Reluctant Witness. Kathleen Long
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you know that, right?” The skin between McCann’s eyes puckered into a crease. “These people are like ghosts. Just about impossible to catch.”
Wade nodded, disappointment balling inside him. “I figured as much. What about the inspector?”
“It’ll be a miracle if he recovers, but right now he’s our only hope. The scene is clean. They knew what they were doing.”
He put down his coffee and pinned Wade with a glare. “No one else scheduled to be out here today?”
Wade shook his head. “We were waiting on the inspection.”
“Well—” McCann pulled in a sharp breath “—we’ll question surrounding residents. Make sure no one was out here at the time of the blast. I’ll get that started while you and I head downtown.”
The image of Kerri’s retreating back flashed through Wade’s mind. Should he tell McCann she’d been at the scene? After all, how long could she have been there? Certainly not long enough to be responsible in any way. The investigator had walked the entire scene and the surrounding woods. If Forbes had seen her, they would have heard about it.
Wade reached for the door handle, suddenly needing to get out of the cramped space. “I’ll be right behind you.”
“See if you can come up with a list of anyone who might hold a grudge against you.”
McCann’s words stopped Wade cold. He hesitated, half-in and half-out of the car.
“I thought the signature was consistent with Project Liberation?”
McCann nodded, narrowing his gaze. “True. But they’ve hit enough targets for their signature to be known. Can’t rule out a copycat.”
He twisted on the ignition, and Wade pushed himself out of the car.
“See you in a few,” McCann called out just as Wade slammed the door.
Wade slapped his palm against the glass and stepped clear of the car’s tires as McCann pulled away.
Anyone who might hold a grudge against you.
McCann’s words echoed in his brain as he headed for his truck.
There was one person who definitely held a grudge, but she wasn’t capable of something like this. Yet she had been at the scene. Wade had no idea how long, or why, but she’d been here.
Kerri had made it very clear after John’s funeral that she wanted nothing to do with Wade ever again. He’d respected her wishes. Until now.
Now an innocent man had been critically injured and Pine Ridge Estates had suffered millions of dollars worth of damage. Wade had every intention of finding out exactly why he’d been targeted and by whom.
Even though he knew McCann and his team would leave no stone unturned, he had to talk to Kerri. Maybe she’d seen something—seen someone. Then again, maybe she hadn’t. No matter. If she knew anything at all, Wade had to know.
He and Kerri Nelson were about to have their first reunion after three long years.
Whether she wanted to, or not.
Chapter Two
Kerri sipped on her hot tea and glanced out the window. The heavy rumble of fire trucks had ceased and the late afternoon sun had begun to slip behind the trees, casting long shadows across the sandy yard out front.
A pair of detectives had come and gone, wanting to know if she’d seen or heard anything over at Pine Ridge. She’d lied to their faces and maintained a calm composure. Matter of fact, the ease of lying had surprised her.
She’d never thought herself capable, at least not to two police officers, yet she’d had no problem telling them that yes, she’d heard the explosions and sirens, but that no, she hadn’t seen a thing. She’d gone on to explain her son had been in his bedroom all day, terribly ill with chicken pox.
She was no fool. Neither of the officers so much as asked to speak with Tom, taking her word as gospel and probably wanting to avoid the boy’s alleged germs more than they wanted to question him.
The deception had been easy, and when the whisper of guilt flared inside her, she batted it away. Nothing she or Tom had seen would make a difference.
Except the man who ran away, her conscience whispered.
She frowned as a hunter green pickup pulled into the drive, easing down the private lane and coming to a stop next to her SUV. When the driver emerged from behind the tinted glass her breath caught. She lowered her cup to the windowsill, afraid she might spill its contents.
“Tommy,” she called out to her son, now happily glued to a television video game. “I need you to run back upstairs for a bit.”
“Aw, Mom.”
Normally, her son’s whine would have set her teeth on edge, but her only concern now was keeping him as far from Wade as possible.
She stepped away from the window just as Wade began his walk across her slate stepping stones, leisurely making his way past her carefully manicured flower beds.
Kerri hurried into the center hall, crossed to the television and pushed off the power button. Tom’s eyes grew huge, then morphed into narrowed slits.
She jerked her thumb toward the stairs. “Quickly,” she whispered, just as Wade’s knock sounded at the front door.
She waited until Tommy had cleared the top step before she put her hand on the doorknob, drawing in a deep, steadying breath.
“Who is it?”
“You know perfectly well who it is,” Wade answered. “I saw you looking out the window.”
Damn the man.
Kerri jerked the door open, three years worth of pent-up anger boiling inside her. “You’re not welcome here.”
Wade’s dark eyebrows lifted, but his stare never left her face. She fought the urge to shift her weight from one foot to the other, an effect he’d had on her since the day they’d first met.
The tanned skin around his eyes held more creases than she remembered, and his rich, brown hair showed the slightest glimmer of gray at his temples. The subtle signs of age had made him more handsome than ever.
She shook off the thought and reminded herself of his role in John’s death. The memory effectively smothered any lingering fondness she felt for the man.
“What?” she asked, hoping her sharp tone would leave no doubt he wasn’t getting across the threshold.
As if reading her mind, he lifted one workboot to the sill. Kerri dropped her focus to his foot, then narrowed the opening of the door.
When she returned her attention to his face, his expression had shifted from warm to intense.
“Did you hear about the fire?”
“Hard not to,” she answered. “I’ve already spoken to the police. I’ve got nothing to say to you.”
“I saw you.” The dark eyebrows lifted again, and the line of his jaw grew sharp.
Kerri blinked, but fought to keep any additional reaction out of her features. “I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”
Wade nodded. “You saw me and you ran, didn’t you?”
She made a snapping noise with her mouth and shook her head, unable to force a suitable response out of her brain.
“In the woods.” Wade leaned so close his warm breath brushed her face. “Behind the houses. I saw you run away.”
“Uncle Wade?”
Tom’s voice cut through their standoff, and Kerri stiffened. “Damn,” she muttered under her breath.
Footsteps