her to the local motel until the investigation is finished.”
Linda shook her head. “She’s been through enough. I don’t think it would be good for her to be moved someplace else at this time in her recovery. Besides, I’ve just wanted somebody to give me a reason to take some time off and visit Helen, and Samantha bunking in at her dad’s place is no big deal. I think they have a camping trip planned in the next week or so. She and Scooter will be fine and so will I.”
A wealth of affection rose up inside Seth for his sister. “You’re the best, sis.” He grabbed his coffee and joined her at the table.
She took a sip and eyed him over the rim of the cup. “I see the way she looks at you, Seth,” she said as she set the cup back down on the table. “And I see the way you look at her.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He looked into his cup, unable to meet her gaze.
“Yeah, right,” she replied drily. “You know how much I’d love for you to find a woman and fall in love and build a family, but you need to take care in this case. She doesn’t know where she belongs, and for all we know there is a special somebody waiting for her return. I don’t want to see her get hurt, but more important I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
“Don’t worry about me. I just want to catch this freak, get him under arrest and then return to my life in Kansas City,” Seth said.
Linda raised an eyebrow. “What life?”
Seth laughed humorlessly, knowing his sister believed he had no life except his work, which, of course, was true.
“I’m just telling you to tread softly. The attraction between the two of you is palpable, but you need to remember the circumstances of why she’s here now and she’ll be gone soon.”
“Duly noted,” he replied. Despite the kiss from the night before, a kiss that had rocked his world, he had no intention of taking things any further with Tamara.
By nine o’clock, Linda had taken off to drive to Oklahoma City to visit with her friend, Samantha had come by and packed two enormous suitcases for her time with her father and Seth had boarded up the window in the guest room with plywood he’d found in Linda’s garage. Then he and Tamara were on their way to the sheriff’s office.
“There’s a break room in the back and you can hang out in there while I conduct my interviews,” Seth explained. “We’ll get somebody to run out and get you some magazines to read and there’s a television in there, so you shouldn’t be too bored.”
“I’ll be fine,” she replied. “Although I probably would have been fine staying at home. If this creep lives up to his name, then the nighttime will be his playtime. The Sandman doesn’t visit people during the daylight hours.”
“I thought the Sandman was only supposed to sprinkle good dreams into the heads of sleeping children.” Seth pulled up in front of the office, shut off the engine and turned to look at her.
“Apparently not this Sandman,” she replied. Despite the short night she looked lovely with her long hair pulled back and clasped at the nape of her neck. She wore a pair of jeans and a white blouse with blue trim that complemented the color of her eyes.
“Apparently not,” he agreed. “And whether we like it or not, he is focused on you, so there’s no way I want you alone anywhere for now.”
They both got out of his truck. The late-June heat was already hot on his shoulders and Seth had a feeling things were going to get even hotter for the people he intended to interview.
He needed to get this job done and the sooner the better because Linda was right, Tamara was getting to him, and the end result of anything that might happen between them was that somebody was going to wind up being hurt.
After seeing Tamara settled in the small lounge in the back of the building, Seth sat in the interrogation room with Tom. The short night showed on the sheriff’s features. Tired lines raced down the sides of his face and Seth had a feeling he had the same kind of stress lines on his own.
“Henry Todd will be here in just a few minutes to talk to you and this afternoon I’ve got