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“I can see where he got that idea. Fact is, I fully intended to move to a place with a bigger department—maybe one in Cincinnati—and work my way into the narcotics division.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“Gramps had a massive heart attack right before I graduated from the academy. Needed someone in the area to keep an eye on him.”

“And when he passed?” She had known Gramps from church. Most of the congregation, including Allye, had attended his funeral several years ago. Eric had been touched by the show of support.

He shrugged. “By then, I’d hit my stride. Found I liked working in Kincaid.” He’d found home here. A bit of community, though he’d be the first to admit he still felt a bit like an outsider sometimes. But now that he thought about it, maybe he’d been the one holding back.

Oblivious to the turn his thoughts had taken, Allye focused on his last words. “And now you’re a detective. Do you like the change?”

Did he? He shifted to a more comfortable position as he considered her question. “It’s not what I thought,” he said finally. “But I wouldn’t give it up to return to patrol. I just wish it were possible to close these cases more quickly.”

“You mean it’s not like on TV—case closed in fifty minutes, tops?”

He chuckled. “Definitely not.”

Her expression sobered. “Has Dion been found?”

That was a whole other concern. He blew out a breath. “No. We reissued the alert, but he seems to have disappeared.”

Her hand settled on his knee, the touch featherlight. “I’m sorry. I’ll keep praying.”

He hadn’t stopped. The kid had him worried. Nearly as much as Allye’s situation did. At least, to their knowledge, Dion wasn’t a target. With his associates, that could change at any moment though. He was playing with fire. Sooner or later, he would get burned.

“Tell me something, Eric.”

“What?”

“I don’t know. Just something about you.” She still hadn’t removed her hand from his knee.

“Okay.” What kind of request was that? He thought for a moment. “I memorized one hundred digits of pi when I was a freshman in high school.”

“Seriously?” She sounded mildly interested. Or like she could fall asleep at any moment.

“Mm-hmm.”

“Remember any of it?”

“Three point one four.”

“Even I remember that much.”

He could practically hear the eye roll. His lips twitched.

“Eric!” She lightly swatted at him, but he caught her hand and recited the next five digits while tapping each of hers. She stilled.

Without letting go, he transferred his attention to her face. “I could go on, but you might miss the sunset.”

Her eyes shot to the sky, which was just beginning its brilliant transformation. She scrambled from the ground, then paused and blinked. She swayed slightly.

Eric was instantly on his feet. He gripped her arms to steady her. “Take it easy.”

She blinked a few more times and took a deep breath. “I’m okay. Just stood up too fast.” She extracted herself from his grasp and moved behind her camera. Though her face was half hidden, he didn’t miss the flush creeping up her neck.

He stood close, not so close she’d feel like he was hovering, but close enough to catch her if she started to fall. But she didn’t.

Instead, Allye’s tiredness seemed to melt away as she snapped picture after picture of the scene, sometimes pausing to readjust her tripod or swivel the camera to capture a different slice of the beauty before them. Confident she’d gained her footing, Eric stepped back, thumbs hooked in his belt.