Page 2 of Knight

Everyone shakes their heads. “First place I went was to the corners of the house to see if there were any cameras, then I checked the doors. This family apparently didn’t believe in surveillance.”

“And there’re no neighbors for a mile.” My stomach drops.

“I headed over there and they said they heard a gunshot about fifteen minutes ago, but figured it was hunters.”

“So they didn’t make a report?”

“Correct.”

Trying to get my shit together, I start going through protocol in my head. What are the other questions I can ask? “Do we know how old she is? What her name is?”

“Taylor Kingston,” Archer reads from his phone, where he’s no doubt tapped into the city database. “She’s fifteen and lives here with her parents, Howard and Kathy.”

That’s got to be the victims. “Do we have a next of kin to notify?”

“Kathy’s got three sisters,” Archer says and clears his throat. “One lives two miles from here.”

“Then that’s where we’ll go. We’ve gotta make a notification, see if there’s anywhere they think Taylor might be. This scene is to be worked by the book. You got me? There’s a fifteen year old unaccounted for, and we need to be cognizant of that. Give me your keys, Archer. I’ll do this myself.”

He throws them towards me, and with a flick of my wrist I catch them before heading out to the SUV.

Driving the two miles down the road takes a lifetime. Knowing I’ll be ruining this family’s life is one of the worst parts of the new title I have. Coming to a stop in the driveway, I try to compose my thoughts, do my best to think about what I might want someone to say if they were bringing bad news to me in the middle of the night.

It doesn’t work for one reason.

I don’t like bringing bad news to anyone.

For most of my career I’ve been the one who helped others; fixed problems when they seemed to not be fixable. Yet here I am, sitting in the dark, trying to get up the courage to go knock on this door and tell the people sleeping peacefully their family is destroyed.

Two are dead, one is missing.

Guess tonight is the night I recognize I won’t always be the knight in shining armor. Sometimes I’ll be your worst nightmare come to life.

Chapter One

Rina

When I went to bed last night, Mason wasn’t home. He’d sent me a text hours before, telling me not to worry. It’s something I constantly try to do.

To not worry.

One of the things I’ve learned since becoming the wife of a police officer is I can’t allow my mind to run away with what if’s and maybe’s. I learned pretty quickly that it would either put me on medication or drive me to drink. With two of the most important people in my life wearing a badge, I have to trust they will come home at the end of the night. I have to trust they’ll make the correct decisions so they’ll be able to wake up the next morning. I’m at peace with that.

These days I only worry if another officer shows up at my door when Mason should be on shift.

Grabbing my coffee cup, I put it under the Keurig and impatiently wait for it to finish brewing. I don’t wake up properly until I get my first jolt of caffeine.

Mason’s SUV turns into the driveway, and the nervousness in my stomach goes away. For the first time since he left for his shift, I can breathe easily. Although I give it up to the heavens when he’s gone, it doesn’t mean I don’t rejoice when he comes home.

I’m stirring my creamer and sugar in when I see him get out of his SUV and walk toward the back porch. Although he has some gray in his beard and a little bit of gray at the edges of his hair, he still looks very close to the man I married. My heart still thuds when I see him coming my way.

“Have you heard?” Mason asks as he comes through the sliding glass door.

In our lives, either he has the gossip, or I do. Being the most senior teacher at Laurel Springs High means a lot of people – whether they be student or adult – confide in me. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, so I assume not.”

He chucks his jacket and duty belt on the dining room table before coming over and leaning against the counter. His hands are at his slim hips, taking my focus off his face for a split second. “Let me start out by saying it’s no one in our family, and for that I’m thankful. However, it is someone who goes to Laurel Springs High.”

“Oh no, Mase. What happened?” My heart drops into my stomach.

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