He hated this for her. Hated how the shooter had rendered the usually strong woman afraid.
He couldn’t let this happen again. He had to do better and couldn’t let the shooter come anywhere near her. Even if he hadn’t succeeded in injuring her physically, he injured her emotionally, and that scar would live with her forever. Dev would do everything within his power to prevent that from happening again.
He would call on his team to assist even more. But he wouldn’t depend on them alone. With God’s help, he would up his game. Failure wasn’t a choice. If he didn’t intensify his efforts, the consequences could be deadly. Not just for her, but his sister could lose her life as well.
No one was going to die on his watch. No one.
Police Chief Gibson stood across the office desk from Kinsley in the T-shirt shop. She would love to have Jada and Dev at her side, but the chief had banished them to the main store area. He’d separated them, so he could individually take their statements. He’d encouraged Kinsley to take a seat. A kind gesture, right? Wrong. She was sure he had ulterior motives. Standing tall over her left him seeming more in charge and reinforced the fact that he knew his job well and wasn’t a person one should lie to or withhold the truth from.
He was nothing like many would expect a small-town police chief to be. When he arrived on scene, Dev told her that Gibson had previously served in the Portland Police Bureau, had risen to the level of lieutenant at a young age, and had a promising career there. But then his son had succumbed to serious allergies and needed to move out of a big city to an area with cleaner air. So when the chief’s position had opened in Boulder Lake, the family moved for the job.
He rested his hands on the desk, casually, but the tightening of his eyes belied the relaxed posture. “I’ll get to the Main Street shooting in a minute, but I’d like to discuss the one in Portland first. Why would someone be trying to kill you, Ms. Pearce?”
“Please call me Kinsley,” she said for like the fourth time, but he’d ignored her requests and insisted on the formality.
He didn’t respond verbally, but watched her, his eyes dark and probing, as if he thought he could push her along to answer.
Okay, fine.
She gave up and would make sure to keep things formal between them, too. “As I told you several times already, I don’t know unless it’s related to my work. Maybe someone I found negligent in their job has it out for me. My findings could even be the reason they went to prison. Or maybe they were just fined. Perhaps they lost their license. I suppose any of these things could’ve caused them to want to seek revenge.”
He leaned forward. “Then, before I let you go today, you’ll write down the names and contact information for these people.”
Impossible.“I can give you a name or maybe two off the top of my head, but I need my computer to make a complete list. It holds all of my work files, and I can refresh my memory on older investigations.”
His right eyebrow rose. “So you think this might not be a recent event?”
She shrugged. “I can only think of one person right now. Those findings would be from an older investigation, but he’s still in prison.”
The chief tilted his head and rested on the corner of the desk. “I would think you’d remember anyone who threatened you.”
“You’d think so, but I get a lot of offhand comments. On the surface they sound like threats but aren’t really meant as threats. Just a person spouting off. You probably get comments like that, too, but the person doesn’t actually mean it.”
He nodded. “Happens all the time when we arrest someone. Very few ever follow through. They’re just speaking out in anger at the moment.”
“Exactly.” She punched a fist into her palm to emphasize her point. “But if I can review my files, I can provide a list of people who made those offhand comments.”
He tapped a finger on the desk, starting slowly and ramping up speed. “Wouldn’t you have reported those people to your supervisor?”
“No. I mean, I don’t have a supervisor. I’m a contract worker. Even so, I’ve never had anyone actually act out against me. Guess I’ve never believed any of them.” Memories of some of the more forceful comments raced through her brain. “Some were more strongly issued than others, and I can segregate those into a separate list.”
He gave a sharp nod and stood. “When can you pick up the computer?”
She’d like to say she would drive back to Portland to get it right after she finished this interview, but she was fairly certain Dev wouldn’t allow her to return to her apartment. He would insist on picking it up himself, or if he wasn’t willing to leave her alone, he would send someone else from his team. She’d just promised herself that when it came to her safety, she wouldn’t go against his wishes again, and she was at the mercy of his schedule.
Hoping the grilling was done, she eased to the edge of the chair. “I don’t have a vehicle. Dev drove me here, and I’ll have to check with him on his schedule.”
“We can do that right now.” The chief spun and went to the door. “Graham, in here. Now.”
Solid footfalls crossed the floor and disturbed the quiet that had descended since the shooting ended. Dev soon appeared in the doorway, his gaze immediately racing to search her face. She smiled to waylay his concern. Concern perhaps mixed with caring for her that went deeper than she’d first thought.
Oh, man.Could he have similar feelings to her own but had been holding back for some reason?
Get a grip.Him having feelings for you is just a pipe dream.
Something she wanted to be true but wasn’t.
The chief cleared his throat, bringing her thoughts crashing back to reality. He explained their situation, his focus riveted to Dev. “When will you be able to drive Ms. Pearce to her place to retrieve her computer?”
