Pete cleared his throat. “How is Sister Dolores Catherine?”
Mia couldn’t help the eye roll. “Aunt Dotty is fine…and she’ll kick your butt if you call her that again. She hasn’t been a nun for over a decade.”
“I know. It makes me laugh to think of her as a nun. You never told me why she quit.”
“No, I didn’t.” Mia glanced at the brick wall. A cabin by the lake might be good for them all. Quiet and peaceful…surrounded by beauty. Plus, she could assist Pete on the Ruby Redbird case. “You already had this planned. I mean, the cabin and all.”
Pete raised an eyebrow and let the unanswered question about Dotty go. “I was hopeful. Still am. I need you on this. You don’t start work in Seattle for a month. We’ll have the killer by then.”
When was the last time anybody needed her professional skills? Mia bit her lip. A fresh start had been her intention when moving out west. “Show me the cabin.”
Chapter3
The log cabin was perfect. Sprawling on two levels, the fully furnished place held three bedrooms with attached baths, a large gathering room with a huge fireplace, and an updated kitchen with stainless steel appliances.
Within four hours of the sheriff showing it to her, Mia had signed the rental papers at the agency in town and fetched both her mother and Aunt Dotty from the small Seattle hotel. They’d all been relieved to leave the dismal place.
Of course, Gena had been tranquilized for the drive and move—and she’d probably sleep the entire night.
Mia peered into the still darkened bedroom at her mother sleeping peacefully on the antique wedding band quilt. In sleep, she looked less than her fifty years, her skin smooth, her eyelashes dark against her pale cheeks. Curly dark hair sprinkled with gray framed her pretty face. Even so, a sense of sadness clung to her.
When was the last time she’d smiled? Mia sagged against the doorframe for the tiniest of moments, allowing grief and guilt to engulf her. She’d repeatedly been warned to drop the case, but she couldn’t stop once she was on a hunt. Maybe it was her childhood or even her training as an adult, but if a true predator was out there, she had to stop him.
Her mind flashed to Seth Volk. There was no doubt the muscled man was a predator, but every instinct in her body screamed that he had a code of honor. That didn’t mean it was the same code she lived by. Curiosity about him wandered through her. He’d been compelling, and even though he might’ve threatened her, she wanted to know more about him. Maybe she was wrong again. Perhaps there was no code of honor. He was obviously strong enough to drive a spike into a human body.
Her mother gasped slightly in her sleep and rolled over as if to protect herself from a threat.
Mia pressed a hand to her chest at the pain. What had she done to her mother?
“Knock it off.” Dotty hip-butted her, shoving her away from the door. She wore an avocado face mask matching a nightgown with odd pink lace down the sides. Her shoulders were broad, her waist surprisingly narrow, and her attitude…usually calm with an edge of strength. “What happened wasn’t your fault, and it’s time to stop wallowing.”
Mia rolled her eyes, moving into the large gathering room. “My mother was taken hostage and tortured by a serial killer I couldn’t catch. He took her because of me.” She’d been hunting the bastard for so long that all she thought about was him. Apparently, he’d been learning about her, as well. She should’ve considered that he’d go after her family. Unfortunately, she had only realized that fear once she’d returned home to see her mother through the window. Mia had known instantly what was going on. “I should’ve known better, and I didn’t. How the hell isn’t her pain my fault?” She grimaced at the last sentence. Oops.
Dotty slammed both hands on her ample hips. “I may not be a nun any longer, but you really must watch your language.”
Right. Like Dotty didn’t swear like a judge on a binge. But she didn’t use the h-word or take the Lord’s name in vain. “I’m sorry.”
Hazel-green eyes softened. “Thank you. Now, stop being an asshole.”
Mia coughed out a laugh. “I’ll try.”
“Gena will be all right. That fancy psychologist you sent her to said it would take time. This is a great place to find the time.” Dotty peered out at the quiet lake lit by the moon outside. “Peaceful in a totally out-there type of way.”
“I guess.”
Dotty studied her with her shrewd gaze. “You’re more down than usual. Are you missing Kurt?”
“No.” Interesting. She’d dated the FBI agent for nearly a year, and she hadn’t thought about him once on the trip east. The guy hadn’t exactly been supportive after her career blew up, although she had noticed a couple of missed calls on her phone from him. What was there to say? He had been more interested in protecting his career than their relationship. “I think I liked how he looked more than the way he acted.”
Dotty snorted. “He did have the smooth guy look down, didn’t he? I hope he loses his hair.”
Amusement filtered through the exhaustion trying to weigh Mia down. “That’s not nice.” Kurt had really liked his thick, blond hair, that was for sure. “You know, I would often catch him checking himself out in store windows when we walked by.” At the time, she’d thought it was humorous. Now, it was just annoying—plain and simple. She couldn’t imagine Seth Volk watching himself in reflective surfaces. Though he’d likely be searching out threats while looking in windows. Of course, Seth was probably the biggest threat around.
But was he guilty of murder? More importantly, why was she comparing him to Kurt?
Mia turned to face her aunt more fully. “You and Mom need to be careful until I figure out this town, okay? There’s a murderer here.” The last thing she wanted was to put her loved ones in danger once again. “Please promise me.” A chill skittered down her back.
Dotty patted her shoulder. “I promise. You know your mom will want to stick close to the cabin for a while, anyway. It’s a nice and peaceful place.” She peered into the quiet night for a moment, her tone thoughtful. “You can’t worry so much and do your job. Right?”
