worried about Sarah, pleaded with her to get help. He’d even picked up the phone to call Jessica several times. He shrugged and admitted the truth. “You and I have been at odds so many times I suppose I was afraid you might turn me away, and I didn’t know what I would do if you did that.”
“Andrew, we’ve had our disagreements over cases, but why would you think I would turn you down? We’re not enemies. We’re both on the same side—helping people.” She reached for his hand and squeezed it and a singe of electricity rushed through him, kick-starting his pulse into high gear. Her touch had had a calming effect on him earlier but was now having the opposite effect.
“Really? Tell that to your friend Margo.”
“Margo is just very passionate. She knew Alicia Meadows. She’d counseled her several times. Then, she was one of the detectives who responded to the scene the day Tim Meadows shot her then himself.”
“I wish I could have done more to protect her. If there had been anything else—”
“You did what you could. Sometimes the law just isn’t enough.”
He didn’t like the sound of that. Was she implying she would go outside the law to protect those in her care?
Or that she had?
Jessica spun at the crunch of leaves on the other side of the porch. He saw her—felt it really—tense. Her eyes widened and she gripped the railing. He would almost say it was fear that crossed her face.
But before he could check to see who was approaching, he heard the distinct yapping of a dog.
Jessica seemed to relax at that sound. “It’s just my next door neighbor.”
A moment later, a robust, elderly, grandmotherly type woman appeared in the light, a tiny Yorkshire on a leash yapping and dancing at her feet. “Hush, Marlon,” she scolded the dog.
Jessica leaned over the railing. “Hello, Mrs. Brady. How are you tonight?”
She smiled a genuine smile that stretched across her face. “I’m doing very well, Jessica. I was in a baking mood today so I made this for the girls at the shelter. I thought they could use a little treat.” She handed Jessica the cake plate she was carrying. “It’s Pineapple Upside Down cake.”
“I’m sure they’ll love it, Mrs. Brady. Thank you.”
The older woman glanced up at him. The look of curiosity on her face told him that finding Jessica with a man at her house wasn’t a common occurrence.
Jessica was quick to introduce him. “This is A.D.A. Andrew Jennings. We are working on a case together.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Brady.”
“Yes, nice to meet you, too.” She turned back to Jessica. “My ladies’ group is also knitting some mittens for the children. I know it’s warm today but we’ve already had two cold snaps and it’s only October.”
“That’s very kind of you. I know they’ll appreciate it.”
Mrs. Brady aimed her next comments toward him. “Since Mr. Brady passed away I haven’t had much to occupy my days except doing for others. I wasn’t blessed with children of my own so I’ve got no grandbabies to spoil. My sister has been hounding me for years to move in with her, but all her family is up north and it’s too cold there. No, Marlon and I are very happy here, aren’t we, Marlon?”
The little dog yapped his response.
“Would you like to come inside for a moment?”
“No, thank you. I’m right in the middle of pounding out pie crusts. I was watching out my window to make sure I saw when you came home. I wanted to catch you to give you that cake.” She picked up her dog. “I really should get back. Take care.”
Jessica watched until she and Marlon made it to her house. She placed the dish on the railing. “Her kitchen overlooks my yard so she can see people coming or going.”
“It’s nice to have people watching out for you.”
“In my line of work it’s a necessity. Who knows when some angry, vengeful husband or boyfriend might decide to follow me home? I have all the necessary precautions—alarm system, dead bolts, timed lights, even an automatic garage-door opener—but it’s still nice to know I’ve got another pair of eyes looking out for me.”
“I guess you make a lot of enemies in your job. You certainly made one in Robert today.”
“I know. It’s a risk of my job.”
A risk she was only too willing to take. Just like Tory. “I should go. I have to be in court tomorrow morning. I’m in the middle of a case.”
“Yes, the Trevino trial. How is that going?”
“Good. Jury selection is over. We start opening remarks tomorrow.”
“I’ll be at the courthouse tomorrow. Maybe I’ll see you.”
He nodded then turned and walked away. He avoided looking back at the house as he headed to his car but heard the sound of the door close.
His brain swam with conflicting thoughts. He’d worked with Jessica many times before and her presence had never elicited this kind of reaction in him. In fact, she usually had the effect of annoying and frustrating him in their dealings. But today something had been different between them, something that had left him both electrified and apprehensive at the same time.
He’d spent the two years since Tory’s death throwing himself into work and avoiding personal contact. Today, he’d crossed that boundary without even seeing the line.
It was time to focus on his case again. But at least he knew Sarah was in good hands.
* * *
Jessica hit the light switch and scanned the room carefully before coming inside and locking the door behind her. Nothing seemed out of place. The butterfly on her prayer quilt was upright on her chair. The books on the window ledge were in order by title. No one would get through the window without her knowing. Her laptop was closed, the pen intentionally placed atop it still in its position.
Yet she had the eerie feeling someone was watching her and she thought she smelled men’s cologne.
Get a grip, Jessica.
It was probably only the aftereffects of her confrontation with Robert Young, but her emotions were on edge.
She checked the rest of the house but found no evidence that anyone had been there. Convinced she was imagining the strange scent, she set the pineapple upside down cake on the coffee table, certain Mrs. Brady had brought over that cake only as a means to check on her. It wasn’t every day— In fact, she’d never before brought a man to her home.
She should have invited him in for coffee. It was innocent and she trusted Andrew. And after the day’s events with Robert Young, the house seemed so dark and empty. She was tired of doing her usual routine of checking behind every door and inside every closet just to assure herself that no one was there. For once, she wanted to return home without being afraid.
