out the front door to wait for him on the porch.
He pulled the black government SUV alongside the curb in front of her house and exited. As he made his way toward her, she noted his broad shoulders again.
What was wrong with her? She went out of her way not to notice men, especially too handsome ones like her ex-husband, Erik. She suspected the officer was one of those charming guys who knew how to win a girl over. Besides, he was an unbeliever like her ex, and she wanted to be as far away from that kind of doubt as possible. These days, she coveted the comfort and companionship of people of faith.
Jared’s clouded features told her she’d been right. Something was wrong. A deep frown creased his forehead and his dark eyes seemed darker at a distance.
“What is it? What’s happened?” Neither of them had time for niceties.
He stopped in front of her and grasped her elbow almost as if to support her.
“They’ve found June Kruger, Sassa. She’s dead.”
She sagged and was thankful for his hand on her arm. Taking two steps back, she fell into her cushioned rattan chair.
“I knew it. I just knew it. Where did they find her?”
Jared bowed his head. “Floating in a canal.”
“Oh, no...no. How horrible!” She sobbed. Tears fell down her cheeks. Keri puckered and tears formed in her eyes.
Sassa sniffed and gave the little one a gentle hug. “It’s all right, baby. Mommy’s all right.”
But she wasn’t. She was miserable and frightened and of no use to her daughter.
Jared crouched in front of them. “It’s all right, precious Keri.” His use of Sam’s endearment made Sassa’s tears fall harder.
“It’s not all right! Everything is awful! What kind of animals would do that to June?”
Keri began to cry in earnest. Sassa made a sound and clutched her daughter to her chest. “I’m sorry, baby. So sorry.”
“Come on. Let’s go inside.” He helped Sassa from the chair, his arm the only thing keeping her up because her legs refused to work properly again. He led her to the sofa and eased her down, then hurried to the kitchen. Cabinet doors opened and the faucet turned on. He came back with a glass of water and a box of tissues. The house belonged to her, but she wasn’t even sure where he’d found the items. He knelt in front of her again.
Her thoughts were jumbled. Please, Lord. She didn’t even know what she was pleading for.
Her nose was running. Everything was a blur...except her crying baby. She wiped her cheeks. “I’m all right, sweetheart. See?” She smiled—a watery lift of her lips—and Keri’s whimpers eased but her poor little mouth stayed down-turned. Sassa snatched a tissue from the box and wiped Keri’s cheeks and then her own. Finally she took the glass of cold water from Jared and sipped. Keri reached for Sassa’s face, her gaze still doubtful.
“Come on, Keri, give us a smile.” Jared reached over and tickled a place under the child’s little chin. She shrugged her shoulder and the frown turned up—not much, but it was a glimmer of a smile. She studied Jared with an oh-so-serious gaze.
“That’s better. A few more minutes of those puckered lips and I’d be crying, too.”
Sassa laughed. She couldn’t help it. The image of tall, wide-shouldered Officer De Luca in tears was too much.
Keri reached for the shiny badge on his shirt and he leaned in closer. A light aftershave, faint but still there, sifted through Sassa’s stuffy nose. Pine, fresh and clean. Suddenly, Sassa was all too aware of handsome, manly Officer De Luca’s closeness.
Reaching for his badge, Keri tipped forward and fell into his arms. Sassa couldn’t help smiling at the look on Jared’s face. He caught the baby and held her up for a single, startled moment before gingerly placing her on one broad thigh. Fascinated by the bright badge on his chest, Keri ignored the big man behind it, so Sassa took the opportunity to blow her nose and pull in a deep breath. But her momentary break didn’t last long. Keri looked up at Jared, pulled wet fingers out of her mouth and reached for his dark beard. Jared caught the slimy little hand midway and awkwardly pushed the baby back into Sassa’s lap.
Jerking to his feet, he wiped wet fingers on his pants. “Agent Kopack wants us over at the Kruger residence. We need to get going.”
Sassa looked like she had yesterday in San Francisco. Numb. Moving automatically. Her stunned features made Jared feel guilty, so when she lifted the baby’s bag off the couch, he took it from her and moved outside. He transferred Keri’s car seat to his SUV. Sassa’s car would probably stay parked until this was over. More than likely, Sassa would not be using it until then.
The Kruger residence wasn’t far away and would have been hard to miss even if Jared hadn’t been given the address. Black government vehicles blocked the quiet, upscale street. A group of neighbors stood outside a yellow-taped perimeter.
Sassa hopped out, pulled Keri from her car seat and slung the backpack over her shoulders. He was amazed at how quickly she had gathered herself. Still, her body seemed rigid and stiff, as if she was tensed for whatever lay ahead.
The guard at the front door stopped them until he received a signal from someone inside. When he stepped back, allowing them access, they moved into the house.
The place had been demolished. Pillows and cushions slashed open. Large lamps smashed on the ground. Every shelf, every piece of furniture, had been turned over, torn apart or destroyed.
Sassa gasped. “Oh, no.”
Jared glanced at her. She clasped Keri close and those pretty, pouty, pink lips trembled. Her armor had slipped. She looked vulnerable and close to the edge. She’d already been through so much. She didn’t need this. He wanted to reach out to her but knew she wouldn’t appreciate it. Instead, he gritted his teeth and searched the room for Kopack.
The man walked toward them, a stack of papers in his hand. Jared didn’t waste time.
“You could have given us some warning.”
Kopack sighed. “We’re just as surprised as you, De Luca. We were here two days ago, right after Dr. Kruger notified us that his wife was missing. It didn’t look like this.”
“They did this after...?”
He nodded. “Maybe last night. A neighbor thought she saw something, a flash of lights. She contacted the local police. When they arrived, things were silent. No sign of lights or intruders. We didn’t find this wreckage until this morning after the police discovered June’s body. We came back here looking for clues and found this.” He gestured to the demolished room. “It appears they were trying to open a safe. The police scared them off before they could finish. Our people just got it cracked open. These documents were inside. We’d like you to take a look, Ms. Nilsson. Maybe it’s the professor’s formula for the pathogen.”
Sassa took the papers and looked around for a place to sit. Obviously, she couldn’t hold her daughter and shift the papers.
