Page 54 of Ambush

He turned into the sun to face them, and his eyes widened when he spotted her. “Paradise, I heard what happened with Isaac yesterday. Good thing you were there.”

New lines had fanned around his brown eyes since she’d seen him last. He was a little taller than her, maybe five-ten, and his stocky build was all muscle and no fat. She caught the glint ofa wedding ring on his left hand. His open, friendly face drained her animosity. Had she been wrong all these years, or was he just good at hiding his true nature?

She felt a crawling sensation up her back and knew it was her desire to be away from that smell of lions. “I’m very thankful the little guy is okay. We wanted to chat about the missing key situation.”

His smile vanished. “I’m so sorry.” He directed his apology to Blake. “The thought of what might have happened makes me want to throw up. I’m usually very careful with my key, but I had a sick kid at home, and my wife had just called with an update while I was unlocking the door.”

“Is your little girl all right?” Blake asked.

Evan nodded. “It was appendicitis and she had surgery, which is why I took some vacation time. She’s right as rain now though, bouncing around the house and driving Honey crazy. Any clue who took my key? I was sure someone would have turned it in.”

“We haven’t found it,” Blake said. “And with the incident in the tiger enclosure, it’s a very ominous sign. I think I probably need to change the locks.”

“Good idea.” Evan’s gaze went back to her. “Um, this might not be the right time to say anything, Paradise, but I found a plastic tub of things in the attic recently. It hadAldenon a piece of tape on the lid. I was cleaning things because we’re going to put up drywall and make it into a play area for the kids. There was a panel to an area over the porch, and I backed out the screws and opened it up. The tub had been shoved in there.”

“Did you open it?”

“I glanced through it. There was an old jewelry box, someletters, and a baby book as well as some clothing. I thought you might want it.”

“I would, thank you.” Myriad questions flooded her mind—mostly,whywas it hidden?

“You’ll be interested in seeing what we’ve done with the place. You won’t recognize it. I put in a new kitchen and opened up the wall between the living and dining rooms. We found good hardwood under the carpets too. I’d love to show it to you.” He hesitated. “Unless coming back would be too painful for you.” He paused, looking her in the eyes. “I don’t have a clear memory of breaking into your house when you were a kid, but I know I scared you. It’s bugged me over the years, and I want to apologize again.”

So plausible. Too plausible? “Thank you. I’d love to see the house. Could I have a tour when I pick up the box?”

“You bet. How’s Saturday? The kids are home, so it might be chaotic, but I’m off work. It gets dark so early, I didn’t think after work would be a great time to see everything.”

“I like kids. What time is good?”

“How about nine?”

“Perfect. We’ll be back to the park before things get hectic. Thanks so much.”

The cat stench made her eyes water, and she backed out of the enclosure, then took in a deep breath of fresh air.

Blake thanked Evan and followed her. “That smell got to you, didn’t it? Your eyes were watering.”

“Maybe I’m not completely over my phobia of big cats.”

“You’re a good seventy-five percent better.”

He took her hand as they walked back toward the house, and she let him. The warm press of his fingers brought comfort.“Why would my parents hide a tub like that? It didn’t sound like anything important.”

“You haven’t seen it yet, so it’s hard to say what might be in there. You’ll want to go through all the clothing pockets and examine everything. Did it bother you to talk to Evan?”

“A little, but he wasn’t as suspicious as I remember. He seems like a really nice guy. A family man.”

“I’ve always liked him.”

She stopped a few feet from the house. “You’re not a good judge of people. You took me in and cared about me when you shouldn’t have.”

“Of course I should have. I didn’t have any trouble seeing past that tough-girl exterior. You only think you hide your feelings well. A trained interrogator like me busts right through your defenses.” He grinned, but his eyes were serious. “You have to let go of feeling like you’re inferior to other people. You have so many gifts and special qualities.”

Part of her wanted to hear what he thought, but she wanted to wait until they had time to talk about the future. This conversation could spin into a deeply personal direction that might make her tell him how she felt. And neither of them was ready for that.

***

On Wednesday after work, Blake went in search of Paradise and found her at the capybara habitat. The giant guinea pigs had a placid pool to enjoy and lots of room to meander around and climb on the rocks. Their habitat was a park favorite. He stood and watched Paradise return Hazel to her family after she’d beeninjured in a fall from a rock. The other family members chirped, whistled, and purred to welcome Hazel home as she lumbered out of the crate and onto the grass undulating through the area.

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