him just the barest hint of a nod. It would have to do. He strode to the rear of the car, popped open the lid, then retrieved a thick duvet from the pile of items he’d just washed at the Laundromat. It still had a hint of warmth, leftover from the dryer.
Perfect.
He slammed the trunk shut, then moved back to the side of the car, where he carefully tucked the blanket around Reggie’s tremor-riddled form. He made sure to cover her completely, shoulders to toes, noting that one of her shoes was missing. A quick glance in the direction she’d sprinted from told him the missing piece of footwear was nowhere close.
“Okay,” he said to her. “We’ll worry about that later. For now, I just want you to lie still. Can you do that?”
She gave another tiny nod, the duvet bouncing with her agreement.
“Good.” He put a hand on her covered shin, glad to see that her shivering had tapered off already. “You’re going to be fine. I promise.”
Then Brayden closed the door and made his way back to the driver’s seat. He turned the key and eased the car onto the empty street. He drove along slowly, mentally assessing what his destination ought to be.
The local doctor? He’d heard there was a man who ran a practice from his home, but it had to be after hours now.
Her place? He hadn’t a clue where it was.
The diner where she worked? Fine, unless she’d just run from there. It was only a few blocks over, after all.
Maybe Brayden’s own rented cabin? He paused to think about that possibility a little further. His temporary home was out of the way. But at least he knew where it was, and was familiar with its resources. Of course, having guests over wasn’t on his list of priorities. He had his mission—his one and only reason for taking up residence in the tiny town—and getting to know the pretty waitress wasn’t a part of it.
Because running over her with your car was?
Brayden stifled a sigh. Yeah, that hadn’t been on his to-do list, either. But adjusting to accommodate unexpected scenarios was a pretty key element in his work. So he’d just have to do it now.
As he put his foot to the gas, he let himself lift his eyes to the rearview mirror. Reggie had disappeared into the bulky blanket; her waiflike form was but invisible. Only a wisp of her dark hair peeked over one corner. For a second, it actually made him smile.
Then a flash of red and blue caught his eye, and as he adjusted his gaze to find the source, his smile dropped off completely. Straight ahead, a police car was cruising toward them. Flashers on. Sirens off. A solo, uniformed man at the wheel.
Something about the sight of the car deepened his worry. Generally speaking, when working a case that crossed jurisdictions, his boss made sure to alert the local authorities. Brayden knew that wasn’t the case here. His captain at the Freemont City PD had authorized the investigation—even if he hadn’t provided the time and the resources—and that sanction was enough. But the man they were investigating had entrenched himself in the Whispering Woods community. He had the mayor’s ear, and many pieces of the town’s property in his pocket, and the local police probably wouldn’t take kindly to having one of their favorite citizens investigated. So the case was more covert than most, and Brayden’s presence a well-kept secret.
Moments later, the cruiser pulled up behind him. The cop inside pointed sideways, and Brayden’s concern spiked. Still, he had no choice but to pull over. He flipped on his signal and slowed the already moving-at-a-crawl vehicle. The cop waved again, and Brayden pulled the car over completely. He rolled down his window and waited with barely contained impatience as the other officer climbed out.
Brayden noted that the man was barely more than a kid. Clean shaven, fresh faced. But with a stiffness to his shoulders. Straight out of the academy, maybe, with something to prove.
Brayden sighed, forced a smile and readied his license and registration. “’Evening, Officer.”
“Sir.” The younger man gave the paperwork a cursory once-over, then handed it back. “You’re not a local. You just passing through?”
The question made Brayden want to frown, but he held it in. No one just passed through Whispering Woods. There was one road into the town, and nothing but mountains and trees on the other side.
“I’ve got a business venture in mind,” Brayden said. “Got a short-term lease on one of the cabins out by the creek.”
“Ah.”
“Yep. Was I speeding, Officer?”
The kid shook his head. “Nah. I’m just investigating a report on a disturbance.”
Brayden felt his eyebrow twitch. The guy had to be inexperienced if he was giving even that bit of information away so freely.
“Anything I should worry about?”
“Nah,” the rookie said again. “What about you? You see anything suspicious happening around here in the last few minutes?”
Brayden made himself laugh. “Around here? I’ve been in town for over a week and I don’t think I’ve even seen a misbehaving squirrel.”
The kid’s face relaxed marginally. “Does tend to be a bit quiet. From Freemont City myself. Used to a faster pace.”
Freemont.
The mention of his own hometown made Brayden want to stiffen. He guessed it wasn’t entirely improbable that it was a coincidence. Whispering Woods was two hundred miles north of the Oregon city, and even though it was a bit off the beaten path, it was still a decently popular tourist destination. That didn’t mean he wasn’t going to file away the information for later. He made a mental note, then relaxed his face into another smile.
“Guess that’ll do it,” Brayden said. “Good to be vigilant, though. Even in a small town.”
“You bet.” The kid gave his bare face a scratch, then stepped back. “Have a good night.”
“You, too.”
Brayden put the car back into Drive and flicked on his signal. He didn’t make it as far as pulling out, though, before the young cop called out again.
“Sir?”
“Yep.”
He braced himself for a question about the human-shaped pile of blankets on the back seat. It didn’t come. Instead, the officer held out a business card.
“That’s my direct line,” the kid said. “If you do see anything, feel free to skip the middleman and call me right away.”
“You got it.”
Stifling a relieved sigh and suppressing a need to hit the gas as hard as he could, Brayden eased the car onto the street. As he pulled out, he glanced in the rearview mirror. What he saw just about made him swerve into a fire hydrant. The kid had turned away and was heading back to his patrol car. And jammed into his belt at the rear of his waistband was a woman’s shoe.
