Strength Under Fire by Lindsay McKenna

Author:Lindsay McKenna [McKenna, Lindsay]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-07-16T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

May 23

The morning was sunny and bright, the cold front having passed silently across Silver Creek Valley during the night. Colin could feel the tension in Dana as they drove to the sheriff ’s office to visit the kennel and meet Bandit, their retiring drug-sniffing dog. Would he be a good fit for Dana? He wasn’t sure. There were shadows beneath Dana’s eyes and he knew she hadn’t slept well last night. He hadn’t either, but for different reasons. How badly he wanted to become more intimate with her. It wasn’t about sex, per se, but something more human and fundamental; the ability to hold her and make her feel safe in the unraveling world that suddenly whirled around her.

The sunlight made the green colors of the valley look like peridot and emeralds after the washing of the rain in the hours of darkness. Everything in downtown Silver Creek seemed normal. But there was nothing normal in their lives right now. It was unsettling to him, as well. His PTSD was kicking up and he wanted to will it away, but that was useless. His focus, his heart, was centered on Dana and he could see her silently wrestling with the bombshell that had exploded into her life yesterday.

As he drove into the sheriff ’s HQ, he saw deputies climbing into cars or arriving back to the station. There wasn’t a lot of crime in the valley, but in part, that was thanks to Dan Seabert, an ex–Navy SEAL who had come to the valley after retiring.

Sensing Dana’s tension ratcheting up, he said, “Let’s talk to the sergeant on the desk and find out if they know anything conclusive about that money found in your log cabin.” Instantly, he saw relief come to her eyes.

“Yes, I’d like to do that.”

“And then, afterward? We can have Pepper take us out to the kennel and you can meet Bandit.” More tension dissolved in her features.

“I can hardly wait to see him, Colin.”

Parking, he turned off the truck and unstrapped. “Let’s see what’s going on,” he told her, climbing out.

The coolness of the morning was refreshing. With the cold front passing, it meant the temperature would rise and the soil would start drying out. He was anxious to get that back field plowed and planted. Moving around the truck, he met Dana and they walked up the concrete sidewalk to the one-story redbrick building that buzzed with quiet activity.

Colin opened the door for her and she gave him a nod of thanks, heading straight for the sergeant’s desk offset to the left of the entrance. Dana smiled a little as she saw Pepper Warner come out of the hall, lifting her hand and motioning them to come with her. Changing direction, Colin at her shoulder, they met her out in the visitors’ lobby area.

“Good morning,” Pepper greeted. “We’re still processing everything and chasing information down,” she told Dana. “Nothing conclusive yet.”

“I know this takes time,” Dana said, keeping the disappointment out of her voice.

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