His Secret Son by Diamond Jacqueline

Author:Diamond, Jacqueline [Diamond, Jacqueline]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Suspense
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2011-12-04T03:31:57+00:00

Chapter Ten

Detective MacDougall brought a crime-scene crew to the house. Joni wasn’t thrilled about the mess they made, but she was glad that at least he was taking the break-in seriously.

Or so she hoped until he reported that the investigators had found nothing aside from the pom-pom pin. They could only assume that the intruder must have worn gloves and put plastic bags over his shoes.

She could read the unspoken tag line in his eyes. If there really was an intruder.

“I’m afraid we don’t have a lot to go on,” the detective growled as the team finished its work.

“What did you learn about the red paint?” Dirk asked.

“It’s a brand the hardware store sells, although they don’t remember anyone buying that shade recently,” MacDougall said. “Too bad your neighbor hosed down the brown stuff on the patio. We couldn’t find anything to test.”

They stood on the front porch, watching for a machinist who worked the weekend shift at Peterson Printing. Dirk had arranged for him to rekey all the locks as soon as the police finished.

“What about the pin?” she asked. “And the threatening note Kim DeLong wrote to Lowell?”

MacDougall’s face had a pouchy look, possibly from being called out three times on a weekend, or maybe from frustration. “The booster club sells those pins at games. As for the note, it doesn’t prove anything.”

She hated to admit it, but he was right. Their evidence didn’t add up to much.

“I have one more question for you,” MacDougall went on. “I didn’t realize yesterday, Mr. Peterson, that you were staying on the premises. Don’t you think that raises certain questions about your objectivity, if nothing else?”

She saw a muscle jump in Dirk’s jaw. The detective’s implication was unfair, and yet...

Since Dirk moved into the house, she’d been subliminally aware of him even when they were apart. The low timbre of his voice echoed in her bones; she awoke with vague memories of dreams filled with caresses and whispers. In the shower, when she passed the creamy soap across her skin, she could almost feel his presence, watching, touching, helping.

Could she be objective? Could he?

“My nephew and his mother are being stalked on the same property where my brother was murdered,” Dirk retorted. “Until we can get a security system installed, I’m staying. Unless you’re offering to post a round-the-clock guard?”

“We’re a small department. We don’t have that kind of manpower.”

“Or I could move them both to the Peterson estate,” he said. “Joni?”

Until these latest developments, the desire not to uproot Jeff had tipped the balance in favor of staying here. Now that someone had invaded the house, she wasn’t sure.

Joni pictured the meandering mansion in its isolated setting. There would be plenty of room for them, but they’d have to contend with a hostile housekeeper, keys floating around in the hands of servants and no neighbors close enough to hear a scream.

She supposed she could move to a motel, but that idea didn’t appeal to her, either. Flimsy doors, people coming and going outside and nowhere for her son to play.

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