Page 48 of Wasted

The memory of Cillian’s protection and sweetness sent a tingle through Victoria’s torso, ending in her fluttery stomach.

But she shouldn’t allow such feelings, so similar to what she’d felt for him when she was fifteen. Caring for Cillian would still bring trouble, to her family and to her. She hadn’t seen or heard anything from him to indicate he had come to Christ in the sixteen years of his absence. As a new Christian herself when they’d first met, she hadn’t had the knowledge or spiritual maturity to avoid a romantic relationship with him on the basis of being unequally yoked.

Now would be quite different. Not that she was even considering romantic?—

The classical strains of Chopin interrupted the thoughts that were only making her more uptight than before.

She tapped the screen of her smartphone where it sat in her dashboard holder. Caller ID showed CareFull Home Health. “This is Victoria.”

“Victoria?” Racquelle’s voice came over the line. Was it Victoria’s imagination, or did her boss sound stressed? “The police are here, asking for you.”

Had she heard that correctly? “I’m sorry, the police are there?”

“Yes. A Detective McCully and other officers. He says he wants to talk to you immediately.”

Could they have the autopsy results? Perhaps they’d found something to indicate she was right, and Detective McCully wanted to apologize in person. Not likely, given his pride, but he must at least want to share the findings with her or ask more questions about the evidence she had tried to convey before.

“Okay. Please tell them I’m on my way.” Victoria ended the call with Racquelle, then contacted her next patient to let him know she would have to push his appointment due to an emergency. The police asking to see a person seemed to qualify as an emergency. It was certainly a request she couldn’t deny.

As she pulled into a stall at CareFull, her gaze caught on Cillian’s jeep. At least he’d driven a more sensible vehicle today. Safer, as well.

Though why his safety should concern her as much as it did, she wouldn’t ponder. Nor would she allow the tickle in her belly to progress any further.

She checked her reflection in the visor mirror.

Oh, honestly. What was she doing? It didn’t matter what Cillian thought of how she looked.

She smacked the visor back up to the ceiling with a little too much force and stepped out into the cold air. Briskly walking into the small lobby, she immediately spotted Detective McCully and two uniformed officers, a woman and a man.

And Cillian.

A smile upturned her lips despite her intention to appear unaffected by his presence.

But he didn’t smile in return. His black eyebrows dipped low as his gaze landed on her. Perhaps the news from the autopsy had disturbed him.

She wasn’t sure she was ready to hear the details herself. But if it would help find Thomas’s killer, she could handle it.

She stopped several feet from Racquelle, who stood facing the detective and his colleagues. “Detective McCully. I understand you wanted to see me?”

“We got the autopsy results.”

Relief eased some of the tension squeezing the tendons near her sternum. So that was why he wanted to speak with her. “Did it show evidence that someone…killed Mr. Briscoe?”

“Yes, it did.” McCully’s expression was as unfriendly as ever.

“How so?”

“I won’t discuss the details here.” He glanced at Cillian and Racquelle before returning his foreboding attention to Victoria. “I’m going to have to take you in for questioning.”

The words slipped through her ears as if from somewhere far off or from a dream. She couldn’t have heard him correctly.

“What?” Cillian stepped toward the detective. “You can’t do that.”

The detective straightened, still falling far short of Cillian’s height. “I wear the badge. I can definitely do that.”

“On what grounds?”

“She’s a person of interest in this investigation.”