other night.”
“Are you?”
“Of course not. If I did know something, I’d have told the officers who arrested him.” She shivered. “He’s still in jail, isn’t he?”
“Yes, ma’am. And he will be for a long time if I’m any judge. You don’t need to worry about him coming back to bother you.”
“Oh, good! What about the wounded police dog? Is she going to make it?”
“Yes. The muscle in her hind leg was torn up pretty bad, but the vet says Lexi will be back on duty in due time.”
“That’s a relief.”
Nicolette was reaching for the outer door to the complex when Jackson stopped her. “You’d better wait while we check the premises. I’ll signal you to come and unlock your apartment when we’re sure the halls are clean.”
She seemed reluctant. “Okay, but...”
“Just stand where we can still see each other,” Jackson told her. “If Titan finds anything suspicious, he’ll sit down by it, and then I’ll call for backup and evacuate the building. If he doesn’t react, you’ll know everything is fine.”
“What a beautiful, intelligent animal,” she said softly as man and canine started to walk away.
Jackson watched Titan methodically check every corner and sniff at every door on the ground floor. Then they returned to Nicolette.
“Coast is clear down here. Where’s your apartment?”
“Second floor, far end of the hall.” She held up a key. “Do you need this?”
“Not yet. Let us take the lead. You can follow at a safe distance. When Titan is satisfied, you can come and unlock the door for us.”
It would have given Jackson a better feeling if he’d had at least one more officer with him to guard the young woman, although in this case it seemed unnecessary. Whoever had tried to frighten her had succeeded, yes, but that wasn’t proof of real danger. As long as Titan didn’t alert, he’d be satisfied that the place was free of explosives. That was the main thing.
Finished with the second phase of the sweep, he paused at apartment number 210 and motioned to Nicolette.
Watching her hurry to join them he was taken by her grace, her natural loveliness. So many women he’d known in the past seemed to think that painting themselves up was the key to beauty. As far as Jackson was concerned, a naturally pretty woman like Nicolette Johnson was far easier on the eyes.
You’re on the job. You’re not supposed to notice things like that, his conscience reminded him.
That made Jackson smile slightly. He might be working. And he was certainly not in the market for romance of any kind. But that did not mean he was unable to appreciate this kind of loveliness, any more than he could overlook a gorgeous Texas sunset or the shining, coppery coat on a special chestnut-colored mare out at his ranch.
His smile threatened to widen and he had to stifle it. He could just imagine what Ms. Nicolette Johnson would think of having her beauty compared to that of a fine horse, even if it was one of the nicest compliments he could have bestowed.
* * *
Nicki’s hands were trembling so badly she had trouble fitting the key into the lock. When she was finally successful, she stepped back and let the dog and his handler enter while she waited by the door.
It was interesting seeing how they worked as a team with the dog leading the way and the man indicating when he wanted him to proceed to another room.
If the apartment hadn’t been so small and sparsely furnished, she would have worried more when they both disappeared into the bedroom. Thankfully, there wasn’t much to see and their inspection was complete in a matter of minutes.
“You can come in and relax now,” Jackson called. “The place is clean. There’s no danger.”
Frowning, she poked her head in first. “You’re sure?”
“Titan is,” Jackson said with a smile. “You can trust him. I do.”
“Okay.” She took a few steps closer and eyed her tiny living room. “I suppose I’d notice if there was anything out of place. It’s just that the last few days have been so awful. The landlord repaired my front door after the female police officer forced it, but I thought I’d never get the stains out of my rug from where that poor dog was wounded.”
“I understand your concern.” He waited for her to sit in the only easy chair before taking a place across from her on the slipcovered sofa. Titan lay at his feet. “Now that we can take it easy, how about starting from the beginning and telling me what’s been going on?”
Sighing, she began. “I feel like I’ve just run a marathon instead of sleeping ’til noon. I work nights at The Truck Stop Diner out on Highway 20 so I don’t get up very early.” Her stomach fluttered, then settled, much to her relief. She didn’t think it was this officer’s business that she was expecting a baby so she kept that information to herself.
His eyes never left her face as he asked, “I take it that’s your normal schedule. Are you a waitress?”
“No. I’m one of the short-order cooks. I’ve worked that shift for the past year.”
“How about neighbors? Any trouble with them lately?”
“No.”
“Boyfriends? Anybody you may have argued with?”
Hadn’t he heard a word she’d said? “I told you what the caller wanted. He knows—knew—my cousin, Arianna. That’s what this is all about. Everybody thinks she told me some secret, but she didn’t.”
Nodding, he seemed to be trying to stare right into her mind because his gaze was unwavering. “I’d like to believe you, but there’s a problem with that,” Jackson said.
“A problem? What?”
“I heard your cousin’s dying declaration with my own ears. She said, ‘Cousin. Code. Danger.’”
“Now you sound like Murke!” Nicki jumped to her feet and began to pace the small room. “Arianna and I were related, yes, but we weren’t close. Not anymore. There’s no reason for her to even mention me.”
“Does she have other cousins?”
Nicolette’s shoulders slumped and she shook her head slowly. “Only one that I know of. I have a half sister somewhere back East. Since even I don’t know where she is, I’m sure Arianna couldn’t have meant her.”
“So, that leaves you,” he said calmly.
“I know, I know.” She blinked back unshed tears, unwilling to let a stranger see how close she was to losing control of her emotions. That was another of the side effects of pregnancy, or so she had read, and she couldn’t believe how often she’d fought mood swings lately.
“We’ll need your half
