Free Safe From the Dark by Lily Rede Page B

going alone.”
    “I
have a gun. You have a concussion.”
    “I
don’t care.”
    They
glared at each other until Jocelyn breezed past them toward the door.
    “Someone
can walk me to my car. Colin, I’ll stop by tomorrow.”
    Evie
fumed as Colin smirked and hurried to escort the good doctor outside. She
watched from the porch as Jocelyn drove away, and then flicked on the flashlight
on her keychain.
    “What
do you think you’re going to find out here?”
    “I
don’t know. That’s why I’m looking. Quit crowding me.” Evie elbowed Colin in
the ribs and he fell back a step, quiet as she examined the gravel, the
driveway, and the discarded two by four near the addition to the house.
    “Think
you’ll get any prints off of that?” Colin asked.
    “The
wood is pretty rough, but we can try.” Evie grabbed a roll of plastic sheeting
that was leaning against a wall and used her keys to cut a large swath,
carefully wrapping the wood to protect any evidence. She packed it away in her
trunk and resumed her exploration, all the while aware of Colin’s eyes on her.
    “How
long have you been a cop?” he asked.
    “A
few years.”
    “Ever
deal with an arson case?”
    “Once.
A drug dealer set a rival’s walk-up on fire.”
    “You
don’t really think someone’s trying to kill Deirdre, do you? Who would do
that?”
    Evie
turned on him, shining the light into his face.
    “I
don’t know, do you?”
    “What?”
    “I
just got here. I don’t know anyone. You’re the town’s golden boy, so you tell
me – who has it out for your girlfriend? Did she screw someone over?”
    Her
voice was harsher than she meant it to be, and Colin scowled down at her. Abruptly,
Evie lowered the flashlight.
    “As
far as I know, Evie doesn’t have any real enemies. At least nobody that would
burn down her house or try to actually harm her.”
    He
paused, scanning her face in the moonlight.
    “Evie,”
he said gently, “I didn’t sleep with her tonight.”
    “It’s
none of my business,” Evie asserted, but swallowed the sudden lump in her
throat as she hurried toward the addition to the house.
    Colin
didn’t comment, but followed.
    They
found the animal laid out on a workbench. Ripped to bloody shreds, it might
have been a raccoon or a badger at one point, but it was impossible to tell. There
was no mistaking it for an attack by another animal, because scrawled in blood
next to the remains of the poor creature was a single word. Sin.
    “It’s
a terrible prank,” said Colin, though he sounded unconvinced.
    “This
is far beyond a prank,” said Evie, “Someone’s trying to kill your girlfriend.”
And she whipped out her phone to call Tony, swiftly explaining the situation.
    Colin
argued with her as she photographed the crime scene with her camera phone. He
argued with her as Zeke appeared to take the night watch, and he argued with
her as she climbed back into her car.
    “It
just doesn’t make sense,” he insisted.
    “Crazy
doesn’t have to make sense,” she retorted. “You’d better get to bed. It’s late
and I’m sure Deirdre is getting cold.”
    And
she shut the door.
    “Wait
a minute.”
    Evie
didn’t wait, but took off, arriving at the cabin a few minutes later. She
didn’t want to argue anymore, she didn’t want to prove a point. All she wanted
was to catch a few hours of sleep and tackle this whole mess in the morning. The
parting jibe had been thoughtless, but she was cranky and annoyed, both with
Colin and herself.
    A
spurt of gravel and Evie looked up, surprised, as Colin’s truck skidded to a
halt behind her car. He jumped out and slammed the door behind him, stalking up
to the porch, where she hadn’t even had a chance to get her key in the lock.
    “You
think you’ve got me all figured out,” he said, “I’m just a spoiled rich kid who
grew up to be mayor of a small town where everyone kisses my ass and the women
fall at my feet, is that right?”
    “I
think you have no idea how dangerous the