That had better be her!
He stormed through the house, vowing to teach her a lesson she’d never forget as soon as he let her in. His blood practically boiled, causing the edges of his vision to blur.
He threw open the door and doubled his fists. But it wasn’t Jessica on the doorstep.
Two uniformed police officers stood there. “Mr. Pendleton, we have a warrant for your arrest for assault and battery.”
* * *
Robert pickedup the paper with the image of Patrick Pendleton off the laser printer. Blue eyes stared back at him from a reasonably good-looking face. It was just a driver’s license photo, but nothing in the blue eyes made Pendleton look menacing. He didn’t look like a man who would hurt a woman, let alone break her wrist.
But Robert had learned in his job that evil came in all shapes and sizes. He remembered the contempt in the man's face who tried to kill Emily last year. One look into the hit man’s eyes was enough to chill him to the bone. But the eyes of the man who kidnapped Ben’s daughter had been filled with fear.
Dale, the senior most deputy, stuck his head through Robert’s office door. “Hey, boss, Rudy just walked in. Everyone’s here, now.”
“Thanks, Dale. I’ll be right there.” Robert took a deep breath, straightened his tie, and picked up the box of cinnamon rolls he’d picked up from Aunt Charity’s diner this morning.
He usually sent out important information to his deputies via email. Saturday night was the first time he’d sent out notice of a mandatory meeting in over a year.
Robert had to tell his deputies they needed to be on the lookout for a dangerous man who’d threatened to kill his wife while acting like this was just another assignment.
The moment he stepped into the crowded squad room with the cinnamon rolls, uniformed officers surrounded him. Someone lifted the pastry box from his hand and passed it around.
“Save me one of those,” he called over Vickie’s head.
He waited for the excitement over baked goods to die down before speaking. Hiring two new deputies over the past year had seriously cramped the room. He needed to get the plans for the addition to the sheriff’s office finalized soon.
“I know this mandatory meeting is unusual, but a situation has arisen that I suspect could bring trouble as early as this afternoon.”
“What kind of situation?” asked Kyle, the newest and youngest member of their team. He’d only been with the Adams County Sheriff’s Department for six months. The rookie stood beside his desk—stiff and formal—leaving his sweet roll on his desk for later.
In sharp contrast, Brady and Dale both had their feet up on their desks and were already licking their fingers clean.
“Many of you know Sylvia Sorenson’s daughter, Jessie.” Robert watched a few heads bob before continuing. “Jessie left her abusive husband this weekend and has returned to Providence from Seattle.” He paused to see if anyone made the connection between him and Jessie. Only Brady’s eyes narrowed. “She pressed charges of assault and battery against her husband, Patrick Pendleton, and filed a restraining order against him.”
He distributed the pictures of Pendleton and the description and license plate number of Patrick’s car.
“He threatened to kill Jessie, and she believes her life is in danger. Even though this is the first time she’s pressed charges against her husband, I’m asking you to treat this as though her life is in peril. I want you to be on the lookout for Pendleton day and night. Regular patrols will now include hourly sweeps past Sylvia Sorenson’s house. Even though Jessie is not at her mother’s house, I fear Pendleton won’t hesitate to harm Sylvia to discover Jessie’s whereabouts.”
“Where is Jessie staying?” Brady asked, his eyes fixed on Robert.
“Somewhere safe.”I hope.
He trusted his deputies—with his life, even. Vickie and Kyle, the department’s newest deputies, hadn’t been here very long, but they were good deputies, and he knew they’d have his back in an emergency. But people said things without thinking, things that got passed on. Small towns were notorious for their gossip.
And anyone who knew his and Jessie’s history would gossip about the fact that the sheriff’s former girlfriend was back in town. Robert didn’t want anyone gossiping about Jessie. And he didn’t want people linking his name with hers again.
“I’m keeping Jessie’s location classified for now, but I want you to contact me immediately if you spot Pendleton or have any concerns as you patrol past Mrs. Sorenson’s house.”
He studied the face of each deputy, making sure they took this assignment seriously, before saying, “Rudy and Kyle, go home and get some sleep.”
Rudy and Kyle didn’t need to be told twice. With quick waves, they headed out the door. Their night shift had technically ended over an hour ago. Dale and Vickie discussed who would take which patrol today, which left Brady to follow Robert from the squad room.
Robert sensed his friend behind him, but he kept walking to his office. Although Brady was three years older than him, Robert had grown closer to Brady than anyone else on the squad.
Brady leaned his tall, muscular frame against the doorjamb. “You okay?”
“I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?” Robert kept his voice steady.
