Yuletide Defender. Sandra Robbins

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СКАЧАТЬ as if seeing her for the first time, but she gave no indication she noticed them. Her mind raced with the information that confirmed what her source had said. Her stakeout had paid off. She had the headline for tomorrow’s newspaper.

      Rachel straightened as Matt walked back to where she stood. “You can go now.” He stared up the street. “Where’s your car?”

      Rachel pointed in the direction she’d parked. “About two blocks down.”

      Matt took her by the arm. “Mine’s around the corner. Since I’ve got to go to the police station, I’ll drive you to your car. Then I’m going to follow you home. Just want to make sure you get there safely.”

      The thought of walking back to her car, especially with a killer on the loose, had been niggling at the back of her mind ever since the shooting. Matt’s suggestion put her mind at ease.

      “Thanks. I’d appreciate that.”

      With a final wave at the officers, Matt steered her around the corner and down the block to where his police car was parked.

      Several minutes later he stopped beside her vehicle. She turned to thank him but he was staring past her. “Oh, Rachel,” he murmured.

      She twisted in her seat to follow his gaze, and her eyes flared. “Wh-what happened?”

      He shifted the car into Park and reached for the door handle. “It looks like you just got a welcome to the neighborhood.”

      Her legs felt like limp spaghetti as she climbed out and walked over to her car. The window on the driver’s side had been broken, and the door stood slightly ajar. She could see the contents of the glove compartment scattered across the front seat. The case holding all her CDs was missing.

      She glanced at Matt, who knelt beside one of the tires. He pushed to his feet and brushed his hands together. “All four tires are slashed and the hubcaps are gone.”

      Tears flooded her eyes as she gazed across the dented hood and broken windshield. “It looks like they used a baseball bat on it.”

      He nodded. “Yeah, or something like that.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry, Rachel, but this isn’t unusual for this neighborhood.”

      She blinked the tears away and took a deep breath. “Well, you did warn me.”

      “Yeah, but being right doesn’t make me feel any better.”

      A nearby streetlight lit his face. There was no mistaking the look of concern he directed at her. She pulled her cell phone from her pocket. “I guess I’d better call a tow truck to take my car to a garage.”

      “Would you like me to take care of that for you?”

      Relief flowed through her. “Would you, Matt? I have to admit I don’t have a clue who to call.”

      He laughed. “Then get back in the car and I’ll call the guy we use at the station.”

      She scrambled back inside the police car and watched as Matt placed a call. After speaking for a few minutes, he nodded and ended the call. Opening the driver’s side door, he climbed in and smiled. “No problem. He’ll come get your car right away and take it to his shop on Cedar Street. You can talk to him in the morning.”

      “Thanks, Matt. I really appreciate that.” She hesitated a moment. “And thank you for being concerned about my safety. You’re a good friend.”

      He turned the ignition and cleared his throat. “Would you like for me to pick you up for work in the morning?”

      She shook her head. “No, I’ll call my insurance company and get a rental until my car is fixed. Although I wish I could junk the car.”

      He glanced at her and then back at the road. “What’s wrong with it?”

      “It’s old and about ready to die. The only problem is I can’t afford a new one yet. Maybe these stories will change that.”

      “How so?”

      Rachel settled back in the seat and stared out the window. “My job at the Beacon is just a stopover on my way up the ladder of success. If I do a good job with these stories, maybe I’ll get noticed by a TV station that needs an investigative reporter or a big-city newspaper. I’d settle for anything that pays more money than I’m making now.”

      When Matt didn’t say anything, she glanced at him. His mouth had drawn into a grim line and he appeared to be concentrating on his driving. For the remainder of the trip he didn’t speak except to ask directions. When they stopped at the entrance of her apartment building, she unbuckled her seat belt and turned to him.

      “Thanks for everything tonight, Matt.”

      His fingers gripped the steering wheel. “Glad I could be of help.” He hesitated a moment before he swallowed and licked at his lips. “There is one more thing, though.”

      “Another question about the shooting?”

      “No, something else.”

      Matt turned to face her and his gaze flitted across her face. A ripple of pleasure coursed through her. She noticed for the first time the dark eyes that seemed to bore into her soul. Her cheeks warmed, but she couldn’t break the contact with his gaze. Her breath caught in her throat.

      “What is it?”

      “I wanted to ask if you’d go with me to the Fox Theater Saturday night.”

      Rachel opened her mouth to say no, but she couldn’t find the words. She’d passed the elegant old theater many times, but she’d never been able to afford a ticket for a performance. “The Fox Theater?”

      Matt rubbed his hand around the steering wheel rim. “Well, you see, I have these two tickets to the Christmas production of The Nutcracker that the Lake City Ballet is doing and I don’t want to go alone. It’d be nice if you could join me. We could grab a bite of dinner before and then go to the theater.”

      “Dinner and the ballet?”

      What was the matter with her? She shouldn’t even think about going. She’d promised herself nothing would interfere with her plans. Something warned her Matt could become a distraction. But what harm could one night cause?

      “I’d love to go.”

      A big breath escaped his mouth. “Good. I’ll call you later with a time.”

      “That will be fine.”

      He smiled and reached across her to open the door. “If you change your mind about a ride to work in the morning, let me know.”

      She smiled and stepped from the car. “I will.”

      Rachel watched until the taillights of Matt’s car disappeared in the distance before she walked into the apartment building lobby. She breathed a sigh of relief to be back on familiar ground. When she’d left earlier, she had no idea what awaited her on that dark neighborhood street.

      She’d gone expecting to see a policeman take a bribe or maybe a drug deal going down. СКАЧАТЬ