Page 177 of Paranoid

“Do it. For a while.”

“You’re sure?

”

“Positive. At least temporarily. It would be good for the kids. Something’s going on with Dylan and he could use you around more. Yeah, Ryder, you do it. Come stay with us.”

One side of his mouth lifted. She never failed to surprise him. “So now you’re bossing me around?”

“Have I ever stopped?” she asked, and, leaning forward, brushed her lips over his, a soft little kiss that promised nothing, but hinted at so much more and made him, for the moment, forget about his pain.

* * *

Kayleigh drove home, cut the engine of her car, and rotated her neck. She was so damned tired. She swore she’d sleep for the next week solid.

And maybe the week after that.

Once all of the reports were filed and in, other officer interviews completed, body cams and audio tapes reviewed, she had no doubt that she would be cleared of the shooting of Bruce Hollander. By all accounts he would survive but had bought himself a one-way ticket back to prison. And she’d had a bit of good news. Akira Wu had called and the feline hair found on the painter’s tape had been white. They were now matching it to Lucas Ryder’s cat and it had just turned out that Lila Ryder had recently painted the interior of her home in colors that depicted the era of her historic home. Several rolls of blue painter’s tape had been discovered in the Ryders’ garage, a separate one discovered in Lucas’s car. Even more damning was the pistol recovered in the cannery, the one Lucas had used to shoot his “friend” Xander Vale. It had turned out to be registered to Leonard Sperry. The enhanced footage of the tape taken from the camera located in the parking lot of The Right Spot wasn’t completely clear, but the man with Nate Moretti that night, the guy in the hoody and cap who drove Moretti away from the tavern’s lot, sure looked like Lucas. Kayleigh was willing to bet her badge that Lucas had befriended Nate at the bar, then followed him to meet Annessa. Once there, he got the jump on Nate, then took care of Annessa and prodded a stunned Nate back to the vehicle. But she wasn’t certain they would ever know, as both Moretti and Ryder were now dead.

Yeah, the case had finally come together. And it was over. Like so many things.

She got out of her Honda, stretched, and listened to her back pop. Squinting against the sunlight of the late May afternoon, she decided she should take some serious time off. Get away from Oregon. Away from the past. At least for a while. Maybe she should go to Southern California, or Bermuda or Costa Rica . . . better yet, Australia. She smiled around a yawn. Yeah, that sounded good.

If she could afford it.

She walked into her apartment and dropped her keys onto a side table. Her stomach rumbled. It had been hours since she’d eaten but she knew her refrigerator was bare. Thankfully the local pizza place delivered. She was about to give the place a call when her cell rang.

Travis McVey’s number flashed onto the screen.

She thought for a minute about answering, let the call go to voice mail, then listened to his message: “Okay, let’s get it out there. You’re obviously avoiding me. A lesser man would take it that you didn’t want to see him again, but I’m thinking you do; you’re just afraid to admit it or of where it might lead. So, Kayleigh, I double-dog dare you to call me. Are you woman enough to take the challenge? Let me know.”

She clicked off.

Erased the message and stood in the middle of her little apartment with its secondhand-store furniture and crappy view.

What the hell was she waiting for?

It was long over with Cade Ryder.

He was in love with his ex-wife and always had been. From where she stood, they were bound to get back together.

She wondered about McVey. She liked him a lot. And yet, he could piss her off like no other.

Was that a good sign? Probably not. She flipped the phone over and over in her hands as she thought, her tiny apartment bare and lifeless. She remembered the last time they’d seen each other, how easily she’d tumbled into bed with him, how good he’d made her feel.

She stopped flipping the phone and stared at the keyboard.

She considered his message. How he’d challenged her. She liked that. She liked that a lot.

So, maybe she would take him up on his dare and call him. Then again, maybe she wouldn’t.

Patient, near tears: “This is all so horrible! Horrible!”

Therapist: “Just take a deep breath. Now, go to your safe place. It’s calm there.”

Patient: “Yes, yes, the beach, the waterfall, the warm breeze, but . . .”

Therapist: “Lose yourself in the beauty. In the serenity.”