shot at him but missed. The bullet zoomed past and hit the wall. I chased after him but…” She shrugged with self-deprecation. “He wasn’t encumbered with fuzzy slippers. Even barefoot, I couldn’t catch him. He climbed the pasture fence and took off. I was afraid to shoot at him again because of the horses.”
Not sure he heard correctly, he asked, “You shot at him? Then chased after him. What did you shoot with?”
“My gun, of course.” From the folds of her robe she produced a 3-inch barreled, .45 caliber Micro Compact pistol.
Ben raised his eyebrows. “You carry a weapon?” A moment of surrealism overtook him. Seeing her with the weapon was so incongruent with his idea of her. He quickly relieved her of the piece.
She sliced him a sardonic look. “Dad insisted I know my way around a handgun. He always said, ‘Just in case.’ Well, tonight was a ‘just in case’ kind of night.”
Ben couldn’t have agreed more. But he’d had no idea Greg had armed his daughter. And he hated that she’d had to use the weapon. “I assume you have a safe or lock box for this?”
“Of course. In my room. I’m just bummed I didn’t get the guy.” A pained expression tightened her features. “Or had it on me earlier!”
He shuddered at the thought of her confronting either assailant. And to chase after this one! What had she been thinking?
If this was the same culprit who’d killed her father, he could have easily shot at her again. Why hadn’t he? And where was the SAPD officer who’d been standing guard?
Ben decided he’d puzzle the questions out later. For now he had to stay focused on Corinna. This was his fault. He’d allowed her to be put in danger. He’d let his captain down.
Heart thudding in time with the pounding at his temple, he said, “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have let you stay here.”
Hugging her robe around her middle, she said, “You didn’t have much say in the matter.”
His jaw tightened. He’d made the mistake once of letting her talk him into going against his better judgment. There wouldn’t be a repeat. Not on his watch.
Where was the police officer he’d had guarding her? “Did you see the SAPD officer?”
Her eyebrows pulled together. “I didn’t.”
The sound of squealing tires and car doors slamming announced the arrival of other Rangers.
Anderson Michaels thundered onto the porch. His blond hair was mussed and his sharp eyes were filled with concern. “You two okay?”
Ben nodded over the top of Corinna’s head. “She’s unhurt. Someone broke in and trashed the study. He ran out through the back patio doors. Like last time. The SAPD officer is missing.”
Pulling his weapon from the back of his sweatpants, Anderson said, “I’ll find him.” He hurried around the corner of the house.
Another car barreled into the driveway. Gisella stepped out of her vehicle and rushed forward. “What happened?” she asked.
He quickly explained the situation, then turned to Corinna. “You should go change. I want to take you to SAPD to look through mug shots. Maybe we’ve caught a break.”
“Good idea,” Corinna said as she stepped onto the porch.
“Gisella, go with her,” Ben ordered.
Corinna paused and threw an incredulous look over her shoulder at him. “I can manage changing my clothes on my own.”
Of course she could, but he hated the thought of her alone and unprotected. He refrained from insisting, telling himself she’d be fine. They were all within earshot of her. “Sorry. Of course.”
She stared at him for a moment with questions in her eyes before she fled inside.
He watched her go, anxious at having her out of his sight even for a brief moment.
Anderson returned, helping a semi-conscious officer along with him. He propped the still groggy man up on the porch. “Found him knocked out under a bush in the back.”
Gisella flipped open her phone. “I’ll call for a bus.”
“What could the perp be looking for?” Ben asked. “We searched the place after Greg was killed and didn’t find anything useful.”
Anderson ran a hand through his hair. “Beats me. But the guy trashed the study. I wonder if he got what he came for before Corinna chased him away?”
“I suggest we search through everything again,” Gisella said. “Though I have no idea what we’re looking for.”
“That’s the million dollar question,” Anderson replied.
Ben agreed. “You two take care of it. When the others arrive, explain what’s happening. I’ll take Corinna into the station.”
“She’s welcome to come to my place when you’re done,” Gisella said.
Relieved by the offer, Ben said, “I’ll go tell her to pack her bags.”
He entered the house and strode down the hall. Stopping in front of her closed door, he knocked.
“Yes?” Corinna replied.
“It’s me.”
The door opened. Corinna had changed into black leggings, a long tunic-style red blouse and flat sandals that emphasized the delicate structure of her feet. She’d braided her hair off to one side. Her pale complexion set off her wide, dark eyes. She was so petite and fragile-looking that Ben wanted to wrap her once again in his arms and shield her from the world.
Whoa! That was not what Greg had entrusted her to him for.
Ben didn’t generally react in such a touchy-feely manner. Not even the few girlfriends he’d had over the years had elicited such a knee-jerk need in him to protect them the way Corinna did. But there was something about Corinna which evoked the response. Something he didn’t understand.
He’d better get a handle on his attraction, his weakness for her. She was off-limits. Greg had made that clear. Ben would never dishonor Greg.
He stayed in the doorway. “You’ll need to pack your bags. You can stay with Gisella until we catch this guy,” he said, more brusquely than he’d intended.
She arched a winged eyebrow. “You’re really going to tell me what to do?”
Didn’t she understand her life was in danger? “Your safety is paramount.”
Her eyes flashed. “No. Finding my father’s killer is the priority.”
He allowed a wry smile to tip the corner of his mouth. “Both are a priority. Solving your father’s murder could take months unless we catch a break. Right now you are our best lead, which makes you a target. So the most pressing issue at this precise second is getting you somewhere safe.”
Corinna
