Guard Duty. Sharon Dunn

doubt you can handle yourself.”

      She opened the back door of Trevor’s sedan to let Lexi in.

      On the drive toward the station, Trevor filled Valerie in on the investigation as she flipped through the file. “We knew that Sagebrush was one of the places Murke had ties to. He lived here during his teen years and has come back several times since. He’s on the FBI’s Most Wanted list, so his picture has been out there. We had an anonymous tip, someone who saw him in a store here in Sagebrush.”

      Valerie stared at the photo of Murke on the tablet. “Sometimes people are mistaken about identities.” She flicked through the pages of the file.

      “I know that. It makes sense, though, that Murke would come back here,” he said as doubt tapped at the corners of his awareness. Valerie had to find something that would give them a lead. The urgency to catch Murke was stronger than ever.

      Valerie looked up from the tablet. Her eyes lit up as they passed a schoolyard just starting to fill with children. She really seemed to gravitate toward kids. Having kids, being married, none of that had ever been on his radar. His father had been a brute of a man, cruel beyond reason. If it hadn’t been for a youth pastor, who had turned his heart toward God, Trevor could have gone down that same road. The way he had it figured, he didn’t want to risk having those patterns of violence emerge in his own life. He was a better help to humanity as a lawman.

      “So it’s just you and Bethany?” The question had spilled out. He had to admit, he was curious.

      Valerie laced her fingers together and bent her head. “Bethany is my sister’s child. I recently became her guardian when Kathleen died.” Her voice trembled.

      Trevor retreated, aware that he had stepped on an emotional land mine. “Well, you seem like a natural mom.”

      Her face glowed, and her voice fused with warmth. “Thanks. It’s been an adjustment for both of us.”

      He hadn’t counted on the compliment meaning so much to her. He took a quick sideways glance at her. Shorter hair that had escaped the ponytail framed her soft features, and her full mouth curled into a faint smile. Was she still thinking about what he had said?

      Valerie looked back down at the tablet. “Murke robbed a pawn shop with a guy named Leroy Seville?”

      Trevor’s spirits lifted. “Yeah, do you know him?”

      “No, but I know an elderly lady named Linda Seville. I don’t think she ever said anything about a son, but they could be related.”

      “It’s worth a shot.” This could be the lead he had hoped for.

      She lifted her head and peered through the windshield. “We’re actually pretty close to where she lives. Let’s just go there now. Four blocks up and one over.” She paused. “I know the street, and I’ll remember the house when I see it.”

      He caught a whiff of her floral perfume as she leaned closer to him to point through the windshield. He leaned toward her as his stomach tightened.

      He pulled to the curb, scanning the area as he got out of the car. “This is the street?” The neighborhood consisted of older homes built close together and several apartment buildings.

      She looked at him over the top of the car. “Yep, this is the neighborhood I patrol.” She spoke with affection as she lifted her chin and looked around. “If I remember correctly, I met Linda on a stolen television case.” She studied the line of houses as though she was trying to jar her memory about where Linda Seville lived.

      A girl of about seven road by on a bike. “Hey, Officer Salgado.”

      A trilling laugh escaped Valerie’s throat. “Hey, Jessie Lynn. I see you found a new chain for your bike.”

      The kid was half a block away when she shouted, “Yes, ma’am, I did.”

      She turned to face Trevor. “Jessie loves that bike. She always gets a ride in before school.”

      Valerie cared about the people here. That much was clear, but sometimes emotions got in the way of the job. He hoped she could keep them in check.

      Valerie came around the car and joined Trevor on the sidewalk. She looked up at him, expectation coloring her lovely features. She had a spray of freckles across her nose and cheeks, and her voice had a soft quality that made him think of lullabies. He shook himself free of the warm, fuzzy feeling he got when she stood close to him. Okay, she was attractive and smelled nice. So what? He had a job to do.

      Valerie pointed to a bungalow-style house with flower beds that were overgrown with weeds. “That’s it, right there. Now I remember. It wasn’t a stolen television—it was a missing pet.”

      It sounded like Valerie didn’t know Linda Seville all that well. They made their way up the sidewalk. Worry twisted into a hard knot at the base of his stomach. What if this lead didn’t pan out? Would they be back to square one?

      As though she had read his mind, Valerie said, “We might be able to get a line on Murke some other way if this turns out to be nothing.”

      He appreciated her optimism, but in his mind, there were no second shots. Murke had evaded him since Cory’s death, leaving whatever town he’d drifted into the second he got wind that the Bureau was onto him. The capture needed to be swift before Murke had a chance to run again.

      He knocked on the door. Through the sheer curtain, he could see that all the lights had been turned off, and no one stirred inside. He could feel that tightening in his chest. That awful feeling that they’d missed their chance to get the jump on Murke. “Where would this Linda be if she wasn’t at home?” He couldn’t hide the urgency in his voice.

      “I don’t know that much about her. She’s not one of the people in the neighborhood who talks to me. I just helped her find her poodle months ago.” She turned and looked at the other houses. “I’m sure we can ask around.”

      Trevor tensed. Too much asking around meant a greater chance of Murke getting wind that the Bureau had found him. “I just want this lead to work out.”

      She flinched as though he had hit her with his words. “You really want to get this guy, don’t you?”

      Trevor softened his tone. She didn’t deserve to be the recipient of the frustration over his long history with Murke. “He shot an agent I was training. Cory was a rookie fresh out of the Academy, and I know rookies make rookie mistakes, but he didn’t deserve to die.”

      “I’m sorry about the agent being shot.” An emotion flashed across her face that almost looked like hurt, though he couldn’t figure out why. “I don’t think she’s here.” Valerie turned away and stared up the street.

      He’d heard the quiver in her voice. Something he had said had struck a nerve. Women made him crazy sometimes. He was always saying the wrong thing around them and never quite understanding why it had been the wrong thing. Trying to sort it out with her would just make things worse.

      Just let it go and do your job.

      Trevor scanned the windows of the apartment buildings. No doubt the neighborhood had eyes everywhere. They’d expect to see Officer Salgado around, but would wonder what he was doing here. And then they would start to talk. If Murke was in this neighborhood, how long before word got back to him?

      When he turned toward Valerie, she still had her back to him. She let out a soft gasp as her shoulders stiffened and she reached for her gun. He followed the line of her gaze.

      Derek Murke sidled up the street holding two plastic bags and a six-pack of beer.

      THREE

      “Police, stop.”

      Valerie sprinted across the grass and drew her weapon.

      Shock registered on Murke’s face. He dropped his groceries and dashed up the alley.

      Murke was headed for