She held her breath as her whole body trembled with fear, waiting for any sound that would indicate that Dante was in trouble.
The sirens grew louder, and she released a sigh of relief as Dante moved carefully through the rubble, shoving his weapon into the waistband of his jeans at the small of his back. “The bastard is already gone,” he rasped, gathering her shivering body into a comforting hug. “I’m sorry. Who the hell would do something like this? And why?”
Maybe he found me!
She tried to quiet the voice in her head, clinging to Dante as a lifeline, trying to make sense of what had happened. It was more likely that it had been destructive kids, maybe tourists out to make trouble, possibly while they were intoxicated on drugs or alcohol.
Die Bitch!!
Someone who knew her, or just a lucky guess that there was a female in the home? The phrase was eerily familiar.
“Were the other rooms okay?” she mumbled against his shoulder.
“No,” Dante said simply.
“So the whole house is the same way?” It broke her heart to think of everything she owned in tatters.
“Yes. I’m so sorry, sweetheart.” He tightened his grip around her waist, moving a soothing palm up and down her back. “I wish I could have caught whoever did this to you. Jesus. What if you had been home?”
Sarah was glad he hadn’t found anyone. The thought of Dante having to go through any type of confrontation, especially when he was still recovering, made her nauseous.
A police SUV squealed into the driveway, followed by a few patrol cars. Sarah recognized the chief of police, Joe Landon, as he came running up to the door. Joe was generally a jovial man who could usually be seen around town talking and showing pictures of his newest grandchild, or his wife, Ruby. Sarah estimated him to be in his early sixties. His dark hair was graying, but he had a stocky build and was in good shape for a man his age.
Dante quickly briefed the older man on what had happened, and that he had searched for the perpetrator but hadn’t touched anything.
“The evidence team is right behind me,” Joe remarked in a no-nonsense tone. “I don’t recognize you.” He glanced at the scar on Dante’s face that was clearly visible in the bright porch light outside the door. “Are you that hero homicide detective that we’ve all been hearing about?”
Dante nodded sharply. “Dante Sinclair,” he affirmed as he held his hand out to the police chief.
“Chief Landon, but everyone calls me Joe.” He took Dante’s hand and shook it hard before letting it go.
The evidence team traipsed up the driveway, and they all entered the house for an investigation after Joe briefed them, letting them know that they had almost no information except that the house had been ransacked.
“You answer your own calls here?” Dante asked, perplexed.
“Not usually. But my damn felony detective decided to move off to Boston. His wife got a job there. I’m filling in. There’s nobody on the Amesport force with enough experience to do the job.” He eyed Dante curiously. “I don’t suppose you’re looking for a job.”
Alarmed, Sarah responded, “He needs to heal before he even thinks about doing anything physical.”
“I’m a homicide detective. It’s what I do,” Dante replied emphatically.
“There’s more variety here,” the chief answered persuasively. “If you change your mind, come see me. You’re probably overqualified, but I’m thinking of retiring in a year or two. Amesport will need a new chief of police.”
“Thanks,” Dante answered distractedly, watching from the door as the police collected evidence, keeping his arm around Sarah’s waist for support.
Joe moved up beside him, supervising as his employees did the job they were trained to do. After a few moments of silence, Joe told Dante solemnly, “I’m sorry about your partner, son. It’s never easy to lose a friend.”
Dante shrugged. “It’s a rough district. Lots of homicide, most of it gang or drug related.”
“I did two tours in Vietnam, watched my buddies die one after another, sometimes right in front of my eyes,” Joe replied. “Amesport doesn’t see a lot of homicide, but I know what it’s like to lose a friend in the line of duty.”
Dante looked at Joe, astounded. “How the hell did you live through that?”
“One day at a time,” Joe replied thoughtfully. “When I got back from my second tour, I met Ruby, and she changed my life. The love of a good woman can do a lot for a man. I never forgot the friends I lost, but I try to honor them by living a good life. Amesport has been good to me.”
“Are you originally from here?” Dante asked curiously.
“Born and raised. Found Ruby here and she was all grown up when I came back home from Vietnam,” Joe answered with a smile.