’Tis the season for danger...

in these True Blue K-9 Unit holiday novellas

In “Holiday Emergency” by Laura Scott, paramedic Pete Stalling vows to help Officer Faith Johnson and her loyal K-9 track her ex’s killer before her daughter becomes the next victim. And in Maggie K. Black’s “Crime Scene Christmas,” Teddy Kowalski and his K-9 partner join forces with tech whiz Danielle Abbot on a deadly search to uncover a mysterious child’s identity.

LAURA SCOTT is a nurse by day and an author by night. She has always loved romance and read faith-based books by Grace Livingston Hill in her teenage years. She’s thrilled to have published over twenty-five books for Love Inspired Suspense. She has two adult children and lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with her husband of over thirty years. Please visit Laura at laurascottbooks.com, as she loves to hear from her readers.

MAGGIE K. BLACK is an award-winning journalist and romantic suspense author with an insatiable love of traveling the world. She has lived in the American South, Europe and the Middle East. She now makes her home in Canada with her history-teacher husband, their two beautiful girls and a small but mighty dog. Maggie enjoys connecting with her readers at maggiekblack.com.

True Blue K-9 Unit Christmas

Holiday Emergency

Laura Scott

Crime Scene Christmas

Maggie K. Black

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-0-008-90076-2

TRUE BLUE K-9 UNIT CHRISTMAS

Holiday Emergency © 2019 Laura Scott Crime Scene Christmas © 2019 Maggie K. Black

Published in Great Britain 2019

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

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www.millsandboon.co.uk

Version: 2020-03-02

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Meet the police officers of the True Blue K-9 Unit series and their brave K-9 partners

Officer: Faith Johnson

K-9 Partner: Ricci the German shepherd

Assignment: Figure out who killed her ex-husband before the killer comes after her daughter

Officer: Teddy Kowalski

K-9 Partner: Garfunkel the Belgian Malinois

Assignment: Keep K-9 unit tech expert Danielle Abbot safe and put the person after her behind bars

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Title Page

Copyright

Note to Readers

Introduction

Holiday Emergency

Dear Reader

Bible Verse

Dedication

ONE

TWO

THREE

FOUR

FIVE

SIX

SEVEN

EIGHT

NINE

TEN

Crime Scene Christmas

Dear Reader

Bible Verse

Dedication

ONE

TWO

THREE

FOUR

FIVE

SIX

SEVEN

EIGHT

NINE

TEN

ELEVEN

Extract

About the Publisher

Holiday Emergency

Laura Scott

Dear Reader,

Christmas is a very special time of the year, one in which we should always remember our blessings. It’s been an honor and privilege to work on this series with such a talented group of authors.

I hope you enjoyed Faith and Pete’s story, along with the entire True Blue K-9 Unit series. I’ve spent time in New York, but not necessarily in Queens, so please forgive my mistakes, as they are truly my own.

I love hearing from my readers, and can be found through my website at www.laurascottbooks.com, on Facebook at Laura Scott Author and on Twitter, @laurascottbooks. I also offer a free novella for all newsletter subscribers. If you’re inclined to participate, you can join through my website.

Yours in faith,

Laura Scott

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

—Luke 2:11–12

This book is dedicated to my new son-in-law, Michael Collins, and his son, Lucas. We are blessed to have you as part of our family.

ONE

Paramedic Pete Stallings peered through the fat snowflakes in an attempt to find the spot along the Jackie Robinson Parkway where an injured man waited. The bright Christmas lights hanging from the streetlamps were almost obliterated by the falling snow.

There!

He yanked the wheel to pull over to the side of the road behind the squad car and threw the gearshift into Park.

“Let’s go.” Ignoring the wet snow melting on the nape of his neck he hurried to the back of the rig. It was disconcerting to have the crime scene so close to his home in the Forest Hills neighborhood of Queens, but he thrust the thought aside.

His partner, Kim Turner, was waiting when he opened the side-by-side doors. Together, they carried the gurney over the snowbank to where the uniformed officer was waving them down. As they grew closer, Pete could see the body of a man lying in bloodstained snow with a bleeding abdominal wound covered by a towel placed by the cop on the scene.

“I need dressings, lots of them,” Pete told Kim. He was worried that an artery had been nicked and if they didn’t stop the bleeding soon, their patient would die.

Kim opened their pack and handed over large squares of gauze. The man’s eyes were open, and Pete could tell he was trying to talk.

“Take it easy.” Pete tried to sound reassuring. “You’ll be fine.”

“Danger—keep her safe...” Their patient’s voice was so faint, Pete could barely hear him.

“Who?” Pete couldn’t tell if the guy was delirious or not. “Keep who safe?”

The man opened his mouth to answer, but then his mouth went slack and he closed his eyes without uttering another word.

A chill snaked down Pete’s back and he resisted the urge to glance over his shoulder into the snowy field beyond. Was the assailant nearby? It was only three in the afternoon, but with the heavy clouds overhead it felt much later. The cops should have cleared the area, but he knew from experience anything was possible. He put pressure on the bleeding wound and leaned down to speak close to the man’s ear. “Who? Keep who safe?”

Nothing. Their patient was unconscious. From the corner of his eye, he took note that Kim had started an IV. Fluids alone wouldn’t be enough. He quickly checked for a pulse. It was faint and slow, a bad sign. Normally hypothermia helped stop bleeding but it could also be dangerous if the patient’s temperature dropped too low.

“We’re losing him,” he warned.

“Logan! What happened? Who hurt him?” A female voice pleaded from behind him, but Pete didn’t bother to look. He continued leaning on the wound while trying to help place the EKG leads on the guy’s chest.

“We need to get him into the rig,” Kim said as she squeezed the bag of fluids in an effort to raise the guy’s blood pressure. “He’s not going to make it if we don’t get him to the hospital.”

“I know.” Pete lifted the pressure from the wound in order to help lift him onto the gurney, but instantly the EKG flatlined. He initiated CPR, knowing it was likely a fruitless effort. Their patient had already lost too much blood. Fluids weren’t going to be enough and calling for a chopper wasn’t an option.

Pete kept doing CPR, working up a sweat despite the chilly December afternoon. This guy was going to die less than a week before Christmas and there wasn’t anything he could do to stop it.

“Hold CPR long enough to get him on the gurney,” Kim directed.

He didn’t want to stop, but knew they had to move. He paused long enough to lift their patient onto the gurney, then continued chest compressions. Kim secured the straps around the guy’s body then gave him two breaths of oxygen through a face mask. Pete stopped CPR again so they could wheel him over the slick, snow-covered terrain to the rig.

“Wait! I’m a cop! I want to go with him.” The female voice he’d heard earlier was louder now, but he continued to ignore her. The minute he had the patient stowed in the back of the rig, Pete jumped in beside him.

“I’ll do CPR while you drive,” he told Kim. CPR was hard work; he figured it made more sense for him to continue with performing chest compressions since he had fifty pounds on Kim and several inches.

The female cop with short, chin-length dark hair jumped into the back of the rig. A beautiful black-and-gold German shepherd joined her. “I know CPR. I can help,” she said.

There wasn’t time to argue, especially since he knew cops were trained in basic first aid. Pete resumed doing compressions while the female cop provided oxygen through a face mask.

“Come on, Logan. Hang on,” she murmured.

Pete continued to count compressions out loud for her benefit. They reached the hospital quickly, and a team of doctors and nurses came out to meet them. They all rushed into the trauma bay, but less than five minutes later, it was over.

The doc on duty pronounced their patient dead.

Pete was sad and frustrated as he washed up, getting rid of the worst of the bloodstains before joining his partner. Since the pretty cop had called their patient by name, he figured they knew each other, but wasn’t sure what their relationship was. When he approached Kim, the female cop was there with wide, sad eyes.

“I’m sorry for your loss.” He knew the words were inadequate. After he’d lost his wife seven months ago, people had said the same thing and it hadn’t made him feel any better.

“Thanks. Logan is my ex-husband.” The cop’s blue eyes shimmered with tears. “I’m not sure how I’m going to tell our daughter he’s gone.”

In that moment he placed her, belatedly recognizing her from the day-care center where his son, Mikey, went to a pre-K program. “Faith Johnson,” he said. “From the day-care center. You’re Jane’s mom.”

She sniffled and wiped at her eyes, managing a weak smile. “Yes. And I should have recognized you as Mikey’s dad. Jane talks about Mikey all the time.”

“Same here.” Suddenly, the last words Logan had spoken took on a new meaning.

Keep her safe.

Pete wondered if Logan had been talking about his ex-wife. Had Logan been involved in something illegal? Drugs? Guns? Something that now put his ex-wife at risk?

“Faith, can I speak to you privately for a moment?” Pete glanced pointedly at Kim who sighed.

“I’ll grab a coffee,” she muttered.

The moment Kim was out of earshot, Pete drew Faith closer. “Listen, when we first arrived at the scene, your ex-husband tried to tell us what happened.”

All hint of tears vanished as Faith instantly turned cop. “What did he say?”

“Just the words danger and keep her safe.” He hesitated, then added, “I think he was talking about you, Faith. About the fact that whoever hurt him might be after you next.”

Faith pulled a notebook out of one of the many pockets of her uniform. “Tell me his exact words.”

Pete thought back to the scene at the edge of the parkway. The sounds of cars passing by had made it difficult to hear. “Danger—keep her safe,” he repeated.

“He didn’t mention a name?” Faith asked.

He shook his head. “I asked, but that’s when he lost consciousness.”

Faith stared at him for a long moment. “Okay, listen, Pete, you’ll need to tell the officers investigating the crime about what you heard. They need to know exactly what Logan said.”

“I know. But what about you?” Faith might be a cop, but he didn’t like the thought of her being in danger. “Do you have any idea why this happened to your ex-husband?”

“No clue,” Faith admitted ruefully. “I haven’t spoken to him recently. He wasn’t supposed to take Jane until tomorrow.”

He understood co-custody rules and nodded. “Maybe take a few days off. At least until the detectives finish their initial investigation.”

Faith glanced down and put her hand on the head of the tall tan-and-black German shepherd at her side. “I’ll be okay. My K-9 partner, Ricci, always has my back.”

Pete wanted to press the issue, but an older cop wearing a badly fitting suit beneath a parka approached them at the same time Kim returned with her coffee. “I’m Detective Zimmerman. I need to speak to each of you, alone.”

Pete glanced at Faith, who nodded. “You may want to start with the paramedics,” Faith said. “They need to get back.”

“I didn’t hear anything,” Kim protested.

“But I did,” Pete added.

“Let’s talk somewhere private.” Zimmerman gestured to a small room off to the side.

Pete followed the detective, wondering what in the world he’d stumbled into.

Faith tore her gaze away from the handsome paramedic, dragging her attention to the issue at hand. Logan was gone. Someone had stabbed him and left him lying on the side of the road.

Why? And who exactly was in danger? Pete assumed Logan was talking about Faith, but she knew that her ex-husband had a fiancée, Claire. The woman he’d cheated on her with. The woman he’d chosen over her and their daughter.

Old news. She’d gotten over him and had grown stronger in her faith as a result.

She knew it was more likely Claire who was in danger. Maybe Claire had dragged Logan into something sketchy. Regardless, Logan was gone, leaving her little girl without a father. Faith knew she wouldn’t be able to rest until his killer was brought to justice. And she’d do anything to protect Jane from harm.

“Officer Johnson?” Zimmerman’s voice pulled her from her reverie. He’d finished with Pete and Kim, now it was her turn. “Are you willing to talk to me?”

It occurred to her that she could easily be a suspect. The aggrieved and divorced wife, seeking revenge. The only good news was that she’d been on duty when she heard the call over the radio about a stabbing victim named Logan Johnson. They’d found his wallet with his driver’s license but no cash. She’d come to the parkway directly from the NYC K-9 Command Unit headquarters.

“Of course. I have nothing to hide.” Faith glanced over to where Pete and his female counterpart stood waiting in the hallway. She tried to flash a reassuring smile.

The interview with Zimmerman was brief. Yes, she and Logan had been divorced for over a year. Yes, they shared custody of their four-year-old daughter, Jane. No, she didn’t stab him. She’d been at work when she’d received the call about her ex-husband’s injury. Yes, she’d come to the scene of the crime and had helped perform CPR.

It was her alibi that got her off the hook.

“I’d like my K-9 unit to help with the investigation,” she said when the detective finished.

“That’s not necessary,” Detective Zimmerman said. “This is my jurisdiction. I’ll handle it from here.”

The dismissive tone of his voice put her teeth on edge. She reined in her temper, glanced down at her K-9 partner and came up with a better plan. “Fine. But I hope you’ll give me updates on your progress.”

“Of course,” he said blithely.

She didn’t believe him, but she wasn’t going to sit back while this guy handled the case, either. When she was out of earshot from the detective, she called Noah Jameson, Chief of the K-9 Command Unit.

“Chief Jameson’s office.”

“This is Faith Johnson, I need to speak with Noah about a case I’d like some help with.”

“Just a moment please.” There was a pause, then Noah’s deep voice could be heard. “Faith? What’s going on?”

She swallowed nervously. She was the newest member of the K-9 unit and knew she might be stepping out of bounds with her request. “My ex-husband, Logan Johnson, was stabbed today and died from his wounds. The NYPD detective assigned to the case is Zimmerman, and he’s refused to include me in his investigation. I’m wondering if there’s a way to get cooperation between him and our K-9 unit so we can work the case together.”

“As this is your ex-husband, you can’t be assigned to the case,” Chief Jameson pointed out.

“Maybe Brianne could take it?” She quickly named her closest friend in the unit.

There was a slight pause, before the chief responded. “Okay, I’ll check her caseload.”

She sighed with relief. “Thank you, sir.” She ended the call, then quickly returned to the ambulance bay. She was surprised to find that Pete and Kim hadn’t left, apparently waiting for her. Pete smiled. “Hey, need a ride back to your car?”

“That would be great.” Faith appreciated that they’d waited. It would have been a long walk back through the snow to get her vehicle. Something she should have considered before jumping into the back of the ambulance with Ricci. But her focus had been on doing everything possible to save Logan’s life.

“I’ll drive,” Kim offered. “We’ll drop you before heading back. Our shift is almost over anyway.”

Faith walked behind Pete to the ambulance. He opened the doors for her. Ricci gracefully jumped inside first and she followed. When Pete joined them, the quarters seemed more cramped than they had on the way over.

“Friend, Ricci.” Faith put her hand on Pete’s arm. “Friend.”

Ricci sniffed at Pete for several long moments. Ricci was trained in search and rescue, and she trusted her partner’s instincts more than her own.

“He’s beautiful,” Pete said. “Mikey wants a dog in the worst way, but I’m not sure I can handle being a single father to a four-year-old and a puppy at the same time.”

She smiled ruefully. “I hear you. Ricci is well trained, and I still have trouble balancing his needs with Jane’s.”

Pete gazed into her eyes for a long moment until the ambulance took a turn, knocking them off balance. Faith told herself to get a grip and turned her attention to the crime scene they were approaching. Brianne would understand her desire to get a jump on the search for evidence.

She did a mental inventory of what she had in her K-9 SUV. Anything belonging to Logan?

No, but Jane’s spare backpack was in there. The one that they handed off between visits. Faith hadn’t touched it since she’d picked up Jane from Logan’s place the previous weekend.

It might work as a scent source for Ricci.

She was so preoccupied with her thoughts that it took a moment to realize the ambulance had stopped near her SUV. Pete opened the back doors, then jumped down and offered her a hand.

She placed her gloved hand in his, feeling silly since she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself. Ricci followed.

“Thanks.” Faith cleared her throat. “Guess I’ll see you around the day care.”

“Yeah.” Pete didn’t immediately leave, though. Instead he walked her to the SUV.

She opened the back passenger door, pulled out Jane’s pink backpack and held it out for Ricci. “Find, Ricci.”

“What are you doing?” Pete looked perplexed yet interested. “You’re not going to disturb the crime scene, are you?”

“No, of course not.” The uniforms who’d been called to investigate the report of an injured man on the parkway had placed crime tape around the area. “But I can search beyond it.”

“I guess.” Pete’s expression was doubtful.

“I don’t have to pick up Jane from day care until five, which gives me some time to investigate.”

Pete nodded. He didn’t seem anxious to get back to the ambulance, even when Kim gave the horn an impatient tap.

“Thanks for the ride.” Faith tucked the backpack inside her SUV, then turned to Ricci, who was sniffing around the vehicle. He alerted right near the spot where the crime scene was, then veered along the side of the road, heading east.

Excitement surged and she praised her partner for a job well done. This must be the way Logan had come before he’d been stabbed. Had the assailant been with him, or had he gone alone? And why had her ex-husband been out here anyway? There was no abandoned vehicle nearby, forcing her to assume someone had driven Logan here, then stabbed him, before taking off.

She pulled the flashlight off her utility belt and crouched down to examine the area, searching for blood.

Nothing. Which meant Logan must have walked this way prior to being stabbed.

Ricci moved forward. She abruptly stood to follow just as the sharp echo of gunfire rang out.

“Ricci!” Faith dived toward her K-9 partner, anxious to prevent him from being injured, all too conscious of the fact that her dark uniform would be glaringly obvious against the backdrop of white snow.

TWO

“Stop the ambulance!” Pete didn’t wait for Kim to respond but opened the back of the rig and jumped out. Since the vehicle had still been moving, he tripped, fell, but tucked and rolled, somersaulting to his feet. “Faith! Are you okay?”

“Get down!” Faith’s terse shout was reassuring, although he ignored her directive. Years of helping people in distress had him heading toward her in a crouched run. He reached her side in moments, noticing she had her body draped over the dog.

“Come on, let’s get back inside the ambulance,” he urged.

“Are you crazy? You should have stayed inside.”

“Too late.” He glanced around but had no clue which direction the shots had come from. “Come on, let’s move.”

She muttered something but there wasn’t time to argue. He could see that traffic was moving around the ambulance even as Kim tried to back it toward them.

There were lots of cars around, but he knew the shot could have come from anywhere. More likely the shooter was long gone, but he understood Faith’s caution.

“Let’s go, then.” She was on her feet, tugging at his arm. Together with Ricci, they made a mad dash for the ambulance.

Pete made sure Faith got in first, then Ricci, before jumping in behind them.

Kim hit the gas and swerved into traffic, causing a myriad of horns to blow in protest. “You’re nuts, Pete, you know that? You almost got yourself killed.”

“She’s right,” Faith added. “You shouldn’t have left the safety of the ambulance. I’m a cop, and so is Ricci. We can take care of ourselves.”

He’d never jumped into the line of fire before and couldn’t quite explain why he had this time, other than he couldn’t bear the thought of Faith being shot while he sat doing nothing.

“Mikey needs you,” Faith continued.

“I know,” he finally said in his own defense. “The same way Jane needs you.”

She didn’t seem to have a response to that but pulled out her phone to notify Zimmerman about the recent events. After explaining about the gunfire, Faith glanced at Pete and added into the phone, “There’s something else you should know, Detective.” There was a pause, then she continued, “A few weeks ago, Ricci and I tracked a man who’d taken his son from his mother while in the middle of a custody dispute. We caught him, but he wasn’t very happy with me, and outright threatened to get even. His name is Trevor Wilson and it could be that this attack on Logan might be related to that case. I’m not sure why he’d go after Logan, but the possibility of a connection shouldn’t be ignored.”

Another moment of silence as Zimmerman said something, before Faith responded, “Thanks.”

Pete lifted a brow as she tucked her phone into her pocket. “You believe this is all related to some guy named Trevor Wilson seeking revenge?”

“I have no idea. It doesn’t seem likely Wilson would stab Logan, but taking shots at me? That fits.” She lifted a shoulder. “I’m just trying to think of all possible angles.”

“Makes sense,” Pete agreed.

They fell silent for a moment as Kim put distance between them and the crime scene. “Zimmerman wasn’t thrilled that I used Ricci to find Logan’s scent. Wait until he finds out the K-9 unit is assisting him with the case.”

“He’ll get over it.” Pete peered through the window. The heavy snow was replaced with light flakes that sprinkled the night. He knew that meant the temperature was dropping. The roads would grow icy soon, and he felt the need to get to the day-care center to pick up Mikey as soon as possible.

“Yeah, he will. At least he told me I didn’t need to come in to give my statement, deciding our conversation was good enough.”

“When we get back to the paramedic station, I’ll give you a ride to pick up Jane at the day care if you like.” He had given up his firefighting position to take the full-time paramedic trainer position, mostly because working normal eight-hour shifts was better for Mikey. It was one of the many changes he’d made since losing his wife, Malina, seven months ago.

She shook her head. “I need to get my police-issued SUV. I can’t leave it sitting there all night.”

“Isn’t it part of the crime scene now?” he countered.

“Only if it was hit by one of the bullets. Besides, it’s not unheard of to give cops tickets. I don’t want to cause any trouble after asking my chief for a favor.”

“Well, you can’t go back there alone,” he pointed out. “Or take Jane.”

The mention of her daughter in that scenario made her wince. She blew out a breath. “Okay, fine. I’ll figure something out.” She glanced up at him. “Makes you wonder how long the shooter was out there.”

“Yeah. Although your ex-husband was stabbed with a knife, so why use a gun now?”

“Good question.” Faith’s expression turned thoughtful.

Pete wasn’t a cop, but he wanted to offer to protect her anyway. Which was stupid since he didn’t even own a firearm, and Faith was a police officer who was comfortable carrying a gun. He gave himself a mental shake. No reason to get emotionally involved with a woman. He hadn’t been a single parent for very long, and was finally settling into a rhythm. And his marriage to Malina had been rocky for several months prior to her death. He discovered he hadn’t known his wife as well as he’d thought. She’d kept secrets that had put their son’s life, and others, in danger.

He had no intention of heading down that path again.

Kim pulled into the space reserved for ambulances and shut down the engine. When they were all outside, Pete turned toward Faith. “Still want a lift to the day care?”

She hesitated, then nodded. “I won’t have a crate for Ricci, but I don’t think you’ll be driving very fast in this weather, so it should be safe enough.”

“I just hope we get there in time.” Pete didn’t like being late to pick up his son. He always felt as if the day-care workers were frowning on him for neglecting Mikey. As if he were failing at being a single father.

“Me, too.”

Pete followed Kim inside, knowing that they had to restock before he could leave. Fortunately, his partner waved him off.

“I’ll do it. Go pick up your son.”

“Thanks, Kim. I owe you one.”

She didn’t answer, and he knew she hadn’t forgiven him for jumping out of the ambulance to go after Faith and her K-9. Kim was younger than he was by several years. She was good, after all he’d trained her, and he couldn’t blame her for not wanting to be placed in danger.

He punched out and then went back outside to find his SUV. It was covered in snow, but Faith joined him in brushing it off.

Five minutes later they were inside the car, heat blasting from the vents. Ricci was in the back, sniffing out his new environment.

“Do you think he recognizes Mikey’s scent?” Pete asked as he pulled out into traffic.

“Yeah.” Faith sent him a sidelong glance. “From what I hear, our kids play together all day.”

He nodded, since that’s what one of the day-care teachers had told him, as well. “So, uh, do you live nearby?”

“I have a small two-bedroom home that I inherited from my parents. I was going to try to sell, but that was when the market wasn’t very good. So I ended up staying. I like it here.”

“Me, too. And I understand making sacrifices. I changed my career and my hours for my son.” He shrugged. “Whatever is best for our kids, right?”

“Right.” Her tone lacked conviction and he knew she was worried about being the target of gunfire. “Maybe I will take a few days off,” she added, almost as if she were talking to herself. “I can’t work the weekend since Logan won’t be watching Jane. Not to mention she’ll need me after losing her father.”

“Counseling worked for me and Mikey,” he offered. Once, he wouldn’t have even considered going to see a psychologist, but after Malina’s passing and nearly losing his son during a kidnapping attempt, which thankfully only lasted a few hours, Pete had reconsidered his priorities.

Faith looked surprised. “I—You’re probably right about that, thanks. Will you share the name of who you went to see?”

“Of course.”

“I’m glad I have my church group for support, too,” Faith continued. “It’s bad enough to lose someone to an illness, but knowing Logan was stabbed and left for dead... I just can’t understand. Why? Who would do that to him? Wilson was mad at me, but he’d have no reason to go after Logan.”

Pete slowly shook his head, keeping his eyes on the snow-covered road. They were barely going fifteen miles per hour and would be late if the traffic didn’t lighten up soon. “I hate to ask, but is it possible your ex was involved in something criminal?”

“No. Logan was an accountant and made a good salary. Why would he risk it for something like that?” She paused, then added, “He got engaged recently. Could be that Claire dragged him into something. But even that seems far-fetched. He had his wallet and his driver’s license but no cash. Maybe a robbery, or a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“Except for the gunfire back there,” he pointed out.

“Yeah.”

Pete thought about how his own wife had inexplicably turned to drugs, which in turn had led to her death. He knew what it was like to live with the fact that your spouse had been murdered.

He hoped, for Faith’s sake, she was right about Logan. The way he’d spoken of danger, and the gunfire that had echoed at the scene of the crime, didn’t play as being a random act.

Not that it was his mystery to solve. Yet when they finally reached the day care, and both of their kids came running over to greet them, he knew deep down it wouldn’t be easy to let it go.

“Mommy! You rode with Mikey’s daddy?” Jane’s eyes were wide in surprise, and Faith knew her daughter was far too perceptive for her own good.

“I sure did.” Faith did her best to smile, but inside she couldn’t bear knowing the light in her daughter’s eyes would disappear when she learned her daddy was gone. Especially less than a week before Christmas. The bright Christmas lights on the artificial tree in the corner of the room mocked her. It was covered in ornaments made by the day-care kids and she could see her daughter’s sparkly angel prominently displayed near the top of the tree. “Mikey’s daddy will drive us home, too.”

“Yay!” Mikey and Jane cried in unison, then fell into uncontrolled giggles. Faith decided she’d wait until later to tell her daughter about her father. Okay, there wasn’t a good time to hear that devastating news, but for now, she wanted Jane to enjoy the thrill of riding home with her best friend.

“Can we borrow a car seat?” Pete asked the day-care worker. “I’ll bring it back in the morning.”

“Sure.” Peggy led the way back to the supply closet. “This is exactly why we keep extras on hand.”

“Thanks.” He took the car seat and turned to Faith. “Ready?”

“Yes.”

“Can Mikey have supper at our house?” Jane asked, as they each dressed their respective kid in snow pants, boots, jackets, hats and mittens. “Please, Mommy?”

“Oh, I don’t think so.” Faith risked a quick glance at Pete, who was doing an admirable job getting Mikey bundled up for the cold. “It’s late. Maybe another time, hmm?”

“Daddy, can Jane—” Mikey started, but Pete cut him off.

“No, son. Didn’t you hear Mrs. Johnson? She said maybe another day.”

The kids looked forlorn, but then seemed excited to be out in the snow.

“Let’s make snowballs!” Mikey said as he scooped up some snow in his tiny hands.

“Okay.” Jane bent down to get snow of her own.

“Don’t throw it,” Faith warned, as they waited for Pete to get the borrowed car seat secured.

Too late. Twin mini snowballs hit her at the same time. The kids continued giggling as they quickly scooped up more snow.

“That’s enough,” Pete said as he stepped away from the car.

Twin snowballs hit him, too, and he looked so exasperated, Faith had to smile. She hauled Jane into her arms before she could get any more snow and placed her in the car seat. Pete did the same with Mikey.

“We wanna have a snowball fight when we get home,” Mikey announced.

“Yeah.” Jane bobbed her head in agreement.

“We should have known they’d be double the trouble,” Faith muttered under her breath as Pete slid behind the wheel.

“Makes you appreciate what the day-care teachers have to put up with all day, doesn’t it?” He flashed a grin, and she was struck once again by how handsome he was.

Which was crazy, because she wasn’t interested in a relationship. Their kids were friends for now, but she knew that would likely change over time. As soon as one of them decided the opposite gender was icky.

“Which way?” Pete asked, as he waited for the light to turn green.

“Left.” She pulled her scattered thoughts together with an effort. It was impossible to imagine Logan being involved in anything criminal. He’d hated the fact that she put herself in danger on a daily basis in her quest to protect and serve. It had been one of the many issues in their marriage.

That and discovering he’d been unfaithful.

No, this had to be related to one of her cases. Trevor Wilson had threatened to seek revenge against her. Was it possible he’d found Logan and tried to get personal information from her ex? As a cop, her personal information was confidential. Was that why he’d gone after Logan rather than at her?

Different scenarios filtered through her mind as she gave Pete directions to her home. She was fortunate to have the house she’d inherited from her parents.

It was home now, and she liked that there was a small backyard for Ricci and Jane. And she was grateful she didn’t have to be in a noisy apartment building.

Her lights were on timers, so she never had to bring Jane home to a dark house. Normally she was glad for that, but today, just like back at the day care, the Christmas tree visible through the living room window looked too bright and cheery in the wake of Logan’s death.

“Almost home,” she said to Jane.

A shadow moving past the window caught Faith’s attention. She rubbed at the fog covering the inside of the window to see better. Had it been her imagination? Her mind playing tricks after the horrifying events of the day?

“What is it?” Pete asked, picking up on her change in mood.

“Probably nothing.” Her voice lacked conviction. “Do me a favor and stay in the car for a minute. I’ll be right back.”

“Wait.” Pete stopped her with his hand. “Don’t go alone.”

“I’ll take Ricci. Not only is he a good search-and-rescue dog, but he’s incredibly protective, as well.” She pushed open her door. “Stay here with the kids.”

Without giving him a chance to argue, she closed the door and went around to the back to let Ricci out. She didn’t put him on a leash in case she needed him to help chase a perp.

She stood in the driveway for a moment, using her flashlight to illuminate the snow-covered postage-stamp-sized front yard. There were clear footprints in the snow, but more than one set, so she couldn’t say for sure that they weren’t the result of neighborhood kids taking a shortcut. Especially since a pair of footprints crossed the next yard to the north, as well.

Playing her light along the front window in the area where she’d caught a glimpse of the shadow, Faith looked for anything out of the ordinary. At first she didn’t see anything, but then noticed a disturbance on the snow-covered edge of the windowsill.

“Come, Ricci.” She put one hand on her weapon as she moved closer to the house she’d once shared with Logan. Ricci’s ears were perked forward, his nose quivering as he took in the scents around them.

Stepping into the footprint marks that were already in the snow, she moved closer to the windowsill. Up close, the disturbance was even more noticeable. It appeared to her as if someone had placed their gloved hand there while leaning closer to see inside.

Kids? Maybe.

She panned the flashlight to the ground below, but again, there were too many messy boot prints to differentiate between the ones made by kids or the one made by the shadow.

Stepping from one set of footprints to the next, she went around the corner to the side window, one that also looked into the living room. Here, too, was the same indentation in the snowy edge of the windowsill. In almost exactly the same spot as the other one.

There was only one set of boot prints in the ground here, but they weren’t very clear. They were large and misshapen, as if the person who’d made them had slipped in the wet snow.

Regardless, it was obvious to Faith that the intruder had leaned forward to see inside the house at both windows, using a hand on the windowsill to brace himself.

A chill that had nothing to do with the weather snaked down her back. Faith suspected that the intruder believed the lights being on meant that she was home but had quickly moved out of sight when Pete had pulled into the driveway.

She finished looking around with her flashlight but didn’t find anything else remotely suspicious. No doubt the perp was long gone.

Yet just knowing that someone had been there looking through the windows put her nerves on edge. What if her theory about Trevor Wilson was right? If there was any chance Wilson had killed her ex to get personal information, like her home address, then she couldn’t stay here. She absolutely could not risk her daughter’s life.

Decision made, she darted toward the garage, knowing she needed to get some dog food. She quickly grabbed an old ice-cream container full of kibble, then turned and headed back to Pete’s waiting SUV with Ricci at her side.

“What is it?” Pete asked through his open driver’s-side window as she approached.

“Change of plan,” she said with a tight smile. “I think we should let the kids have dinner together, if you don’t mind a couple of houseguests.”

Pete didn’t hesitate. “Great idea. We’ll order pizza.”

“Sounds good.” Faith opened the rear hatch for Ricci, then came around to climb into the passenger seat, setting the dog food on the floor.

Maybe she was being ridiculous, allowing the events of the afternoon to get to her. She’d been on the force for four years; she shouldn’t let a shadow or a window-peeker scare her off.

Yet at the moment, ensuring her daughter’s safety was more important than worrying about her tough-guy cop image.

Hopefully by morning, she’d know more about what happened to Logan and if his death was linked to one of her cases.

THREE

Pete wanted to ask Faith about why she’d changed her mind but knew they couldn’t speak freely in front of the kids. Despite his conviction to stay single, to avoid getting into tangled relationships with women, he was secretly glad to spend more time with her.

Over the past few months, he’d done his best to create a family atmosphere for Mikey. Eva, Mikey’s aunt, still came over to offer assistance, but she also recently married K-9 officer Finn Gallagher. As a result, she’d been splitting her time between helping with Mikey, training future service dog Cocoa and enjoying time with her new husband. Pete didn’t blame Eva—she deserved to be happy—yet coming home to a silent house nagged at him. He wondered if Mikey noticed the emptiness, too. His son had wanted a dog from the moment he’d met Cocoa, but as the Christmas holiday approached, his son’s request had become more fervent.

Eyeing Ricci in the rearview mirror, he knew that this little get-together would only renew Mikey’s quest for a dog. And, really, he couldn’t blame the kid.

Pete made a mental note to check out dogs at the shelter for one that would be good with kids and was already housebroken.

“I want a pepperoni pizza,” Mikey announced.

“No. I want cheese,” Jane argued.

He glanced at Faith with a cocked eyebrow. “Half of each kind?”

“Works for me.” Faith didn’t smile and seemed preoccupied with whatever had caused her to change her mind about staying at her place.

The kids continued to argue in the back seat, so he reached over to put his hand on her arm. “Are you okay? What happened?”

She shrugged and glanced back to make sure the kids weren’t listening. “I saw a shadow, then found footprints in the snow beneath the front living room window. I believe someone was peering inside the house.”

His gut tightened. “You should report it.”

She nodded. “I will, don’t worry, as soon as I find out which K-9 officer will be assigned to Logan’s case. But at the moment there isn’t much more to do. With this weather, everyone is short staffed. Besides, there isn’t enough danger here to justify having a cop sit outside my house.”

He understood her perspective. Bad weather days like today made hospitals, cops and paramedics extra busy, jumping from one disaster to the next. He was fortunate to have been able to leave work during the snowstorm. After Malina’s passing, his boss had offered him a position as paramedic trainer, which enabled him to work days and pick up his son from day care.

A constant precarious balance between work and family life.

“I’ll mention it to Zimmerman, too,” Faith continued. “Although I have more faith in my unit than in him.”

Pete hadn’t been impressed with the detective, either, but kept his attention focused on the road. The Friday-evening traffic was especially horrible and it occurred to him that ordering pizza probably wouldn’t work. He had frozen ones on hand, but they were all pepperoni, Mikey’s favorite.

Thirty minutes later, he pulled into his driveway with a sense of relief. No sane person would voluntarily go out in this mess unless it was absolutely necessary.

“I have frozen pepperoni pizza,” he told Faith. “We’ll pull off some pepperoni and add more cheese for Jane.”

Faith nodded. “Better than waiting for a delivery to make it through this weather.”

“Yeah.” He slid from the car, his feet sinking into five inches of fresh snow. He opened the back passenger seat to get Mikey out, as Faith did the same with Jane. He led the way to the front door and unlocked it. He set Mikey inside, then took Jane from Faith’s arms so she could get Ricci.

He helped get the kids out of their winter gear while Faith took care of Ricci. When she came inside with the dog, the kids laughed with glee when Ricci shook the snow from his coat, spraying them with water. Faith took Ricci’s K-9 vest off and hung it up to dry.

Somehow, making a meal didn’t feel like a chore when he had help. He preheated the oven as Faith unwrapped the pizza, picking off pepperoni from one side and adding it to the other. The kids ran into the playroom located just around the corner from the kitchen, with Ricci hot on their heels.

Instantly the kitchen became quiet and Pete was hyperaware of Faith’s presence beside him. For a moment he thought he was losing his mind because he could pick up the scent of vanilla and cranberries from her.

He cleared his throat. “How long have you been a K-9 cop?”

“Four years, although I’m relatively new to the NYC K-9 Command Unit. I transferred over to the Queens office from Manhattan about a year or so ago.” She flashed a smile. “Much nicer commute, that’s for sure.”

“I can imagine.” He leaned against the counter. “Must be awesome to work with dogs.”

“I love it.” She hesitated, then added, “Although, I have to say I like the investigative side of being a cop, too. Search and rescue often provides both, but the way Zimmerman ridicules my skills bothers me. Ricci was following Logan’s scent when those shots were fired.”

“I know.” Pete remembered how things had gone down, all too clearly.

She filled a bowl of water for Ricci, then pulled out a kitchen chair and sat down. He joined her. “You would think the lead detective would ask for our assistance in a case like this. But not the old stuck-in-the-mud guys like Zimmerman.”

“Listen, Faith, it might be best if you stay here for the night. You can sleep on the sofa. I’m off for the weekend, so the kids don’t have to be up early.” A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “You know they’ll love having a sleepover.”

“I’m not sure what to do,” Faith confessed. “I need to call off work this weekend, too, now that I’m the sole parent caring for Jane. I should go to a hotel, but the idea of making you drive us there in this mess of a snowstorm seems selfish.”

He didn’t like the idea, either. “It’s your call and I understand your concern. We don’t know each other very well, except to say hi at the day-care center. But the kids will have fun. And you’ll be safe. That’s what matters, right?”

“Right.” Her tone lacked conviction. “And I’m fairly certain we weren’t followed, considering the snow.”

The momentary silence was broken by the oven timer. Pete jumped up to check the pizza. Golden-brown cheese indicated it was ready. “Tell the kids to wash up for dinner.”

“Will do.”

He found himself smiling as he pulled the pizza out of the oven and set it on the cardboard backing to cut it. It had been a long time since he’d shared a meal with someone—okay, a woman—and it felt nice. But then he remembered how he’d once thought the same about Malina and look where that had ended up. She’d been murdered over secrets she’d kept from him.

Once everyone was situated, the kids sitting on pillows, Faith put her hands together and looked at him. “Shall we pray?”

He shouldn’t have been surprised. Earlier, Faith had mentioned getting support from her church. And his sister-in-law, Eva, was also a believer and had often prayed before meals.

Pete quickly folded his hands and stared down at them, giving Mikey a look that indicated he should follow suit. Thankfully Mikey copied Jane.

“Dear Lord, we thank You for keeping us safe in the snowstorm today. We also thank You for this food we are about to eat. We ask that you continue to guide us on Your chosen path. Amen.”

“Amen,” Pete echoed.

“Amen,” Mikey and Jane repeated.

The rest of the meal went off without a hitch, but Pete couldn’t help wondering about Faith and her beliefs about God and church.

Eva had tried to convince him to give attending church a try, but he’d resisted, his emotions too raw after learning of Malina’s drug abuse and subsequent involvement in a local drug-running operation.

Yet now he thought maybe there was something he was missing. Something that put a peaceful smile on Faith’s face, despite how her ex-husband had just been murdered and she had been shot at a short while ago.

Something that might make a difference in his and Mikey’s future if he had the courage to reach out and take it.

Faith could tell that praying before a meal didn’t come naturally to Pete, but she was touched by the fact that he went along with it, even encouraging his son to do the same.

She hadn’t dated anyone after her divorce. Between working and caring for Jane and Ricci, she didn’t have the time or energy to spare. Logan hadn’t been involved in the church. She’d joined shortly after moving to the NYC K-9 Command Unit because Brianne had encouraged her to attend. Two of her fellow female K-9 officers, Brianne and Lani, had welcomed her not just to the unit but as good friends. Lani had transferred to a new K-9 unit forming in Brooklyn, and Faith would miss her.

The sense of peace and rightness had cloaked her the moment she’d entered the congregation. It was refreshing to be with people who were so kind and caring. She’d instantly felt at home.

Of course, she was still learning, but feeling more confident in her faith every day. Brianne and her new husband, Gavin Sutherland, who’d be heading up the new Brooklyn K-9 unit, were both active members of the church. She’d often watched them together, thinking how wonderful it must be to have a relationship based on Christian beliefs.

“Can we play in the snow after supper?” Mikey asked.

“Yeah, can we?” Jane added.

“Not tonight, but guess what?” Faith injected enthusiasm into her tone. “We’re having a sleepover! Won’t that be fun?”

“A sleepover?” Mikey’s eyes widened. “Yay!”

“Where will we sleep?” Jane, the ever-practical one, asked.

“You could make a tent in the playroom,” Pete offered. “We’ll put sleeping bags and air mattresses on the floor so it will be comfortable.”

“Can Ricci sleep with us?” Mikey asked.

“Sure.” At this point, Faith knew there would be no way to prevent it. Besides, Ricci was a great watchdog. “And maybe tomorrow we can play outside and make a snowman.”

“Yay!” Jane shared Faith’s dark hair and blue eyes, but her mouth was all Logan. Her daughter’s smile reminded her of the earlier, happier days of their marriage.

Before it all fell apart.

It occurred to her that she might be using the sleepover as a way to put off telling Jane about her father’s death. It was hard to know how much a four-year-old would even understand. She glanced at Pete, knowing he’d had the same conversation with Mikey several months ago.

She made a note to get more advice from him, later.

When the kids finished eating, they ran back into the playroom.

Pete began cleaning the kitchen, shooing her off when she offered to help. “I’ve got it.”

“Okay, I’ll take Ricci outside then.” She put her K-9 on his leash.

Ricci took his time, sniffing all around the yard as if he’d picked up some other animal’s scent. She hunched her shoulders, keeping a wary eye on the road in front of Pete’s house.

The traffic had dissipated, leaving the occasional driver passing by. Nothing looked remotely suspicious or out of place.

Faith wondered if she’d overreacted. She was here at Pete’s just because of seeing the slight disturbance on the windowsills outside her home. The houses were close together; it was possible that someone had gotten an address confused. Or maybe they’d been left by kids who’d wanted to get a closer view of the Christmas tree.

A car slowly rolled down the street past Pete’s house. It was difficult to figure out what kind of car it was, since it was covered in snow.

As it went by she noticed the license plate was also obscured by snow. She rested her hand on her weapon and debated calling for reinforcements. There was a flash of brake lights, as the car stopped at the intersection for what seemed like an incredibly long time.

Ricci came over, his tail thumping against her, but she kept her eyes glued to the car. There was only one person in it. Why was the car just sitting there?

Finally, the brake lights disappeared and the car turned to the right. The suspicious part of her nature made her wonder if it was going to go around the block to end up in front of Pete’s house again.

She waited, holding her breath, but the car didn’t return.

“Idiot,” she muttered under her breath. She looked down at Ricci, who nudged her with his nose. “I’m losing it, Ricci.”

Ricci wagged his tail and she hoped he wasn’t agreeing with her.

After cleaning up after Ricci, she went back inside. Ricci did the shaking thing again, spraying her with water. Pete’s kitchen would need to be thoroughly cleaned once they were gone. No doubt he’d had no idea what he was getting into by inviting them to stay.

Her cell phone rang, a jarring noise in the silence of the kitchen. She quickly answered it. “Hello?”

“Officer Johnson?” a deep male voice asked.

It took her a moment to recognize the detective’s drawl. “Yes, this is Officer Johnson.”

“This is Detective Zimmerman and I have a few more questions for you.”

She sank into the kitchen chair, wondering if Chief Jameson had already reached out to assign someone from the NYC K-9 Command Unit to work with him. “I’m listening.”

“Do you know Claire Munch?”

“Yes. As I told you earlier today she’s engaged to my ex-husband, Logan. But I can’t say I know her personally. She never said much when I dropped Jane off on the weekends she spent with her father.”

“I see.” There was a brief pause. “Can you be more specific? When did you last see her?”

She straightened in her seat. What was Zimmerman leading up to? “It’s been at least three weeks. She wasn’t always around when I’d drop Jane off.”

There was another long silence as Zimmerman digested this bit of information.

“May I ask what this is about?” Faith finally asked. “Have you spoken to Claire?”

“Claire wasn’t at the apartment she shared with Logan and the neighbors claim there were loud voices and some sort of argument going on between them roughly an hour before his body was found on the parkway. One of the neighbors mentioned he left, alone.”

Faith felt her jaw drop. “They had an argument, and now she’s missing?”

“I can’t say that she’s missing. For all we know she’s been staying with friends or at a hotel since their argument.”

Faith’s mind whirled with possibilities. Then, as long as she had Zimmerman on the phone, she asked, “Did you find any evidence of gunfire at the crime scene?”

“Nope. Nothing hit by a bullet or any bullet fragments.” He paused then continued, “I looked into your guy, Trevor Wilson.”

“And?”

“He was released on bail a couple of days ago. You may want to watch your back, Officer Johnson.”

Released on bail? Faith couldn’t believe it. “I will,” she belatedly responded.

“Oh, one more thing.” She waited. “Apparently your chief called mine and there’s an officer from your unit who will be assigned to work with me and my partner.” His tone was level, but she sensed he was frowning. “I guess you know about that.”

She couldn’t lie. “I asked for someone from my team to be included. I don’t think you should discount the help a good K-9 cop can provide. My partner was able to track Logan’s scent from the side of the road to where he’d fallen, which tells us he walked from the vehicle to the spot where he was stabbed.”

“Yeah, well, that information doesn’t help us much at the moment, does it?”

She wasn’t going to argue the merits of her K-9 partner. “Anything else, detective?”

“That’s it for now. Remember, watch your back.”

She disconnected from the call and sat for a moment, ruminating on what Zimmerman had told her. Claire Munch was missing, and Trevor Wilson was out on bail.

What did it all mean?

FOUR

Pete woke up the following morning filled with an odd sense of anticipation. It had been a long time since he’d looked forward to a new day. Malina’s passing, preceded by several tense weeks of marital discord, had weighed him down. He’d moved forward for Mikey’s sake, and had even gone through counseling sessions with his son but hadn’t experienced the simple joy of being with someone in what seemed like forever.

Excited voices coming from the first floor had him hurrying through his morning routine. When he came downstairs, the scents of coffee and maple syrup made his stomach rumble with appreciation.

“You didn’t have to start breakfast,” he protested as he entered the kitchen. Ricci didn’t move from his seemingly new favorite spot, sitting between the two kids. He was too well trained to beg, but Pete knew he was smart enough to wait patiently for a morsel of food.

“Actually I did.” Faith gave him a harried look. She’d borrowed his sweats to sleep in last night and hadn’t changed back into her uniform yet. She looked adorable wearing his oversize things. “The kids were up early and complaining of being hungry so it was either listen to them whine or cook. I decided to make myself at home in your kitchen.”

“Sorry about that.” Pete realized he’d slept much better than his houseguest. “I can take it from here.”

She waved the spatula at him dismissively. “Don’t be silly. I’m already on the second batch of pancakes. Sit down. These will be ready shortly.”

After filling a mug with coffee, he did as she suggested. Mikey and Jane were seated on their pillows and had sticky smears of syrup on their faces. Mikey was blond, like Malina had been, and Jane was dark, like her mother, but at the moment they were acting like siblings. One minute they were arguing, the next they were grinning at each other.

“Daddy, can we build a snowman after breakfast?” Mikey asked.

“Yeah, can we?” Jane echoed.

Since Faith had pretty much promised they could, he exchanged a glance with her before granting permission. “Sure.”

“You’ll have to wait until we eat, too,” Faith cautioned. “You can use that time to clean up the mess from your fort.”

“I don’t wanna clean,” Mikey protested.

“Me, either,” Jane chimed in.

“Then I guess you don’t want to go outside to build a snowman.” Faith flipped the pancakes on the griddle.

Pete hid a smile as the two kids looked at each other, then back at their mostly empty plates.

“Okay,” Jane said. “We’ll clean up our fort.”

“Yeah,” Mikey agreed.

“Glad to hear it.” Faith took a damp washcloth to both kids’ hands and faces, before lifting them off their seats and onto the floor. Ricci gamely followed them into the playroom.

“That was slick.” Pete stood and brought the empty serving plate to the counter so she could fill it with fresh pancakes. “I should take lessons from you.”

“Trust me, it’s trial and error every day,” she said in a wry tone. She added pancakes and joined him at the table. “It’s not easy being a single parent, is it?”

“Not one bit.” He forked two pancakes onto his plate then looked at her expectantly. “I, uh, suppose you’d like to pray?”

Faith nodded and bowed her head. “Dear Lord, we thank You for this food we are about to eat. We also ask for Your strength and guidance as we seek Your chosen path. Amen.”

“Amen.” Pete looked at her curiously. “You really believe God has a chosen path for us?”

“Absolutely.” Faith didn’t hesitate. “It helps me get through each day knowing God is watching over me and Jane.”

Pete frowned for a moment, staring blindly down at his food. “It’s hard for me to believe that God wanted Mikey to lose his mother and for Jane to lose her father. It doesn’t seem right that he would put young, innocent children through something like this.”

“I know it’s not always easy to understand God’s plan,” Faith admitted. She reached out to touch his forearm for a moment, heat radiating from her fingertips, before taking another bite of her pancake. “And it’s true God often works in mysterious ways. I don’t have all the answers. All we can do is lean on Him for strength while moving forward, trusting that we will understand his plan for us when it’s time.”

He didn’t find Faith’s answer particularly helpful, but he decided to let it go for now. The food was delicious, and he found himself more hungry than he’d been in a long time.

“You cooked, so I’ll clean up,” he announced, picking up his empty plate and carrying it to the sink. “After I check on the kids.”

Pete headed into the playroom to find the kids playing with toys rather than cleaning up. “Mikey, put the blanket away. Jane, please put the pillows away. When that’s finished, you can go back to your playing.”

“Oh, Dad,” Mikey huffed, but did as directed.

Pete turned and found Faith behind him. She was looking at two framed drawings on the wall. One was a picture Mikey had done at the day-care center and had given him for Father’s Day. It depicted their family—father, mother and Mikey. The family Mikey had lost. The other was a drawing Pete had done with colored pencils, depicting himself, Malina and Mikey in a replica of his son’s.

“Did you do this?” Faith asked pointing to his drawing. “It’s amazing.”

He nodded. “I wanted a way for Mikey to remember his mom.”

“You’ve very talented.” Faith glanced up at him in awe.

“Thanks.” He wasn’t, but it was nice of her to say so. He went into the kitchen to start the dishes, and Faith joined him at the sink.

It was nice to have someone to share the chore with. Ten minutes later they were bundling up the kids to head outside. Mikey and Jane were beyond excited to jump into the newly fallen snow, giggling madly as they tossed snowballs at each other.

Ricci joined the fun, playing in the snow along with the kids. With his vest off, Ricci knew he wasn’t working. When they’d made a rather lopsided snowman, Faith took a step back to admire their work. “All we need is the face.”

“I have carrots inside, for the nose.” Pete thought about what was in his fridge. “I’m sure I can find something for the eyes, too.”

“He needs a mouth, too, Daddy!” Mikey said with excitement.

Pete managed to find everything they needed. He returned a few minutes later. “Dark chocolate for the eyes,” he said as he pressed them into the small snowball of the head. “Candy canes for the mouth.” He pushed those into the snow, as well. He handed the large carrot to Faith. “Last but not least, the nose.”

Faith took the carrot, but as she was about to stick it in, Ricci jumped up to grab it. Faith tried to hold it out of the dog’s reach but fell backward into the snow.

“Ricci, no!” Jane cried, but it was too late. Ricci had the carrot in his mouth and began galloping around the yard, unwilling to let it go.

The kids ran after Ricci, who obviously thought this was a fun game. Pete offered a hand to Faith.

“Thanks,” she murmured as he helped her to her feet.

He stared down at her smiling face, fighting the insane urge to kiss her. Instead, he released her hand and stepped back in an attempt to break the sudden awareness between them.

They were both single parents. Both had four-year-old children. His wife had been murdered and so had Faith’s ex-husband. But that was where the similarities between them stopped.

He couldn’t risk going down this path again. There could be nothing more than friendship between them.

Faith couldn’t believe she’d nearly kissed Pete. She hadn’t been interested in men since her divorce and had no intention of acting on any sort of attraction now.

Despite her chief’s directive, she had a murderer to find. And a daughter to keep safe. Neither of those priorities involved Pete Stallings.

“I’m cold,” Jane said.

“Me, too,” Mikey added.

“I’m not surprised. You’re both wet and covered in snow. Let’s go inside.” Faith glanced at Pete. “It’s time for us to head home.”

“I’m happy to take you wherever you need to go,” Pete answered. They went into the kitchen and shucked their wet things. “Maybe we should throw the kids’ coats, hats and mittens in the dryer before heading back out.”

She wanted to hit the road but saw the wisdom of his suggestion. “Okay.”

Pete disappeared with his arms full of clothes. The kids ran into the playroom, with Ricci on their heels. Her phone rang from an unfamiliar number and she hesitated a moment before answering. “Officer Johnson.”

At first, there was nothing but heavy breathing on the other end of the line. Faith tightened her grip on the phone. “Who is this?”

“I’m watching you.”

A chill snaked down her spine and she quickly glanced over her shoulder. The voice was mechanical, difficult to tell if it was from a man or a woman, but she thought this was something Trevor might do. But how had he gotten her number? “What is your name?”

More silence.

“I’ll find out who you are,” she said in a stern voice.

The call abruptly ended. She called the number back, but it didn’t go through. The caller must have turned the phone off. She stared at the screen for a moment, knowing she’d have to find out who the number belonged to as soon as she was back at headquarters.

I’m watching you.

She didn’t like it but tried to shake off the sense of forbidding. As she returned to the kitchen, her phone rang for a second time, but she relaxed as she recognized Brianne’s number. “Hey, how are you?” Thankfully Pete was still down in the basement, where she assumed the laundry facilities were located.

“I’m fine, but the real question is—how are you?” Brianne’s voice held a note of concern. “The chief asked me to help work the case involving your ex-husband. I’m sorry, Faith.”

“It’s terrible,” she agreed, eyeing her daughter. Faith felt bad that she hadn’t told Jane the news about her father, yet. “Have you spoken to Detective Zimmerman?”

“Yes.” Brianne’s tone indicated she wasn’t impressed. “He’s annoyed that he has to work with us. He claims that Logan’s fiancée is missing.”

“I heard.” Faith hesitated before continuing, “I think we should use Ricci or one of the other K-9s to pick up her scent.”

“Interesting idea,” Brianne said thoughtfully. “But don’t you think she probably left by car?”

“Maybe, but it’s worth a shot. I’m worried that Claire got mixed up with something criminal and dragged Logan into the middle of it.”

“We can’t forget about Trevor Wilson, either,” Brianne pointed out. “He’s out on bail, but I haven’t been able to get a line on him.”

“Could be he skipped town.” Faith didn’t really believe it. She glanced over as Pete came into the kitchen to refill his coffee mug. “Listen, I’m going to pick up my vehicle. Has it been towed?”

“Unfortunately, yes. We were put on notice that it’s in the tow lot not far from headquarters.”

“Great, just great.” Faith hoped Chief Jameson wouldn’t hold the towing against her. “Thanks, Brianne. I also found footprints in the snow outside my windows last night. Could be neighborhood kids, but the timing is suspicious. I have some other thoughts on how to proceed with our investigation.”

“Our investigation?” her friend echoed. “Chief Jameson asked me to take it since you’re too close to remain objective.”

“And I’m sure Chief Jameson knew full well that I wasn’t going to sit idly by while you and Zimmerman did all the work. He and his siblings worked hard on their oldest brother’s murder, didn’t they? And they solved the crime.”

“Yes, they did.” Brianne was silent for a moment and Faith could feel Pete’s gaze boring into her from across the kitchen. “Okay, fine. We’ll discuss strategy. We can meet at the Command Unit.”

“Sounds good. Thanks, Brianne.” Faith disconnected the call and pushed the phone into her pocket.

Pete eyed her over the rim of his mug. “We should be ready to go in twenty minutes.”

“Thanks.” She didn’t really want to leave but knew she couldn’t put off telling Jane about her father forever. And she would, tonight. “You mentioned taking Mikey to a therapist. What’s her name and number?”

Pete set his coffee aside and quickly scrolled through his phone for the information. He wrote it down and handed it to her. “I added my number, too, in case you need to call me.”

She blushed and then quickly jotted her number for him, as well.

“When are you going to tell Jane?”

“I don’t know.” The upcoming conversation loomed overhead like a thundercloud. “Soon. Tonight.”

He nodded, his dark eyes serious.

“I’m glad she’s been focused on playing with Mikey.”

The corner of Pete’s mouth tipped up in a smile. “They are something, aren’t they?”

“For sure.” There it was again, that strange awareness shimmering between them. She cleared her throat. “I’m going to take Ricci out for a bit.”

Fifteen minutes later, when Faith came back with the dog, Pete had the kids bundled up in their warm clothes. They piled into his vehicle, each parent getting their respective child secured in their safety seat.

“Where to?” Pete asked as he slid behind the wheel.

She gave him the address of the NYC K-9 Command Unit. “The tow lot is a couple of blocks down from there and that’s where I need to pick up my vehicle before I meet with Brianne.”

Pete nodded and kept his attention on the road. “Are you going to have someone check out your house?”

“Ricci and I can do it.” She felt foolish for the way she’d overreacted the night before. She was a cop and could protect herself. It was Jane who made her feel vulnerable.

“Maybe you could ask Brianne to stay with you for the night, just to be sure.” Pete’s gaze was serious. “For Jane’s sake if nothing else.”

“I will.” She tried to smile. “Thanks for everything.”

“My pleasure.”

His words made her heart thump wildly in her chest. She kept her gaze out the window and listened to the kids playing I Spy in the back seat.

“Take a right at the next corner. The tow lot is another block down the street on the left.”

He did as she asked, pulling up a few minutes later in front of the tow lot. “Give me a minute, okay?”

“Sure.” He kept the car running to keep the kids warm.

Faith slid out from the passenger seat and hurried up to the shack-like building. The owner of the lot ran her credit card, then gestured toward the back. “It’s over there.”

“Thanks.” Keys in hand, she approached the white police SUV with the K-9 logo.

Shivering a bit, she made her way toward her car, stopping short when she saw the broken rear passenger-side window. She glanced around warily, then approached the vehicle.

She peered inside. It seemed undisturbed. The only thing she noticed was that Jane’s pink backpack was gone. She distinctly remembered placing it back in the SUV after using it for Ricci to pick up Logan’s scent.

She spun around and stalked back to the owner, rapping on the shack’s door frame to get his attention. “Hey!”

“What?” He sounded cranky.

“There’s a big hole in the side window of my vehicle.”

“That was there when we picked it up.” He thrust a piece of paper at her. She read the scrawl, taking note of the broken window. “I keep cameras on my lot. That didn’t happen here.”

Faith turned to look back at her car. Was the damage the result of kids acting up?

Or something more sinister?

And why on earth would anyone take Jane’s backpack?

Faith thought fast as she returned to Pete’s vehicle. He looked surprised when she gestured for him to roll down his window. “Hey, will you keep Jane with you for a while longer?”

“Of course, but what’s going on?”

“My vehicle has a broken window and I don’t want to drive around with it open—it will be too cold for Jane. I need to meet with Brianne anyway. She’ll drive me home for my personal SUV and I’ll pick up Jane when I’m finished.”

He slowly nodded. “Okay, no problem. Do you need a ride?”

“No, I’ll walk to headquarters. It’s not far. Will you open the back hatch so I can get Ricci?”

He hit the button so she could let her K-9 partner out. The German shepherd sniffed the air, then took his position at her left side. She closed the back, then returned to the driver’s side of the vehicle. “Thanks again, Pete. You’re awesome to do this for me.”

“That’s what friends are for.” He smiled. “I’m going to take the kids to Griffin’s for lunch. Why don’t you head over when you’re finished?”

Spending additional time with him was a bad idea but she quickly nodded. At least this way, she wouldn’t have to bother Brianne for a ride back to her place. “Okay.”

After waiting for him to drive off, she and Ricci took a shortcut through the buildings toward the street. At the corner, she was about to cross on the green walk signal when a gunshot echoed loudly.

“Ricci, down!” Faith dropped to the ground, covering her partner with her body, mentally bracing for the impact of a bullet when she heard a second shot.

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