The Silent Witness

Alex snorted. “Think he’d listen, let alone believe? Look, I’m sorry Nicki.” For so many things. “I don’t want to believe you set me up—”

“How nice of you.”

“—but you asked me to come or I never would have set foot anywhere near you.”

“You mentioned that fact.”

He cursed under his breath. She didn’t understand, and he was in no position to explain.

“Look, are you going tell me why you called me or not?”

“I did not call you.”

Nicki crossed her arms over her chest defiantly. The sheet slipped dangerously low. Distracted, he stared at her in the darkness.

“What the devil are you wearing?” he growled. He knew quite well that the large expanse of skin was angel soft to the touch. There was nothing wrong with his memory—or his imagination.

“Nothing.”

Alex cursed again. She knew just how to bait him. Her virginal body had been so softly lush, rounded in gentle curves that made a young man’s hands itch to explore. The last vestiges of baby fat had been starting to disappear. Those vestiges were completely gone now, but the curves were still there, honed and slimmed to a more mature, but no less desirable look. He had watched her figure last night, even when he told himself he was being a fool. Watched and wanted, when it was the last thing he should have been doing.

But any man would look at Nicki. The smart ones would go back for a second look.

“Go away Alex. I don’t want you here.”

Her words snapped his mind back to business. This was no time to let the past intrude. “Thank you for not telling Osher you saw me. If you had, I’d still be in jail.”

“He arrested you?” She snapped her mouth shut as if regretting that he’d provoked a response.

“Maybe you haven’t noticed, Nicki, but Thad Osher isn’t a real nice guy. He’s got a chip on his shoulder a mile wide. And that chip has my name on it.”

“Why?”

Alex paused. “Now, that’s a real good question.”

He hadn’t really considered it before. He and Osher had clashed from day one, but it hadn’t really occurred to Alex to wonder why. Now he thought about that. He was going to have to take a much closer look at Thad Osher.

Obviously, Nicki wasn’t going to tell him why she’d called. Maybe he was a fool, but he couldn’t believe that her purpose had been to set him up. She wasn’t that good an actress, and there’d be no reason. Just lousy timing all around. He’d better find Vic Unsdorf and see if Thorton’s murder was rumored to be a gang hit for some infraction.

Something brushed his leg in the darkness. Alex kicked out and spun, his hand going for a weapon.

“Don’t you dare hurt my cat!”

The small animal had sidestepped quickly. Alex was instantly relieved that he hadn’t injured the little thing. Undaunted, the cat came forward and stropped his legs a second time. He bent and lifted the animal, whose white furred areas stood out even in the dark. Eyes glowed from some reflected light source.

“Sorry, kitty. You startled me.” He scratched its head and it began to purr in his arms. “You always did want a cat. What’s its name?”

“Ginger.” Nicki said it as if she was reluctant to tell him even that much.

“Hello, Ginger.” He stroked its silky fur, reminded of Nicki’s soft hair. That thought sent him walking over to set the animal on Nicki’s bed.

Time to get out of here.

“I’m sorry, Nic. I never wanted to hurt you, but it seems that’s all I’ve ever done. Your dad was right about us all those years ago. We were way too young. And now it’s much too late. Have a good life.”

He strode from the room without waiting for a response. Funny how much regret was eating at his soul. The past should never be allowed to haunt a man like this.

Nicki bit her lip to keep from calling him back. She’d never felt more confused in all her life. Why did Alex insist she’d called him? And what did he mean about her father? The two of them had never even met.

What difference did any of it make now? Alex wasn’t the boy of her dreams or the man she’d hoped he’d turn into. He was a bitter, angry man who probably regretted ever giving her a second look.

Ginger butted her hand, mewing softly in a bid for attention. Nicki stroked her absently while she wondered how Alex had gotten inside her apartment. The question nagged her out of bed. She reached for her robe and went from room to room checking doors and even the small windows. All were still locked, yet Alex was gone. Had he materialized from her dream?

She lay down again, but it was a long time before she fell asleep. Her dreams had turned to nightmares.

IN THE EARLY morning hours, Nicki drove out to her father’s horse farm. The property lay just beyond the much larger, wealthier Huntington Horse Farm. For years, the Huntingtons had been trying to get her father to sell out to them, but Bernie Michaels had a streak of stubborn that ran all the way to the core of his being. Despite the heart ailment that had caused him to cut way back on his activities, he still managed the farm and his family with a will of iron.

Nicki found her sister, Hope, in the kitchen clearing away the remains of breakfast.

“Hey!” Hope greeted. “Did you find my bracelet?”

“Good morning to you, too. I forgot to look. The car’s out front if you want to check.”

“You forgot to look?” Hope’s eyes danced merrily.

“In case you haven’t heard, a man was shot and killed behind my store. The police had the area sealed off until yesterday afternoon.”

Hope gaped at her. “What man?”

“Someone named Thorton Biggs.” Nicki walked over and closed the forgotten dishwasher.

“I haven’t heard a newscast in days, Nicki. Do they know who killed him?”

“Thad Osher thinks it was Alex Coughlin. Osher arrested him for questioning.”

Her sister gripped the edge of the table. “Oh, no! He couldn’t have! Osher’s wrong. Alex wouldn’t kill anyone.”

Nicki eyed her sister. “Funny, that’s what Alex says. But why would you say that? You don’t even know Alex.”

“No, but you used to like him.” Hope wouldn’t meet her eyes. “So you did get to talk to him?”

“Briefly.” She wasn’t about to tell her sister about her discussion with Alex. While puzzled by Hope’s initial reaction, she didn’t have a lot of time this morning for prying answers from her sister. Hope took after her father when it came to sheer cussed stubbornness.

“Where’s Dad?”

“Getting Big Man ready to take over to the Huntingtons. He’s going to cover one of their mares. What about Alex?”

“What about Alex?”