The Rookie's Assignment. Valerie Hansen

suspect.” His eyes narrowed. “Even her own brother.”

      TWO

      Keira saw no reason to keep arguing with Nick about Charles so she decided to change the subject. “All right, I will admit I wasn’t in top form when I came to your rescue. I’ll do better next time.”

       That brought a chuckle she hadn’t expected. He gestured at the ruins of his room. “Let’s hope there is no next time. The proprietor will probably kick me out after she sees this mess.”

       “I was meaning to ask why you’d booked a room here. Wouldn’t you rather rent an apartment, even if it’s only for a month or two?”

       He paused for several seconds before saying, “Sure, but where would I find one?”

       “I think I may have an idea. I’ll have to check with Douglas—Captain Fitzgerald—first. In the meantime, you’d better find your uniforms and make sure they’re okay.”

       “Let’s wait till your lab techs have processed the scene, shall we? I’d hate to disturb any clues.”

       Keira had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. “Our what?”

       The befuddled expression on Nick’s face finally pushed her over the edge and she did chuckle softly before waving her hands in the air and apologizing. “Sorry. I was just imagining what it must be like to have specialists at your fingertips, night and day. Around here we do pretty much everything ourselves.”

       “Okay. I get it.”

       “I don’t think you do.”

       “Meaning?”

       She hesitated in order to choose her words carefully, then explained. “Meaning, the Henry case. Like I told you, the minute we suspected we had a homicide we treated that victim and the scene with the utmost care. Everything was handled professionally, even though there was a storm brewing and Olivia’s body was at the bottom of that steep cliff. Some of the evidence was probably affected by the fall, the surf and the weather but we did the best anyone could have. We’re not hicks. We know how important it is to preserve possible evidence.”

       “I read the reports,” Nick said.

       “Then you also know we didn’t write the parts dealing with the processing of the evidence. Everything went to Boston, with the body, for examination there.”

       “But you did investigate the whereabouts of possible suspects and check their alibis.”

       “Yes. So?”

       Keira had assumed he was going to want to question a few persons of interest again but she was floored when he looked straight at her and said, “So, how can you be certain that everything in the file is accurate?”

       “Of course it is. Why wouldn’t it be?” she countered, bracing for another dose of his unwarranted skepticism.

       Although Nick shook his head at her and appeared incredulous, he nevertheless answered, “Because not everybody in this world is on the up-and-up, rookie. One of these days you’re going to take off those rose-colored glasses and see people for what they really are. Liars. Cheats. Self-serving hypocrites.”

       “It must have been really hard to work in Boston,” she said with a tinge of sadness. “I’m sorry for you.”

       “Don’t be sorry for me. Be sorry for all the nameless, faceless victims who never get justice because others decide to bend the truth for their own sakes.” His pause didn’t give Keira time to reply before he added, “Or for the sake of their friends or family.”

       That was another veiled accusation if she’d ever heard one. “Knock it off, mister. My family is innocent of any crimes, now or in the past. We’re the good guys around here, in case you haven’t noticed. My dad has devoted his life to upholding the law, my uncle Mickey is the fire chief and my grandfather is mayor.”

       “And three of your brothers are cops. I’ve never seen a town with more nepotism or more chances to sweep dirt under the rug than this one has. Look at it from my point of view, Keira. If you were an outsider, what would you think?”

       “I wouldn’t condemn people just because they’re in a position to falsify evidence, that’s for sure. My brothers would never be a part of any kind of a cover-up.”

       The rumble of his voice made the hair on the nape of her neck prickle when he stared at her and replied, “I sure hope you’re right.”

       “I am. And once you’ve talked to all the people who were there and seen the truth for yourself, I’ll expect an apology.”

       “If it’s due, you’ll get it,” Nick said. “Nothing would please me more.”

       Nick welcomed the timely arrival of Captain Douglas Fitzgerald and one of the regular officers, a stocky guy named Hank Monroe. Monroe was a bit of a blowhard and thoroughly unlikable from the get-go but the captain seemed genuinely concerned about the incident.

       “You didn’t get a good look at the guy?” Douglas asked, his pen poised to take notes.

       “No. Sorry.” Nick was only half listening as he watched Monroe dusting for prints. “He was wearing a ski mask and a knit cap. I think he probably had on gloves, too. It felt like it when he hit me.”

       “Age? Weight? Distinguishing marks?”

       Shrugging, Nick felt a muscle in his shoulder cramp so he kneaded it as he answered. “I’d have to guess by the way he moved. Maybe forties, maybe a little older. And he outweighed me, although it was hard to tell if it was muscle or flab under his heavy black coat. Like I said, I was pretty groggy after he conked me.”

       “Any notion what he might have been after?”

       Nick shook his head. “Not a clue. I don’t think he’d been in the room long because he didn’t touch my suitcases or my laptop. Most of this damage was caused when we fought.”

       He could tell that Douglas wasn’t satisfied but there was nothing he could do to remedy the situation—other than suggest that someone might have targeted him because he had come to Fitzgerald Bay to investigate the unsolved murder. It would be interesting to find out how many people already knew why he was in town.

       “Okay,” Douglas said. “If you think of anything else, you know where to find me. What are you planning to do for the rest of the day?”

       “That’s up to Keira.” Noticing the other man’s raised eyebrow Nick smiled and added, “I’d call her Officer Fitzgerald but there are so many of you floating around, I figured it would get too confusing.”

       “Sometimes it does,” the captain replied. “See you later, then.” He touched the brim of his cap, nodded to his sister and started to leave.

       “Wait, Douglas,” Keira said. “Nick needs a place to live, especially now. How about renting him the condo?”

       “Well…”

       Nick could tell the other man wasn’t particularly keen on having him for a tenant so he provided a way out. “Don’t worry about it. I can stay here.”

       “That’s okay,” Douglas said, visibly relaxing as he spoke. “I converted an old flour mill down by the river. It’s not fancy but I’d be glad to rent to you. Just got the second unit finished, as a matter of fact, and my sisters decorated it a bit.”

       “Sisters?” Nick eyed Keira. “Oh, that’s right. There is one more sibling, isn’t there?” He grinned. “Is she a cop, too?”

       “No way,” Keira said. “I wasn’t supposed to be one, either. Everybody expected me to go to work with my big sister, Fiona, in her bookstore, but I had other ideas.”

       “Now, why does that not surprise me?” Nick said, sharing a conspiratorial glance with her brother.