Page 36 of Trap ’N’ Trace

“Maybe he did.” Paulson pulled up the email on his desktop and opened the attachment. As expected, Donnelly’s arrest photo looked nothing like Kat’s sketch. But Lydia had included another photo, one dated less than a year ago and taken in prison. Compared to the way the guy had looked the day he and Becca had arrested him, the face staring back at him was gaunt. Donnelly must have lost two hundred pounds. Now that his chin and cheekbones were visible, his face looked average.

Like the man in Kat’s sketch.

“Kat.” The conversation she’d been having with the young detectives immediately ceased. “Can you come over here?”

Kat rose regally, smoothing her hands down her slacks before gliding over to Paulson’s desk.

“Take a look at this photo.” He indicated Paulson’s monitor. “Is this the man who attacked you?”

Slowly, she shook her head. “I can’t be sure. It all happened so fast.” She leaned in closer. “Are his eyes blue?”

Paulson scrolled back to the rap sheet, but Dayne already knew the answer because he’d never forget the bastard’s eyes or the disgusting way he’d watched as they’d carried Melinda out of the tiny bedroom he’d kept her in. “Yes. They’re blue,” he answered before Paulson had even gotten to the man’s physical description.

“Whatever color they are, this asshole’s now a suspect.” Paulson printed out several copies of Donnelly’s photo. “I’ll put out a BOLO and make sure every department in the area sees it.”

While the detective logged into NYSPIN, Dayne urged Kat to the nearest chair then retrieved the photos from the printer and grabbed a black pen from the desk. He set the photo on the desk then scribbled on Donnelly’s chin, doing his best to draw a beard and mustache similar to the one in Kat’s sketch. He put the photo and Kat’s sketch side by side.

The images were similar in terms of overall features, but the features in both were so average, even he could see it would be difficult for anyone to say with a reasonable degree of certainty that these were the same men.

After staring alternately from one image to the other, she looked up at him, her eyes filled with regret. “I’m sorry. I just can’t tell.”

“That’s okay.” Although he was disappointed. Not with her. She was doing far better than he could have expected.

“No.” She grabbed his hand, and when her fingers tightened around his, he felt the contact clear down to his toes. “It’s not okay. I saw him, but I can’t identify him. How is that possible? Why can’t I be sure? It’s as if the image is becoming more and more fuzzy over time.”

He clasped her hands in his. “What you’re experiencing is normal. Lots of witnesses go through the same thing, thinking that because they got a quick look at someone, they should instantly be able to pick them out of a lineup. It’s never that simple. There are emotions involved and stress. The more time that goes by, the harder it is to recall detail.”

Her head lowered. He expected her to release his hand. She didn’t. When she looked up, shadows flickered in her eyes. Dark shadows, as if she were suddenly bone-tired.

“Please,” she whispered. “Get me out of here.”

So he did. He would have done anything to ease her pain.

Chapter Eleven

By the time Dayne pulled up to the wrought iron gate on Kat’s property, it was nearly five o’clock.

They’d detoured to his house to pick up some clothes for him and more food for Remy. After that, they’d stopped at the Canine Haven where he’d introduced himself to one of the newly hired security guards, John Benton. They’d exchanged cell phone numbers so each could be reached in an emergency, and he’d given John several of his business cards to share with whoever took over the next shift. He’d do the same with the two guards on duty outside the castle. Last, he instructed Benton to notify him and the other guards anytime someone approached the gate.

When he lowered the window to punch in the new code Kade had texted him earlier, a cool breeze hit him in the face. Remy stuck her head through the kennel opening to sniff the fresh air.

“I’ll need to give the new gate code to my staff,” Kat said.

“Fine, but don’t give it to anyone else.”

During the drive from his house, Kat had busied herself reading emails and talking on the phone with Emily about some big charity fund-raiser she’d be attending in the city. From the number of times he’d caught her grimacing during that conversation, he’d gotten the distinct impression that she was more than willing to donate money to a cause she believed in but didn’t particularly want to be there in person, hogging the spotlight.

Interesting. And unexpected.

No more so than him talking about his birth mother.

The guys all knew he and his sister Lily were adopted, but his birth mother was a topic he’d always tucked away in a private box. Only Lily knew the details of what he’d gone through as a kid.

He drove through the gate, checking his rearview mirror to assure himself it was closing behind them. Who knew how many nights he’d be spending in her house? Hopefully, not many. Because there was no denying the spark of attraction between them. He needed to focus on protecting her, not getting into her pants.

As they approached the castle, he was gratified to see the other two guards on duty heading around to the rear of the property. Kade, Jaime, and Markus came around the other side of the castle, carrying toolboxes.

When he parked the SUV, Kat reached for the door handle but stopped before opening the door.