Midnight Caller - By Diane Burke Page 0,55

by now. You should have punished her for her sins.

A deep, animal wail sounded from the depths of his soul. He pounded both hands on the steering wheel. “Go away. Leave me alone.”

Seconds passed. Minutes. The voices stopped. The pain eased. He could open his eyes. He could breathe.

He stared at the house, shrouded in darkness except for the light in the living room window. The cop was with her. A wave of rage washed over him. “No!” He slammed his fist against his thigh. He wouldn’t let that cop ruin his plans. What were they doing in there? He knew. It wouldn’t matter to either of them that other cops continued going in and out of the house like it had a swinging door.

“What kind of mother are you? You send the children next door because you’re too selfish to be the mother you’re supposed to be. Instead you invite him into your home, probably into your bed.” His throat contracted with his screams. He choked and coughed until his eyes watered and his breath came in short, painful gasps.

He had a plan. There was nothing that cop could do to keep him away from her. Nothing.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead. A sticky residue clung to his skin. He lowered his hand and stared at it. Blood. On his hands. On the steering wheel. He stared at the body lying on the seat next to him. It hadn’t been so messy with the women. Maybe because the man had foolishly tried to fight for his life.

He stared at the dead man. How ironic. A cop hiring a private eye. Wasn’t that a laugh? The cop sure didn’t get his money’s worth. The private eye had been snoozing on the job. Never heard a thing until it was too late. He pushed the body to the floor and turned his attention back to the house.

Maybe he was wrong. Maybe Erin was upset about the gift he had given her and they were just talking. But he knew better. Erin was just like his mother, just like all unmarried women, selfish.

A tear flowed down his cheek.

FIFTEEN

“Do I smell bacon?” Erin slid onto a kitchen chair.

Tony glanced over his shoulder. “Good morning. You look wide awake and perky this morning.”

Erin groaned. “I thought Christians weren’t supposed to lie.”

Tony chuckled and turned back to the stove. “Bacon and eggs coming up any second now. There are two aspirin to the right of your coffee mug. Just in case last night’s tears left you with a headache.”

Erin grabbed the coffee like a lifeline. “How can you be so cheerful after sleeping on that lumpy sofa all night?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” he said, emptying the contents of the frying pan onto her plate. “Since you didn’t leave until four in the morning and the guys just left a few minutes ago, and it’s only six-thirty now, maybe my body didn’t have time to locate all the lumps.”

Erin swallowed the aspirin. “Sorry. But wasn’t that the best Bible study ever?” She grinned. “One thought led to another and the verses just jumped off the page.”

Tony returned her grin. “The Holy Spirit blessed this house last night. That’s for sure.” He wiped his hands on a towel.

Tony busied himself tucking his walkie-talkie into the leather holder on his belt.

“Going someplace?” she asked.

“Sarge called my cell phone a little while ago.” He turned to pick up his suit jacket. “The entire team has been called in for an emergency meeting.”

Erin froze. “Did they catch him?”

“No, he would have told me if they had.” He picked up his wallet and slid it into his back pants pocket. “But he seemed excited. We must be getting closer.” He kissed her forehead and hurried into the foyer.

Erin followed on his heels. “Tony, wait.” She caught up with him at the front door. “Promise me you’ll call me the minute you know anything.”

“I’ll call.” Tony stepped onto the porch. He glanced at his watch, looked up the street and then back at Erin.

“What?” she asked, joining him on the porch.

His expression showed every bit of his internal turmoil. “It’s six-thirty. Last night, we arranged 24/7 protection for you, but the men aren’t due here until seven. I don’t want to leave you alone.”

She laughed and grabbed the lapels of his jacket. She inhaled the musky scent of his cologne and fought the urge to bury her nose against the pulse in his throat. “I hate to be the one to