ToServeAndProtect (8 page)

* * * * *

McKenna looked up when the grandfather clock chimed in
the corner of Elliot’s office. The contents of his desk lay in complete
disarray. Every scrap of paper read, every file opened, but she found nothing
regarding her paternity. In fact, she found very little in the realm of what
she would consider important information.

Feeling like hell, and looking worse, she made herself
presentable for work. If anything, she wanted the reprieve from worrying about
spending her life in prison, or worse, ending up like Elliot. Not that the high
exciting world of insurance would be able to push her fucked up reality far
from her mind. However, dealing with client issues would keep her from thinking
of her own.

Her stomach lurched. Strange, never seeing him again
sitting behind this desk with a sour expression on his lips and an intense
narrowing of his eyes when she inevitably disturbed something he was working
on. It wasn’t the kind of relationship a person would miss, but it was all she
had with him.

After a quick shower, she dressed for comfort in
slacks and rayon blouse. A glimmer of happiness bloomed in her chest and began
to overpower her morose mood. She had friends and warm faces at work. She
grabbed her keys off the counter. Elliot’s car caused her breath to catch, but
she tamped down the anxiety and hurried to her vehicle.

On the drive over to the insurance agency, McKenna
strengthened her resolve. She parked, grabbed her purse, and headed into the
office. The morning sun was warm, and for the first time since slipping into a
living nightmare, she felt herself. Instead of blood, alibis, and Detective
Pearce she could think about auto, home, and life.

“Hi, Barbara.” She greeted the front receptionist.

“McKenna, you shouldn’t be here.” Barbara was the
grandmother of the office, always ready to listen and offer advice. “After all
that has happened, you should take some time off. Lord knows you need it,
child.” With the full strength of her arms, she wrapped McKenna into an
embrace.

“I need this more.” She smiled at Barbara. “I’ll be
fine, really.”

She walked to her office, sat behind her desk, and
tossed her purse into her bottom drawer.

“McKenna?” Madison Frey, owner and lead agent, came
into her office. “When we spoke, I thought you understood you could take as
much time as you needed. You should be home putting your family’s affairs in
order.” Her voice was soft but didn’t feel consoling. Madison nervously moved
around the room then finally sat across from her.

“I can’t be home, Madison. All I have is my job to
keep me busy.”

Madison
fidgeted in
the seat. “Oh, McKenna, I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I’d hoped you’d take the
time and all this nonsense would blow over.” She splayed her hands wide.

“Do I have to take the time off?” McKenna sensed
impending doom as Madison slowly stood.

“This is a business first. Barbara has been fending
off reporters on the telephone. Clients have opinions, and I can’t risk the
potential impact your being here could have on the agency.” Madison sighed
heavily. “The attention is only going to get worse, and it’s already a
distraction.”

McKenna nodded. “Who will take over my clients?”

“I’ll find someone.” Madison touched her shoulder.
“I’m sorry. You’ve been with us a long time. We’ll miss you.”

“It sounds as if you’re letting me go?” She opened the
drawer, grabbed her purse, and draped it over her shoulder.

“For now, I have to.”

“So I’ll just assume you’ll call me.” McKenna knew at
that moment the call to return would never happen. Madison just stood there
looking at her without a smile. The decision was final. Madison had a business
to run, and she understood, even though terminating her employment wasn’t fair.
“I had nothing to do with the murder of my father,” McKenna stated. “I want you
to hear it from my lips.”

She fled from the office and out the building. Once
behind the wheel of her vehicle, McKenna drove down Adams Boulevard, fast.
Early in the morning and late afternoon, the street was packed with people
commuting to work. Olden’s hospital was a contributor to gridlock as well as
the university, but midmorning offered open space for her to travel well past
the posted speed of fifty mph as she raced against the tears filling her eyes.

Tires squealed as she rounded the corner into her
neighborhood. Trees reaching to the sky spread their branches overhead making a
canopy of shade for the street. After the ruckus died down, perhaps she would
take a vacation. Somewhere tropical yet isolated like she saw on Corona beer commercials.

McKenna remembered riding a bike for the first time.
Dawn’s dad had held the back of the seat, running beside her until she’d found
her balance. Dawn’s brother’s bike had been the only bike she ever rode.

She almost clipped a beat up truck parked too close to
her driveway. Her car flew up the drive and screeched to a halt in the garage.
The force of her door slamming echoed off the walls. As she passed Elliot’s
car, anger from deep inside bubbled to the surface. She screamed and kicked the
driver’s side door. Metal popped. Swinging back, she kicked again. And again.
And again.

Breathing hard, a satisfying laugh crossed her lips.
In the center of the door, an impressive dent bore the dirty mark from the sole
of her shoe.

“Feel better?”

McKenna jumped at the sound of Detective Pearce’s
voice. Instinctively, she clutched her purse and moved around the front of the
car to avoid getting close to the detective. He casually rested against the
guide rail of the double car garage.

“I had a nice visit with your neighbors. Want to know
what I found out?” He put his foot on the clean chrome bumper of Elliot’s car,
and looked at the scuff on his wing tip.

“No.” She glanced out the back window of the garage
and squinted. “Are those friends of yours, Detective?” Several officers walked
the foothills above her home. Dogs barked as they stuck their noses into
burrowed holes and dense thickets of brush.

“Cadaver dogs.” He moved around the car and bent over
so he could see what she saw. “Think they’ll find anything?”

“It’s not a good day, Detective,” she said as she went
to the wall and pressed the button closing the automatic door. “So if you’ll
excuse me.”

Instead of stepping outside, he let the door close
them inside the garage together.

“That was not an invitation for you to stay.” McKenna
fumbled with her keys. She clawed her bangs from her eyes.

“Here.” He came upon her quietly. Dark hair sprinkled
across his knuckles. His fingers appeared large and tanned next to hers. He
took the keys from her and held up the most obvious triangle key to which
McKenna nodded.

He entered the house ahead of her. “Excuse me.” She
attempted to push him out of the way. “Could you move?” She bumped her hip
against his. “I need to disable the alarm.” She went to the control panel and
set the red blinking light to green.

“Was the alarm active on Sunday night?”

McKenna set her purse on the counter. “Have you ever
driven to work and wondered whether you left the coffeepot on? Or walked into
the bathroom and realized you’d forgotten to flush? It’s the kind of thing you
do without thinking.” She pressed her fingers to her temple. “I remember
putting Elliot’s dinner in the refrigerator. I’d come through the front door
because the garage was shut, and I couldn’t find my clicker.” Detective Pearce
sat at the table. She put her hand on her hip. “Since you’re staying, would you
like a cup of coffee?”

Dustin unbuttoned his suit jacket. “That’d be great.”

Standing at the sink, she glanced over her shoulder.
“I didn’t recognize you at first.” She filled the carafe with water. Dustin
wore a dark navy suit with a white shirt and a maroon and navy polka dot tie.
He looked like he could be in her line of work. The suit was much less
intimidating. In fact, she found him attractive, which made her look away.

“The alarm,” he pressed. “It could be important.”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t remember if I turned the alarm
off when I got home. I assume the light glowed green when I stood at the sink
and drank the rest of my water because I would’ve noticed if it blinked red.”

Dustin stood and hung his jacket over the back of the
chair. “Care if I look around again?” He nodded toward the hall and started
walking before she could object.

After pouring the coffee, she followed him. He stood
at the picture windows facing east in the great room. The view started with the
football field of the university and stretched over the city. In the distance,
pockets of trees nestled amidst clusters of small square houses. Major
thoroughfares, two-lane side streets, and a town bumped up against the edge of
the Rocky Mountains and stretched to the lake on the horizon.

“Gorgeous view.”

She stood beside him. “At night it’s even prettier.”
Good hell, what was she doing? Oh yes, she knew exactly what she was doing.
Sparking his interest.

“At some point, I’ll want you to walk me through the
night of the murder.” He turned to McKenna. “I understand if you’re not ready
today.”

She handed him a large, purple mug. Steam drifted
above the dark roast with a light vanilla scent. “Did you want cream or sugar?”

He shook his head and took a sip of his, and she did
the same. The hint of vanilla flavor floated across her tongue.

“About that night,” he continued. “Your memory is
fresh. Now is better than later, but it’s up to you.” He took another sip of
coffee. “After all, you just made the best cup of coffee I’ve ever tasted.” He
winked.

Her shoulders relaxed. She’d never had a man
compliment her on coffee. Elliot rarely bestowed gratitude. He drank his coffee
in the morning whether it was instant or brewed. She brewed the best for her
enjoyment. “We can talk now.”

“Good.”

“I came in through the front door.” She wrapped her
hands around the coffee cup as if it were a magical talisman giving her
strength. “The light from the lamppost shines through the window. I didn’t turn
on any interior lights. Like I told you in the kitchen, I drank my bottled
water then headed for my room. Do you want me to show you?”

He nodded.

“Elliot eats in bed.” McKenna started up the stairs.
“He drives Doris, the cleaning lady, crazy. She finds dishes all over his room,
the bathroom, or anywhere else hunger strikes him. Elliot has always been
driven. Eating and sleeping get in the way of his work.”

Dustin followed her up the stairs. “Did you get in the
way of his work?”

She paused before answering. He’d pinpointed the
truth. “Yes.” She stopped midway up the stairs. “I thought I stepped in syrup
or something. Elliot doesn’t clean up after himself.”

She started back up the stairs. Her throat tightened
as she approached the top landing. Although the floor was clean and the walls
were freshly painted, in her mind, she could see the blood clinging and
dripping. The floor still felt sticky. Her mind spun. She grabbed the rail. The
same sickening dread washed over her. Perspiration dripped down the underside
of her arm. She started to sway and couldn’t stop the black from encroaching.

“Hey!” Dustin set his coffee down and grabbed hers,
too. He reached out and braced McKenna before she could stumble backwards down
the stairs. “Take a minute.” He helped her to sit on the top stair. “Put your
head between your knees.” He pushed on her head until she bent over. “You’re
going to pass out. After a few days a person usually becomes desensitized.”

“I’ve only been up here once since Elliot was murdered,
and that was when the cleaning crew was here.” She sat up and wiped the corners
of her mouth with her finger. “I’m fine.” She pushed his hand away when he
tried to help her to stand. “Let’s just get through this.” She pointed to the bathroom.

Dustin handed her back her coffee and picked up his.
“Okay, if you’re sure.”

“I went to wash off my feet, and that’s when I
realized it wasn’t syrup, but blood.” She relived the horrible memory. “Blood
was everywhere.” She turned and stared Dustin in the eyes. “I thought Elliot
was hurt. I called for him. I must have slipped and tipped the table. My feet
were wet and the blood was slick. I know I had glass imbedded just about
everywhere.” She looked down the hall at her father’s bedroom. “I don’t remember
opening the door, but I remember seeing his bed soaked with blood.” She glanced
at her hands, took a breath, and then changed her mind about telling him more.

“You were about to say something,” Dustin encouraged.

She shook her head. “No that’s it. I woke up in the
hospital.” She stood and took a step down the hall.

“I heard you take a breath. You were about to say
something else. I’ll find out eventually. You insist you didn’t have anything
to do with Dr. Porter’s murder. There’s no way I’ll believe a word you say if
you’re not up front with me. The truth McKenna, your choice.”

She snapped her gaze to his. The way he said he name
sent heat skittering down her spine. Albert had warned her not to trust the
police. They had their agenda, and it was up to her to look out for herself. He
had warned her that
Detective Pearce
was not her friend no matter how
nice
Dustin
became. But then she remembered Dawn’s words.