style="font-size:15px;"> “On Olivia’s case?” The cop shook his head. “Still no sign of Springer.”
Dean Springer had lived in Grand Springs without attracting anyone’s attention for years. He’d been a nobody, a loner who kept a low profile and minded his own business. Somehow his business had come to include the mayor’s death. The woman who had actually carried out the murder had identified Springer as the man who’d hired her, but there was no question that he’d merely been the go-between. He was neither smart enough nor prosperous enough to arrange a murder-for-hire, and there was the little matter of lack of motive. No, he’d been working for someone else. If the police ever located him, maybe they would find out who.
What if it was Martin?
“Juliet sent out another broadcast on you today.”
Still troubled by his doubts, he gave Stone little attention. “Yeah, she told me. I’d better get going.” He had a job this afternoon, and for the next few days, over at Grace Tabernacle on Aspen Street. Reverend Murphy had hired him to help with a renovation project too small to hire out to professionals. Considering his luck with construction in the past, he hoped the preacher was more experienced with such work.
He wasn’t, he announced when Martin met him on the front steps of the church. “But I’m a great believer in miracles.”
“As long as you’re praying for one, ask for one for me,” Martin said dryly. He didn’t think he’d been a church-going man before the accident, and he hadn’t converted to one after, but he was sure he believed in God, both before and after. Sometimes in his dreams, he prayed—frantic, panicked pleas—and sometimes he could manage no more than the deity’s name—Oh God, oh God, oh God.
“I’ve been praying for you from the beginning,” the reverend said as he opened the door and led the way inside.
The glass doors led into a short, broad hallway. Straight ahead, up three steps and through another set of doors, was the sanctuary with pews on either side and a burgundy carpeted aisle down the center. The door on the left led to a kitchen, and a hallway at the back of the sanctuary led to Sunday school rooms and bathrooms. Martin knew all that even though he’d taken no more than five steps through the front door.
Reverend Murphy stopped at the second double doors and looked back. “Although the Lord would like to see you in one of his houses on Sundays, he’s not going to smite you for coming Wednesday afternoon instead.”
“I’ve been here before.”
“When? I don’t recall—” The reverend turned back from the doors and approached him. “You mean before the accident. What do you remember?”
The harder he tried, the less there was to remember. The déjà vu faded, taking with it the faint images of the rooms behind the closed doors. “Nothing,” he said flatly, disappointment almost too strong to bear. “I don’t remember anything.”
* * *
When she left the police department after putting in an extra hour, Juliet had nothing more on her mind than going home, putting on her nightgown and vegging out in front of the computer. When she saw Martin leaning against the fender of her little silver car, everything fled her mind, including all words more intelligent or complicated than “Hi.”
“Hey.” He straightened and shoved his hands in his hip pockets. “Working late?”
She nodded. “Too much to do, too little time. Are you waiting on someone?”
“You.”
Her gaze automatically shifted away, her smile trembled and disappeared, and a rush of nerves gave her a shiver. She waited until she was sure—or, at least, hopeful—her voice wouldn’t quiver, then asked, “Why?”
“I thought maybe we could get some dinner.”
She wanted to ask why again, but she already knew his answer. He hadn’t yet accepted that there was no help she could give him. He wanted to talk, wanted her to find some answers for him. It wasn’t the same as being wanted for herself, but, hey, it wasn’t as if she had any better offers to consider. “All right. Where would you like to go?”
“The Saloon is just down the street. The music’s kind of loud, but they have good greasy burgers.”
Greasy burgers did sound good. So did loud music to fill in the silence when conversation failed her, as it always did. “We can take my car—”
“I’d rather walk, if you don’t mind. It’s a nice night.”
She agreed. They walked a block or more in silence, giving her an opportunity to window-shop. Grand Springs had a lovely downtown with a hundred percent occupancy. Everything was closed now, but as summer drew nearer and tourists began using the town as a base for their mountain excursions, the shops would keep later hours.
“Busy day?”
She caught a glimpse of Martin’s reflection in the plate glass, staring straight ahead, presenting a handsome if less than perfect profile. His nose was crooked, and so was his jaw. In fact, there was a little asymmetry to his whole face, one side not quite matching the other, but it didn’t detract from his appearance. She’d been lusting after him for more than two weeks now, and she’d never noticed the flaws until the evening sun had highlighted them.
“Busy enough. The department’s network was outdated when they bought it—precisely why they got such a good deal on it—so I’m trying to get it upgraded, and I’ve got to get certified to use NCIC, so I’m working on that, and my clerk is years behind in entering data on the computer, so I’m helping her with that. I could use another clerk—”
“Or maybe just one who actually does her job.”
She smiled. “You know Mariellen.”
“She dots the i in her name with a little heart.”
“It’s a star now. How do you know her?”
“She asked me out.”
Juliet gave him a surprised look that made him laugh.
“I know. I don’t need to know how old I am to know that she’s way too young for me.”
“Some women prefer older men.” And all women liked some combination of sexy, handsome, tough, endearing, vulnerable, mysterious and lost. Martin scored on all counts.
“Mariellen got that job when she was dating a cop,” he said. “She thought working at the same place meant spending a lot of time together. Then they broke up and he moved off to take a job in Denver, and she kept the job. She’s not particularly good at it, but—”
“She’s young, pretty and sweet. You can’t help but like her and overlook her shortcomings.” Juliet had once been that young, and underneath all her shyness, she’d been sweet, too, but no one had ever been willing to overlook her failings—maybe because she hadn’t been pretty, too? Instead, she had worked extra hard at having no failings. She’d knocked herself out to be the best employee her boss could ever ask for. In the department, everyone was satisfied—herself included—if Mariellen showed up for work less than thirty minutes late.
“So
