Page 13 of Forged By Fire

“I know. I’ve got a bit of an addiction.” Leslie’s soft voice, tinged with humor, came from his left. “In my defense, I’ve been collecting them for years. I’m still looking for Robin Hood to finish that set.” She pointed to the empty spot between Maid Marian and Little John. “I’ll find it one of these days.”

“I think it’s awesome. I only have three, and all given to me by my brother. One of them looks like me dressed as a cop.” He chuckled. “Then I’ve got a Batman and Robin duo. I like them, but there are so many. I guess I had a hard time narrowing down my choices.”

“I get that.” She slipped her hands into her pockets. “If anything was stolen from the house, it’s not obvious. Theydidn’t touch the jewelry or electronics. Or even these.” She swept a hand in front of the bookcase before burying it in her pocket again. “I have several that are hard to find and worth something if they went to the trouble of listing them on eBay.”

“I don’t know why someone broke into your place. I suspect they went out the front door, and that’s why it wasn’t closed all the way. I suppose it’s possible that they were going to leave that way when you pulled into the driveway, forcing them to go back out the window. Maybe they didn’t have a chance to go through your house or steal anything before you returned?”

It was a good theory. Once the forensics team arrived, Clint had every intention of knocking on the doors of the homes across the street to see if they’d noticed anything. With any luck, someone would have a doorbell camera pointed this way.

“Yeah. Maybe.” She shivered. Her lips parted as though she were going to ask a question, but a moment later, she pressed them together again.

Clint turned to face her. “What is it?”

She continued to hesitate, and a pink flush filled her cheeks. “I know I’ve watched way too many true crime documentaries, but what if someone broke in here just to set up a camera or microphone? Is there a way to search for something like that? I’d rather seem neurotic than find out later that some perv was watching me.”

“That’s not neurotic. That’s smart. And forensics should have a device we can use to sweep for bugs. If there’s anything transmitting a signal, we’ll find it.”

Her shoulders dropped noticeably with relief. “Thank you.”

Clint had responded to plenty of break-ins andburglaries in the past, and none of them looked like this. Usually, the motives were immediately apparent. That wasn’t the case here.

Frustrated, he prayed they’d be able to give Leslie some answers soon.

Chapter Seven

Leslie waited at her kitchen table as officers dusted for fingerprints and did a thorough sweep of her house. Clint waited with her most of the time. Much to her relief, no cameras or listening devices were discovered.

Once the officers had finished gathering evidence and cleared the scene, Clint helped her board up the window until she could have it replaced the next day.

“Could you go and stay with your sister tonight?” Clint glanced at the watch on his wrist.

Leslie checked the time, too. It was well after ten o’clock. “No, I don’t want to bother her. My niece has been sick, plus my brother-in-law should’ve gotten home this evening after being out of town for the last six days. They don’t need my drama thrown into the mix.”

Besides, as much as she loved her sister, she was afraid they might kill each other if they were forced to stay in the same house for more than a few hours.

“I just hate the idea of you staying here by yourself aftereverything that’s happened.” There was no pity in his eyes, only worry and sincerity.

His concern sent tendrils of warmth straight to her heart. She wasn’t used to this. Usually, it was she who was worried about and taking care of everyone else. Or at least it seemed that way. To have someone worried aboutherand wanting to make sure she was taken care of meant a lot.

“I appreciate that, but this house is probably the safest place I could be now. You guys checked every nook and cranny. I’m not going to lie. I even peeked under the beds while you were still here just to be sure.” She chuckled at the silliness of it. Still, if she hadn’t, she might have worried later when it was just her in the house. “I’ll be fine. I’m going to eat a slice of chocolate cream pie that I pilfered from the fire station, batten down the hatches, and try to get some rest. There’s no way they’re coming back to the same house. Not so soon after an attempted robbery.” Or whatever this was.

She thought Clint might argue. Instead, he gave her an exaggerated look of confusion. “Chocolate cream pie? Oh, my grandmother had an amazing recipe for that. She passed away when I was a teen. I think my mom may still have the recipe somewhere.”

“I’m sorry to hear about your grandmother. That’s neat that she used to bake for you. Would you like a slice? I have two.”

“Please don’t feel obligated to share your stolen pie.”

Now on a mission, she laughed as she hopped up and retrieved the two slices from the fridge along with plates and forks. “I don’t mind. I almost felt bad taking two slices, so you’ll be alleviating my guilt, anyway.” She tossed an amused smile his way.

“Well, I certainly wouldn’t want to deprive you of that.”He accepted a piece of pie with a nod of thanks and picked up his fork. He waited for her to sit down before taking a bite. “Okay, that’s amazing.”

“Right?” Leslie savored the way the mix of sweet and slightly tangy flavors melted on her tongue. Man, she’d needed this. “The guys at the station will tell you I’m obsessed with chocolate.” She got up again and took out a can from her fridge. “Especially when you add some whipped cream on top.”

When she’d finished adding some to the top of her pie, he reached for the bottle and did the same.

This time, when Leslie took her second bite, she groaned. “Now that’s what I’m talking about.” She caught him watching her in amusement and felt her cheeks warm. “No making fun of me and my addiction.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it. Especially when you’ve been kind enough to share.” He was still chuckling when he took another generous bite. “I might have to take a pie the next time I have dinner with my parents. Where did this come from?”

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