Page 20 of Nick
The image filled the screen and Nick watched it again, studying the lone figure. Something niggled in the back of his head, some fact he should know, but whatever it was eluded him.
“Want me to send you a copy, Rafe?”
“Appreciate it, Ms. Edna.” He turned to Nick. “No point in taking prints, unless you want them done. With a rental, it’s probably not worth the time. In the meantime, we should call Dante. He’ll get you fixed up good as new.”
Nick started to nod when Ms. Edna’s voice stopped him. “Something about this video is bothering me.”
He’d learned to trust his gut a long time ago, and with something nagging at him about the video, and somebody else getting the same feeling, he wanted to hear what she thought.
“What’s that, Ms. Edna?”
“See this here,” she pointed toward the figure then zoomed in for as close-up—well, as close as she could. The cameras could only capture so much. “Look at the feet.”
Nick moved in closer to try and get a better look. Shaking his head, he admitted he didn’t see what she did. “What exactly am I looking at?”
“I’ll admit he’s a little fella, but even so, look at the feet. They are tiny. Ain’t no man I’ve ever seen with feet that small. And this,” she added, changing the angle of the camera to the person’s hands. “They aren’t wearing gloves. See the shadows on the nails? Now I know some of you fancy guys are all wearing nail polish these days, but I haven’t seen much of that in Shiloh Springs. But you ask me, that’s nail polish.”
Nick looked at Rafe, found him staring at the screen, a bemused expression on his face. Could they be looking at a woman? If so, that put an entirely different spin on who was out to get him.
“Good catch. Definitely send me the footage. I’ll have the sheriff’s department computer expert see if she can enhance the details.”
Ms. Edna laughed. “Sheriff’s department computer expert. Boy, who do you think you’re talking to? You’re gonna have Destiny work her magic. Probably doing it on the sly so y’all don’t get her in trouble.”
“I can neither confirm nor deny your guess, even if you’re right.” Rafe grinned. “Nick, I’m going to need you to come down to the office, fill out a report for the insurance company and the rental agency.” He sighed. “Paperwork. Some days I think all I get done is paperwork.”
“You mind giving me a lift? I’ll call the garage, get them working on the car as soon as we get there.”
“No problem. Ms. Edna, thanks for the coffee and the security footage. I’ll be sure to let Ridge and Shiloh know the cameras are being put to good use.”
Nick followed Rafe out to his cruiser and climbed into the front seat. His mind was spinning with the possibilities of his quarry being a woman. It was probably sexist of him, but he hadn’t even considered a woman might want him dead. At least not in an official capacity.
“With this new information, can you think of any females who want you eliminated? Maybe your playboy ways finally catching up to you?”
Nick shook his head. “Honestly, the thought never crossed my mind. There might be one or two who wish they’d never met me, but I don’t think they’d actually want to kill me. I’ll call Calvin and have him run the parameters again with this new information. Maybe a name will pop in the system.”
They drove the rest of the way to the sheriff’s department in silence. Rafe parked in front of the building and cut the engine. “Come in and let’s get the paperwork sorted for your car.” He paused for a second. “Are you planning to stake out Gracie’s place again?”
He struggled to hold his body loose and relaxed, not wanting to give anything away. It wouldn’t do for Rafe to think he felt anything for Gracie except in a professional capacity. At the slight uptick at the corner of Rafe’s mouth, he figured he’d failed at that miserably.
“If I hadn’t, we wouldn’t have caught the guy yesterday.”
“True. He’s still in custody until Chance has an opportunity to get him before the judge. He’s drawing it out as long as he can, buying me a little more time to try and get anything else out of him, but he’s expecting the guy to want to make a deal. With the gun charge, it should make things interesting though.”
“Ugh. This is such a mess. I can’t afford to be distracted now. There’s somebody out there with a grudge who’s trying to take my head off, people are getting caught in the crossfire as collateral damage, and I can’t focus because of a woman I can’t stop thinking about.”
Rafe patted his shoulder. “Been there, done that, my friend. When Tessa showed up in town, my whole life went sideways. I’d make up excuses to see her. Shoot, one time Dad found us pulled over to the side of the road kissing.” Nick’s shoulders shook as he tried to hold in his laugh. He could just picture Douglas’ face on seeing his upright son and his girl making out on the side of the road. “I will say this, if you decide you’re serious about Gracie, I think you’d be a good match. I know, I know, there’s still a lot I don’t know about you, only what the records from your boss say and what Destiny dug up when you first showed back up in town.”
“Bet that made for some interesting reading,” Nick murmured.
“You have no idea. Like some James Bond-type adventure fiction. Only it wasn’t fiction, was it? Anyway, Gracie is an amazing woman. She’s been through a lot, but she’s one of the strongest women I know. Don’t treat her with kid gloves. Yeah, I know that’s always our first instinct. We’re guys, it’s what we do. The whole caveman thing. You woman, me man, me protect you. I’m telling you right now, forget that crap. She’s stronger than people think. She had to be to deal with everything she’d been through. You know she changed her identity, moved around a lot to get away from Brewster. When she found Shiloh Springs, she found a place where she felt safe enough to put down roots. To build a business. To find friends, and trust me, she has a lot of them. But she’s vulnerable too. All I’m saying is…don’t hurt her.”
Nick drew in a deep breath, considering his words. “I’ve never let a woman come between me and getting the job done, although this isn’t an official job per se. Still, she’s got my head spinning. I want to push her away and pull her into my arms at the same time. It’s confusing, and right now I can’t afford to be distracted. Otherwise, somebody else might not be as lucky as Antonio.”
“Sometimes, when the right woman comes along, we don’t have a choice.” Rafe’s expression was stone-faced at the mention of his brother. While Antonio had pretty much recovered from the gunshot wound, it had been touch and go for a while, and Nick still felt guilty for having led the shooter practically to the Boudreaus doorstep.
“Let’s go get that paperwork done, and maybe we can ask the man you caught skulking around Gracie’s place a few more questions before he smartens up and asks for a lawyer again.”
CHAPTER TEN
