Unforeseen Danger by Michelle Perry

betrayal on her palms.  
    “Nikki,” Catherine said softly.   “Nikki!”  
    Catherine reached around her and cut off the faucet.   She wrapped her arms around Nikki and hugged her like a child.
    Darcy initiated a light conversation about the first time she heard Nikki mention Jake.   “You said he had the bluest eyes this side of heaven.   You rattled on about him for an hour and you’d only talked to him for a minute.   I never heard you moon so much over a guy.   It was so funny, because you didn’t even know his name.”
    “Jake was the same way.”   Catherine smiled at Nikki.   “You both knew from the start that you had something special.”
    Nikki managed a smile, but inside she wondered how much more their relationship could withstand.
    ***
    Had Nikki given him a key?  
    The thought incensed Jake as he rechecked the windows.   Finally, he had to face the fact that she had, or this man had figured out where he hid the spare key.   He prayed that it was the latter.   A blue Mazda swung up in the drive and Jake was relieved to see Matt Garrettson climb out.  
    He told Matt what happened and they walked back into the house.   Jake regretted smashing the vase now.   His temper had probably cost them a chance to recover a print off it.  
    Matt nodded at Catherine and said, “Hey, Cat, you think you could find me a couple of freezer bags?”
    She vanished into the kitchen and returned with a handful.   Matt took an ink pen out of his front pocket and gently nudged the card and envelope into the baggie.   He then took a garbage bag and began picking up some of the larger chunks of glass.
    Jake glanced at Nikki.   She was staring off into space, her arms hugged tightly to her chest.   Her face was pinched and pale, and Jake was sorry he’d reacted so violently.   He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.   With a sigh, she relaxed against him.  
    “I’m sorry, babe,” he whispered in her ear.
    “You have nothing to be sorry for.”
    “Jake was the only one who touched the vase?” Matt asked.
    “I touched some of the pieces,” Darcy said.
    “What about the card?”  
    Nikki told him that she had touched it also, and Matt sighed.
    “Well, I don’t think we’ll get any prints off this, but we’ll give it shot.   Our best bet is to find the florist that fixed these for him.   Hopefully, we can get a description.   I’m going to check around and make sure Jake didn’t miss anything, but he said that he didn’t see any sign of forced entry.   Now, who else has a key to this place?”
    “Just Nikki and I.”   Jake shot the sheriff a glance.   Matt nodded in acknowledgement of Jake’s unspoken statement.
    Unless Nikki had given him a key.
    “To be on the safe side, call a locksmith and get your locks changed.   Don’t give out keys to anyone.”   Matt winked at Jake.   “And for Pete’s sake, son, get yourself a burglar alarm.   I know you big-shot contractors can afford them.   I can’t believe you don’t already have one.”
    They lived in a good neighborhood .   It never occurred to Jake to worry about their safety here until now.    
    “Do you keep a spare outside?”   Matt walked around to the front and they all trailed behind him.   He frowned when Jake nodded.
    He sighed.   “Bet I can find it in five minutes.”
    It took less than that before he picked up the frog and tossed the key to Jake.   “These guys know where to look for this stuff,” he chided gently.   “I advise you not to keep a spare lying around here, but if you must, you’ve got to take greater pains to hide it.”
    Jake nodded, feeling like an idiot.   Matt scanned the area, then strode over to the huge oak in the front yard and bent down to take a closer look.   A natural recess dented it at the base.   It was scarcely noticeable and the perfect size for a key.
    “Bingo!” Matt said.   “I don’t think your average bear would think to look in