Page 37 of Rescued Duty

How could someone kill another human intentionally? The facts of this case spelledpremeditated, given the way the doors and windows had been secured shut. It was murder.

And yet no one had ever found the person who’d killed them.

“Did your parents ever show distress over something? Signs that someone wasn’t happy with them?” Naya tapped her pen on the table and chewed her bottom lip.

She might seem distant to some, asking questions, but it comforted him to think it through logically rather than absorb the weight of her empathy.

Zack admired Naya’s grit. Her ability to give her all to any situation. Like on the side of that mountain yesterday. She hadn’t wanted to give up, even when there had been no way out.

He hated seeing her hurt. And yet, none of it had shaken her faith in God, which seemed as strong as it had been back then.

She was beautiful inside and out.

Zack leaned back in his seat. His heart told him to pay attention. But his mind sent off flares, warning him to keep his distance.

What would she say if he told her how he felt?

No, he couldn’t open up. He needed to keep her away from trouble. Safety over romance. That was the answer. Otherwise, he might open his heart and have her ripped from his life all over again.

Better to focus on the real reason for their meeting now and not travel down a path he had no right to venture on.

“If they did, I was naïve to it. As an eight-year-old, you don’t know everything that’s going on behind the scenes.”

How many times had adults told him that to explain away the fact they had no answers?

When his parents came home from work, they would drop their briefcases in the mud room like a weight of bricks. “Each night they were happy to see me. Like I was the reason they did everything they did.”

“Your dad was a chemist, right?” Naya took a bite of her muffin.

“He worked for a company that created and sold products for firehouses and residential properties. That much I do know. He’d tell me how his work would help save peoples’ lives.”

“That’s why you were always so good at explaining my science homework to me.” Naya focused on the table and picked up a few crumbs with the pad of her finger before placing them on the napkin. A slight smile played on her lips.

Was she remembering the good times they’d had together before everything went south? They’d practically been inseparable.

“You’d always end up with the right answer though.” Zack grinned. “Even without my help.” Although, he wanted to be her helpmate.

Where had that thought come from?

Naya cleared her throat. “What was the name of the company your dad worked for?”

Right, business. This wasn’t a friendship hangout, even if he wanted that. “ProEco Plant. Although,” Zack tapped his fingers on the table, “he mentioned having a new boss and a new office at one point so there was some kind of transition.”

“I can do some research and see what comes up. Can I also have the list of witnesses? I’ll see what I can find there.” She shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe I can come up with an answer no one else saw.”

And he could show Bryce he’d done the work he’d been asked to do.

Zack grabbed his own pen and starred the names before sliding the paper over to Naya to copy. Would any of these people even remember what happened? If it kept her out of trouble, maybe it was worth allowing her to do some legwork.

“Fancy seeing one of our town’s heroes out and about.”

Zack stiffened at the greeting and slowly shifted in his seat.

The man who stood at the end of the table had once been Zack’s nemesis in grade school, and it had gotten Zack into a couple of detentions when the fists had come out.

“Can’t think so highly of myself that I forget to associate with common folk.” Zack chuckled, hoping Hudson left the joke at that and didn’t provoke the situation more.

Hudson sported a pressed suit and slicked-back hair with enough gel to keep a breeze from disturbing a single strand.“Saw in the paper this morning the crew still has you on the ground. Once a troublemaker, always one. I suppose they can’t trust you with bigger tasks.”

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