Drained (Edgars Family #6) - Suzanne Ferrell Page 0,86
into the top, expecting to find the empty one of his still inside.
It was empty. She smiled and reached for a coffee cup in her cupboard.
Of course, he cleaned up after himself, this was Aaron after all. Neat. Precise. Spending one night with her hadn’t changed him.
When she’d awakened this morning with him snuggled spoon style to her back, she’d thought things would be awkward, strained. Instead, he’d made love to her again, leaving her wishing she could stay in bed with him the rest of the day. But he’d climbed out of bed asking if she minded if he showered first before they headed back to the homicide unit for a briefing with Special Agent Smith, bringing her back to reality.
Someone was killing people and they had to stop him.
Her coffee ready, she doctored it with some of the French Vanilla creamer from her fridge before joining him at the table.
“The Department of Veteran’s Affairs finally got back to me,” he said, looking up at her. “They’ve identified Art.”
She stopped with her cup half-way to her lips and both brows raised in question. “Well?”
“Arthur James McKibben was born in nineteen-forty-six, so he was seventy-four years old.”
“Fits the timeline for being a Vietnam Vet and the elderly man we saw in the factory the other night.”
Aaron nodded, then went back to reading from his phone. “He was awarded the Silver Star and the Distinguished Service Cross for his participation in Operation Apache Snow.” He paused a moment. “That’s known as Hamburger Hill.”
“Wasn’t that a movie?”
He nodded again. “Also, huge casualties and then the Army abandoned it a month later fueling the anti-war movement at home.”
“Does his file list any family members?” She didn’t like thinking his family would find out he’d been murdered, but she would want to know if something had happened to someone she loved—like Abby or Aaron.
Whoa. Where had that come from? She knew she loved Abby like a sister, but Aaron? Was she thinking she was in love with him because they’d slept together? Was she falling back into that trap she’d learned years ago?
“Says here he had a sister and brother, as well as a wife and daughter,” he continued reading, then looked up at her with sadness in his eyes. Despite all the horror he saw daily in his work, horror they’d both witnessed the past few days, this man was capable of deep compassion for others.
And that’s when it really hit her.
She’d made love to him because she loved him.
“Are you all right?” he asked, laying his hand on hers.
She blinked and focused on what he’d read her. “It’s just so sad. Art served his country with honor and ends up living on the streets without his family to love him. Then some sick person decides to murder him and he dies alone without anyone to mourn him.”
“He had your friend, Paula,” he said squeezing her hand, then lowering it toe rub Stanley’s head. “And he had this little guy to love before that.”
“So, who will tell his family? You?”
“I’ll have someone at the precinct get their information and I’ll notify them later today.”
“Over the phone?”
He inhaled, then blew it out in a frustrated huff. “Depends. If they’re in the area, I’ll do it in person. I always think it’s kinder to do that. But if they’re not here, then by phone.”
“I have to tell you that after having to break bad news to Paula twice, I think that part of your job sucks.”
“There are quite a few parts of my job that suck,” he said, pocketing his phone and taking a long drink of his coffee.
“Then why do you do it?”
“I guess it’s in my blood. My dad and grandfather were both cops.” He finished off his coffee, set Stanley on the floor and took his cup to the sink and rinsed it off. Then he snapped on Stanley’s leash. “I’ll take him out before we head into the precinct.”
Wondering at his sudden change in demeanor—Aaron was never curt with her or anyone like he’d just been in his answer—she grabbed a travel mug from the cupboard and poured the rest of her coffee in. She knew his mother had passed away, but he never talked about his father. As curious as she was about his past, she wasn’t going to push him about it right now. They certainly had more important things on their plate.
“Why are you taking Stanley into the station? I thought you’d drop him off at the safehouse