Veiled Passages Read Free

low wolf whistle.
    Turning, she shook her head, and a small smile teased its way onto her face. “Sorry about earlier,” she apologized. “It’s just…”
    Mike hovered next to her. “Hey, really, I get it,” he said. “Wedding coming up, new kid in the house, murderer trying to kill you, your mom coming to visit.  All the normal stresses a potential bride faces.”
    Sighing, she leaned against the door. “Wouldn’t it be nice, just for once, to be normal?”
    He grinned. “Darling, you’re asking that question to the wrong person, er, angel,” he replied. “If you were normal, I wouldn’t be here.”
    Nodding, she stood straight. “You’re right,” she said. “And no amount of normal would be worth that.”
    “Have a good run, kid,” Mike said.
    “Yes, I think I will,” she said with a bright smile.
    It was a lovely spring morning.  The little daffodils and crocuses were already blooming, their powerful scent filling the morning air with perfume.  New grass was pushing through the soil and a perky robin was flitting from one branch to another in the maple tree in front of her house.  She inhaled deeply and immediately felt better; this was going to be a great day.
    She wore a sweat shirt over her running gear to try and disguise the hand gun she was also carrying.  Since Gary Copper had not been located yet she wasn’t going to take any chances, so the gun had become an everyday accessory.
    Jogging up her street, she made sure she used the cars on the street and the trees as shields.  She knew Gary was not a trained marksman, so it would be hard for him to hit a moving target, much less one that was jogging in an erratic pace around buffers.  It took her a little longer to get to the park, but it was worth the peace of mind.
    She entered the park, headed towards the playground and grinned.  There he was, doing those stretches he did so well.  Bradley, dressed in his favorite work out gear of cut-off sweat pants and a t-shirt, had his hands on the top of the bench as he bent and stretched. It was a view that would make any red-blooded woman experience a shot of heat.  She paused at the top of the rise for a moment, just to enjoy the view.
    “Um, ma’am.”
    The voice behind her made her jump and reach for her weapon. Turning, she saw a female uniformed police officer standing next to her.
    “Sorry, ma’am, I was just on the other side of the tree line,” she said. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
    Mary stuffed her gun back into its holster and shook her head. “No, sorry, I’m just a little jumpy,” she explained.
    “Yes, I know,” she said. “That’s why the chief has a couple of us stationed around the park, to keep an eye out for anyone matching Copper’s description.”
    “That’s a good idea,” she agreed. “Did you need something from me?”
    The officer looked slightly embarrassed. “Well, begging your pardon, ma’am, but stopping like you did at the top of the rise makes you an easy target.”
    Mary looked around and realized that she had, indeed, stopped to watch Bradley at a really vulnerable spot.  Something she would have never done if she’d been thinking straight. She smiled at the officer. “Sorry, you’re right,” she said. “I guess I just got distracted.”
    The officer smiled back at her. “Yes, ma’am,” she agreed, and then pointed to a more sheltered area a little further down the path. “If you want to be distracted a little further down the pathway, that would be a safer place and you’d still…”
    Grinning, she nodded. “Enjoy the view, officer?” she asked.
    Returning her grin, the officer nodded in the direction of Bradley, still in the process of stretching. “Yes, ma’am.”
    “Thank you, officer, I will try to be more aware of my surroundings,” Mary said.
    “Have a good day,” the officer replied, stepping back into the tree line.
    Mary continued her jog around the path and down into the playground.  Bradley looked up