the porch steps.
“Are you okay?” She might be little, but no one could hug as tight as Maya.
“What are you…? Yes, I’m fine. You didn’t have to come; I just needed to talk to someone until—”
“Yeah, right,” Maya snorted. “Like I could leave you here by yourself. Not a freakin’ chance. Are you sure he’s not inside?”
“I don’t think so.” Another cold shot of panic raced up her spine. “That’s not how he works.”
Without letting go of Ellie’s hand, Maya dragged the two chairs side by side and pushed Ellie down into one just as the first strains of a siren floated over the still air. It was still a ways off, and there was no guarantee it was coming to Ellie’s call, but she could hope.
“What did 911 say when you called?”
They’d already been over this, but it helped them both relax a little to talk about something, so Ellie went over the whole thing again. The siren got louder, closer, and then died altogether as the car came around the corner, the flashing lights almost blinding them.
Brett was across the grass before Ellie could push out of her chair. She didn’t care if he was on duty or not, she didn’t even stop to think if it was inappropriate or anything else, she just walked straight into his arms and hung on.
They could send every other cop in the detachment and she wouldn’t feel as safe as she did right there.
“You okay?” he murmured against her hair. “Did you see him?”
She shook her head, scraping her cheek back and forth against the edge of his vest. A second cruiser pulled up next to his, and out stepped the new woman cop, Corporal Kris Monk.
“Miss Palmer?”
“Yeah.” Ellie tried to pull back, but Brett kept one arm around her shoulders, and she’d never been more thankful for anything.
“Are you okay? Do you need medical?”
“No, I’m just…” She swallowed hard. “Little shaken up, I guess.”
“I understand. I’m going to ask you to stay out here while we go in and look around. Is that okay?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Did you touch anything?”
“No, but I…I might have stepped on a…on a few of them.”
“That’s fine. Do you know if anything was taken?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t get much farther than the front mat. As soon as I saw what he did, I called.”
“Uh-huh, good. Okay. Constable Hale?”
As soon as Brett released Ellie, Maya took her hand and tugged her back down to the empty chair.
“You’re going to stay with me,” she said. “At least for tonight.”
Ellie didn’t answer; she could only sit and watch as Brett and Corporal Monk headed into her house. It didn’t take them long to clear it and come back out, but instead of stopping to talk to Ellie, they walked out to the patrol cars, talking quietly between themselves.
Ellie didn’t realize she was shivering until Brett returned and wrapped her in a thick gray blanket, and by that time, Dickie had come over and was talking to Corporal Monk, and Jackie had pulled open her front curtains so she could watch.
With Ellie bundled in her chair, Brett bobbed his head at Maya.
“Can you give us a second?” Once she stepped off the porch, it seemed to take him a long time to lower himself into her chair. Leaning his elbows on his knees, he sighed. “Given our relationship, Monk thinks it’s better if I go. I can stay until you’re okay, but she has another member en route and we’re already spread kind of thin, so having three of us here…”
“Yeah.” Ellie nodded, pulling the blanket a little tighter. Corporal outranked constable, so what could he do? “It’s fine. I’m just…you know. What happens now?”
“If you’re up for it, you’ll have to do a walk-around with Monk, but until they can get IDENT in there, you’ll need to stay somewhere else, at least for tonight.” He cleared his throat quietly, glanced down at his boots, then stared at his hands folded in front. “You’re welcome to stay at my place, if you’d like.”
Yes, that’s exactly what she’d like.
“Thanks, but Maya’s already offered.”
His jaw tightened. “Sure, okay.”
“It’s just…” She hated sounding weak, but the truth was the truth. “You’re working all night, and I…I’d rather not be by myself.”
“Yeah.” Brett chewed his bottom lip hard. “No, Maya’s is best.”
An ache started deep in her core and began to spread, creeping like liquid mercury through every part of her. She didn’t want to go back to Maya’s. She wanted to go home with