Page 404 of Cold Case, Warm Hearts

What did it matter?

She couldn’t help Jake. The hospital staff had to do that.

She hadn’t been able to stop the cops from taking him in for questioning. She couldn’t prove—yet—that it wasn’t him who’d murdered all those women. She hadn’t been with him here, ona grocery store trip where she figured the last thing on his mind was that he’d be stabbed.

Who had done this?

Addie pulled the keys out and put them in her pocket. She retrieved her gun in its holster from her glove box, and her badge and credentials. Jacket from the backseat.

She suited up just as a black and white pulled into the lot. Addie knew how close to the edge of breaking down she was, so instead of waiting for them to get out she strode for the front doors of the grocery store.

The beat of feet on the asphalt raced up behind her. She was so mad she didn’t even turn around.

“This seems familiar.” He tugged on her arm, although it was pretty gentle. Little more than a suggestion.

Addie spun around.

“Oh.” Officer Hummet blinked. He looked down at her hands, then back up to her face. “Your friend who ditched you last time?” His eyebrow rose, as though he was unimpressed.

“Turns out he was right to, since yourcaptainis trying to pin a murder on him.”

Hummet didn’t even blink. Beyond him was another officer, older, who’d only just caught up. Eric lifted a brow. “And your role here?”

“To see if whoever stabbed Jake is on the security cameras.”

“That would be our job.” Hummet motioned to his partner. “On account of we don’t need to be at the hospital until your friend wakes up so we can get his statement.”

“I’m not a bad person because I want to check the cameras first.” She folded her arms. “We need to know who did this.”

Hummet nodded. “Okay. You’re welcome to observe.”

Addie opened her mouth to argue.

“That’s my final answer.” He studied her. “Don’t make me call you ma’am.”

“Come on.” Addie spun to the doors and found the same office where they’d looked at the feeds what seemed like weeks ago but was actually only a couple of days.

Hummet went inside the office to talk with the security guy.

His partner, who didn’t give her his name and she couldn’t read it on his shirt as there was a smudge of something yellow on it, stood in the hall watching her. Eating an apple pie that she had no idea where he’d acquired it.

“So you’re the fed?” He took a bite that amounted to a third of the pie.

Addie said, “That’s what they tell me.”

Thankfully Eric exited the office then.

“Well?”

Officer Hummet’s expression had darkened, his young face like someone who’d seen too much.Not good.“Can’t see his face, but we’ll run with what we’ve got.”

“Or, the second you report this it’s going to get handed to some detective with six open cases on his desk. And the victim is a suspect in a murder?” She could guess who had the motive to do this, but her and Jake’s lives had never been that simple.

“I’ll make sure this is looked into. All of it above board.”

Officer Apple Pie didn’t seem to think that was a good idea. Or he just didn’t care because it would cut into his lunch break.

Addie figured that meant she needed to leave. Before she said something that would get her in even more hot water with the PD. “Find out who did this.”

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