Page 19 of Amore
We got into my Mustang, and she directed me toward her house. “Tell me about the person who was following you. What did they look like?”
Frankie lifted a shoulder. “It was some guy in a baseball hat. He was following me while I walked my dog.”
“Skin color?”
“White, I think. He wasn’t super close but was definitely following us.”
“And you led him back to your house?” I questioned.
“No!” she shrieked. “I saw a neighbor, a fellow actor, and he walked with me to the neighborhood park. I called my assistant to pick me up, and she drove me home. I made sure no one was following us.”
“Does anyone know you left for coffee?”
“No.” She shook her head. “Well, Emily. I told her I was meeting a friend for coffee.”
“What about Nick Jennings?”
“I haven’t heard from him since he dropped me off earlier this morning.”
We pulled up to her house, and I couldn’t hear an alarm going off as I parked just outside her gate. “Is your alarm going off?”
She looked at her phone. “No, which is weird. I know I set it before I left.”
“All right. Stay here, and I’ll go check it out. If you see anyone come out, stay in the car but call the police.” I wasn’t certain the perp was still in the house. The alarm wasn’t going off, so it might have been a glitch, and sent a notification to her phone in error.
“Okay.” She nodded, handed me her house key, and then gave me the codes to her gate and house alarm.
I opened the car door, but before climbing out, I turned back to Frankie and asked, “What’s your dog’s name?”
She gave me a small smile. “Amore.”
I hesitated for a brief second. Growing up, we always played “That’s Amore” while cooking spaghetti with my parents, and I wondered if that was why she had chosen the name, but I didn’t have time to ask. If anything happened to her dog, it would shatter her. It would devastate anyone.
“All right. Stay here.”
She bobbed her head again, and I got out of the car, went to my trunk, and got a pair of gloves I kept with spare items I might need when off-duty. The academy instilled in us that even if we weren’t on shift, we were always on call.
When I had asked Frankie to meet for coffee, I’d had no idea I would end up looking for an intruder in her house. I’d also had no idea she’d tell me she had been in love with me when we were kids. And I sure as shit hadn’t been expecting to tell her I had been in love with her then. I wasn’t sure what I had expected other than answers aboutthatnight, which I’d gotten but hadn’t had time to process.
Putting the gloves on, I entered the code for the gate and moved closer, grabbing my gun in the process. Using the key for her front door, I went inside and disarmed the system. I noted the alarm had been on, but I still wanted to do a sweep of the house. No dog barked or came running to see who entered, which made my stomach drop. Finding a dead body while on a call was one thing, but seeing an animal that had no idea what was about to happen always tore at my heartstrings. I’d never entered an establishment and found a dead animal—never wanted to—and I sure as hell didn’t want to find Frankie’s dog injured or worse.
“LAPD. Make yourself known,” I called out. I didn’t see anyone in the open living room or kitchen, so I made my way, gun drawn, down the hall. I checked each room I passed and confirmed they were clear. When I got to what I assumed was the Frankie’s bedroom, I heard scratching coming from the closet.
“Police,” I said again. “Come out and show me your hands.”
“Woof!”
I sighed in relief at the dog’s bark and opened the door. A golden retriever raced out of the small room, not bothering to attack me. The closet was empty, and I turned to see a bouquet of red roses in the center of the king-sized bed. Nothing else looked out of place.
Backtracking, I did another sweep and found Amore waiting by the backdoor. He turned, wagging his tail, and gave me another bark. I checked the door to confirm that it was locked. Reaching down, I stroked the top of Amore’s head. “Hey, buddy. I’m friends with your mommy. Was someone in your house?”
“Woof!” he replied.
“I’m going to go get your mommy, okay?”
“Woof!”
Slipping through the backdoor, I checked the yard, seeing nothing to cause alarm, such as footprints, and then made my way around the side of the house to where Frankie was still waiting in my car.
