was in the bathroom, washing his face and peering into the mirror.
Keira stood behind him at the open door, unable to keep from smiling. Except for a few bruises and a possible shiner, it looked as if her new partner wasn’t badly injured. That was a relief.
Frowning, he met her eyes in the mirror. “What are you grinning at?”
“Just glad to see you’re okay. How did he get the best of you, anyway? You look like a guy who can handle himself in a fight.”
“A fair fight. He conked me when I opened the door. It would have been a lot easier to hit him back if I hadn’t kept seeing two or three versions of him coming at me at once.”
Nick blotted his face with a towel, then turned to her and crossed his arms. “Which reminds me. When you went to school, didn’t they teach you to assume there’d be more than one perp at every crime scene? You came in here blind and didn’t even bother to check the closet or the bathroom.”
“I don’t believe it,” Keira said, astonished and more than a little chagrined when she realized Nick had a valid point. “I chase away a prowler and rescue you, and all you can do is chew me out for how I did it.”
“I’m trying to keep you alive,” Nick said flatly. “You can’t let your emotions get in the way of common sense and training when you’re on duty. The next time, that kind of carelessness might get you killed.”
“I told you before. We don’t have serious violence in Fitzgerald Bay. It just doesn’t happen.”
As Nick raised one eyebrow, he winced. “Oh, really? Tell that to Olivia Henry.”
“That was a low blow.”
“No,” Nick said, shaking his head. “It was a fact. One you seem to be forgetting. If I were you, I’d be on edge every second until her killer’s caught.” He paused, staring as if he could look right through his new partner. “Unless you happen to know who the murderer is and you’re not afraid of him.”
“Why would I not…?” Keira’s jaw dropped. “Oh, no, you don’t. Forget any rumors that may be floating around town. My brother Charles is not only a doctor, he’s a kind, loving man. Olivia was his children’s nanny. That’s all. He didn’t have a thing to do with her death.”
“Then prove it to me, starting by staying alert and on your guard.”
“Against the murderer, you mean?”
“Against everybody,” Nick said soberly. “Until we catch whoever hit that woman and pushed her off the cliff, a real cop would look at everyone as a possible suspect.” His eyes narrowed. “Even her own brother.”
TWO
Keira saw no reason to keep arguing with Nick about Charles so she decided to change the subject. “All right, I will admit I wasn’t in top form when I came to your rescue. I’ll do better next time.”
That brought a chuckle she hadn’t expected. He gestured at the ruins of his room. “Let’s hope there is no next time. The proprietor will probably kick me out after she sees this mess.”
“I was meaning to ask why you’d booked a room here. Wouldn’t you rather rent an apartment, even if it’s only for a month or two?”
He paused for several seconds before saying, “Sure, but where would I find one?”
“I think I may have an idea. I’ll have to check with Douglas—Captain Fitzgerald—first. In the meantime, you’d better find your uniforms and make sure they’re okay.”
“Let’s wait till your lab techs have processed the scene, shall we? I’d hate to disturb any clues.”
Keira had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. “Our what?”
The befuddled expression on Nick’s face finally pushed her over the edge and she did chuckle softly before waving her hands in the air and apologizing. “Sorry. I was just imagining what it must be like to have specialists at your fingertips, night and day. Around here we do pretty much everything ourselves.”
“Okay. I get it.”
“I don’t think you do.”
“Meaning?”
She hesitated in order to choose her words carefully, then explained. “Meaning, the Henry case. Like I told you, the minute we suspected we had a homicide we treated that victim and the scene with the utmost care. Everything was handled professionally, even though there was a storm brewing and Olivia’s body was at the bottom of that steep cliff. Some of the evidence was probably affected by the fall, the surf and the weather but we did the best anyone could have. We’re not hicks. We know how important it is to preserve possible evidence.”
“I read the reports,” Nick said.
“Then you also know we didn’t write the parts dealing with the processing of the evidence. Everything went to Boston, with the body, for examination there.”
“But you did investigate the whereabouts of possible suspects and check their alibis.”
“Yes. So?”
Keira had assumed he was going to want to question a few persons of interest again but she was floored when he looked straight at her and said, “So, how can you be certain that everything in the file is accurate?”
“Of course it is. Why wouldn’t it be?” she countered, bracing for another dose of his unwarranted skepticism.
Although Nick shook his head at her and appeared incredulous, he nevertheless answered, “Because not everybody in this world is on the up-and-up, rookie. One of these days you’re going to take off those rose-colored glasses and see people for what they really are. Liars. Cheats. Self-serving hypocrites.”
“It must have been really hard to work in Boston,” she said with a tinge of sadness. “I’m sorry for you.”
“Don’t be sorry for me. Be sorry for all the nameless, faceless victims who never get justice because others decide to bend the truth for their own sakes.” His pause didn’t give Keira time to reply before he added, “Or for the sake of their friends or family.”
That was another veiled accusation if she’d ever heard one. “Knock it off, mister. My family is innocent of any crimes, now or in the past. We’re the good guys around here, in case you haven’t noticed. My dad has devoted his life to upholding the law, my uncle Mickey is the fire chief and my grandfather is mayor.”
“And three of your brothers are cops. I’ve never seen a town with more nepotism or more chances to sweep dirt under the rug than this one has. Look at it from my point of view, Keira. If you were an outsider, what would you think?”
“I wouldn’t condemn people just because they’re in a position to falsify evidence, that’s for sure. My brothers would never be a part of any kind of a cover-up.”
The rumble of his voice made the hair on the nape of her neck prickle when he stared at her and replied, “I sure hope you’re right.”
