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And then there was the killer among them. She’d seen him at work. That cold, calculated shot was something she would never forget. She leaned back in the seat and closed her eyes, and for the first time in years she regretted not leaving Queens Crossing with Tate Benton when he’d asked her.
* * *
It had been a long time since Tate had been this close to a woman he wanted, and pretending it didn’t matter was next to impossible. He kept glancing at her when she wasn’t looking. He had never seen her look this defeated. They’d spent their lives planning to raise a family in Queens Crossing. Having him do an about-face at the last minute must have shocked and, more than that, hurt her. He’d begged her to leave with him, but without being willing to offer an explanation. And she had refused to go without one. He’d been so hurt by his father’s rejection, and Nola’s rejection had only added to his pain. The only way he’d been able to function had been to get as far away from his father as he could. He should have trusted Nola then and told her—and he would have, if it had been his secret to tell. At the time, he’d felt he couldn’t betray his mother, but given the way she was now, it was all water under the bridge—which, when he thought about it, was a horrible analogy.
Cameron was thinking of Laura Doyle as he drove back to Queens Crossing and looking forward to seeing her again. He knew they were there to find a killer, not a new relationship, although it appeared Tate would be willing to rekindle his if the Landry woman would let him. However, there was no harm making friends with someone while working on a case, especially a woman as pretty as Laura.
Nola was asleep when they passed the city limits. She’d fallen over onto Tate’s shoulder, and he’d let her lean all she wanted. If he didn’t think too hard about it, he could almost believe it was just like old times.
Wade looked over his shoulder to the pair in the backseat, then frowned and pointed to Nola’s wrists. One of them was seeping blood through the bandage onto the leg of her scrubs.
Tate nodded. They would get her bandaged up again at the gym.
Beaudry glanced out the window as they drove into town.
“All these strangers, all this chaos…it doesn’t even look like home anymore,” he said softly.
Tate followed his gaze, looking at his onetime home with new eyes. He and his partners spent most of their time in places just like this. Crime followed chaos, and it had been that way since the world began.
“Just drop me off at the station,” Beaudry said.
Cameron took the turn at the bank toward the police station, let Beaudry out then drove to the gym.
Nola woke up just as they neared the gym. She was stiff and disoriented, and Tate saw the panic in her eyes.
“We’re back in Queens Crossing,” he said.
She scooted away from him, then saw the bloody bandage on her wrist and frowned.
“I have blood on my clean clothes.”
“They have donated clothing at the shelter. I think they’ll have something you can wear,” Tate said.
She shoved her long hair out of her eyes. “That’s good, and I think maybe I need to cut this stuff off.”
Tate frowned. “Your hands will heal, and then you’d be sorry you cut your hair. You’re bound to have friends in the gym. They’ll help. I’ll help. You aren’t going through this alone.”
“Yes, ma’am, Tate is right,” Wade said. “It will all work out. You’ll see.”
“There’s a really nice lady named Laura with the Red Cross. I’ll introduce you,” Cameron added.
Wade grinned. “Oh, yeah? Is she pretty, too?”
Cameron glared. “Shut up, Luckett. This is about helping Miss Landry, so get your mind out of the gutter.”
Wade chuckled.
“I would appreciate it if the lot of you quit calling me Miss Landry and just stuck to Nola,” she said.
“We’re here,” Tate said as Cameron pulled up and parked.
Nola stared. “Where did all these people come from?”
“Some with the Red Cross, others are volunteers and survivors of the flood,” Tate said.
Her eyes welled. “The last time I was here was just a couple of months ago, for homecoming. Angie Durant’s daughter, Bonnie, was crowned homecoming queen. They would have been flooded out, too. I wonder if they’re here?”
“Let’s go inside and find out, okay?” he said.