the familiar pile of paperwork that had been on her desk yesterday. “I talked to Wolf yesterday about those,” she said. “He and Wilson miscommunicated. They won’t come in this late anymore. I’ll make sure of it.”
Charlotte nodded. “Thanks. To
