to cover for me with the Nathan Carson case at the hospital. Can you do that?”
“Sure. Anything we can help you with at the station?”
He started to tell him about Laura, but Alex still held some resentment toward her. “No, I can handle this. I just think someone needs to be there if Carson regains consciousness. He claimed on the phone to have information about the undercover policeman’s death five years ago. If he can talk, see if you can find out what it is. And see if you can get him to tell you who is running Tony Lynch’s organization now.”
“Will do. I’ll check in with you later.”
“Yeah, later.”
Brad ended the call and turned to go back to his office. He hesitated with his hand on the knob and took a deep breath. Spending the day with Laura wasn’t at the top of his list of things he wanted to do, but there wasn’t much he could do about it right now.
The murders of her parents might be a cold case, but it was an open secret within law enforcement that Tony Lynch’s organization, the same group suspected in Nathan Carson’s attempted murder, had been responsible.
The only problem was that there was no evidence to prove it since Tony’s henchmen made it a rule to never leave any evidence behind. Which left the question—why did they try to kill Carson and only threaten Laura?
The only way he might figure it out was to stay close to Laura and try to protect her when Tony’s men came to finish the job they started last night.
TWO
Fifteen minutes later Laura stared at Brad over the top of her coffee cup and searched his features for any changes since she’d last seen him. She had to admit he was still the most handsome man she’d ever known. His dark unruly hair still tumbled across his forehead, and he pushed it back with his hand every so often, just as he’d always done. His brown eyes didn’t sparkle as much as she remembered, but she supposed the things he saw on a daily basis in his job could darken any man’s soul.
He stared at her from across the table. “So, you’ve been back for over a year, and you share a house with Grace Kincaid.”
“Yes, Grace has always been my best friend, and we kept in touch after I moved to North Carolina.”
Brad nodded. “I know. She used to tell me how you were doing when I would see her. I guess that’s why it surprised me that she kept your return to Memphis a secret.”
“I explained that.”
He exhaled and picked up his cup. “Yeah, you did. Anyway, it’s good to see you. I’m sorry it was under these circumstances, though.”
“It’s good to see you, too. I read in the paper that you and Alex and another detective had been appointed to head up the new Cold Case unit for the police department. I’m glad to see you and Alex doing so well. Of course, I knew from the time I met you during our freshman year in high school you would be successful. The director must have a lot of confidence in you to give you such a promotion.”
Brad shrugged. “Maybe, but I really like this new work. It’s giving me a chance to bring closure to a lot of families who didn’t get answers.” He stared at her for a moment. “Grace told me about a year ago that she thought you’d finally made peace with the past and could accept your parents’ deaths. What made you do that interview with her and open up all these old wounds?”
Laura wrapped her fingers around her coffee mug and stared at the dark Colombian blend. “I thought I’d moved on, but I guess I haven’t. I don’t suppose I ever will until the killers are brought to justice. Can you understand that?”
“I can. I hear it every day from other families, but they’re not being threatened by people who want to kill them. You made yourself a target when you did that interview.”
She nodded. “I didn’t think about it at the time, but I did when I was standing in the river.” She took a sip of her coffee. “Grace’s station had been reporting about your new unit, and she thought it might give the story a personal twist if viewers could hear from a family member wanting a case solved.”
He arched an eyebrow. “Well, I can’t say I like the twist your story took afterward.”
The waitress approached with their breakfast, and they fell silent as she set their plates in front of them. Laura clasped her hands in front of her on the table, bowed her head and closed her eyes. When she opened them, Brad stared at her as if he couldn’t believe what he’d just seen.
“What is it?” she asked.
“Since when did you become religious?”
She smiled and put her napkin on her lap. “It’s not a question of being religious, Brad. The truth is I turned my life over to God, and I live my life in faith. I’m happier than I’ve ever been in my life.”
“What does your brother think about that?”
“He approves. Especially since he’s done the same thing, thanks to the influence of his wife.” Brad shrugged and began to spread jam on a piece of toast. “I guess whatever makes you happy is fine. You know I’ve never had any reason to believe in God. I don’t need God or anybody else in my life.”
Her forehead wrinkled. “You sound cynical. I hope I’m not the reason for that. I’m sorry for what happened between us six years ago. I’ve wanted to ask you to forgive me for a long time, but I didn’t think I’d ever have the nerve to face you.”
His eyes narrowed. “I can understand why. I loved you, Laura, from the first day I saw you at school. We were a couple from then on. I would have done anything to make you happy, and you gave back my ring and walked out on me without a backward glance.”
His words were tinged with hurt, and Laura wanted to make him understand what had driven her to do what she did. She set her fork down on her plate and clasped her hands on her lap. “I might have been twenty-three years old when I left Memphis, but I still felt like the ten-year-old girl who’d seen her parents bombed in that car. My brother, Mark, carried the same scars I did, and he wanted me to come live with him in Raleigh. He thought we could help each other. I left for your sake as well as mine.”
“That’s what you told me, but I wanted to help you, Laura.”
Her eyes grew wide. “Oh, I know you did, but I felt like I had to find my own peace. It wasn’t fair for me to saddle you with all my baggage. You didn’t deserve that. I left here as much for you as for myself.”
He grimaced and a grunt of disgust rumbled in his throat. “I’m afraid I didn’t see it that way.”
She tilted her head to one side and stared at him. “I’m sorry I hurt you, but it was the right decision for us both.”
He picked up his fork and scooped up some eggs. “Well, as they say, that’s all water under the bridge now. I recovered and moved on.” He pointed to her plate. “Let’s eat our breakfast. Then we have to figure out what we’re going to do about keeping you safe.”
Laura stared at Brad for a moment before she poured syrup on her pancakes and began to eat. In the time she and Brad had been talking, she’d sensed a change in him. Instead of the caring man
