search for loyalty and kindness and independence in the woman he hoped to make his wife?
Who could say?
He released a slow, shaky breath. “No one should have been shot,” he forced himself to say.
“If I hadn’t called in sick—”
“The only one who is guilty is Delbert Frey,” he interrupted. He didn’t feel sympathy for Kathy Hancock. She wasn’t a victim of circumstances. She’d made choices that had consequences. But she hadn’t been the one to pull the trigger. There was only one person who had destroyed Rudolf Jansen’s life. “And he’s dead.”
Her mouth twisted into a humorless smile. “I might have accepted that if the entire town didn’t whisper behind my back, blaming me.”
Kir snorted. “That’s your imagination.”
“And I suppose your father’s resentment was my imagination as well?”
“Yes,” he said without hesitation. For all of Rudolf Jansen’s many faults, he was never one to cower and point fingers at others. He took his hits on the chin and kept his mouth shut. It didn’t make him right or wrong, that was just how he was. “My father never held you responsible.”
“He did. It was in his eyes.” Her voice rose an octave, her face darkening to a weird shade of magenta. “Just as it was in your eyes.”
Kir shoved himself out of the chair, surprised to discover that his legs threatened to buckle. Long ago he’d been stupid enough to get into a boxing ring with a friend who’d challenged him to a bout. The friend had promised he wouldn’t hit him in the face, and Kir had ridiculously assumed that gave him the upper hand. It’d taken three body blows to send him to his knees.
He felt exactly like he did then.
“My eyes?” He met her accusing gaze with a frown. “I didn’t even know you were supposed to be on duty.”
She licked her lips. “No, but you thought I was responsible for ignoring your father’s warnings that there was a serial killer in town.”
“You did.”
“No one believed him.” She clenched her hands, glaring at him in frustration. “He told a thousand crazy stories. But then the women started dying and you returned with your judgmental attitude. That’s why . . .” Her words trailed away.
“Why what?”
Something raw and painful darkened the woman’s eyes. “I suppose that’s why I wanted to believe Lynne was responsible for the killings.”
Kir tried to follow her convoluted logic. An impossible task. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
“It was obvious from the moment you returned to Pike that you had a thing for Dr. Lynne Gale. It would have served you right if she was the killer.”
Kir flinched. It was one thing for Kathy to behave like a petulant child because she didn’t feel like she was getting the respect she deserved. Or to bluff her way through a job she was obviously incompetent to hold. It was another to try and land an innocent woman in jail. Or worse, to allow the people she was supposed to protect to be hunted like animals. “You know, your petty insecurities might very well be the reason Rita and all the others are dead.”
The color once again receded from her face, leaving her a shocking shade of ash. “I realize that now. Too late.”
Kir swallowed his words of fury. There was no way to change the past. The woman’s selfish decisions had created havoc in Pike, but right now it was more important to concentrate on the future.
“Maybe not too late. What do you know about the night my dad was shot?”
She jerked, as if he’d punched her. “I told you, I had the flu—”
“I’m not interested in why Dad was on duty,” he sharply interrupted. “I’m asking about the details of what happened when he got to the liquor store.”
“Oh.” She looked impatient. “I don’t know what sort of details you want. Rudolf got a call from the local liquor store that someone was hanging around the parking lot peddling drugs. When he got there he took a statement and then went in search of the perp. He was crossing the street when the dealer pulled a weapon and they exchanged gunfire.”
He ignored her offhand tone. He needed information, not another bout of self-pity. “Were there any witnesses?”
Kathy frowned, as if trying to recall the events of the night. “Just the store owner.”
“And the shooter was alone?”
“Yep.”
“Were there any cameras in the area?”
Her impatience became more pronounced as she planted her fists on her hips. “Not that I know of. Your father gave his statement and