Tested by Fire. Kathryn Springer

I was bored I went swimming or played basketball,” Finn said.

      “Yeah, well, you probably had a pool.”

      “Just a small one.”

      She liked Carl. He was in his early forties, with almost twenty years of experience on patrol. He’d begun as her training officer and still kept a close eye on her. Early on, he had told her she could confide in him if she had any trouble being accepted by the rest of the officers. She had gotten to know his wife, Sherilynn, and had taken them up on several of their dinner invitations since she’d been hired.

      They walked into the department and the dispatcher, Gil Patterson, shook his finger at her. “There you are, Kelly!”

      “What’s wrong?”

      “What’s wrong? You had court a half an hour ago, that’s what’s wrong.” Gil rolled his eyes.

      “Why wasn’t I told?”

      “I put the notice in your box last week myself,” Gil said defensively. “It was Lessing. They had to let him go because you weren’t there as the arresting officer to testify.”

      Finn felt sick. Lessing. “I didn’t get the notice.”

      “Chief wants to see you.” Gil wouldn’t look at her now. “He’s in his office.”

      Finn had arrested Jerome Lessing for domestic abuse the week before, after a neighbor called to report sounds of a woman screaming. She had witnessed firsthand the bruises on Bonnie Lessing’s face and arms when she’d arrived at the scene. And now the abuser had walked away without so much as a slap on the wrist.

      Chief Larson was sipping coffee when Finn stepped into his office.

      “Kelly.” He indicated the chair on the opposite side of the mammoth oak desk. “Have a seat.” He put down his cup. “Lessing’s at Marie’s Café this morning eating their dollar-ninety-nine breakfast special—one egg, scrambled, toast with jelly and home fries. Must not care about his cholesterol level.”

      “I didn’t get the notice.”

      “I already talked to Gil. He remembers putting it in your box,” Chief Larson said.

      “Someone took it out.” There, she’d said it.

      Larson stared at her in disbelief. “Someone took it?” he repeated. “You mean deliberately? Are you saying there is some sort of…plot…against you?”

      “Not a plot,” Finn said in frustration. “It’s just that little things have been happening lately.”

      “It doesn’t wash, Kelly. You started out fine. The other officers have accepted you.” He looked disappointed. “I can’t let you blame your negligence on someone else. Has anyone in this department said they don’t want you here? Discriminated against you?”

      “No.”

      “You’ve got two months left on your probation,” Larson said gruffly. “Let’s see some focus, Finn.”

      “Yes, sir.”

      She walked out of the office and found Carl waiting for her.

      “How did it go?”

      “He gave me a promotion,” Finn said, but the joke fell flat.

      “Seriously.”

      “Seriously? I’m in serious danger of losing my job if I don’t focus.”

      Carl frowned. “I’ll talk to the chief.”

      “No, please don’t, Carl. I can do this.”

      “Here, you can start with some follow-ups, then.” He grinned and pushed a stack of paperwork into her hands.

      The well-kept, petunia-studded city of Miranda Station boasted a population of ten thousand people, but Finn definitely earned her salary during the day. By the time she came off her shift, she was tired. The next officer on duty dropped her off at home and she walked up the sidewalk, looking forward to having a cool shower and a change of clothes. She remembered that she had asked John Gabriel to go to the range with her. Well, maybe asked wasn’t the right word. She had challenged him. And he hadn’t disappointed her.

      She peeled off her uniform shirt and bullet-proof vest and immediately felt ten pounds lighter. The shower revived her body but not her spirits. Finn knew she hadn’t gotten a court notice in her box. Was Gil the person who was against her working there? Dispatch handled all the reports, and he had complained several times that hers weren’t accurate when he checked her numbers against the computer.

      She had just changed into blue jeans and a T-shirt when she heard a knock. Her hair was still damp from the shower and she fluffed it with her fingers as she went to answer the door.

      “Come in.” Finn stepped back as John’s tall frame filled the narrow foyer. “I’ll be right back.”

      John felt like he was in a doll’s house. Or a storybook cottage. Everything around him was bright and feminine. Not frilly. Feminine. The love seat and chairs in the living room were covered in a white-and-blue print and a rolltop writing desk stacked with books took up an entire wall. The hardwood floors were scattered with bright rag rugs, and an oval-shaped breakfast nook held a small oak table scattered with more books. Along the top of the cupboards was a variety of ceramic teapots. Even though she had only been home from work for half an hour, a candle was burning on a small table by the window.

      He walked over to blow out the candle and saw an open Bible next to it. It obviously wasn’t a decoration. Some of the verses had been highlighted with a fluorescent pen and bookmarks stuck out everywhere.

      Finn emerged from a room down the hall and caught him studying it.

      “Part of the Kelly family legacy? A badge and a Bible?”

      “No.” She held his gaze. “But it will be.”

      Chapter Three

      “Some people use both of them to hide behind,” John said, watching her expression to gauge her reaction.

      “Some people know the difference between finding shelter and hiding. Do you?” Finn tossed something at him and instinctively he reached out and caught it. A key ring. “You can drive.”

      They walked in silence to the garage, where two cars were parked side by side. One was a dark-blue import, compact and conservative. The other, a hunter-green Jeep Cherokee. Automatically he walked over to the import—and heard Finn chuckle.

      “That’s Chief’s car.”

      He raised his eyebrows and regarded her thoughtfully. “My mistake.”

      Finn slid into the passenger side of the vehicle and waited. Just as she suspected, John was at home behind the wheel of a car. He turned the key and immediately they were drowned in music as the radio came to life.

      Finn nudged the volume button down. “Sorry.”

      “A Jeep and loud music,” John muttered. “Are you sure you’re not sixteen?”

      She didn’t take offense. “The Jeep was a graduation present from my parents when I got my Criminal Justice degree last year. And the music, well, some things you just never outgrow.”

      “Right.” John eased the Jeep out of the driveway. “Where do I go?”

      “That way.” Finn pointed left. “The range is about three miles from here.” Finn leaned back and closed her eyes, feeling the tension from the day start to uncurl inside of her.

      “Long day?”

      She didn’t answer right away. The court notice…

      “Well, there was that dog I had to chase for three blocks and the little old lady who wouldn’t let me help her cross the street. Other than that—” Her