Page 13 of Her Baby, Her Badge

“Precautions will be taken,” Grace assured her.

Her mother studied her. And sighed. “You’re going back to your place. Alone.”

Grace nodded.

“And you can’t talk her out of it,” Aileen said to Dutton.

“I can’t,” he verified.

Aileen sighed again. “Alright, you can both stay at my place if you want. You could consider it Switzerland. Neutral territory.”

There was nothing neutral about it because it belonged to a woman who had a feud going on with his family. Added to that, Dutton wasn’t sure Aileen’s house would be any safer than Grace’s. It probably had a security system, but it, too, was out in the country and far away from any backup.

“Thank you for the offer, but no,” Grace said. “I won’t let the killer run me out of my own home.”

Aileen looked at him, maybe to see if she thought there was anything he could do to change Grace’s mind. There wasn’t. And the look he gave Aileen must have conveyed that because she didn’t press.

“Alright,” Aileen said on a sigh. “Let me know when I can get my phone back.” She handed Grace a yellow sticky note she tookfrom her pocket. “That’s the number of the burner I’ll be using in the meantime.”

Aileen muttered a goodbye, but didn’t hug Grace. Though it looked as if that’s what she wanted to do. But Aileen probably felt like any show of affection like that wasn’t appropriate for the workplace. She gave all of them one last look before she headed back out into the night.

“Am I free to go, too?” his father snarled at Grace. “Or do you need to pester me with more questions?”

“You’re free to go,” she said. “And I’ll see about getting the sketch artist,” she added to Jamie.

Jamie smiled as if this was some grand adventure, but the smile quickly faded. “You two are going to be careful, right?” Jamie asked Grace and him. “I mean, you’re not going to like make yourselves bait or anything like that?”

“We aren’t,” Grace and he said in unison.

That relieved a little of the fresh worry on the girl’s face, and she set down the cat after giving him one last cuddle. Unlike Aileen, Jamie went with some PDA, first hugging Dutton, then Rory.

Then Grace.

Dutton had to hand it to Grace. She didn’t protest the gesture. She just went with it, and murmured, “Everything will be alright.”

Of course, there was no way Grace could be sure. The killer didn’t seem to be backing off, and that text to Aileen proved it.

“You need to be careful,” Dutton told his father.

Ike opened his mouth as if to argue that but then closed it. Nodded. “You, too. I’ll change the codes on the security system just in case that so-called electrician tries to get back in.”

Dutton nodded in approval and then watched as his dad and Jamie headed out. He glanced at his brother, who was still on the phone, probably trying to get in touch with someone fromthe electric company. Then, Dutton turned to Grace to try once again to convince her to stay either with him or at her mother’s. However, her landline rang before he had a chance to say a word.

“It’s Dispatch,” she muttered when she saw the blinking light on the base of the phone. She immediately went into her office to answer it.

And Dutton held his breath. Hell. He hoped there hadn’t already been another murder. Rory must have thought that was a possibility, too, because he ended his call and joined Dutton in the office doorway.

“Sheriff Granger,” she answered, and thankfully she put the call on speaker.

“You have a call from a Felicity Martinez,” the dispatcher informed Grace. “She says she has information about the murder.”

Grace looked up at Dutton and Rory to see if they recognized the name, but they both shook their heads. His brother and he also started searches on their phones.

“Put the call through,” Grace instructed, and moments later, Dutton heard the woman come onto the line.

“Sheriff Granger,” she said, and there was a tremble in her voice.

“Yes. How can I help you, Miss Martinez?” Grace asked.

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