Guardian. Terri Reed

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       TWO

      “Mommy, I’m hungry,” Charlie whined. “I want sherbet.”

      “Me, too, honey.” Stomach cramping with hunger, Alicia smoothed back Charlie’s dark hair as he bent over the coloring book one of the female officers had scrounged up along with a box of crayons. Three hours had passed since she’d come blazing through the police station doors with Charlie in her arms.

      The police chief, Dwayne Jarrett, was a friend of her father’s and had escorted her to his office, where he listened to her nearly hysterical account of what she’d seen and that the killer was after her and Charlie.

      She wasn’t sure Dwayne had believed her until he’d gone outside to move her car off the lawn, where she’d left it parked near the front entrance, and seen the bullet hole in the back bumper. After that he’d taken her seriously. Like her word hadn’t been enough.

      She sighed with frustration and glanced out the office window. The bull pen was filled with officers busy doing whatever they did. She’d spied a vending machine on the way in. Tired of waiting, she decided to take action. “How about we go see if we can find something to eat or drink.”

      Hitching her bag over her shoulder, she rose and held out her hand to Charlie. He set aside his crayon and clasped her hand. His tiny fingers curled through hers and love for this little precious gift from God exploded in her chest. She had many regrets about her marriage, but Charlie wasn’t one of them.

      She opened the office door, and they slipped out into the hall. She bought raisins and apple juice from the vending machine then ducked into the restroom. After freshening up, they returned to the chief’s office. She’d expected it to be empty, so she was a bit discombobulated to find the chief sitting behind his desk and another man taking up a good portion of the small space.

      He had short blond hair and wide shoulders beneath a jacket with the acronym of the Federal Bureau of Investigation on the back. What was the FBI doing here?

      Chief Jarrett leaned to the side to see her around the other man. “There you are.”

      The federal agent turned. Alicia sucked in a sharp breath. The man had the greenest eyes she’d ever seen, and they assessed her from head to toe with an inscrutable expression that made her want to fiddle with her hair. She straightened to her full height of five-ten. She was so done with being intimidated by men, especially law-enforcement types.

      Next to the agent sat a handsome chocolate-colored Labrador attached to a leash held loosely in the agent’s hand. The dog tilted his head at them as if he, too, was assessing her and Charlie.

      “Doggy!” Charlie pulled on her hand, trying to escape from her grasp, but she held on tight, not sure how good an idea it would be for her son to launch himself at a K-9 dog.

      “No, sweetie. The dog is working.”

      The agent’s eyes flared with obvious surprise, and then an appreciative gleam shone through the sharp emerald-colored gaze. “It’s okay. True won’t bite him.”

      “True. That’s an interesting name,” Alicia murmured, still reluctant to release Charlie’s hand. “We’ll not bother the dog.”

      Jarrett gestured to the fed. “Agent Leo Gallagher is with an elite K-9 investigation team for the Bureau. He would like to ask you some questions.”

      A gentle smile curved the corners of Agent Gallagher’s mouth and her heart did a funny little move she’d never experienced before. What was that about?

      “Ms. Duncan, please have a seat.” He flicked his hand toward the place she and Charlie had recently vacated.

      Staunchly ignoring her inner reaction, she lifted her chin. “I’ll stand, thank you.”

      She settled Charlie back in the chair and opened the goodies for him to munch on. Though his attention was clearly on the dog, she remained a barrier between them. Despite the agent’s assurance that his canine wouldn’t bite, she refused to risk it.

      Aware that she was making the agent wait, she took a bracing breath before turning her attention back to the blond-haired fed. “I’ve already told the chief everything I can remember.”

      Agent Gallagher held her gaze. “Yes, he’s shared your statement with me. I would like to hear it for myself.”

      Her eyes darted to the chief. “I’d prefer not to explain in front of my son.”

      Charlie didn’t need to hear the details now or ever. When she’d first arrived a female officer had taken Charlie aside for the few moments it had taken Alicia to explain to the chief what had happened.

      Jarrett stood. “Alicia, Agent Gallagher will be taking the lead on this case. Come on, Charlie. Let’s take a walk.”

      Alicia bit her bottom lip to keep from protesting. She didn’t like having Charlie out of her sight. But she could hardly protest given that the chief would protect her son. Not only because it was his job, but also because they were a close-knit community. The folks of Settler’s Valley took care of one another. The adage that it took a village was true for this small town.

      After her mother’s death, the citizens had rallied around her father and made sure he’d had everything he needed. Alicia regretted she hadn’t been here at the time. But she was now, and she had every intention of making up for lost time.

      When the chief and Charlie were gone, the agent hitched a hip on the edge of the desk. “Now, start from the beginning.”

      The dog took his cue from his handler and lay down with his head on his paws.

      “Fine.” Though the two officers might be relaxed, an anxious quiver ran through her. She fought to keep her voice even as she described what she’d witnessed on the river, the killer chasing after her and Charlie, the gunshots assailing them, and finally ending up at the police station.

      The agent’s stoic expression never wavered. “The truck was reported stolen from the marina a half hour ago.”

      “That makes sense,” she said. “He’d come from upriver.”

      “If you sat with a forensic artist, would you be able to give a detailed description of the suspect?”

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