Page 7 of I'm Watching You

For a moment, Zack tensed and she expected him to walk toward her. Their relationship was unconventional and damaged, but they had a history and that had to be worth something.

He drew in a breath but didn’t move toward her. ‘I’m not ready to interview you yet, Lindsay. Go back inside and wait for me.’

Zack sounded so controlled. So together. He’d anticipated seeing her.

That realization angered her. He could have given her a heads-up and called her on her cell.Crap. She remembered her cell was dead and so was her home phone. Maybe he had tried to call.

Still, the insight didn’t soften the sharp emotions digging at her. ‘Well, I’d like to talk to you now, detective.’ She’d laced the words with attitude, knowing he’d hate it.

Zack’s left hand flexed. She recognized the gesture. It signaled he was irritated. Good.

Speaking to the young cop, Zack said, ‘Officer Bennett, escort Ms O’Neil away from my crime scene now.’

The curt dismissal had her squaring her shoulders. ‘This is shelter property, Detective Kier. You can’t shut me out. Whoever was killed on my property affects my residents.’

Zack didn’t answer. Instead, he turned back toward the body.

Honey not vinegar.Honey not vinegar.

With effort, Lindsay drew in a breath and softened her tone. ‘Look, Zack, my assistant found the body and it’s in our backyard. Can’t you give me any information?’

‘Not now, Lindsay,’ Zack said. He crouched by the body, pulled off his sunglasses, and chewed the earpiece as he stared at the body.

Barely a few moments together and already it was clear that the emotional wall between them was as thick as it had been a year ago. It was hard now to believe that they’d ever been close.

Lindsay always felt most alone when she tried to connect with him and he shut her out. ‘Detective, can you at least move the marked police cars?’ she asked. ‘Sanctuary doesn’t need any more bad publicity.’

He didn’t respond.

Officer Bennett took Lindsay’s arm. ‘Ma’am, you need to leave this area.’

She snatched her arm free. ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’m going.’

Chapter Three

Monday, July 7, 9:25A.M.

For the past two days, Detective Zack Kier had been running down leads on a suspicious murder in the county’s east end. He’d pieced together enough information to prove that the woman who had fallen to her death had committed suicide, and that it was not a murder. He had been ready to clock out and start a stretch of three days off when dispatch had reported a homicide at Sanctuary Women’s Shelter.

He’d taken the assignment without hesitating or clearing it with his supervisor. The action would no doubt come back to bite him in the ass but he didn’t care. He’d needed to make sure Lindsay was okay.

He’d not only seen her, but he’d also managed to piss her off.

Now, it wasn’t even ten o’clock and Zack was juggling what was going to be a high-profile murder and Lindsay.Shit.

Zack decided to focus on the lesser of the two evils – the crime scene.

The responding uniformed officer had roped off a generous perimeter around the body and had done a good job keeping everyone out and the area secure until Zack had arrived.

A monthlong drought had left the ground bone dry, so the chances of retrieving footprints,DNA, weapons, the victim’s hand, and anything else left behind by the killer were all good. But they’d have to work fast. Thick rain clouds that looked ready to burst hovered above.

‘Officer Watt,’ Zack said, speaking to the older officer behind him. ‘What do you have so far?’

In his midfifties, Watt’s gray crew cut emphasized a perpetual scowl. Usually, he had little to say, but when he did speak smart detectives listened. ‘Call came in from a Ruby Dillon. She found the body just after eight. Ms Dillon spent the night at the shelter. She was in charge of supervising the overnight residents and getting the four female residents off to work and the two male children to summer school. The place was empty when she came outside to dump the trash and discovered the body.’

Zack patted his shirt pocket in search of cigarettes. The pocket was empty. He’d quit smoking nine months ago, but cravings still plagued him. ‘Did she hear or see anything last night?’

‘Not a word. And none of the residents mentioned anything out of the ordinary to her before they left for the day. It was an unusually quiet night.’

---