Yuletide Defender

The barbed tone of his words told her he was less than pleased. She raised her chin and stared at him. “What did you think?”

Before Matt could answer, Philip spoke up, “Needless to say, we were a little concerned. Where did you get the idea a police officer was one of the victims at last night’s shooting?”

She motioned to the chairs across from her desk and sat down. When the two detectives were settled, she leaned forward and crossed her arms on her desk. “I heard two police officers talking. Although they mentioned Detective Carr’s name, I didn’t reveal his identity. I had no idea if his family had been notified of his death. Once we’ve established that they know, I’ll print it. The citizens of Lake City have a right to know if one of our trusted police officers is really a crook who takes bribes.” She looked from Matt to Philip. “It may cause your department some problems, but that’s not my concern.”

Anger flashed on Matt’s face and he started to speak. Philip laid a restraining hand on his arm. “We understand your position, Miss Long, and we’re not asking you for preferential treatment. However, we’re just now getting to the bottom of this. When we have proof of any wrongdoing, the Chief will hold a press conference.”

Rachel smiled. “I’ll be in the front row.”

Matt leaned forward, his elbows on the chair arms and his hands clasped in front of him. “We just want to make sure that you don’t do anything that will hamper our investigation.”

She stared into his somber eyes. “I have no intention of interfering with the police.”

He didn’t break eye contact with her. “Then you’ll cooperate with us?”

“I’ve always done that.”

Matt’s eyebrow arched. “From the calls the station is getting this morning, I don’t think our captain would agree with that.”

“What do you mean?”

Philip leaned forward. His eyebrows pulled down over his hawklike nose. His dark eyes bored into her. “Your story about a vigilante in Lake City has upset a lot of citizens. The phone has rung all morning from people wanting to know what the police are going to do about it.”

There was no mistaking the annoyance in Matt’s and Philip’s eyes. Rachel bit back the retort hovering on her lips and considered their point of view. They were the ones who risked their lives every day to keep the citizens of Lake City safe.

She took a deep breath and forced a smile. “There’s no one in this town who respects the police more than I do. But you need to understand that the press has a responsibility to keep the people informed. I hope you catch this guy soon so I can write the ending to this story.”

Matt smiled. “So does that mean you’ll help us?”

“Of course.”

“By telling us what you learn from your source?”

Rachel glanced from Matt to Philip, a frown on her face. “You know I can’t reveal a confidential source.”

Philip shook his head. “We have a duty to protect the citizens of this city. If your informant knows something that can help our investigation, we need to know what it is.”

Matt’s forehead wrinkled and he stared at her. “Don’t make the mistake of thinking you’re capable of dealing with these people. They’re dangerous, Rachel.”

There was no avoiding the concern she saw in Matt’s eyes. The memory of a bullet striking the bricks above her head the night before sent a tremor through her. Perhaps in her haste to get a story she hadn’t been careful enough.

She nodded. “I know the gangs pose a threat to everybody around them. If my source calls again and he agrees that I can tell you what he tells me, I’ll let you know.”

Philip’s mouth crooked into a smile. “Well, until that time, how about not staking out any lonely street corners by yourself?”

Rachel chuckled. “Okay.”

Matt stood. “We don’t want anything to happen to you, Rachel.”

Rachel glanced from Matt to Philip. “I appreciate that.”

Philip let out a big breath, pushed to his feet and extended his hand. “It was nice to see you again, Miss Long.”

“Please call me Rachel.” She smiled and grasped his hand but pulled away when his ring pressed into her finger. “Ouch.”

Philip’s eyes grew wide and he released her hand. “I’m sorry. Did my ring hurt your finger?”

She rubbed her hand and gaped at the gold ring Philip wore. “I’ve never seen such a beautiful ring. It must be a family heirloom.”

Philip smiled and held it out for Rachel to get a better look at the unusual design. The gold ring featured two hands that encircled the finger and met in the front to hold a crown perched atop a heart. “It’s been passed down in my family for generations. Originally it was given to my great-great-grandmother when she married. It was a symbol of the love and faithfulness that she was promised. It’s made its way through the family and was given to my father. When he died, it passed to my brother.”

Rachel frowned. “Then how did you get it?”

Philip gazed down at the ring for a moment before he replied. “My brother died. Since he wasn’t married, he wanted me to have the ring.”

The sadness that flickered in his eyes pricked Rachel’s heart. “I’m sorry. That must have been hard for you. I have a sister and I don’t know what I would do if she was taken from me.”

He smiled and straightened his shoulders. “Then don’t take the time you have with her for granted. You never know what tomorrow will bring.”

Rachel glanced at Matt. His eyebrows drew down across his nose, and she wondered what he was thinking. Philip’s smile wavered as he glanced at Matt. He backed away from Rachel and pulled his cell phone from his pocket.

“If you’ll excuse me, I have a few calls to make. I’ll meet you at the car, Matt.”

With a nod in Rachel’s direction he turned and headed out the door. When he’d disappeared from view, Rachel tilted her head and crossed her arms. “You look tired this morning, Matt. What time did you get home last night?”

He exhaled and rubbed the back of his neck. “I was at the station until three o’clock.”

Rachel stepped closer. “Is there something else wrong? The look you gave me when I was talking with Philip struck me as odd.”

He hesitated a moment before he spoke. “I’ve known you for several months now and you never told me you have a sister. You only met Philip last night and you felt comfortable talking about your family.”

Rachel opened her mouth in surprise and then laughed. “I can’t believe you said that. For your information, Mr. All-Business Policeman, I don’t think we’ve had a personal conversation until last night. I know nothing about you or where you grew up.” She let her gaze drift over him. “I can tell from the expensive clothes you wear that there’s something different about you from any detective I’ve ever known.” She inched forward and lowered her voice. “So, tell me, do you have deep, dark secrets you’re keeping? For all I know, yours could be worse than a sister.”

Matt’s face turned crimson and he stuck his hands in his pockets. “I guess we don’t know much about each other. Maybe we can take care of that when we go out Saturday night.”

She smiled. “I’d like that.”

He glanced over his shoulder. “Well, I guess I’d better find Philip. I have a feeling he didn’t have any calls to make and just wanted to give me some time to talk with you. I told him I was taking you out this weekend.”

“And I need to get back to work. See you later.”

Rachel watched Matt walk out of her office before she returned to her desk. She picked up the pen lying on the desktop and tapped it on the surface. Even though she’d joked with Matt about him being different, there was an element of truth to it. It wasn’t just his expensive clothes, but rather the ease with which he wore them.

He’d said their date Saturday night would give them the opportunity to know each other better. She wanted to know more about Matt, but that meant opening up about her background, too. What would he say when he found out about her family? Probably what every other man she’d ever dated said. If so, she’d better enjoy Saturday night because there wouldn’t be a second date.

In high school, the boys she’d grown up with were content to be friends at school, but not one of them had ever asked her on a date. Not even to prom. She’d made all kinds of excuses to her mother to cover her disappointment—there wasn’t anybody she wanted to go with, spending money on a prom dress was ridiculous, she needed to study for finals. But her excuses thudded like a hammer against her hollow heart.

College offered a fresh start with people who didn’t know her. She’d fallen in love for the first time, and it had been perfect. Until she took her boyfriend, Justin, home to meet her family. She had thought he was different, that he would be able to accept her sister Cara and her disabilities, but she’d been wrong.