Page 46 of Shiver

Riley stood dumbstruck. His father had been there last night, watching them? He couldn’t help feeling like a child as the sting of his father’s venom swept through him. He took a deep breath. “Could is the operative word, Dad. She’s innocent.”

“Think with your head, Riley.”

“Why can’t you give me the benefit of the doubt? Trust, for once in your life, that maybe I know what I’m doing.”

“I wish I could, but you always seem to step over the line, to push the envelope, and damn the consequences.”

Riley cringed at his words but knew there wasn’t anything he could say or do to change his father’s opinion of him. There never had been. He held his father’s heated gaze and refused to back down. “I think with my head, but mostly I think with my gut. That’s who I am. Take it or leave it.”

His father stiffened. “You’ve always been like that. Why couldn’t you have learned to stay within your boundaries? When will you ever accept the consequences of your actions?”

“Why don’t you come right out and say it? You think it’s my fault, don’t you.”

“You couldn’t control what Michelle did.”

“I’m not talking about Michelle. I’m talking about Mom and we both know it.”

His father opened his mouth to respond but, at that moment, Tony stepped through the open doorway, a grim look on his face, and a manila folder in his hand.

“Sorry to interrupt. You got any coffee on?” His eyes were bloodshot, his clothes rumpled, and he looked in desperate need of a sharp razor.

Riley took a deep breath and glanced from Tony to his dad, then back to Tony again. “No, but we can fix some.” He turned toward the kitchen.

Unfortunately, his father followed.

“What happened to your face?” Tony asked.

“We had an intruder last night right after you left. He attacked me outside as I was coming back from the barn.” He looked at his dad. “Devra came out with my gun and scared him off.”

Tony’s eyes widened in astonishment. “Did you get a good look at him? Was he our devil?”

“I don’t know. We were pretty muddy.” He turned to his father. “What about you, Dad? Did you see anything?”

His father shook his head. “I’ll leave you two to your business. Riley, I hope you’ll keep in mind what I said.”

“Don’t see how I couldn’t.” As he watched his father walk out of the room, he wondered if he’d ever be able to please him. Then he wondered why he still bothered trying. He turned and filled the coffee machine with water and coffee.

“What did I walk in on?” Tony asked, leaning against the wall. “It seemed pretty intense.”

Riley shook his head. “Old family stuff.”

Tony nodded and let it go. “The captain wants to talk with you about your conversation with Nurse Jenkins.”

“Yeah?”

“He also found out Devra was staying here.”

Riley swore. Now he knew where his father had gotten his information.

“You might as well bring Devra in with you,” Tony continued. “I’m sure he’ll want to speak with her too once I tell him what I’ve discovered.”

Riley’s stomach dropped.

Tony continued, “The last time Devra used the name Miller she lived in Seattle. I contacted an old college buddy of mine who lives up there and had him do some checking into her background.”

Riley forced himself to appear neutral. Devra had risked her life for him. She had gone up against their intruder, against the man who more than likely had killed Michelle. She was as much a victim in this mess as the rest of them.

“What’d your buddy find?” he asked, even though a part of him didn’t want to know. With a lurch, he realized that he’d broken his number one rule—he’d let himself become emotionally involved with a suspect.

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