Page 16 of Clumsy in Love

Cole rubbed his eyes and sat up. “How’d he know which room she was in?”

“She left the key in that little jacket thing. The one they write the room number on?”

“Oh.”

“They left a note. ‘You saw what happens to snitches.’ She’s freaking out.”

“I bet. Look, that’s a tough break, but what’s it got to do with me?”

“You’ll have to ask the LT. Can you be here in twenty?”

Cole grunted and hung up. After a quick shower to wake up, he headed downtown. He stopped for coffee in the squad room and then walked to the LT’s office.

“I’ll get right to the point,” the lieutenant said.

“Appreciate that,” Cole said, sitting.

“I don’t need to tell you that Ms. Holly Bennett is an extremely valuable witness. She described Edwardo Cruz perfectly, right down to his stupid, ugly Fu Manchu. And easily picked him out of a photomontage.”

“Okay.” He dragged out the word.

“She needs protection. Once we arrest Cruz, the DA will foot the bill to keep her safe, but until then, it’s on us. I understand you’re taking some leave?”

Cole’s spine stiffened. He did not like where this was heading. “Yeah. So?”

“It’s a win-win.”

“How is babysitting a small-town hick a win for me?”

“What else you gonna do with a month off?”

He had a point. Cole had no wife or kids. No pets or hobbies. Whatwashe going to do with so much free time? “I planned to get ready for the exam—study and ride with the detectives.”

“According to Adams, Cruz killed Lambert too. You wanna put him away, don’t you?”

“Don’t play the guilt card with me,” Cole said. “I’m supposed to be taking time off. Guarding a witness twenty-four-seven isn’t leave. It’s overtime.”

“About that. You’d still get vacation pay for an eight-hour shift every day. But, yeah, the rest would be on your own time.” The LT had to know he was on shaky ground. Cole had no obligation to do something he wasn’t being paid for.

“I don’t get it. Why don’t we just have patrol guys take turns keeping an eye on her?”

“There’s the rub,” the LT said. “She wants to go home. To New Hampshire.”

“I beg of you, sir.” Cole plowed a hand through his hair. “There must be someone else. She seems nice enough, but I am not the guy for this.”

“No one I can think of with four weeks of free time on his hands.”

Cole sighed. “Just remember this when you’re making decisions on who to promote.”

CHAPTER SIX

Holly was still in shock from the events of the last twenty-four hours. After the paramedics checked her out, wrapped her ankle, and gave her some juice and crackers, the detectives drove her to the police station. There, she wrote out her statement and quickly picked Edwardo Cruz out of a photo lineup. Once they had all they needed, two policemen brought her back to the hotel, where they found her room ransacked.

Luckily, she’d seen some advice on a travel vlog suggesting that to safeguard against theft, one should travel with two of everything—ID, credit cards, extra cash—but never carry it all in the same place. That advice proved to be lifesaving.

Her driver’s license and a credit card were gone, but her passport and another card were in the hotel safe. And thank goodness. Otherwise, how would she fly home? The one thing she couldn’t duplicate was her phone. And that hurt more than anything. It was like missing a limb. She found herself reaching for it constantly.

A detective arranged for her to change hotels, but she was still shaken from the note left in her last one.You saw what happens to snitches.

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