don’t understand is, I haven’t advertised I’m a cop and I’ve only been
here two days. If that was Sarah’s killer, which I doubt, how the hell does he
know I’m here and how did he get my number?”
Not caring whether it earned him another shove, Jay slipped his
arm protectively around Cat’s waist. “I don’t know.”
She gave a soft smile. “Hey, I’m used to this sort of thing.
Don’t worry about it. The likelihood is he saw me coming out of the station and
thinks I’m some kind of specialist Bennett brought in.”
“You going to ring Bennett now?”
“Uh-huh.” She stepped away from his arm and dialed. After a
moment, she shook her head and mouthed “voice mail.” She cleared her throat.
“Inspector Bennett? Sergeant Forrester. Just had a crank call and thought you
should know. Some idiot saying he had my number and I’d be hearing from him
again. Clearly, he watches far too many cop shows on TV. The number’s withheld
but I’m betting it’s a throwaway phone of some sort. The voice was muffled,
amateurish. No techno stuff. I’ll try you again later.”
She shut off the phone. “Hopefully Bennett will ring me back
soon, but I doubt it will lead to anything.” She slipped her phone back into her
pocket. “This may well be the first of many, so you can stop looking like you
want to punch someone.” She smiled. “It wasn’t our man, Jay.”
Jay stared as he uncurled his hands. His knuckles throbbed.
“How can you be so sure?”
She lifted her shoulders. “Instinct. Come on. I can’t wait to
meet the woman who has you scared of her.” She stepped inside the bakery.
Jay shook his head. The woman’s spine looked straight enough to
snap in two. This wasn’t good at all and if she thought for one minute he’d let
anyone come within ten feet of her, she was wrong. However, now wasn’t the time
to tell her he wouldn’t be leaving her alone anymore or that he wanted her
sleeping in his bed from now on. She’d more likely check into a
bed-and-breakfast to prove a point.
He inhaled the smells of freshly baked bread, sugar icing and
fruit jam of every imaginable flavor as they walked farther into the shop.
“Oh. My. God,” Cat murmured and pressed her hand to her
stomach. “What is that smell?”
He smiled, pushing his concerns to the back of his mind. For
now. “That, my dear, is the sweet smell of heaven.”
“God above, if I worked here, I’d be rolling back home every
night, not walking.”
He laughed. “Which is exactly why Dad started me working here
after I came out of rehab.”
“As punishment?”
“No, because if I could concentrate on work here, I could
pretty much concentrate anywhere.”
Her green eyes pierced him to the spot. “You really worked
here? I thought you were joking. I can’t picture you behind the counter in an
apron. Whatever you’ve done.”
“Well, you’d better picture it because it’s the truth. Marian
and George are a phenomenal couple. Between them, they helped save my life.”
She pressed a hand to his chest. “Wait. George and Marian are a
couple? Wow, the naughty old dog.”
Jay would’ve paid a hundred thousand pounds just to keep her
eyes shining the way they were right then. “It all happened after...after your
dad died. They got married about five years ago, after meeting each other when
George was visiting one of his army pals in Bristol. He came back with Marian
and the two of them lived in separate places while they...courted.” He smiled.
“Got married two years later.”
She grinned. “That is so sweet. Well, good for George.”
“Exactly. They’re funny as hell together but their love is
obvious. Nothing gets past them. George took me straight home to my dad after
Sarah rang him, and when I came out of rehab, Marian took me under her wing and
worked me from the bottom up.” He pulled his shoulders back with pride. Her gaze
tipped to admiration—a welcome change from the lasers of disappointment
here two days. If that was Sarah’s killer, which I doubt, how the hell does he
know I’m here and how did he get my number?”
Not caring whether it earned him another shove, Jay slipped his
arm protectively around Cat’s waist. “I don’t know.”
She gave a soft smile. “Hey, I’m used to this sort of thing.
Don’t worry about it. The likelihood is he saw me coming out of the station and
thinks I’m some kind of specialist Bennett brought in.”
“You going to ring Bennett now?”
“Uh-huh.” She stepped away from his arm and dialed. After a
moment, she shook her head and mouthed “voice mail.” She cleared her throat.
“Inspector Bennett? Sergeant Forrester. Just had a crank call and thought you
should know. Some idiot saying he had my number and I’d be hearing from him
again. Clearly, he watches far too many cop shows on TV. The number’s withheld
but I’m betting it’s a throwaway phone of some sort. The voice was muffled,
amateurish. No techno stuff. I’ll try you again later.”
She shut off the phone. “Hopefully Bennett will ring me back
soon, but I doubt it will lead to anything.” She slipped her phone back into her
pocket. “This may well be the first of many, so you can stop looking like you
want to punch someone.” She smiled. “It wasn’t our man, Jay.”
Jay stared as he uncurled his hands. His knuckles throbbed.
“How can you be so sure?”
She lifted her shoulders. “Instinct. Come on. I can’t wait to
meet the woman who has you scared of her.” She stepped inside the bakery.
Jay shook his head. The woman’s spine looked straight enough to
snap in two. This wasn’t good at all and if she thought for one minute he’d let
anyone come within ten feet of her, she was wrong. However, now wasn’t the time
to tell her he wouldn’t be leaving her alone anymore or that he wanted her
sleeping in his bed from now on. She’d more likely check into a
bed-and-breakfast to prove a point.
He inhaled the smells of freshly baked bread, sugar icing and
fruit jam of every imaginable flavor as they walked farther into the shop.
“Oh. My. God,” Cat murmured and pressed her hand to her
stomach. “What is that smell?”
He smiled, pushing his concerns to the back of his mind. For
now. “That, my dear, is the sweet smell of heaven.”
“God above, if I worked here, I’d be rolling back home every
night, not walking.”
He laughed. “Which is exactly why Dad started me working here
after I came out of rehab.”
“As punishment?”
“No, because if I could concentrate on work here, I could
pretty much concentrate anywhere.”
Her green eyes pierced him to the spot. “You really worked
here? I thought you were joking. I can’t picture you behind the counter in an
apron. Whatever you’ve done.”
“Well, you’d better picture it because it’s the truth. Marian
and George are a phenomenal couple. Between them, they helped save my life.”
She pressed a hand to his chest. “Wait. George and Marian are a
couple? Wow, the naughty old dog.”
Jay would’ve paid a hundred thousand pounds just to keep her
eyes shining the way they were right then. “It all happened after...after your
dad died. They got married about five years ago, after meeting each other when
George was visiting one of his army pals in Bristol. He came back with Marian
and the two of them lived in separate places while they...courted.” He smiled.
“Got married two years later.”
She grinned. “That is so sweet. Well, good for George.”
“Exactly. They’re funny as hell together but their love is
obvious. Nothing gets past them. George took me straight home to my dad after
Sarah rang him, and when I came out of rehab, Marian took me under her wing and
worked me from the bottom up.” He pulled his shoulders back with pride. Her gaze
tipped to admiration—a welcome change from the lasers of disappointment
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