Linda Welch - A conspiracy of Demons by A Conspiracy of Demons Page A

back, Mike said he used it to fill a gap and keep the files upright. Chief said he could use actual files, the ones supposed to be in there.”
    I snorted.
    “So he spent a weekend cleaning up his office. In his defense, Mike did file the box under P.”
     
    We clomped down the stairs. Rather, I clomped while Royal seemed to glide from step to step.
    “Will Mike read them the riot act?”
    “Not Mike,” Royal replied. “But no doubt he will ensure their captain does.”
    “So we’re okay, then.”
    “This time. But continuing to draw attention to ourselves is unwise . Fir st our visit to Provo; now this.”
    My mouth twisted. “Yeah, you’re right. One small slip and we’ve had it. ”
    Garvaise waited at his unit with the rear passenger door open . We climbed in back and said nothing more as t he officer drove us to my home.
     
    The black and white drove away. I flicked an eyebrow. “Want to stay the night? ”
    He didn’t hesitate . As I waited on the sidewalk, he unlocked his truck and reached in to pull an overnight bag from behind the seat. Unlike yours truly, Royal believes in being prepared.
    It had been a long day a nd not over yet. Mel and Jack waited in the hall. I threw them a pointed look and nudged my chin at the kitchen as I deactivated the alarm. They ignored the message.
    “ We saw you get in the police car, ” from Jack.
    “Were you arrested?” Mel asked.
    I peeled off my jacket and hung it on a hook at the bottom of the staircase. “No , we weren’t arrested.”
    “Sorry, what?” Royal asked distractedly.
    I sounded apologetic without meaning to. “It was . . . you know.”
    “Ah, right.” He brushed one hand over his chin. “I’ll go on upstairs.”
    I snagged him before he could head for the stairs, wrapped my arms around his waist and snuggled in his neck. “Go on . I’ll be there soon.”
    “You do like to make leaving you difficult,” he said as I whispered kisses on his skin.
    “They say practice makes perfect.” I drew skin in my mouth before I let him go, eliciting a tiny gasp.
    He kissed me before going upstairs. I had to stand still a moment and try to refocus on my surroundings.
    “Of all the things I miss. . . .” Mel’s voice sounded breathier than usual as it trailed away.
    “D on’t look at me,” Jack responded.
    “If I could kiss anyone , believe me, it wouldn’t be you.”
    I went in the kitchen with Mel and Jack trailing as they bantered . Mac, at his place in front of the pantry door, got to his feet and waited expectantly.
    “For pity’ s sake! That’s all you’re ev er interested in ,” I grumbled as I opened the pantry, making him move aside.
    But then I went to my knees, pulled Mac on them and against my chest and buried my face in his brindle-black hair. Because one day, like Lynn, he would not be here.
    He didn’t appreciate the loving when it kept him from his supper bowl. I let the heaving, wriggling, chunky body slip off my knees, climbed to my feet and got his food from the pantry. He dove in.
    “Well? ” from Jack.
    W ithout a trace of enthusiasm , I told them why Royal and I were ferried to the precinct , then went up to join Royal. Depression followed me upstairs to my bedroom and settled over my shoulders like a weighty , moth-eaten old blanket. My thoughts went in directions I wanted to ignore .
    Royal lounged in bed, the sheet up to his waist, arms cros sed behind his head and hands clasped on his nape. The glow from the single, small bedside lamp turned his pale-copper chest to a landscape of flat planes, gentle hills and shallow vales. He tweaked an eyebrow at me, but I was no longer in the mood.
    I think he got the message when I went to the window and looked out at a mountainside cut from black velvet, the sky abo ve densely spackled with stars.
    “What is wrong, Sweetheart?”
    I shook my head mutely. The chill coming through the glass panes made my skin pebble.
    “Come to bed. You look cold.”
    With a deep sigh, I