Harlequin Romantic Suspense July 2021 Box Set Page 30

  “Here. I’ll show you how real.” Desiree picked up the sketchbook, turning it around so that the image was facing outward.

  On a hard gasp, Evangeline leaned forward in her chair, reaching out to touch the edge of the paper. As promised, the man she’d seen struggling with that woman in the white shirt was facing her from Desiree’s sketchbook. Her disparate memories of his features had somehow, some way, coalesced into the image of a person.

  A real person.

  One who’d murdered a woman while she stood and watched.

  * * *

  Troy continued to mull over his conversation with Stavros long after the two men had settled back in the living room. Danny’s toys had been moved into a neat pile in the corner and there was once again room to sit.

  It was surprising, on some level, to have his feelings read so easily. He didn’t date much, but he had been in relationships off and on throughout his adult life. Never before had his sister keyed in so quickly on a woman he was interested in. And while Stavros was a recent entry into the family, it was equally unsettling to have another man pinpoint the feelings Troy was working so hard to deny.

  Although he probably shouldn’t be surprised. Stavros and Desiree had only recently gotten together, and the lingering pain of losing his child had colored Stavros’s world for many years. Love and relationships weren’t a part of that. Maybe Stavros was having an easier time recognizing attraction because he was still in the early stages of it himself, relatively speaking.

  “Desiree didn’t have a chance to tell me much, but it sounds like Evangeline has been having a difficult time coming to terms with this crime she witnessed.”

  Grateful for the break from his thoughts—and any and all musings that suggested he was talking about feelings with Stavros—Troy grasped for the conversational lifeline. “She has. We all have. Detective Shea and I arrived on scene last night to investigate her nine-one-one call, and all signs of a crime scene had vanished.”

  Stavros frowned at that. “What you mean vanished? Humans shed far too much DNA in day-to-day life, let alone in a violent situation, for it to simply vanish.”

  “That’s the problem. We didn’t get anything from a visual review of the scene, but CSI hasn’t gotten anything on a molecular level, either.”

  “It’s just not possible.”

  “Evangeline is doubting herself because of it.”

  Stavros quieted, glancing in the direction of Desiree’s studio. It was only when he seemed satisfied that the women couldn’t hear them, that he spoke. “Is it possible she’s having hallucinations of some sort? A mental impulse could make a situation seem real, even if it isn’t.”

  It was the same question Evangeline had brought up and he had been quick to dismiss it. To tell her was impossible. But now, to have the same question come from a doctor? Maybe it was time to consider it.

  “Is that possible, especially if she’s never had any sort of struggle like that before?”

  “Anything is possible. She’s been under a tremendous amount of stress with work and we never know exactly what it is that can cause a lapse of that sort in the mind.”

  “It still doesn’t make a lot of sense. I recognize she has been under stress with her job, but her record is impeccable. And being an ADA isn’t easy in normal times. Wouldn’t there be some sort of decline? Something that would’ve been recognizable, before a strong hallucination that lasted for several minutes?”

  As Stavros considered the counter argument, Troy forced himself to reflect honestly on the man’s points. Since his time in the GGPD, he’d experienced plenty of situations with individuals who had some mental or emotional break with reality. Mental illness or extreme stress brought on by life-changing situations or those times when life was simply too much. He’d learned to think more favorably of others in those moments, recognizing that he’d want—and more important, need—the same compassion in return if the situation were reversed.

  And even with that understanding, he still chafed at the idea that Evangeline was experiencing some sort of emotional break with reality. Especially when it seemed like everything happening to her centered on some phantom threat.

  A phantom threat that kept executing real, tangible actions.

  Tangible actions that vanished the moment someone else showed up...

  Was it possible? Troy mused.

  He hadn’t had many in his career, but he had seen people, often women, the victim of gaslighting. A sort of slow, steady drip of behavior from a hidden foe, making them believe there was a danger, then hiding it.

  Was that happening here?

  “I don’t think you’re wrong,” Stavros finally said. “But I do think you need to be open to all possibilities.”

  Troy’s mind still churned with the possibilities, even as Stavros’s kind words gave him one more avenue to consider.

  One more thread in what was becoming an increasingly complex knot.

  Brett and Melissa had all shared similar warnings and it would be foolish to disregard a consistent theme from others he respected.

  But he also respected Evangeline.

  They might not have exchanged much in the past beyond the occasional hello, but he’d observed her plenty in the courtroom. Even now, he remembered a small incident she likely had no memory of.

  She’d been prosecuting a hit-and-run case. Additional challenges had arisen when it was discovered a child was in the car that had fled the scene. The driver was eventually apprehended, and through the course of the deliberations, the man’s daughter had been brought to court. Troy had been convinced at the time the child was being used as a prop for sympathy, but he knew his role and avoided editorializing when he gave his testimony. Even as he vowed to himself that he was going to look into his suspicions of abuse.

  It was only during a recess, when the child and her mother were in the hallway outside the courtroom, that he’d overheard Evangeline. She wasn’t supposed to approach the other side, the potential for judicial action against her a real possibility if she was discovered. But Troy had heard her all the same, telling the wife quietly that she and her daughter could get away from the woman’s husband and get help. That Evangeline could find them a safe place.

  He’d been even more surprised when Evangeline had reached into her bag to produce a card and, along with it, a small stuffed animal she’d handed over to the girl. It wasn’t much bigger than her fist, the sort that was sold in the stationery and gift shop on the corner next to the courthouse, but the little girl had wrapped the plush cat in her arms as if it were a lifeline.

  She hadn’t seen him. Troy was sure of it, the spot he’d stood observing the exchange hidden behind a large pamphlet rack. But as the woman rushed away, leaving Evangeline alone in the corridor, he’d seen Evangeline drop her head and brush away a tear.

  He’d always respected her and he’d thought her beautiful from the first moment he’d laid eyes on her. But in that moment, he’d seen the genuine care and concern in her actions and he’d never been able to shake that memory.

  Or that quick rush of tears she’d brushed away before anyone could notice.

  * * *

  Evangeline stared at the parked cars underneath the lights in her condo’s parking lot and tried desperately to ignore the wash of fear that suddenly roiled through her stomach. It had been a good night. A great night, actually. She’d spent the evening with nice people. She’d laughed, talked and had even played with a small child who reminded her that all the work they did, from law enforcement to the entire legal process, was worth it.

  And she’d spent the evening with Troy.

  For all the fear and confusion of the past few days, he had been a bright beacon of calm, caring and concern.

  She was also becoming far too comfortable having him near.

  “Thanks for this evening. I had no idea how badly I needed a night
out and the company of other people. Your sister and her family are wonderful.”

  “Dez and Danny were great all by themselves. But I’m happy to see her have a new love in Stavros.”

  It was so simple. That he could accept others so easily. No frustration or anger at the disruption in his life by someone new. No distrust that someone had come along and captured his sister’s heart.

  “Who are you, Troy Colton?”

  The question was out, weird and silly, and now hanging between them in the car as he pulled up in front of her door.

  Troy put the car in Park and turned to face her. The light that filtered in from the overheads painted everything with a stark fluorescent glow, yet even in the neon haze of the illumination she could see the warmth in his eyes. “I’m just me, Evangeline. I’m a cop. A brother. A son. An uncle. A cousin. And maybe someday soon, a brother-in-law.”

  Although she heard no censure in his tone, something compelled her to keep going.

  “But your family is so open. So welcoming. Your sister has a new love and just like that, you and he get along famously. Your cousins seem to number the stars and you have a relationship with all of them. You might think your nephew has you wrapped around his finger but you’ve got him equally wrapped around yours.” She took a deep breath. “It’s not anything I’m used to. And I just wanted to tell you how special it is.”

  “Thank you.”

  She saw the question before he asked it. It filled his gaze, his brow furrowing as he obviously weighed whether or not he was going to say something.

  “I mean that thank-you. We never really know how our family situations look on the outside. I’m lucky to have mine and it’s nice to hear that the affection we have for each other is obvious.”

  “Of course.”

  “But it does make me curious. Was your family different?” he asked. “Because you don’t seem to just be observing my relationships—you seem surprised that they exist.”

  “My family wasn’t at all like yours. I’m an only child, for starters.”

  His grin was quick and immediate, and Evangeline felt it blow through her with all the force of a hurricane. “That’s not a problem in the Colton family.” That smile soon faded. “But your questions aren’t just because you’re an only child. Are they?”

  “I’ve never seen anything like it. A bond like that. I know anger and rage and then silence. But not easy laughter at the table and welcoming visitors into your home with open arms.”

  Later, she’d likely tell herself she shared all those things because she was tired and her guard was down and the sketch work with Desiree had forced her to draw on her last reserves of emotional strength.

  But right now, she said the words because she needed to say them.

  Troy nodded, that furrowed brow as serious as before. Only before he said anything, an electrifying series of pops lit the air. Quick, heavy bursts of sound suddenly bombarding them from all sides.

  And then the lights above the car went out, plunging them into darkness.

  CHAPTER 10

  Troy immediately reached for Evangeline, pressing his hand to the crown of her head and forcing her down in the seat to take cover. The noises continued but as his initial burst of adrenaline wore off to the point he could think over simply reacting, he realized the sound remained outside. There were no shot-out windows. No broken glass, even. Just that continued loud popping and bursting.

  And then it stopped.

  “Troy?” Evangeline unfurled from where she’d slunk down in her seat.

  “Stay there,” he ordered, his phone already in hand to call for backup.

  He needed to wait to get out of the car but people from her condo complex were already opening their doors, lights appearing at the same time on some of the floors above.

  In clipped tones, he relayed to dispatch what had happened and what little he knew of the scene before giving the warning that never failed to make his skin crawl. “Possible active shooter.”

  He got quick reassurance that several patrol cars nearby were already on their way.

  “An active shooter?” Evangeline asked. “At us?”

  “We can’t know.”

  “Those were gunshots?” Evangeline glanced around frantically, twisting in the small space of the front seat. “What are all these people doing outside?”

  “I’m going to go ask everyone to go back inside their homes. Stay here.”

  “You can’t—”

  He cut her off. “Stay here. Patrol is en route and we can assess once they’re here. I’m a trained officer and I can handle this.”

  The quick nod was all he got but it had to be enough, especially as more lights went on behind darkened windows and a few more neighbors stepped out their front doors.

  Troy got out and pushed as much authority into his tone as he could.

  “Grave Gulch Police! I need everyone to go back in their homes until we know what’s going on.”

  Various shouts rang out from the people who’d come outside or who’d lifted their windows to take in the scene.

  What right do you have?

  This is my house.

  What’s going on?

  “I repeat! Grave Gulch PD.” He ran through the particulars again and by the time he’d finished, the sound of sirens was already audible, flashing blue lights visible shortly after.

  The sensation of being an open target refused to leave him. His gaze kept darting through the now-darkened parking lot as he sought to narrow in on anything suspicious or out of place. He kept his back to Evangeline’s building and his body angled toward the ground, hoping to minimize himself in a shooter’s vision.

  Although that wait dragged on, he knew by the sound of sirens that he and Evangeline had only been waiting a few minutes at most. In another thirty seconds he had police cars filling the parking lot, cops milling around the area.

  A strange sense of relief filled him when Brett jumped out of one of the cars, Ember on his heels. Brett assessed the situation, his gaze as careful as Troy’s had been as he dissected the parking lot in quadrants. Satisfied he saw no one out in the open, Brett gave the all clear to the surrounding officers and then they swarmed through the parking lot and on into the grass.

  Troy eyed Evangeline through the windshield and gestured for her to stay down, despite the clearance. He still wasn’t comfortable, nor did he feel it was safe for her yet out in the open. When he saw her subtle nod in return, he shifted his attention to Brett.

  “Fancy meeting you here,” Brett said, his grim smile and active gaze that continued to scan the area around them proof that this wasn’t a social call.

  “I hear you. This is getting to be a bit of a habit.”

  “Evangeline?” Brett was discreet and never even tilted his gaze toward the car, but Troy knew the detective was aware of Evangeline’s presence.

  “Yeah. I took her over to my sister’s so Desiree could do a police sketch tonight. We just got back and then this happened.”

  “Want to walk me through it?”

  Troy gave Brett the details, explaining how they had parked and were finishing up a discussion covering the evening’s events. He avoided all mention she’d made of her family, recognizing that was personal and not relevant to the discussion anyway. He then detailed the punching noise that had broken through the evening stillness before the lights went out.

  “But you don’t think it’s gunshots?” Brett asked.

  “No. I don’t see anything. There aren’t any casings on the ground, and we weren’t hit with any bullet holes in the car windows. Not even a scrape on the paint.”

  Brett tilted his head back and stared up at the structures that kept the condo’s parking lot well lit for residents and visitors. He tilted his head once more, obviously trying to get a clear gaze at the light directly over Troy’s car. “Do
you have a flashlight in your glove box?”

  Before Troy could go get it, one of the patrol officers handed over a flashlight from his belt. “Here you are, Detective.”

  Brett shined the narrow beam upward onto the oval shape of the light. “Isn’t this interesting?”

  Troy stepped closer and stared up, following the line of Brett’s gaze.

  “Light’s been shot out, Buddy. Right over Evangeline’s passenger side door.”

  “But there aren’t any shell casings on the ground.” A quick glance showed the other lights all continued to glow, a fact he was already cursing himself for not noticing.

  The assembled officers all had their flashlights in hand, and began inspecting the ground, but nothing else glittered.

  What the hell was going on?

  The light had obviously been blown out, and those pops had echoed like gunshots, loud and persistent and much too close to the car.

  “Detectives! Over here.”

  Troy and Brett walked over to where a young rookie pointed at the ground. Troy recognized her, one of their fresh-faced new recruits who had joined the GGPD in the last couple of months. “What did you find, officer?”

  “It looks like a string of firecrackers. Look here.” She pointed where small, seemingly innocuous poppers had exploded off of their pasteboard holders. “Is it possible this is what you heard?”

  It was entirely possible. And as Troy reconsidered that quick burst of noise, he realized that small firecrackers made sense.

  “You think someone’s playing a prank?” Brett dropped to his knee and lifted one of the discarded paper casings.

  “A prank? This close to Evangeline’s house?” Troy pushed back. “No way.”

  “Troy, come on. It’s June already. And it’s summertime. Everybody starts getting excited for fireworks this time of year.”

  “Detective, sir?” Grace Colton, Troy’s sister and one of the newest rookies on the force, stepped forward. She was diligent about treating him with the respect of his rank, and while he appreciated it, it always made him feel a bit awkward when she went into formal mode. “Is it possible some kids were here playing? And when they realized it upset you, they ran.”