Chapter Seventeen #3
Ronan smoothed his tie so that it lay neatly against his white shirt and put on his suit coat. He needed to go to the dry cleaners. He was down to one other clean suit. He might have to replace the one he’d worn the day before.
He wasn’t sure if even the best dry cleaner could get out those odors. He’d bagged the suit and put it in the garage as soon as he’d gotten home the night before.
He checked the time. He’d slept for nearly four hours and it was enough that he could think again. He had a few minutes before he had to leave for the meeting Howard had called. He had time to refuel.
He was starving, but that was a feeling he was used to. What he wasn’t used to were the butterflies in his stomach.
He was going to see Elle again. Howard had asked her to come to the meeting. Gary had gotten the Walmart footage and they needed Elle to—hopefully—identify the man who’d been stalking her.
This was a critical moment in the investigation. So critical that Howard was driving over from Ukiah to join them in Fort Bragg.
He drew a breath, then tugged on his coat sleeves. He was going to see Elle again and here he stood, primping in front of the mirror like a teenager.
Nothing could happen between them.
Except something already had. It had been fizzing, bubbling just under the surface, since the moment he’d met her. And then last night he’d finally held her in his arms and now he knew what she felt like against him.
He was going to see her again and he would have to pretend like he didn’t care about her. He was going to be a professional, dammit.
Or Howard might take him off the case.
Ronan couldn’t let that happen.
He pulled himself away from the mirror. This was as good as he was going to get. He was a thirty-eight-year-old cop who served a total county population that was probably less than Elle’s neighborhood in San Francisco.
He wasn’t bad-looking and he kept himself up, but he was no match for whoever she might meet in San Francisco.
And on that bright note, he marched himself to the kitchen to get some food.
He stopped short, surprised to see Penny at the kitchen table. He checked the time on his phone again. And his calendar. She was supposed to be in class.
“Pen?”
Her eyes were red and haunted. “Hi, Dad. That’s your good tie. I like it.”
He glanced down at it self-consciously. It was a vibrant green silk and Penny had said it made his eyes pop. “Thank you. Why are you home, honey?”
“Prof canceled class because everyone was so upset. Half the class was crying because of Kasey. I was so mad at her because she ditched me. But she was dead all this time.” Her breath hitched.
“They dumped her body, Dad. Like she was nothing. They killed Miss Dianne and Miss Judith, like they didn’t matter. ”
Ronan sat next to her at the table and put his arm around her shoulders. “I’m sorry, baby. I wish I could fix this.”
She rested her head on his shoulder. “Is this really a plot to frame Elle Randolph?”
“You were listening last night?”
“Yep,” she said unapologetically. “I didn’t tell anyone, but I feel like if information comes into my house, I have a right to know it.”
He pressed a kiss to the side of her head. “I shouldn’t have brought her here.”
“Because you suspect her?”
“No, I don’t suspect her. She’s a victim in this, too. It just wasn’t appropriate.”
Penny tilted her head, studying him curiously. “Then why did you bring her here?”
Ronan hesitated. Elle’s panic was her own business, but he’d already involved Penny. “Elle was having a panic attack at the thought of going to the police station. I needed information, and for that, I needed her clearheaded. I also needed somewhere secure.”
“I guess you couldn’t take her to Taco Bell.” Penny sighed. “You like her.”
It wasn’t an accusation. Not like Carrie’s same statement that morning.
“I do. I shouldn’t, but I do.”
“I’m glad you do. You’ve been alone way too long.”
“She lives in San Francisco.”
“People can move,” she said. “That’s a thing, you know.”
“She has a career.”
“That she didn’t sound too fond of last night.” Penny stood and patted his shoulder. “You overthink everything. Solve this case, take her to dinner, see how it goes.”
“Oh,” he said sarcastically. “Simple.”
“It can be if you don’t overthink it. I made a casserole for dinner. It’s got a lot of cheese. You want some?”
“Yes. Please.”
She dished him up a plate. “Just…be careful, okay?”
An uneasy shiver skittered down his back. “You too. This guy is dangerous.”
“I know. Don’t worry about me. I’ve got my pepper spray. And my Glock.” She pointed to the dog at his feet. “And Cujo, there.”
Puff looked like a big white marshmallow, but he was protective. Ronan knew he’d stand between Penny and anyone who wanted to harm her.
Somehow knowing they were talking about him, Puff leaned against Ronan’s leg. He gave the dog’s head a stroke, not even caring that his trousers would now be covered in white dog hair. “Good boy.”
And if this asshole who’d killed ten people even thought about touching his daughter?
I will kill him where he stands.