Realizing that, like a wild animal, she might take his continued stare as hostility and a challenge, he dropped focus to his plate and rubbed a hand on his cheek. “No and no. Not an interrogation. I guess your evasive answers just triggered my interrogative instincts. When criminal suspects won’t answer questions with a direct answer, they usually have something to hide.”
“So we agree that you’re treating me like a criminal?” She haughtily arched an eyebrow.
“I—”
“Clearly, you’ve snooped into my past. That’s the only way you’d have known about the contempt of court charge.”
He raised a hand, conceding the point. “I did look into your public records. For good reason. You were the last person we know of to see John Harper alive.”
“Except his murderer,” she corrected. Then, as if she realized what he’d said, her eyes flared wide, and she added, “I didn’t kill him!”
“I’m not saying you did. But we have to dot all our i’s and cross all our t’s. The fact that I’m asking you these questions here—” he gave a subtle nod to the pizza place’s dining room “—instead of at the sheriff’s department is proof I don’t consider you a suspect. But when, in the course of an investigation, I learn that a key witness has had a brush with the courts, it does give me pause.”
She folded her arms over her chest and turned to stare at the pinball machine in the corner of the room, her mouth pinched.When Pilot stood and moved to put his head in her lap, as if sensing she was upset and needed comfort, he covered his grin with his napkin and wiped his mouth.
Jules stroked Pilot’s head and rubbed his ears, moisture sparkling in her eyes. After taking a breath, she seemed calmer and muttered, “I lost my temper at a court proceeding that didn’t go the way I wanted, and I called the judge a…”
Now his cheek did curl up in a grin. “Yes? You called the judge what?”
She sighed. “A useless tool.”
He muffled a chuckle. “I’m guessing he deserved to be called much worse.”
“For the record, I’m not proud of my behavior, but sometimes my mouth shoots off before I think.”
He feigned shock. “No!”
For his teasing, she crooked an expressive eyebrow again and grunted. Fixing her attention on Pilot, she said, “That useless tool is only one reason I knew if I didn’t protect my sister, no one else would.”
Cal picked up his pizza again, and after taking a bite and swallowing, he asked, “So is it a safe assumption that your sister lives here in Red Grove?”
Jules dusted dog fur from her hands before lifting her own pizza slice. “In a manner of speaking.”
When he shot her a look for her equivocating answer, she held up a hand. “Look, Sheriff—”
“Cal.”
“Humph. When you stop acting like the sheriff and more like a regular Joe—”
“Cal. A regular Cal. Or Callum if you want to be formal.”
The expression she flashed was one of irritation…but he saw a glimpse of humor as well. Was he breaking through her icy facade at last? She looked down at Pilot, who thumped his tail onthe floor when he saw her attention shift to him. “Tell me, Pilot. Is he always this annoying?”
Pilot woofed, and she rewarded him with a slice of pepperoni. “That’s what I thought.”
“Hey now!” He flashed a faux scowl. “No fair asking my loyal companion to break the implied dog-owner confidentiality agreement.”
Jules shrugged and took a bite of pizza.
While her mouth was full, he leaned forward, bracing his forearms against the table. “For what it’s worth, if there’s anything I can do to help protect your sister, I’m at your service.”
She blinked as if startled by his offer. A moment later, she lowered her brow as if skeptical, then continued eating. “I’ll only believe that when I see it.”
Chapter 7
Jules felt a little lighter as she followed Cal from the pizza parlor out to his Jeep Wrangler. But was that because they’d shared the best meal she’d had in weeks? Maybe. Her stomach was definitely happier. Or was her mood better because she was starting to find his ability to match her snarkiness…amusing? Possibly, although she’d never admit as much to him.
She considered his offer to help protect Abby, and her initial spike of hope was quickly squashed under the weight of experience and practicality. Reassurances from law enforcement, like Cal’s “anything I can do,” always proved empty words. For that reason alone, she doubted she’d see Cal Colton again after tonight. She was on a solo mission to keep Abby safe, and no blue-eyed, charming small-town sheriff was likely to change that.
