Crime & Passion Read Free

Donovan, another thought
occurred to her. “You know, it might not have been a jogging suit I
saw, considering the person obviously wasn’t down there for a
run.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “Well, the color the person wore was like
your outfit.”
    Donovan sucked in a breath, and Madeline
risked another look.
    He ran his hand over his face. “You think
it’s a cop?”
    “No, I didn’t mean... That’s not to say...”
Great. She offended him. Certainly, the other cops would love
hearing she half-accused one of them of being responsible for the
crime. Madeline exhaled heavily. “Look, it could have been anybody
wearing anything. That’s all I meant. The color was similar to your
uniform and there was something shiny the sun hit when the person
turned my direction for a few moments. It could have been metal,
like a badge.”
    Donovan stopped walking and made a notation
in the notebook he carried.
    Happy to take advantage of the break, Brutus
trotted over to mark a signpost. Thankfully, they were only three
houses away from his owner, and Madeline could drop him off and
head home. She felt in desperate need of a hot bath and some
chamomile tea.
    She dragged Brutus away from the post and
hurried to his owner’s door. Donovan stayed on the sidewalk,
watching her. That at least kept her from having to answer
questions about why she had a police escort, though Mrs. Stanfield
might have wondered about the jacket saying ‘Police’ in big, yellow
letters. Perhaps she didn’t notice.
    After Brutus was safely inside the house,
Madeline returned to Donovan. “I really don’t have anything else to
offer, sir. Is it okay if I head home now?”
    He nodded. “That’s probably for the best.
Where’s your car? I’ll walk you to it.”
    “That’s nice of you, but my apartment is
three blocks away, over on Holly Street. I’ll be fine.”
    “Holly Street? Overlooking the ocean?” At her
nod, Donovan quirked an eyebrow. “Kind of a nice neighborhood for a
dog walker...or a substitute teacher.”
    Madeline looked at the sidewalk, refusing to
answer the unspoken question. He didn’t need to know she’d pulled
out her entire life savings to chase her dream of living next to
the ocean. Northern California seemed like the perfect escape once
she realized she wouldn’t be marrying Cameron.
    She had just enough saved to finance the
apartment for one year. After that, she’d have to rethink her life
plan and make a decision that wasn’t so impulsive. Still, falling
asleep to the sound of the ocean, watching the waves crash into the
shore beneath her picture window, taking walks on the
beach—spending all her money was worth that.
    “I’d better walk you home,” Donovan said, and
she looked back up. “There’s a killer out here somewhere. I don’t
think you should walk alone.”
    Her stomach twisted uncomfortably. “I’d
appreciate the escort.”
    ***
    “So this Scott girl probably saw the killer
but can’t give an accurate description?” Chief Kenneth Stone boomed
from behind his desk. “That’s not a lot of help to us unless she
remembers more.”
    Donovan sighed and clasped his hands behind
his back. “Sir, she saw someone in a blue suit running away, but
she was on the hilly part of the beach at the time and didn’t even
realize there was a body or that a crime had been committed. She
was too far away to be useful.”
    “She’s new in town. Do you know anything
about her background?”
    “No.” Donovan shrugged. “Why? You think she
overpowered Frank and then stuck around to report her crime?”
    “Doubtful,” Stone admitted. “Then again, a
coldly calculating killer might, in hopes we wouldn’t look at her
for the crime. We’ve never had something like this happen here
before. New residents are automatically suspicious in my mind.”
    Eric laughed from his place on the tiny
office’s only guest chair. “Miss Scott’s quite a willowy thing.
Tall, but I doubt she could’ve taken down a tough