Page 13 of Shadowed Witness (The Secrets of Kincaid #2)

Eric bent over his desk in the nearly deserted station.

He’d been up most of the night, looking everywhere he could think of for Dion and rechecking some of the likelier places.

After a few hours of sleep, he’d run by the teen’s house again on his way to the Sunday morning early service.

Still no sign of him. Then after church, he’d grabbed a fast-food sandwich and come back here to make sure his reports were in order and try to noodle through the mess of cases he had.

But like it had all day yesterday, his mind kept bouncing between the missing teen and a certain redhead, no matter how hard he tried to focus.

He hadn’t missed Allye Jessup’s unceremonious entrance after retrieving her glasses Friday night.

She had always been a little ... well, klutzy was what some of the other guys had called her back in high school, but he’d never liked that term.

Her propensity to graze corners and accidentally knock things off her desk was actually kind of cute, though he never would have admitted such a thing back then.

She was Bryce’s little sister after all.

And with the three-year age gap between her and Eric, she’d been too young for him to consider dating.

Even if they had been closer in age, she’d always been way out of his league—smart, witty, popular, and from a good family.

But she and her family had always been kind to him. Even when many of the “good kids” were told to avoid him because of his background, as if he’d had a choice about his parents and what they did. A burning started in his gut, as it usually did when he thought of them.

He forced his thoughts back to the present.

Replayed Allye’s return to the living room and nearly falling into a chair.

Looking for all the world like her grip on the porch furniture was the only thing keeping her from toppling over during her conversation with him and Moore.

The defeat in her posture each time he’d been unable to find anything to corroborate her story.

But more than that, her normal enthusiasm for life and people was lacking.

Something was going on with her. Perhaps the same something causing all these incidents?

Despite the lack of evidence, he’d been inclined to believe her accounts until Friday night.

But as much as he wanted to deny she could be losing it, this latest story couldn’t be anything but that—a story.

None of it made sense. Yes, an attacker tracking down the victim that got away was, unfortunately, all too possible. But the rest of it was bizarre.

In a sense, he was relieved it couldn’t be true.

Because what could have and likely would have happened if that kind of man had actually broken into her home while she was there alone and helpless .

.. He tried to shut down that line of thought.

Between what he’d been exposed to as a kid and what he’d seen as a cop, he wasn’t shocked by much.

Disturbed and angered, yes, but those emotions were easily funneled into determination to bring justice to the victims.

But the thought of someone assaulting and murdering sweet, innocent Allye Jessup was more than disturbing. It made him want to vomit.

His phone vibrated on the desk, and he unlocked it to find a text from Bryce.

Early dinner at my place if you’re interested. Steak

Busy with a case

More like a dozen. Despite his hours sifting through notes and brainstorming theories today, he hadn’t made any headway with Ashley Harrison’s case.

Or finding Dion. And between his search for the missing teen and following up on Allye’s incidents, he’d gotten behind on the others over the last few days.

Kincaid’s size and budget had only allowed for one detective position, which meant he had to cover everything from vandalism to homicide.

In the theoretical case of a homicide anyway.

The only ones he could remember ever happening in Kincaid were in connection with the guy stalking Corina last fall.

You need a break

Bryce was probably right, much as he hated to admit it.

Eric stared at the pile of scribbled notes in front of him.

He wasn’t getting anywhere. Maybe cutting out and actually taking a few hours off would give him fresh eyes for the morning.

Technically, he was only supposed to be on call today anyway.

What time?

4:00

Will try. No promises.

See you then

AFTER TAKING A ROUNDABOUT ROUTE to drive by Dion’s house again, Eric arrived at Bryce and Corina’s house.

The couple had married this past spring, then settled into Bryce’s childhood home across the street from Corina’s father.

Those two had been through a lot in the past year—really the past decade or so. But they’d come out the better for it.

He parked on the street and turned off the engine. 3:58. Right on time. The scent of grilling meat wafted toward him as he approached the porch.

He knocked on the door, then turned to scan the neighborhood. Everything seemed quiet. The house where Corina’s stalker had set up headquarters last year remained empty, but the For Rent sign was gone. Hopefully, the new tenants would be upstanding citizens this time.

The breeze shifted, redoubling the scents of charcoal and beef. The door opened just as his stomach rumbled.

Corina grinned. “Hi, Eric. Glad you could make it. And that you brought an appetite.” Houston, Corina’s German shepherd, poked his snout around her legs and woofed.

“Thanks for the invite. Smells wonderful.”

“Locally raised steaks with Bryce’s secret dry rub. Come on through. He’s out back with Wesley.”

He followed her inside, pausing to give Houston’s head a pat. As they entered the kitchen, he spotted Hailey Nieland, baby propped on one hip while she assembled a salad with her free hand.

“Eric, hey!” She dumped a jar of olives into the large bowl of greens. “It’s been a while.”

“Guess it has. How have you been?”

“Oh, pretty good.” She added tomatoes to the mix.

He noticed Jenna was staring at him, so he attempted a comical expression. The baby giggled, exposing a toothy grin. A smile stretched across Hailey’s face. She got her daughter’s attention and signed something, pointed to Eric, then made the same sign again.

“What was that?”

“I told her you were funny. She doesn’t know that one yet, so you’re a great object lesson.”

“Thanks.” He flattened his tone, but he really didn’t mind. He made the face again and copied Hailey’s hand motion. Jenna rewarded him with another giggle.

“Not bad, Detective.” Hailey reached for another ingredient.

“Want me to take her so you can finish up?”

“You can try, but she’s being clingy today. I think she’s got another tooth coming in.”

Eric held out his hands, but the baby buried her face in her mom’s shoulder. “I think that’s a no,” he said ruefully.

“Don’t feel too bad. She wouldn’t come to me either,” Corina said from beside him.

Hailey dropped a kiss on Jenna’s cheek. “It’s okay. I’ve become the one-handed queen over the last year. Mommy powers.” She winked at Corina. “Yours will be kicking in soon.”

“Can’t wait.” A sparkle lit Corina’s eyes, and her gaze lingered on her cousin’s baby for a moment. Then she seemed to remember what they were all there for. She turned to Eric. “Why don’t you head on out with the guys? We’ve got a few side dishes to finish up here.”

“Anything I can help carry?” He scanned the room.

His eyes narrowed as he caught sight of the dining room table.

The end nearest the back door sported a few baby dishes plus a stack of six adult-size plates and a matching number of glasses and cutlery sets.

Bryce and Corina. Wesley and Hailey. Eric and. ..?

This had better not be some sort of couples thing with a surprise date for him.

He chose not to comment. Yet. No sense in spoiling the meal—but if that’s what this turned out to be, he might have to set Bryce straight later.

Corina didn’t seem to notice his reaction. She pointed at a collection of condiments on the counter. “If you want to carry those out to the picnic table with you, that would be great.”

“Sure thing.” He scooped them up and pushed the screen door open. Houston slipped past him. Oops. He glanced back.

Corina waved a hand. “He’s fine. I’d have brought him when I came anyway.”

Nodding, he stepped onto the back patio. Bryce looked up from the grill and lifted a spatula in greeting.

“Hey, man. Glad you made it.”

“Hard to turn down your steaks.” Eric deposited his load onto the cedar picnic table. “Gotta admit I’m relieved the ladies are handling the sides though.”

Bryce laughed. “You and me both.” His lack of skill with an indoor range was well-known.

Wesley looked up from a lawn chair and offered a quick greeting before returning his attention to his phone. His fingers flew across the screen. The guy had some serious speed-texting skills.

Houston nudged Eric’s knee and dropped a worn tennis ball at his feet.

“Want to play?” He grabbed the ball and tossed it across the fenced-in yard.

The dog was after it in a flash. Eric moved off the patio to keep the game away from the food.

They played for several minutes, Houston making him fight for the ball each time he returned with it.

After a particularly hard tussle where Houston pulled him off-balance, he threw the ball to the farthest corner of the yard.

He was enjoying himself, but he needed a moment to catch his breath.

The back door opened, and Allye exited with a pie dish in each hand. The tension he hadn’t realized he’d been carrying slipped from his shoulders. With Allye as the sixth adult member of their dinner party, he didn’t have to worry about an unexpected blind date.

“Sorry I’m late.”

“Wouldn’t expect anything less,” Bryce said with a grin.