7. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

R ight before noon the next day, Will pulled up in front of AJ's grandmother's house where AJ had an apartment over the garage. He waited for Zara who said she'd meet him out front. He hadn't slept great—the break-in at Zara's spun around in his head over and over again. It had to be Ernie that broke in. But why not wait for her? Why toss her place?

Will needed to learn more about this guy to answer those questions.

The apartment door opened, and Zara, in mid-thigh-length shorts and a T-shirt, came out and bounded down the stairs, her long, dark ponytail bouncing behind her.

His heart revved like a muscle car ready for a street race.

When she was halfway down the driveway, he leaned over and opened the door for her.

"Hey!" Her smile lit up her whole face.

He sat up, and she jumped into the cab. "Did you sleep all right?" It was a stupid question; he really wanted to pull her into his arms.

"Sufficiently, I suppose. I'm ready to be distracted today. What's the plan?"

"Hungry?"

"All I ate was a piece of toast. Apparently, AJ needs to go shopping."

"Are you two getting along then?"

"We are. I don't suppose you'll tell me what happened between you two?"

"It's not my story to tell. She'll tell you when she's ready. Do you trust me enough to not push about it?"

"I do." Eyes wide, she shook her head a little. "Look at that. You've got me trusting you. Trust me , that's significant."

"I'll take it." He put the truck in drive, and they were off. First stop, brunch.

Fifteen minutes later, they'd been seated at a local diner in a booth toward the back. Will took the farthest seat so he could see the door and was a little surprised that she let him take that seat without any protest. They placed their orders, and Will reached across the table and took her hand.

The tenderness of her hand drew his attention to it, and he ran a thumb across her knuckles. What if the intruder had still been inside her apartment last night? If they hadn't driven around for so long, he might have been.

He tightened his grip around her fingers.

"Are you okay?"

"Letting my mind go to dark places. Sorry. You're safe right now, and that's what matters."

"Exactly. So let's enjoy our meal and not worry about it. I'm guessing it was Ernie. Hopefully, Ramirez and Remington can find him."

"Tell me about him." He pulled his phone out and opened the Notes app.

"He's a regular ol' lowlife. I think he thought my precinct had a revolving door."

"What'd you pick him up for?"

"I can't even remember. I think there were various charges at different times."

"Did he ever threaten you before this?"

"Just sleazy comments like the other night."

"What was his exact threat yesterday morning?"

"‘I will find you.' That was it. And I guess he did."

"We'll have to pull up his arrest records and see what he's been charged with before. That may give us some insight as to what he's thinking."

Zara chuckled.

"What?"

"All right, Detective Cooper."

He shook his head. "I'm no detective. But a little investigating is always fun."

"I'll give you that."

The front door of the diner opened, and Logan walked in, looked around, and as soon as he spotted Will, waved.

"So much for our one-on-one date."

"Is that what this is, a date?"

"Maybe. But we've got a third wheel now."

Pulling her hand from his, Zara turned and waved to Logan. "Yeah, but at least the three of us make a good trike."

Logan came around the corner and slid into the booth next to Zara, wrapping his arm across her shoulders. "Why didn't you two call me? I would have come helped kick some butt." After a quick squeeze, he pulled his arm away from Zara.

Will said, "There were no butts to kick, not yet anyway. We've got a solid suspect though."

They filled Logan in regarding Ernie.

Their meal arrived, and Logan ordered some food too. Will really didn't mind having his friend here at all. Anyone else, and he'd tell them to get lost. Zara was right about the three of them being a good fit.

The banter and camaraderie that flowed between the three of them was priceless. As hesitant as Zara seemed to be to connect with people, she had fallen into sync with them from day one. But Will now wondered how deep she'd be able to go with him. Could they move past the friendship level? It seemed like they were headed there, but something nagged at Will's spirit—the idea there would be a battle for her heart to be truly united to his.

And could he stick with it if it was difficult? It didn't take a genius to recognize that he struggled with stick-with-it-ness. That's why he loved being a uniformed officer. It was reactive. He did reactive well. But relationships required fortitude and being proactive. He wanted to see those qualities in himself, but he'd be lying if he claimed them.

Is that what God wanted to teach him though? Could he really grow in that area? He had to if he ever wanted to get married and have a family. And that he knew he wanted more than anything.

Zara chatted with Logan while they ate, but Will had become quiet, deep in thought. He wasn't ignoring them but was definitely preoccupied with his thoughts. Had her detective comment hit wrong? She'd said it to test the waters and see where he was with the idea. Did he simply need a little pushing in that direction? He would make a great investigator if he applied himself.

He glanced up, and she caught his eye. His smile nearly made her melt into the vinyl seat cover that her thighs were already good and stuck to.

Had he told Logan what was going on between the two of them? Of course, Logan wasn't an idiot. He probably saw it, but had Will admitted it?

Once her omelet was gone, she extended her hand across the table like it had been before Logan had arrived.

Will eyed her hand and raised an eyebrow.

She sent him an expression to say, "Are you ready to show affection in front of our friend?"

He glanced at Logan, who was talking about his motorcycle, and then back at her and stretched his hand out and took hers.

Giant bolts of lightning zapped through her arm, leaving her fingers tingling and her heart fighting to regain a sense of normal beating.

Logan slapped the table. "It's about time." He looked at Zara. "I've been praying this guy would find a woman who would help me keep him out of trouble."

"You really think I'm going to keep him out of trouble?"

Both guys laughed.

Logan said, "Touché. Well, if not out of trouble, then be his perfect partner in said trouble."

"That I can handle."

Logan darted his gaze back and forth between them. "That means I just crashed your date. Why didn't you tell me to get lost?"

Zara gripped his arm with her free hand. "Because we like you. And what's a tricycle without a third wheel?"

"I'm not sure how to take that."

Will said, "Only the good way."

"Then if we're a tricycle, that means I'm the front wheel, because clearly you two are attached. So that means I decide where we go. And I say next stop, talk to the detectives about all that you shared with me."

Zara nodded. "I told them about Ernie last night, but I wouldn't mind checking in and seeing what they've learned. Will?"

"Seems reasonable."

They paid their bill and left the diner. As they walked out, Zara wondered why Will had seemed so reticent during their meal but had turned around so quickly when she reached out to him.

They stepped off the curb, and Will grabbed Zara's hand. She gripped his and stepped closer to him. At his truck, he opened the door for her.

"You know, I could get used to this kind of treatment. But it still feels so weird."

He leaned against the door. "You're telling me other guys didn't treat you like a lady?"

"Goodness, no. Although I'm not sure I ever let them either." She slid onto the seat.

Will stepped closer and brushed a strand of hair from her face. "Then thank you for letting me. You're a strong, independent woman, and I appreciate the privilege it is to treat you like a lady. Because as much as you can keep up with us guys, you are a woman, not a man, and I very much like that fact."

Her face warmed, but it wasn't because it was like a hundred plus degrees inside the vehicle.

Zara walked into the police station between Will and Logan. Once they left the diner, Will had called Doug Ramirez, and he said he and Wyatt were at the station digging for information about any of Zara's former arrestees who could be a potential suspect.

It was strange going into the station via the front door. She had probably only come in this door her first day and not since, but the detectives' squad room was right by the main entrance.

As they crossed the lobby, Wyatt walked out of the squad room. "Hey, guys."

They followed him back, past the captain's office and into the bullpen where desks were situated in pairs. In the back right corner of the space, a door opened to a conference room.

The room was a bizarre combination of bustling with activity and quiet. A tall detective in a fedora and his short female partner argued in hushed tones near a whiteboard on the window side of the room.

Wyatt led them to a pair of desks in the center of the space. Doug greeted them and leaned back in his chair. "Pull up a seat. Not that we have much to give you."

Zara sat beside Doug's desk, but Will and Logan remained standing.

Wyatt sat at his desk. "We heard from the lab, and every fingerprint pulled belong to either you or Cooper."

"So he wore gloves?" Will asked.

"I doubt he did everything with his elbows," Wyatt said.

Doug cracked his knuckles. "But we did talk to the guy you told us about."

Zara scooted to the edge of her seat. "Yeah? How'd that go?"

Doug drew in a big breath before answering. "Not as I expected. He was fairly agreeable. But he has an alibi. His girlfriend said he was home all night."

"Could she corroborate that?"

"She is the corroboration."

"But she could be lying."

"I don't doubt that, but we don't have any evidence to pin it to him."

"I wish the threat was enough."

Doug shook his head. "Unfortunately, it's not."

She slumped in the chair. There wasn't going to be an answer, was there? Would she ever know who'd violated her home?

A pair of detectives came into the squad room and drew everyone's attention. They were filthy. The tall and sophisticated woman, dressed in what was once a nice pantsuit, had dirt streaked across her face. Her light brown ponytail had sticks poking out every which way.

Will leaned over Zara's shoulder. "That's Becca Palmer and Gavin Riley."

Doug laughed. "What happened to you two?"

Gavin, who was equally dirty, his blond hair matted against his forehead, glared at Doug. "Remember that report we got about a body found tied to a tree? Well, there was a body there, but it wasn't exactly easy to get there or back out. I seriously don't know how those hikers even found her."

"Her? You have an ID yet?" a detective across the room asked.

Gavin said, "Nope. It's going to take dentals or DNA. She was rather decomposed."

Becca stuck out her tongue. "It was nasty. She's been abandoned out there in those woods well over a month. Henry guesses closer to four, based on the weather we've had and how far decomposed she was."

Zara turned to Will. "Who's Henry?"

"The medical examiner."

She nodded and turned her attention back to Becca, who continued to tell them about their trek into the woods and how Gavin "pushed" her down a hill. He adamantly denied any foul play.

Zara chuckled at their banter. Could she imagine Will working in this squad? She'd sure miss him, but he would fit in well with this group.

With nothing more to do about the break-in, the three officers left.

As they walked through the parking lot, Logan said, "So much for better hours as a detective."

Will laughed. "No kidding. At least when we're off, we're actually off."

"Don't they get comp time when they've worked crazy hours for a case?" Zara asked.

"At least some, but Keith always said making commitments was the hardest part about being a detective. You never know when you'll get called out."

"Who's Keith?"

Will smiled. "The detectives' captain and my oldest brother's childhood friend."

They said goodbye to Logan and climbed into Will's truck, which was once again a million degrees inside. It took too long for the AC to kick in and finally blow cool-enough air in the cab.

And it took that entire time for Zara to work up the courage to ask the question burning in her mind. Maybe he hadn't talked to her about his dream of being a detective yet because he felt like a failure or something. She didn't want to bring it up if it was a sore spot. But maybe it wasn't even his dream anymore, and he didn't care. She wouldn't know unless she asked.

"I have a question for you. But I have no idea if this is out of bounds at all."

"I don't know what you could ask that would be."

She faced him so she could gauge his reaction. "Why haven't you become a detective?"

He drew in a sharp breath but was silent. Pressing his lips together, he stared straight ahead.

She shouldn't have asked, at least not right now.

The silence lingered for another moment before he finally said, "I just decided not to." The tone of his voice was curt and cold.

There was more to it. And he did not want to talk about it. "Sorry."

"Don't apologize. What made you ask that?"

"AJ said it was your dream."

"It had been at one time. But whatever. Wanna go get a security system for your apartment?"

And that subject was done. Maybe one day he'd tell her, but today was definitely not going to be that day.