Free Thicker Than Water by Brigid Kemmerer Page A

over to cook me dinner. I didn’t even let her get in the door.”
    I laugh, but there’s a hitch of a sob in there with it. “She thought you set that up. She thought you let her think she was coming over to cook dinner, but you planned to propose.”
    “Really?”
    I nod. “She thought you were going to propose at the table, but you couldn’t wait.”
    I remember when she told me, the following day. She spent the night, of course. They’d gotten to that point, and I was almost eighteen years old, and more than capable of staying home on my own. I could think more carefully about that, but I don’t need my mind to draw any pictures, thank you very much.
    Especially not now.
    It was more practical anyway. We used to live two hours away from here, so it wasn’t worth driving all that way just for an evening. When they first started dating, they used to meet in Annapolis and go to one of the chain restaurants there, followed by a movie. It was all so high school. Mom loved it.
    She met Stan online. I knew something was up when she’d stay up late at night, giggling over the ancient desktop we kept in the corner.
    Stan’s lost in the memory. His eyes look damp.
    I clear my throat. “I didn’t mean to interrogate you,” I say, my voice rough.
    “It’s all right, Tom. I’ve got questions, too.”
    Immediately, my defenses click back into place. “For me?”
    “No. For everyone.” He waves a hand around. “Like you said, everyone thinks you did it. If you didn’t, everyone is on the wrong path.”
    My eyebrows go up. “Can you do anything?”
    “You mean, can I assist with the investigation?”
    “Yeah.”
    “No.” He gives a heavy sigh and picks up his fork again. “Conflict of interest. And I’m not going to be investigating much of anything for at least a few days.”
    “Why not?”
    He takes a sip of his beer. “Because I filed a harassment complaint against Charlotte Rooker’s brothers, and the commanding officer thinks it would be best if I went on administrative leave until official charges are filed.”
    Holy crap. There’s the third surprise. You could knock me out of this chair with a feather. He’s dropped this news so unassumingly, like we’ve already had a conversation about this.
    I cough. “You what?”
    “You heard me.”
    “Is that how you got me out of there?”
    He nods and takes another bite of chicken.
    I blink at him. “You filed a harassment complaint? Seriously?”
    He looks at me, and his eyes show a spark of anger for the first time. “Yes. Seriously. Maybe what happened beside the church was a misunderstanding, but for them to come after you in the woods like that . . . that should never have happened.”
    My stomach sinks. “So you think it might have been a setup, too.”
    “Charlotte is a nice girl. I’ve known her family for years. I don’t think she set it up.” He snorts. “You can’t exactly fake insulin shock.”
    There’s more to say. I can hear it. “But?”
    He shrugs a little. “I think maybe her brothers thought they’d catch you doing something that would stick. I told them you were out by her grave. I didn’t know Charlotte was out there, but they did.”
    I scowl and stab at my chicken. “And I thought Danny was a prick.”
    “That one wants a moment in the spotlight. It’s probably a good thing he wasn’t the one to find you with her. You stay away from him, Tom. You hear me?”
    I snort. “Gladly.”
    “I’m not kidding.”
    “I’m not either. I don’t want anything to do with any of them.”
    His fork goes still on his plate. His voice takes on a knowing tone. “Not even Charlotte?”
    I think of the way she felt when her body crashed into mine. All curves and warmth and vanilla and sugar.
    When she was unconscious. I’m such a freak.
    I take a bite of chicken. “No girl is worth getting shot over.”
    He laughs. “You might change your mind about that one day, kid.”
    Then it’s like he realizes he laughed, and the