Winter Kill - lanyon Josh (электронные книги без регистрации TXT) 📗

Frankie eyed Rob without emotion. “I can’t spare anybody, Robbie. Zeke’s a good cop. He’s just young. It’s a temporary situation.”

Rob looked unsold. Frankie pushed forward a stack of files. “We’ve got the personnel files on everyone who ever worked in the museum. Let’s see if any names jump out at us.” Then she lifted her head and yelled, “Aggie! We need more coffee in here.”

It was after seven when they finished reading through the files, and it seemed to Adam that pretty much every kid in Nearby had worked at the museum one time or another. Azure had worked there two years ago, and Tiffany continued to work there, though unofficially. Terry Watterson had worked at the museum the summer he had drowned in Blue Rock Cove.

“What about Bill Constantine?” Adam asked. He kept thinking about that photo on Tiffany’s mirror. She was a pretty, popular girl, but there did not seem to be anyone special in her life. Not so much as a Justin Bieber poster decorated the pink walls of her bedroom. The only hint of…well, romance would be too strong a word…was a very old snapshot of two boys: one dead and the other someone everyone insisted Tiffany could never be involved with.

He knew firsthand how wrong everyone could be.

“Billy? No,” Frankie said definitely.

“Why? Is he gay?”

“Billy? Not that I know of.”

“No,” Rob said.

Frankie yawned and stretched. “Boys, I think we need to call it a night. Why don’t you two go get some chow and some shut-eye, and meet me back here first thing tomorrow?”

“Why don’t you go get some rest, Frankie?” Rob retorted. “You never went to bed last night. Aggie said you were still here when she got in this morning.”

“I want to know what Zeke found out when he interviewed Tiffany’s friend. Anyway, I’ve got to wait to hear from Doc Cooper. He promised he’d call this evening with the autopsy report on Azure. You two run along.”

Adam tried to remember the last time anyone had told him to “run along.” The truth was he was starting to feel like someone had thrown him off a mountainside—which wasn’t too far from the truth. He wasn’t completely sure he hadn’t cracked a rib. Even if he hadn’t, he was starving, exhausted, and feeling unpleasantly wired from far too many cups of bad coffee. It was going to take him a while to unwind, and a couple of drinks were high on his list of priorities since all the other things he’d have liked—starting with a hot bath and ending with Rob—were not on the agenda.

“Thanks, I think I will call it a night,” he said.

“Appreciate all your help today, Agent Darling,” Frankie said absently, reaching for the files they’d left spread over her desk.

The main floor of the station was unlit and eerily silent after the noise and activity of the day. Aggie still manned the front desk. She didn’t answer Adam’s “Goodnight,” staring gloomily into space as he walked past her and pushed out through the front door.

Hazy lamplight diffused the darkness. What was left of the snow had turned to gray slush.

“Hey!” Rob called from behind him.

Adam stopped on the wooden walkway. The night was clear and cold, and his breath rose in front of him, mingling with Rob’s.

Rob asked, “Where’s your partner?”

Adam felt a flash of disappointment. What had he expected? He said, “At a guess? Filing an official complaint.” He was too tired to care how that sounded.

Rob’s grin was lopsided. “He strikes me as a guy with a lot of complaints. That could take a while. Why don’t you come over to my place for dinner?”

Exhausted as he was, Adam’s heart jumped at the prospect of dinner with Rob. He hesitated, and seeing his hesitation, Rob said, “Look, don’t take this the wrong way. I respect that you don’t want to get involved with a coworker, but we can still have dinner together, can’t we? Coworkers eat dinner together.”

“Of course.” Hell yes, they did, and Adam’s instinctive caution was easily dismissed when he thought of countless meals spent with Jonnie—and Russell—though he’d actually enjoyed the meals with Jonnie.

Seeing that he was wavering, Rob coaxed, “A hot bath. A hot meal. A comfortable bed—in the guest room. You wouldn’t object to that, right?”

Adam did his best to remain stoic, but after the day he’d had? Tears of gratitude would not be amiss in the face of such generosity. He admitted, “No, of course not.”

“And we can always talk over the case, if it’ll make you feel better.”

Rob was teasing him. Flirting with him? Adam smiled uncertainly. “True.”

“And then we can be back at work bright and early tomorrow morning.”

“Yes. That would be…”

Heaven? Sort of.

“See how easy that was?” Rob said. “Easiest decision you’ll make tonight.”

It was hard to tell in the grainy light, but Adam thought Rob winked.

Chapter Nine

They’d been running on caffeine and adrenaline all day, so it wasn’t any wonder Adam was quiet on the drive from Nearby. Hopefully that’s all it was. Hopefully he wasn’t regretting his decision to spend the night?

Rob had mostly been on the level. He wasn’t going to try to seduce Adam—although he did make a mean chicken parmesan, and if things moved in that direction, he sure as hell wasn’t going to object.

He had been attracted to Adam from the first. That was sexual chemistry. Now he was starting to like Adam, wanting to know more—everything—about Adam. That was something different, something dangerous. Rob wasn’t backing away.

When they rounded the bend and the house came into view, Adam drew in a long breath. “You’re on the take,” he said, and Rob laughed.

It was an amazing house. Maybe not that amazing, but on a sheriff’s deputy salary, yeah. Pretty fantastic. A 2900 square foot mountain resort of a home surrounded by tall mountains and deep forest. Giant picture windows and long rustic decks looked over the panoramic view. And it had come completely furnished. The previous owners had used it primarily as a vacation rental.

“When the real estate market crashed, a lot of people were selling their second homes and vacation properties for whatever they could get,” Rob said. “I lucked out.”

“I would say so.”

The garage had been built into the hillside beneath the house. Rob hit the remote, the interior light flared on, and the door swung slowly open. They zipped inside the cavernous space.

They exited the SUV and went up the stairs, and Rob unlocked the door to the mudroom. They took off their boots and coats, Adam wincing as he shrugged off his blue FBI jacket.

“You okay?” Rob asked.

“I should have picked up a change of clothes at the campground,” Adam admitted. “I think I may have fallen into a pile of bear shit.”

Rob smiled. “Then that bear was wearing some nice cologne. Anyway, you can borrow a pair of jeans, and I’ll throw your stuff in the laundry.”

“Okay. Thanks.”

“The kitchen is through here.” Rob led the way.

“Nice,” Adam murmured. And it was. The kitchen featured white granite counter tops, recessed lighting, dark hardwood floors, and an open view onto the other rooms.

“This is… I think my apartment would fit inside your kitchen,” Adam said. “You live here on your own?”

“Just me and seven dwarfs.”

Adam laughed.

“You must make a pretty good salary though,” Rob said.

“I do,” Adam admitted. “I’m never home. That’s the real problem. Not that it’s a problem.” He walked down the long open floor plan of kitchen and dining area to the living room with its towering ceilings, open beams, and gleaming floors.

“Now that is a fire place.”

“Quartz and field stone.”

Adam nodded at the empty gun case. “Not a hunter I take it?”

“Just with a camera.” Rob nodded to the row of framed photographs along the paneled wall.

Adam wandered over to examine the photo gallery, and Rob felt an unfamiliar stab of insecurity. Even in his socks and torn jeans, Adam had a certain air. Austerity? Authority?