Im not sure if everythings okay, Clayton answered. I got a bad feeling about this.
And that sent Harlan from his desk and to the window, where he looked out, as well.
Clayton waited, watching the wipers on the truck slash away the rain from the windshield. Not a gentle April shower. More like a downpour. But it wasnt long before he heard the footsteps on the stairs. Not just ordinary footsteps, though.
Heels.
They really stood out in the building where all six of the marshals were male. There were female employees in the other parts of the building, but this time of day they rarely came to the second floor.
The woman stepped into the doorway of the squad room, her attention zooming right to Clayton.
Lenora.
Yeah, it was her, all right. She stood there, her damp shoulder-length brown hair clinging to the sides of her face. The water dripped from her raincoat and the umbrella she had clutched in her hand and splattered onto the floor.
Clayton, she said on a rise of breath.
Her gaze darted to Harlan, and she cleared her throat. Maybe because Harlan was just plain intimidating, with his linebacker-size body and hard lawmans eyes. Thankfully, Claytons foster brother went back to his desk in the corner and pretended not to notice they were in the room.
Marshal Caldwell, Lenora corrected herself.
That surprised him. Women hed had sex with didnt usually get so formal after the fact. Of course, Lenora and he had only been together for that one nightand at one of the worst times in her life, to bootbut still she had to remember it.
He certainly did.
Despite being all mussed and wet, Lenora was a darn attractive woman. And judging from her dark green eyes, a troubled one.
Thereve been no updates on the investigation, Clayton volunteered to test her reaction. Was that why shed asked to see him?
Clayton glanced at Harlan, who was glancing at them and no doubt wondering what the heck was going on.
So was Clayton.
Lenora had been cryptic when shed called the day before, saying only that she needed to catch up with him.
No updates, she repeated. Yes. And that was all she said for several seconds, before she cleared her throat again. Marshal Walker called a few weeks ago to say thered been no progress.
Marshal Walker, as in Dallas Walker, another of Claytons foster brothers. Dallas was indeed in charge of the investigation into the murder of Lenoras best friend. A murder thatd happened nearly two months ago.
The last time Clayton had seen Lenora.
And they hadnt exactly parted under good circumstances. In fact, Lenora had sneaked out of the hotel room while Clayton was in the shower, and shed left him a note saying itd been a big mistake for them to have sex.
Since that wasnt exactly a good memory, Clayton pushed it aside and hitched his thumb toward the window. Did someone in a black pickup follow you here?
Lenoras eyes widened, and she practically ran across the room to look out.
No truck.
Sorry, he mumbled. It was there a few seconds ago. Guess I was wrong about it. Funny, though, his LEO alarm was usually a hundred percent.
Lenora was breathing through her mouth now, and her eyes were still wide. Her gaze darted around the parking lot and street. You thought I was being followed?
Were you?
Maybe. Her bottom lip trembled. Id hoped it was my imagination. Im not sleeping well, and the nightmares are getting worse.
Yeah. He knew all about those nightmares. A woman, Jill Lang, was dead. Gunned down right in front of both of them. Shed been Lenoras best friend. And a witness in Claytons protective custody.
He didnt expect the nightmares to end anytime soon.
Clayton could practically feel Lenoras worry, and even though shed given him the brush-off two months ago, he reached out and touched her arm. Well, the sleeve of her wet raincoat, anyway. He hoped it was a sympathetic gesture without getting too close.
Jills killer was caught, Clayton reminded her. And even though the man had yet to go to trial, he would be convicted of murder. No doubt about that, since there was a mountain of evidence against him, including Claytons and Lenoras own eyewitness accounts.
But maybe this wasnt about Jills killer.
I know about the break-ins at your house in Eagle Pass, Clayton told her.
Lenora pulled her shoulders back, and she shook her head. How? Why?
Both good questions. He didnt exactly have good answers, though, and it sounded a little creepy to admit that hed kept tabs on her. But he had. Too bad Clayton didnt know exactly why hed done it. Hed had short-term relationships before that hed dismissed without a second thought.
So why hadnt he been able to do that with Lenora?
Because there was something that wasnt quite right about this. Something he couldnt put his finger on.
She pushed her hair from her face and glanced at Harlan again. Could we go somewhere private and talk? she asked Clayton.
Maybe Harlan was making her nervous. He had that effect on people. But from Claytons assessment, Lenora had been nervous before she even came into the room.