Lacey raced after, placed herself between Kateri and the apartment. Bared her teeth, faced the door and growled low in her throat.
Taken aback, Kateri gazed at her usually charming dog, then took a long slow step backward. “Moen!” she called. The door stood ajar the smallest bit. With one finger, she pushed it open … and saw all the lights on, pillows tossed and the sparkle of broken glass.
Someone had trashed her apartment.
Turned out getting her dog was a smart move.
CHAPTER NINE
Kateri sat on a folding chair on her tiny porch as her officers went through her apartment, assessing the damage, dusting for fingerprints, holding hushed conversations with her neighbors.
There was no need for the hushed conversations; Kateri’s pain meds had taken over. When she nodded off, as she occasionally did, Lacey would give her a nudge and Kateri would straighten up.
The sun had begun to set when at last Bergen came out, put his hand on Kateri’s shoulder and said, “Come on. We’re going to be a few more hours. I’ll take you to my house so you can catch some shut-eye.”
“I want to go to Rainbow’s.”
“Rainbow’s … house?”
“I have her keys. She wouldn’t mind.”
Bergen got that stern, I know better than you face that he wore so well. “John Terrance is out there. He probably did this.”
“That’s true. He is out there and he did probably do this. So I’m not going to put your wife and children in jeopardy.”
Bergen paused, and his I know face turned into his Darn, I wish you hadn’t thought of that face.
“Hard to argue that, isn’t it?” Kateri added, “After a day like today, I want to be alone.”
“I’d rather you weren’t.”
“Send a patrol by every half hour.”
“I’ll put someone on guard at Rainbow’s house.”
“Make yourself happy.” She allowed him to help her to her feet. “But Lacey is as good a guard as any you can set.”
He leaned down to pet her dog. “She knows who did this.”
“Yes. If only she could speak.” Kateri thought a minute. “I suppose she will somehow tell us when she spots the perp.”
“Another reason to keep her close.” He put Kateri and Lacey in his patrol car and as they drove the three blocks to Rainbow’s tiny corner house, he reported, “John Terrance—or whoever tossed the house—didn’t do much damage. A broken vase. Furniture upended. The back door was open. We think you interrupted him—the perp—and he fled.”
“Doesn’t sound like Terrance to me. He’s wily, but he wouldn’t run from a girl. Except if that girl had a chance of hurting him. Spiteful bully.”
“He had no idea how many officers you had called, so in his mind, he was running from overwhelming testosterone-driven odds.”
She laughed and as they turned the corner, she almost toppled sideways onto the console.
“Whoa, girl.” Bergen pushed on her shoulder.
She teetered back into a sitting position.
They pulled into Rainbow’s driveway.
Another patrol car pulled in behind them.
Bergen came around to help her out. “Sean Weston volunteered for the first shift. I think he’s bucking to get on full-time.”
She glanced back at her newest temporary officer.
He smiled—he had one of those square smiles that showed all his teeth—and gave her a thumbs-up.
“I hate a brown nose,” she muttered, then realized her mutter was a little too loud.
“You hired him.” Bergen held her arm.
“Good credentials.” They climbed the stairs to the front porch. “Glowing recommendation from the Carson City police chief.”
“So the chief either wanted desperately to get rid of Weston…”
Kateri winced.
“Or he really is that good.”
She handed Bergen Rainbow’s keys. “What do you think?”
“I think we’ll find out.” He opened the front door and gave her a push inside.
Lacey followed, clearly delighted to once more visit Rainbow’s home.
Bergen asked, “Can you get yourself to bed or should I call Sandra to help you?”
Kateri drew herself up. “I’ve been putting myself to bed for a lot of years.” She considered him. “But I need my toothbrush and a change of clothes.”
Bergen got that panicked look that men get when asked to dig around in a woman’s panty drawer. “I’ll call Sandra to come and pack you a bag.”
“You do that. And thank you both. You are dear friends.”
“Yeah, yeah.” He waved that away and headed for his car.
Sean Weston parked himself at the curb.
Kateri walked inside, shut and locked the door behind her, slithered onto the couch on the way to the bedroom, dropped her walking stick on the floor beside her and slept the sleep of the dead.
*
Kateri woke up with her head kinked funny, one arm numb and a dog curled behind her bent knees. She half-opened her eyes and stared at the back of the couch.
God. What time was it?
Not that it mattered. She had to get up. Her ribs hurt. She was due to take an antibiotic. She had to pee. Plus she probably should brush her teeth and maybe try to climb into Rainbow’s bed, which had to be more comfortable than this saggy old sofa.
With a groan, she rolled onto her back, dislodging Lacey, then over to the other side—and gave a half-scream.
Someone—a man—was sprawled in the armchair, watching her.
Lacey stood up and wagged her whole body.
“Stag.” Kateri put a hand over her thumping heart and slowly worked herself into a sitting position. “You scared the hell out of me.”
“You scared the hell out of me. Your place got broken into and you didn’t even call?” He wasn’t actually relaxed, she realized. Each muscle was tense.
Lacey stopped wagging.
“What were you going to do that the rest of the department couldn’t?”
“Guard you.”
“Oh. Yeah. I didn’t think of that.” Kateri dropped her eyes, because she hadn’t thought of it, and if she had, that uneasy suspicion that he’d set up the drive-by lingered. Stupid, but one of the things that appealed to her on a visceral level—that was to say, made her horny—was how very dangerous he was, like a tiger in a sideshow that could at any moment turn feral. He’d been a bouncer. He’d served time for murder. Now he was involved with setting up a casino at the edge of her town, a casino that would ultimately make her life a hell with prostitution, drunkenness and gambling addicts.
She pushed her hair out of her eyes and looked up. A small wheeled bag sat on the dining room table. Her small wheeled bag. “Look. Sandra must have sneaked in while I was asleep.”
“Yeah … I could have packed your bag instead of her. I know my way around your bedroom.” He still looked ready to spring, and his deep voice had a dark, edgy tone.
Lacey edged herself into Kateri’s lap and fixed him with a stern eye.
Kateri petted her dog’s head.
He said, “For God’s sake, you stupid animal, I’m not going to hurt her.”
The way he snapped at her dog, like Lacey had hurt his feelings, made Kateri relax and smile. She glanced toward the closed front door. “How did you get in?”
“I told the kid out front I intended to come in.”