Beneath the Badge (First Responders 4)

“I’ll see you around, Lindsay.”

“Yeah. You too.”

She watched as he backed out of the driveway and then disappeared into the morning traffic on Main Street.

It was the right thing. She knew it was. What was so surprising was how much it hurt to be right.

Chapter Six

Summer deepened and the heat intensified as several days went by without rain. Lindsay was cursing the old house these days and the lack of air conditioning that made the upstairs bedroom suffocating at night. She worked, went home, occasionally went for a drink with friends or to some event at the park. Sometimes she saw Matt, frequently in uniform and sometimes out of it. He was back to his charming, smiling self. Like nothing between them had ever happened.

It was what she wanted. It shouldn’t make her feel slighted…or sad.

She missed him. Their affair had been remarkably brief but she missed it. She missed his sly smile and the excitement and even the way they’d been able to talk in the moments they’d managed to keep their hands off each other.

Sending him on his way hadn’t accomplished much.

It was just before the August long weekend and Lindsay was in the middle of a crazy day at the office when the news first broke and spread like wildfire through town.

Miranda Jones, a local woman who lived out by the Deep Hollow Road, had gone missing. Her car was at home, but no one had seen her since yesterday morning at a doctor’s appointment. Local authorities were conducting a search in the area around Sunken Lake.

Local authorities. That would mean Matt. She thought about all he’d told her, about finding this Helen woman and how she’d died. She truly hoped that this woman was found safe and sound somewhere. And if she wasn’t, that someone other than Matt found her. If the dogs turned him inside out, this would be a hundred times worse.

Mid-afternoon, Ally Jackson came in with the two dogs she was fostering from the puppy mill. During the checkup the subject of the missing woman came up and Ally shook her head sadly. “Chris and the rest of the guys in the fire department are helping with the search. He can’t say much, but from what I can gather there’s a reason why they’re searching that particular area.”

It didn’t take much to leap to a sad conclusion. “Oh, no.” Lindsay gave the terrier a soft pat and frowned. “That’s terrible. Her poor family.”

Ally nodded. “I can’t imagine what it would be like waiting for news, worried about a loved one. And I know it’s hard on the people searching. Can you imagine what it must be like to come across…” She broke off and sighed.

Lindsay was glad she hadn’t said the words they’d both been thinking. Maybe the woman would be found alive and well and it would all be a big misunderstanding.

“The dogs are doing well, Ally. You’re doing a great job looking after them.”

The other woman smiled. “Least I can do, you know? Though it’s getting a little difficult with Chris taking on his latest renovation project.”

“Again? Didn’t he just redo all the floors and put in new cabinets?”

Ally nodded, but Lindsay noticed her eyes had an extra sparkle. “We’re moving the wall between the second and third bedrooms to make them a little more even. Then there’s the redecorating. But I’m waiting to see whether or not it should be pink or blue.”

Lindsay’s mouth dropped open. “Oh my God! You’re pregnant!” She gave her friend a gentle hug and couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across her face. “How far along?”

“Just a couple of months. We haven’t told everyone yet, but you were there in the beginning when Chris and I got back together. I’m pretty excited.”

“Of course you are. Oh Ally, this is so great. You’re going to be a great mom.”

“Thanks.” She put her hand on her stomach. “It’s weird. I know it’s just this tiny little…dot, really, and still I already love it.”

Lindsay’s heart twisted. She was completely happy fo

r Ally. But she was over thirty and the only man she’d let close in years she’d also pushed away. Marriage, babies…she wanted those things. In her heart and in a theoretical sort of way. But when it came down to the practicalities she was way more cautious. Perhaps too cautious. She wasn’t sure it would ever happen and it wasn’t like she had all the time in the world. Once she’d hit thirty her clock had started to tick. Quietly, but it was there, ticking away in the background.

Ally left and Lindsay went through the motions of the rest of her day, but their conversation stuck in her mind, as well as concern for both the missing woman and for Matt. He had to be finding this difficult. After all, he’d come to town to avoid big-city crime and this sort of investigation. The memories alone would be tough to take. When she shut down for the night, she stopped and grabbed a take-out pizza before heading to the old warehouse.

Music was thumping from behind the door when she knocked. When there was no answer, she pounded with her fist. She was rewarded by a lowering of the volume and the sound of footsteps coming to the door.

When he opened it she nearly bit her tongue. He was still in uniform. He looked bigger than ever and so very official standing in the doorway. There were wrinkles in his shirt, dust on his trousers and his face was a combination of sweat and dirt. He looked amazing.

“I heard about Miranda Jones,” she offered. “Figured you probably had a hard day and could use something to eat.”