When she couldn’t, she chalked it up to the strangeness of starting her day with a man in her kitchen and put her foot on the gas. She had enough to worry about without adding to the list.
Rolling down the empty street, she turned the corner to head to her clinic. It was early enough that dawn was just beginning to spread across the sky. The lingering shadows made it easy to see the flashes of light coming from the center of town.
Now what?
She braked. Her clinic was to the right. Just drive straight to work and pretend that nothing is wrong, she told herself. After all, she wasn’t a sheriff or a trained medic—what could she do to help? But a sick curiosity compelled her to drive forward. As she turned down Main Street, Lynne’s stomach clenched at the sight of the numerous emergency vehicles circling the park.
Oh God. Something bad had happened.
Focused on the shadowed figures, along with the sheriff she could see moving around the ambulance, Lynne released a squeak of shock when a van coming from the opposite direction suddenly swerved to a halt directly in front of her.
Slamming on the brakes, she cursed as the truck fishtailed before she regained control. She was still shaking when a familiar man climbed out of the van and headed toward her door.
Parker Bowen.
Lynne rolled down the window, resisting the urge to snap at him for nearly giving her heart failure. She assumed he had an important reason for his reckless maneuver. “What’s happened?”
Parker stepped into the glow of a nearby streetlamp, revealing his tense expression. “Go to the station.”
“What?”
“The television station,” he clarified. “I’ll meet you there.”
She shook her head. There was no way in hell she was ending up on the morning news. “As much as I appreciate all you’ve done for the sanctuary, Parker—”
“This is important,” he interrupted.
Without waiting for her response, he turned and hurried back to his vehicle. Lynne frowned as the van cautiously pulled away. Did she ignore his request? She didn’t trust him not to try and urge her to be interviewed. Then again, he did say it was important. What if it had something to do with the murders?
Blowing out a frustrated sigh, Lynne took her foot off the brake and did a U-turn. The sheriff was too busy to notice, and she didn’t want to drive past the park. Not when she had no idea who was lying dead in the snow.
And she didn’t doubt there was someone dead.
Why else would every emergency vehicle in the county be there?
Trailing behind the van, Lynne was relieved when they pulled into the parking lot next to the station. It was early, but there were already several vehicles in the lot and the lights were blazing from the single-story brick building. It was true—the news never slept.
Parker halted in a space with his name painted on a wooden sign. Lynne parked next to him. She didn’t plan on staying long enough to be in anyone’s way.
He waited for her to climb out of the truck and led her through the locked front door. Together they crossed the lobby where a pretty young receptionist was already at a glass desk, her expression perking up at the sight of Parker. Were the two lovers? Probably. Lynne wasn’t personally attracted to the man, but he was young and handsome and ambitious. All the things most women wanted in a potential husband.
Without glancing toward the receptionist, Parker led her down a hallway that was heavily carpeted and lined with glossy photos of the current newscasters.
“Where are we going?” she asked as they turned a corner. There was a hushed silence in this part of the building that she didn’t like. It made her feel too isolated. She reached in her purse to wrap her fingers around her phone.
“My office.” He used his keycard to unlock the door and pushed it open. “Come in.”
Lynne tightened her grip on the phone. “I really need to get to the clinic.”
“This won’t take long.”
He stepped over the threshold and disappeared from view. Cautiously, Lynne moved forward, peering into the office. It was starkly masculine with heavy leather furnishings and shelves filled with statues that she assumed were some sort of awards. One wall was floor-to-ceiling glass that revealed a view of the rolling fields that surrounded Pike.
Parker crossed the silver carpet to take a seat behind the heavy cherrywood desk and impatiently motioned for her to join him. “Close the door.”
Lynne