She Can Hide (She Can #4)(42)

He snorted. “I haven’t even had a date in ages.”

“Why not?” What she meant to ask was how he kept women away.

“For years I was too busy taking care of the family,” he said. “But they don’t need me all the time anymore. I’m out of practice. It’s probably best we take this nice and slow. I don’t want regrets for either one of us. But I really like you.”

“Me too.” With a smile she felt all the way to her heart, she slid off his lap and straightened her jacket. “Maybe you’re right about me wanting to come here today. Maybe I needed to see it couldn’t happen again. I can’t believe he’s dead.”

“He can’t ever hurt you again.” Ethan adjusted his sweatpants.

Abby averted her eyes, but not before she got an eyeful that demonstrated how much Ethan wanted her too, at least physically. The attraction went both ways. Good to know. Now back to the case. “Do you think Faulkner was the one who poisoned me?”

Ethan looked thoughtful. “I don’t know.”

“And who killed him?”

“I don’t know that either, but I’m going to do my best to find out.” Ethan turned the truck around.

Abby grabbed the armrest as the pickup bounced over a rut in the gravel and dirt road. “Where do we go next?”

“Home. But early tomorrow, I’ll make some calls. The Harris cops said they’d keep me updated on Faulkner’s homicide investigation. The autopsy will probably happen in the next day or so. I also have a call in to the detective who handled your case, Roy Abrams. He’s retired now, but I’m sure he remembers plenty.”

“I’m sure he does.” Abby swallowed. The flush on her skin chilled. “It was his fault I wasn’t found for so long.”





CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Ethan’s hand jerked on the wheel. The truck hit a tree root and nearly bottomed out. He straightened the vehicle, and it slid back into the ruts in the dirt. “What?”

“Faulkner had the address of the farm.” She jerked a thumb over her shoulder in the direction of the truck’s rear window. “It was in his cell phone the whole time. The detective never checked it out.”

“That doesn’t sound right.” Ethan’s jaw clenched. “Cell phones are one of the first things any good cop checks out. People keep half their lives in their phones.”

Abby shrugged. “Just because you’re a good cop doesn’t mean they all are.”

“True.” The large majority of his fellow cops were honest and hardworking, but as in any profession, a handful were either incompetent or corrupt. “Are you sure it wasn’t a legal hang-up? Sometimes cops get a bad rap simply for doing their jobs. The legal system doesn’t always make sense, but we have to work within it.”

“Not only did he mess up the investigation, but he tried to cover it up. I found out later, by accident,” Abby shot back. “Do cops always stick together? Even when one of them is wrong?”

“Sometimes,” Ethan admitted. Cops tended to close ranks when one of their own was threatened. “We depend on each other. Doubts about the loyalty of a team member can get a cop killed in a high-stress situation. You need to know without question that your partner has your back.”

But the revelation about her kidnapping explained why she was so distrustful of him at first.

Abby didn’t respond. She rested her head against the window and closed her eyes. At first Ethan thought she didn’t want to talk to him anymore, but her even breathing convinced him she was asleep. She stayed that way for the next two hours, waking as he exited the Northeast Extension of the PA Turnpike.

“I’m sorry.” She yawned and stretched. “I didn’t mean to sleep.”

“No worries. You were tired.”

They’d left the dog at Brooke’s house in case their trip ran late. Ethan pulled into the driveway, and Abby ran in to fetch Zeus. Then she shoehorned the big dog into the small backseat of Ethan’s pickup.

“Will you be all right alone tonight?” Ethan pulled out of Brooke’s driveway and headed for the main road. Abby’s development was closer to town. A few miles later they passed the high school. A figure walked on the side of the road, his dark gray jacket and black backpack blending into the early winter twilight.

“Is that Derek?” Ethan slowed the truck. Zeus whined and stuck his head over the front seat.

“Yes,” Abby said. “He must have stayed after school and missed the late bus.”

Ethan pulled over in front of the boy. In the rearview mirror, he saw the kid stop. His posture said he was considering whether or not to run. Abby lowered the window, stuck her head out, and waved. Derek jogged to catch up.

“You want a ride?” Ethan asked.

Derek shrugged. “Sure.”

Abby opened the door, and Derek squeezed into the back with the giant dog. Instead of moving over, Zeus practically sat on Derek’s lap. The kid didn’t seem to mind.

Ethan pulled back into traffic. He was supposed to be simplifying his life, paring it down, limiting his responsibilities. So why did it seem he was picking up needy strays at an alarming pace?

His phone vibrated. Cam’s mobile number.

Ethan answered. “What’s up?”