Page 34 of Condemned By Secrets

Grinning, Luther reached for it, but he didn’t shake it. Instead, he clasped her tiny palm, lifting it to his lips for a kiss. At her sharp intake of breath, his blood heated in response. Releasing her hand, he leaned down to whisper in her ear. “See you soon, Anna Hendricks.”

She gave a slight nod then hurried away. Luther breathed in deep, savoring the scent she’d left behind.

“Officer Monroe?”

At the sound of his name, Luther turned. “Yeah?”

The blonde receptionist was staring at him with unabashed interest. She licked her lips before adding, “The mayor will see you now.”

Luther ignored her look. There was only one woman he wanted looking at him like that and this blonde wasn’t it. That fact aside, he needed to turn on the charm for the mayor if he had any hope of getting the security footage. Giving the receptionist a curt “thanks,” he entered the mayor’s office.

???

It was five o’clock the next Monday when Luther finally received the security footage from Town Hall, and he had no plans of leaving until he’d watched it. The agency that stored the data had refused to give it to him without a warrant, and he’d needed the mayor’s approval to submit a request for one. His conversation with the mayor the Friday before had gone smoothly, but only after he’d mentioned that Miss Hendricks’s car had been the target of the vandalism. Luther wasn’t sure what interest the mayor had in Anna, but it set his Spidey senses on alert.

He’d heard nothing else from Anna about Cartwright, and he hoped it was because the man hadn’t bothered her. Luther’s inability to act on that situation had left him tossing and turning in frustration, so much so, he’d gotten up for a run in the middle of the night. The exercise had tired him out enough to allow him to sleep, but he’d woken impatient and on edge the next morning.

For some reason, Anna attracted trouble like flies to honey. If he found the vandal, he’d have one less thing to worry about. Thankfully, he’d gotten the footage from the day of the meeting, so he could make that happen.

Thinking about the Suspicious Activity Reports, Luther shook his head. He could use a break in Anna’s case with the way his other investigation was headed. When it came to tracing the reports back, he was dealing with a tangled web. He was managing to unravel it, but it was slow going—one knot at a time.

The vandalism was straightforward in comparison. Pouring out a handful of Skittles, Luther tossed them in his mouth as he searched through the videos. There were several camera angles, and he needed the one with a clear view of Anna’s car. When he landed on it, he stopped, taking a calming breath before letting the footage play. At least he had a fairly narrow time window to go through.

He saw Anna pull up and exit her car in a rush. She high-tailed it for the building as if she was running late. Luther didn’t mind because watching her backside bounce as she scurried off was a nice perk. He downed another handful of candy as the video continued to play.

Several people came and went over the course of the next hour, but none of them ventured near Anna’s car. On a yawn, Luther paused the video and rose in search of caffeine. There was a coffee pot on the far wall of the bullpen, and he headed for it.

Reaching it, he lifted the pot and eyed the dark sludge that was left. Shrugging, he poured it out into a mug and took a sip. The coffee had gone cold and had the distinct taste of charcoal after being on the burner for too long. Luther frowned and took another sip. At least it was caffeine. Ignoring the rebellion his taste buds were raging, Luther carried the coffee back to his desk.

He sat down and pressed play again, knowing he had to be getting close to the time of the slashing. When Cartwright exited the building, Luther sat up straighter.Let’s see if your original story pans out.

Luther clutched the coffee mug as he watched Cartwright walk across the parking lot. “Where are you going?” he muttered the question aloud. But as he continued to watch, he knew.

The truth slammed into Luther’s gut, and he almost dropped his half-finished mug. With fear for Anna’s safety swamping him, he broke out in a cold sweat. After setting the coffee down with a hand that shook, Luther grabbed his keys and ran for the door.

CHAPTER 14

By the time Luther pulled up in front of Cartwright’s home, he’d calmed down enough that fear was no longer choking him. He’d pushed it down until it formed a rock in his stomach, leaving his head clear for the task at hand. The surveillance video had given him the dirt he needed to arrest Cartwright. If the man was in jail, he wouldn’t be able to get to Anna. Bail was likely, but the advantage of bringing the bastard in tonight was he wouldn’t get a chance at it until the next day at the earliest.

The thought of Cartwright spending an uncomfortable night in a cell eased the tension in Luther’s muscles.Anna would be safe.

Cracking his neck from side to side, Luther took a deep breath, then exited his vehicle. He was ready for this. Not that he expected Cartwright to resist, but he’d be happy to respond with force if necessary. Thinking of the possibility, a slow grin stretched across Luther’s face. After a few moments of relishing his fist connecting with Cartwright’s face, Luther shook the image from his mind and climbed the steps to the man’s door.

Knocking loudly, Luther waited for a response, his fingers tapping an impatient rhythm on his belt holster.

It didn’t take long for Cartwright to appear. The man opened the door and scowled at Luther. “Visiting again so soon?”

Luther kept his expression stoic. “Richard Cartwright, you’re under arrest for criminal damage to property.”

Cartwright’s face turned a dark shade of maroon. “What? This is insane! I didn’t touch her vehicle!” His voice rose with each statement.

That’s a lie.

“Step outside. Now.” Luther ignored Cartwright’s rant and pulled the cuffs off the clip at his waist. “And you might want to stop talking before you incriminate yourself further.”

The color that had flooded Cartwright’s face leached away. “I want a lawyer.”

Luther couldn’t contain his smile. “You’ll get one . . . eventually.”

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