Page 6 of Dad's Cop Buddy

“What can we do for you? We haven’t had any reports that warranted a police presence today,” one of the officers asks.

“I’m here about a report that was made by a student last night. It’s something that happened off campus, but I believe that one of your officers might have some information for me.”

“Alright, who are you looking for?”

“Timothy Sanders,” I look down at my notepad and pretend I read it there.

“Timothy Sanders got fired. He no longer works here.”

“Fired? For what?”

“He didn’t show up for three shifts in a row. We were told that if he does show up, we should take his badge and gear from him.”

“How long has it been since you’ve seen him?”

“I don’t know. Three or four days I guess.”

“Alright, well, do you have a home address for him?”

“Sure, one minute. I’ll get it from his file.” The rent-a-cop wanders through a door behind the desk, and I wait for him to return. He hands me a slip of paper with an address on it, and I turn to leave for Sanders’ place. Halfway to the door, I stop and ask one final question, “Did you guys ever follow up on the complaint that Kendal Lawson filed against him?”

“Follow up? Not exactly. The complaint was brought to his attention, and he was warned not to follow or harass her or any other student.”

Sanders’ place is close to campus, but there are no cars in the driveway when I arrive. I knock on the door, and when no one answers, I move to the window and peer inside. It doesn’t look like anyone has been here in a long time.

I suspect Sanders has found himself another base of operation. He probably figured that his days would be numbered on campus once he was made aware of Kendal’s complaint about him. If he’s obsessed enough to quit his job and leave his home, he’s likely to do something stupid.

This isn’t going to be the walk in the park that I was expecting, but I can’t let Kendal know. She doesn’t need the added stress of knowing that her stalker is off the grid. I’ll just need to keep a close eye on her without letting on that this man might really be dangerous.

Besides, I’ll do everything I can to protect her. I’ll make him regret making her a target.

4

DINNER WITH THE CHIEF

KENDAL

Nervous energy courses through my veins as I toss outfit after outfit onto my bed. I can’t remember ever being this nervous about a dinner date, and each time I look in the mirror, I find something wrong. One outfit is too revealing, another is too immature, and the next is too boring.

I mean, let’s be honest, that kiss was an undeniable sign that Kent Kendrickson is interested in more than just official business. I don’t want to look too eager, but I want him to find me attractive just the same. What a mess. I don’t have any experience with this kind of thing. For the first time in years, I wish my mother was here to help me avoid making a fool of myself.

He pulls into the driveway, and I watch through the window as he exits his SUV. He’s wearing a tight pair of jeans, a blue button-down shirt, and an old pair of leather boots. To me, he looks like a cowboy who stepped off the cover of a romance novel. He told me he’s single, but I don’t know how that’s possible. I bet there are women committing crimes just so they can wear his handcuffs. Why in the world do I think that I have a chance here? He’s way out of my league.

I jump away from the window and push the curtains back before he reaches the porch and catches me spying. He knocks on the door, and I pause to take one final look in the mirror before answering.

“You look lovely,” he says, looking me up and down.

“Thank you. I wasn’t sure what to wear. You didn’t say where we were going. This is okay?”

“It’s better than okay. You’re perfect,” he smiles and the butterflies in my stomach start to flutter.

“Have you been to Lolita’s?” he asks me.

Lolita’s is a quaint Italian place about twenty minutes from here.

“I’m very familiar, but I haven’t been there since I was a kid. My mother loved it. She insisted that we stop there on our way back to town from the cabin.”

“If you’d rather go somewhere else, that’s fine. I mean, I don’t want you to get upset by the nostalgia.”

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