TWENTY-THREE
Wednesday 1845 hours
Katie still had so many things running through her mind and all she wanted to do was go to bed early. She was meeting up with McGaven and John early tomorrow morning at 7 a.m. As she pulled into her driveway, she saw a large white SUV parked. She sighed. It only meant one thing. Her uncle was there with Cisco, but she had a feeling he wanted to talk to her about something. She could guess what it was.
Katie heard Cisco’s barking even before she got out of the Jeep. It always made her smile that he knew it was her and was welcoming her home. She stepped up to the porch and found the door unlocked. After she had barely stepped inside, Cisco greeted her and ran around the house.
“Hi,” said her uncle from the kitchen. He was wearing jeans and a T-shirt, which was an unusual sight. He was nearly always in uniform.
Katie closed her door and locked it out of habit. “To what do I owe the honor?” she said, dropping her jacket and briefcase. “You’re not sherifftonight.”
“I’m always the sheriff until they don’t vote for me anymore.”
Katie pulled off her boots and walked into the kitchen. “What smells so good?”
“I was going to bring takeout, but I felt like cooking your favorite chicken dish.”
Katie hugged him. “I’m so glad you’re here. We don’t spend as much time together as we used to.”
“I know, I’m sorry. I’m going to change that.”
That made Katie happy. She was definitely missing family. Of course, she had her work family, but her uncle Wayne was family. He had been there for her when she lost her parents and she for him when his wife, her aunt, was murdered. They both had been through so much but they had each other.
Katie and her uncle chatted over dinner about all kinds of things, except work. Katie cleared the table and rinsed the dishes, putting them into the dishwasher. When she returned to the living room it wasn’t a surprise to see her uncle and Cisco sitting side by side on the sofa. Uncle Wayne loved the dog.
Katie sat next to them. “Why is it I get the feeling there’s something you wanted to talk to me about?”
“Because you’re such a great detective.”
Katie waited for him to either ask or tell her what he needed to.
“I’ve been wanting to spend time with you, but since you went on your break and then dived into this investigation there’s been little time.”
“Let me help you along… is it about John Blackburn?” she said.
The sheriff took a breath and his expression became serious. “Yes.”
“What about him?” Katie could tell her uncle had some misgivings about the relationship, but she wasn’t going to letanyone tell her who she could date. “You like him, don’t you?” she said.
He smiled and shook his head. “I see why you’re such a good interviewer. You know exactly how to make a point even before you’ve asked any questions.”
She kept things light. “So what’s the problem?”
“I know you’ve been seeing each other. Something obviously changed after you, McGaven, and John went to Echo Forest.”
“Yes, things did change. But I think we’ve felt a bond for a while now.” She felt a little uncomfortable talking about her love life, and she wasn’t entirely sure if they were serious yet. They were getting to know one another and seeing if they really clicked.
“You know it can be risky since you work so closely with one another.”
“Yes. I’ve thought a lot about it.”
“You’re a grown woman and you make your own decisions… but I want to caution you that things can get problematic if it doesn’t work out.”
Katie leaned forward and hugged her uncle. “I know. Believe me, I get it.”
“Don’t get me wrong. I think John is a great guy, talented, intelligent, and his forensic work is top notch. The department is lucky to have someone like him.”
“I agree.” Katie didn’t want to talk about John anymore—she missed him already and they’d only been apart a few hours. He had to work late, so she wouldn’t see him until tomorrow morning. “Okay, we’ve talked about my love life… what about you?”
