said.
“Yuck!” Hank and Maddie said in unison.
Melody laughed. “Just kidding. But, I do like broccoli or corn.”
“Corn. That’s good. I like corn,” Maddie said, decision made.
By the time they reached the video store a small knot of tension had formed in Melody’s chest. According to Hank, Lainie had complained of James O’Donnell stalking her. If that were true, he not only might know details of Lainie’s life that nobody else knew, but he was also the most viable suspect Melody had.
A rivulet of fear slithered up her back as she thought of James O’Donnell.
Hank parked the car in front of the store and shut offthe engine, but before leaving the car he turned to look at her. “You ready for this?”
She offered him a shaky smile. “As ready as I’m going to get.”
“Just don’t forget I’m here for you.” He reached across the seat and grabbed her hand in his, and for a moment his gaze connected with hers in a way that felt like magic.
And that scared her almost as much as the idea of standing face-to-face with the man who might have killed Lainie.
Chapter Seven
H ank had awakened that morning with the scent of Melody clinging to his skin, the heat of her lips burned into his. He’d spent most of his day trying not to think about what they’d shared the night before, shutting her out of his mind while he tried to fill his head with thoughts of the woman he’d lost.
When Maddie had asked for Melody to join them for dinner, he’d wanted to tell her no, but one look from his daughter’s pleading eyes and he knew he couldn’t deny her request. He’d intended to keep his distance from Melody, to enjoy a pleasant dinner without feeling anything for her.
But the moment she’d opened her door, his heart had jumped. Now, as they got out of the car to go inside the video store, he was surprised to discover a protective surge building up inside him where she was concerned.
He knew O’Donnell on sight, had seen him lurking around the town houses from time to time, and Lainie had pointed him out as a creep she’d been nice to but couldn’t get rid of.
When they walked inside the store, he saw only a female clerk behind the counter. James O’Donnell was nowhere in sight. Maddie hurried over to the children’s section near the register. While she looked for a video, Hank could keep an eye on her while standing at the register.
“Is James O’Donnell here?” Melody asked the woman by the cash register, who wore a badge that indicated her name was Linda.
“He’s in the back stocking,” Linda said with a snap of the gum she was chewing loudly.
“Could we speak to him?” Melody asked.
Linda shrugged. “Hey, James!” she yelled. “Need you up front.”
A minute later James O’Donnell appeared in the doorway that led to a back room. O’Donnell was tall, a bit overweight and had a patch of acne scars on one cheek. His oily brown hair was in need of a haircut and his eyes widened slightly at the sight of Melody.
Hank stepped closer to her, close enough to smell the spicy scent of her perfume, feel the heat radiating from her body.
“Can I help you?” James asked, his gaze not wavering from Melody.
Hank felt the tension that rolled off Melody as James continued to stare at her, and he wanted to wrap his arm around her, claim her as his own so thatJames would stop looking at her with those dark, hungry eyes.
“I’d like to talk to you about Lainie Thompson,” Melody said.
“You’re her sister, aren’t you?” James said. “You look a lot like her.”
“Yes, I’m her sister, Melody. I was wondering if maybe you knew something that would help us find out who murdered her?”
Dark shutters seemed to fall over his eyes, giving him an almost reptilian look. “I told the cops I don’t know anything about anything. She put a restraining order against me a month before she died. I wasn’t supposed to be anywhere near her.”
“But I saw you around the town houses the
“Yuck!” Hank and Maddie said in unison.
Melody laughed. “Just kidding. But, I do like broccoli or corn.”
“Corn. That’s good. I like corn,” Maddie said, decision made.
By the time they reached the video store a small knot of tension had formed in Melody’s chest. According to Hank, Lainie had complained of James O’Donnell stalking her. If that were true, he not only might know details of Lainie’s life that nobody else knew, but he was also the most viable suspect Melody had.
A rivulet of fear slithered up her back as she thought of James O’Donnell.
Hank parked the car in front of the store and shut offthe engine, but before leaving the car he turned to look at her. “You ready for this?”
She offered him a shaky smile. “As ready as I’m going to get.”
“Just don’t forget I’m here for you.” He reached across the seat and grabbed her hand in his, and for a moment his gaze connected with hers in a way that felt like magic.
And that scared her almost as much as the idea of standing face-to-face with the man who might have killed Lainie.
Chapter Seven
H ank had awakened that morning with the scent of Melody clinging to his skin, the heat of her lips burned into his. He’d spent most of his day trying not to think about what they’d shared the night before, shutting her out of his mind while he tried to fill his head with thoughts of the woman he’d lost.
When Maddie had asked for Melody to join them for dinner, he’d wanted to tell her no, but one look from his daughter’s pleading eyes and he knew he couldn’t deny her request. He’d intended to keep his distance from Melody, to enjoy a pleasant dinner without feeling anything for her.
But the moment she’d opened her door, his heart had jumped. Now, as they got out of the car to go inside the video store, he was surprised to discover a protective surge building up inside him where she was concerned.
He knew O’Donnell on sight, had seen him lurking around the town houses from time to time, and Lainie had pointed him out as a creep she’d been nice to but couldn’t get rid of.
When they walked inside the store, he saw only a female clerk behind the counter. James O’Donnell was nowhere in sight. Maddie hurried over to the children’s section near the register. While she looked for a video, Hank could keep an eye on her while standing at the register.
“Is James O’Donnell here?” Melody asked the woman by the cash register, who wore a badge that indicated her name was Linda.
“He’s in the back stocking,” Linda said with a snap of the gum she was chewing loudly.
“Could we speak to him?” Melody asked.
Linda shrugged. “Hey, James!” she yelled. “Need you up front.”
A minute later James O’Donnell appeared in the doorway that led to a back room. O’Donnell was tall, a bit overweight and had a patch of acne scars on one cheek. His oily brown hair was in need of a haircut and his eyes widened slightly at the sight of Melody.
Hank stepped closer to her, close enough to smell the spicy scent of her perfume, feel the heat radiating from her body.
“Can I help you?” James asked, his gaze not wavering from Melody.
Hank felt the tension that rolled off Melody as James continued to stare at her, and he wanted to wrap his arm around her, claim her as his own so thatJames would stop looking at her with those dark, hungry eyes.
“I’d like to talk to you about Lainie Thompson,” Melody said.
“You’re her sister, aren’t you?” James said. “You look a lot like her.”
“Yes, I’m her sister, Melody. I was wondering if maybe you knew something that would help us find out who murdered her?”
Dark shutters seemed to fall over his eyes, giving him an almost reptilian look. “I told the cops I don’t know anything about anything. She put a restraining order against me a month before she died. I wasn’t supposed to be anywhere near her.”
“But I saw you around the town houses the
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