Page 286 of Cold Case, Warm Hearts

“What do you mean, I’m not going home?”

“You’ll be staying at my place.”

“I am not staying with you or any other man.”

“There aren’t many people I’d trust with your life and the sole female on that list won’t be back from her honeymoon for a few more days. If you refuse to lodge with me, we’ll take you to a safe house somewhere, but I’ll still be the one volunteering for protection duty.”

“It was merely a stuffed bear, Wade.” She leaned back in her chair and stared at the ceiling. “Get a grip.”

“It’s obvious you don’t get it.” He stood and leaned in close with both hands planted on his desk. “I wouldn’t normally do this because I don’t like scaring people, and we don’t want details leaked to the press, but you’re a member of law enforcement, so I’ll make an exception.”

He stalked to the whiteboard and turned it around so she could see the murder board they’d put together, including the descriptions of the teddy bear gifts given to the victims and the jewelry found on their bodies. He held up an evidence bag with a charm bracelet in it. “The woman found in the park four weeksago was wearing a charm bracelet with a horseshoe and a horse charm on them when she left home on July 9th. We’ll double check to make sure your gift was the one she was wearing, but there is no doubt in my mind it will be.”

He pointed to a picture on the murder board with his pencil. “Yesterday afternoon, we made an arrest. All our evidence pointed to this man, but he was in FBI custody when the teddy bear and bracelet were delivered this morning.”

“Oh.”

“You are in mortal danger. It’s not a simple stuffed animal. That bear is a killer’s calling card. He’s playing a sick game with you, and I have no intention of letting him win.”

She swallowed past the lump in her dry throat. “Do you have a guest room?”

“I do, but I’m giving you my room, so you’ll have a private bathroom attached to your bedroom.”

“If I’m your only guest, wouldn’t your other bath also be private?”

“While I’m working, you’ll still need protection, so I’ll get one of Gavin’s men to come keep an eye on you.”

“I’ll be working, too.”

“Take a vacation, Em.” He reached over and grabbed her hand. His gaze begged her to comply. “Please don’t do anything to put your life in further jeopardy.”

She didn’t know how to reply, so she stayed silent for several seconds. Then she remembered the picture, so she changed the subject to avoid answering. “Bob took a picture of the guy who delivered the bear.”

“Ever hear of burying the lead?” His eyes searched hers. “Why on earth didn’t you mention that sooner?”

“I forgot about it in all the commotion, but looking at your murder board reminded me.”

“We’ll ask him to come in for questioning and get the photo from him.”

“He texted it to me.” She brought it up on her phone and studied the man with a baseball hat pulled low and a hood over it. She could see he had scruff on his chin but couldn’t identify him. “It’s not clear.”

“It’s better than nothing.” He examined it carefully. “The background should give us an idea of height and build despite the blurriness. We can canvass the neighborhood for other security cameras and see if anyone picked him up. Gavin is already checking the ones installed on your house.”

“There are cameras on my house?”

He nodded.

“How did I not know he put cameras on my house?” She looked up at him. “And why didn’t I see them?”

“The cameras are tiny. If someone with nefarious intentions sees a camera, they’ll find a way to disable it, so the smaller the better. It was all part of the security system Gavin reviewed with us. Maybe you were having difficulty focusing on his presentation.” His eyes lit with humor. She’d been preoccupied that day, so she couldn’t deny it, and he knew full well he was the cause of her distraction. Yet, she couldn’t believe she would’ve missed talk of cameras. She never would’ve agreed to them. They felt like an intrusion, but since their goal was to protect her, she stuffed down her annoyance and tried to be grateful they may have gotten better images than Bob did.

“This whole situation stinks.”

“I know.” He took her hand in his and squeezed. “Is there anyone in your life you could see doing this?”

“No.” She snatched back her hand and ran it through her hair.

“Let me rephrase my question.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Is there anyone in your life who makes you feel uncomfortable when you’re around them?”

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