Page 52 of Bachelor Cop Finally Caught? (Hot off the Press! 2)

The curtain was abruptly closed again.

“Just let me go knock on the door,” she said to Billy, haunted by the desperate expression on the boy’s face. “If Dan won’t let me in, I’ll stay out of the way.”

“I’m sorry, Lindsey, but Dan directly instructed me to keep you away from the house. You know how mad he can get if his orders aren’t obeyed.”

She gritted her teeth. “You know how mad I can get when someone interferes with me getting my story.”

He seemed to pale a little, but he held his ground. “Given a choice of having you mad at me or Dan, I’ll take you.”

Secretly she understood, of course. Dan’s temper—quiet and icy in contrast to her own somewhat more volatile outbursts—was something to be avoided whenever possible all right. But she needed very badly to know he was all right. To help keep him safe, if possible—even though she knew he wouldn’t appreciate her worrying about him this way. “I’ll tell him I didn’t give you a choice. Just let me—”

The front door to the house opened and Opal Stamps stepped out onto the porch. Wearing a shabby flannel bathrobe, she wrung her hands, looking drawn and anxious. “Lindsey? You out here?”

Dan followed Opal out, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Mrs. Stamps—”

The woman shrugged him away as Lindsey stepped forward. “My boy wants to talk to you,” Opal said to Lindsey.

Lindsey took another step toward the house. “He wants to talk to me?”

“Lindsey, this is not a good idea,” Dan said. “Eddie’s distraught. Irrational. I’ve called for a professional negotiator. A psychiatrist. He’ll be here in another half hour or so.”

“Eddie ain’t going to be alive in a half hour!” Opal whirled to face Dan. “He said if we don’t let him talk to Lindsey, he’ll pull that trigger. He’s upset enough to do it.”

Stepping onto the porch, Lindsey placed a hand on the woman’s arm. “I’ll talk to him, Mrs. Stamps. But I’m not sure what I can do to help.”

“Nothing.” Dan shook his head stubbornly. “There’s not a thing you can do. The kid’s got a gun, and he’s on the verge of a breakdown. His mother and I have both tried to talk to him, but he isn’t listening to reason. If you slip up and say the wrong thing, he’s liable to go over the edge. I’m not willing to risk that.”

“He just wants to talk to you, Lindsey.” Opal’s tone and her expression were pleading. “He always liked you. He’ll listen to you.”

“I’m coming in.” Lindsey moved forward, pausing only when Cameron touched her arm.

“Be careful,” he said.

She nodded. “I will.”

Dan’s scowl was fierce. “Damn it, Lindsey, will you listen to reason?”

“We don’t have a choice, Dan,” she answered, gazing up at hi

m as she approached the doorway he was blocking with his body. “I couldn’t live with myself if Eddie kills himself because I turned down his request to talk. Could you?”

He sighed, and his expression told her that he knew it would be futile to argue with her any longer. “I’m going in with you.”

“If he’ll let you, that’s fine with me.”

Serena and Cameron followed them to the porch. “Tell him I’m here, Lindsey,” Serena urged. “Tell him I’m on his side, and I’ll help him, whatever he’s done.”

Lindsey nodded. “I’ll tell him.”

Drawing a deep breath, she moved closer to Dan, her eyes locked with his. Very reluctantly he moved aside to let her enter the house.

Chapter Twelve

The last time Dan had been this scared, a brick wall had just exploded all over Lindsey. He felt much the same way now as he stared at the closed door that separated him from Lindsey and a desperate teenager with a loaded .45.

Dan had done everything short of arresting her to keep her from going into that room, but she hadn’t listened to warnings or threats. When Eddie had tearfully begged her through the door to come in and listen to what he had to say, there was nothing short of physical violence that could have stopped her—and Dan had even threatened that.

“He won’t hurt her,” Opal assured him as he restlessly prowled the dingy living room. “My boy’s not dangerous. He’s just scared because some people are starting to say he had something to do with those fires.”

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