Page 20 of Sadie's Guarded Harbor

“Can I?” Amelia asked, bouncing on her toes with excitement as if she’d told the girl she could throw glitter in the air.

“You don’t have to do that,” Tommy said. “I’ll get to it tomorrow.”

Sadie hooked a brow. “Doubtful. It’s a nice apartment though. Not what I expected.”

An earthy green covered the walls, complimenting the masculine tones in the space. Little bits of clutter sat on most surfaces, but the place smelled of lemon disinfectant. Messy, but clean. She bet if she stepped into his bedroom, she’d find the bed unmade, but at least the sheets would be recently washed.

Warmth flooded her cheeks. She couldn’t let her mind wander to what she’d find in Tommy’s bedroom. He was in thedon’t touch, don’t look, don’t even think about itpart of her brain.

Brushing past her, Tommy slid off his jacket and tossed it on top of the colorful blanket. He turned and leaned against the couch, fixing his tired eyes on her. “You’ve thought about my place, huh?”

Shaking her head, she smirked. “Not even a little.”

Tommy grinned then glanced over at Amelia in the kitchen, busy as a bee. “I’m sorry. But I had to go to Shawn’s myself.”

She crossed her arms. “You didn’t think I could be trusted to do a good job?”

“That’s not it.” He rubbed his forehead, just above his eyes.

A pinch of guilt burrowed into her stomach. He’d been through a lot tonight. She didn’t even want to examine the fear that had grabbed her by the throat when she’d heard the call come through on the scanner.

She rounded the edge of the sofa and opted to sit in the recliner, angling to keep an eye on Amelia. “I want to know my partner trusts me. That he knows I’m damn good at my job.”

Tommy sank down on the couch. “I do know that. But my mind was spinning, and I had to do something. I found myself back there, going through his stuff. I found this.” Grabbing his jacket, he pulled an evidence bag from the pocket.

She leaned forward and took the bag. Staring through the clear plastic, she tried to give meaning behind the scraps of paper inside. “What is this?”

“Drawings. Sketches. Weird ass comments. I didn’t go through all of them, but it’s enough to realize something had Shawn twisted inside. We need to look at every scratch mark on those pages. Shawn might be the only one who can point us in the right direction—even if he isn’t here. Then there’s the random key. No clue what that will unlock, but it’s gotta be something good if he went through so much trouble to hide it.”

A jab of disappointment pricked her pride. “Where did you find these? I swear I searched that place top to bottom.”

“Outside. Under the siding.”

She slumped back in the chair. “I didn’t even look outside. How could I not have thought of that?”

“Melissa showed up. That threw you off. But if it makes you feel better, it was my sister’s idea to look under the trailer.”

It didn’t. She prided herself on completing a job to her best ability. No matter the circumstances. She couldn’t let things slipthrough cracks—couldn’t allow herself to make stupid mistakes. Not if she wanted to be taken seriously.

“All done,” Amelia yelled, drawing their attention before bounding into the living room and stopping in front of Tommy, hands on hips. “Do you want ice?”

Tommy frowned. “Ice?”

“For your head. Mama always gives me ice for my owies. She takes care of me. I can take care of you.”

Tommy grabbed Amelia’s little hand, dwarfing it in his own. “That’s very thoughtful, but I’ll be okay. Besides, you’ve already done so much. Thank you.”

Amelia grinned. “You’re welcome.”

Pushing to her feet, Sadie handed back the bag. “It’s late. We should get going. Are you still up for visiting Clara in the morning?”

Tommy nodded. “You’ll have to drive.”

She forced a smile. “I’m better at it anyway.”

He chuckled, then winced and pressed a hand to his side.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” She bit into her lip and debated on the right way to handle this. “I could stay longer. If you need me to.”

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