Page 21 of Kidnapped in Dark Waters
Still, he intended to remind her that night when he saw her again that she needed to stay aware of her surroundings. There was no way to know what the note writer had in mind, so it was best to err on the side of caution.
At the moment, he was on his way into the police station to do a check-in with Daniel. It was just after lunch time and there was no hint of the rainstorm that had swept the area the night before.
If anyone would have told him that there would come a night when he would dance in the rain with Dominique Santori, he wouldn’t have believed them. It was so far out of character for him and yet he had to admit it had been exhilarating and more fun than he could remember enjoying in a very long time. Thetruth was he had to admit there wasn’t much fun in his life.
He pulled up behind the police station and parked in the lot, then entered through the back door. He didn’t see any other officers as he walked down the long hallway toward Daniel’s office.
Most of them would be out on patrol, except for Gus Smith. The older officer was near retirement age and also suffered from severe arthritis in his hips. He worked the day shift as the receptionist.
Luke went into the murder room and set the baggie-clad note on the table and then continued on down the hallway.
When he reached Daniel’s office, he knocked on the door. Daniel immediately called out for him to enter and Luke did just that. “Hey, boss,” he greeted Daniel.
“Luke, how are you doing?”
Luke sat in the chair in front of Daniel’s desk. “I’m doing all right. I just figured I’d do a quick check-in even though I don’t have anything to report. Thankfully, the rain kept Dominique from trying to follow Pierre last night.”
“Yeah, Angelique had breakfast with her sisters this morning, and Dominique shared with them about your night activities.” Daniel raised a brow as a wry smile curved his lips. “Dancing in the rain, Luke? I didn’t know you had it in you.”
The warmth of a blush filled Luke’s cheeks. He hadn’t intended sharing that fact with anyone, especially Daniel. “Yeah, I didn’t know I had it in me, either. It started to rain and she grabbed my hand and pulled me outside and before I knew it, we were dancing.”
The smile on Daniel’s face fell away. “A word of advice, Luke. Remember, she is just a job. I’ve known you for years, and I really don’t think she’s the type of woman you need in your life.”
“I’m not looking at being a lifelong partner with her, and believe me, she really is just a job to me, although we are friendlywith each other.” At least, thank God, she apparently hadn’t shared the fact they had kissed.
“There is one other thing that happened to her yesterday.” Luke told Daniel about the note she had received. “It sounds to me like she’s picked up a secret admirer, but I did tell her she needed to stay aware of her surroundings and who she allows to get close to her. I also brought the note in to see if we could lift any prints from it. I left it on the table in the murder room.”
“I’ll have Clay grab it,” Daniel replied. Clay was their number one expert in fingerprint retrieval. “In the meantime, there isn’t much we can do about the note, however, you were absolutely right to tell Dominique to watch her surroundings and hopefully the writer of the note is nothing more than a lovesick individual who means no harm.”
“Let’s hope,” Luke replied. “Anyway, that’s my report for the day. Anything new on Mystique’s murder case?”
Daniel frowned. “Unfortunately, no. We still have no leads to follow at the moment.”
“If I really see Pierre dig up the missing client book, do you want me to make an arrest right then and there?”
“No, I want you to call for backup and then we’ll take him down,” Daniel replied.
“Got it. And on that note, I’ll just get out of here.” Luke stood.
“Any plans for the afternoon?” Daniel asked.
“Yeah, a nap. I don’t think it’s going to rain again, so Dominique will want to follow Pierre again tonight.”
“Then have a good nap. I imagine you’ll need it,” Daniel replied.
“Thanks, and I’ll see you tomorrow.” Luke left the office and walked back out of the building and into the summer heat. As he drove home, his thoughts were a jumble.
His physical desire for Dominique battled with his sense of duty. Then there was the note she received that might or might not portend some sort of coming conflict.
If it truly was from a secret admirer, when they made themselves known to her, would she be thrilled about the person’s identity? Would it be from someone she was excited to date? That thought sparked a surprising touch of jealousy inside him…a jealousy that had no place in his thoughts or in his relationship with the beautiful woman.
By the time he was home, he was ready for a nap and it didn’t take him long to fall asleep in his recliner. He slept with no dreams and awakened about two hours later, just in time to make dinner.
He had decided to cook tonight, and had a nice steak marinating in his refrigerator. That along with a baked potato was dinner.
After eating, he cleaned up the kitchen and then went to his bedroom to change into his night-stalking clothing. Once he was dressed, he left the house to head to the swamp. It was a bit earlier than usual. However, he’d rather wait for night to fall at her house with her company instead of sitting in the silence of his own place.
As he drove, a sweet anticipation filled him at the thought of spending more time with her.She’s just a job, he reminded himself. But he’d never enjoyed a job as much as he was enjoying this one.
