Finding Peace (Love's Compass #1) (2 page)

Hands shaking, she reached for the light switch. Feeling the plastic with the tip of a finger, she pushed it upward. The light that illuminated her studio made her eyes burn and she blinked as she stepped inside.

Swallowing hard, her gaze flickered from the desk against one wall to the stands supporting her backdrops.

A man stepped away from one of the shadows in the back corner of the room.

Laurie screamed.

Recoiling, Laurie’s arm bumped into a framed photograph hanging on the wall. It fell to the floor, glass shattering upon impact, as her heart thundered in her chest.

The man wore dark clothing. A ski mask hid everything but his eyes. He tightened his grip on the camera bag he was holding and grabbed a second one. There was no mistaking the intensity in his eyes. She shuddered.

He charged at her.

She instinctively grasped a heavy vase. Retreating through the open door, she launched it towards her pursuer.

Come on. It had to hit him before he could reach her!

Her heart plummeted as the intruder used his arm to deflect the vase. It exploded into tiny pieces around her as he burst outside, shoving her to the ground with a fist. She tumbled to the concrete. A sharp pain took her breath when her left ankle landed on the edge of the curb. Slivers of glass embedded themselves in her palms.

The man disappeared down the street and his footsteps echoed off the walls of the brick buildings as they faded.

Laurie pushed herself up off the sidewalk and attempted to stand. She heard someone approaching behind her. Whirling to face a potential threat, her left ankle buckled. She saw the face of Daisy Belle and sagged against the building wall as relief flooded her body.

“Laurie! Goodness, girl, what happened? Are you okay?”

Daisy’s voice wrapped around her like a blanket. The older woman’s arms steadied her as she helped her stand.

Laurie took in gulps of air and worked to slow the pounding of her heart. “I’ll be fine. I was robbed, Daisy. We have to call the police.”

“I was just locking up when I heard glass breaking. You come over to my place and we’ll call from there. We don’t want to disturb the crime scene. I’ve watched enough cop shows to know they hate that.” She helped Laurie hobble down the sidewalk. They paused so that she could unlock the glass door. “Come on in, now.”

Laurie allowed her neighbor to help her inside and lock the door again behind them. The scents of soap, lemon, and aged wood danced in the air. She collapsed into a chair and listened to Daisy talk to the police on the phone. The words seemed to float by like smoke and she only registered every other one.

Her ankle was throbbing and her shoe was already feeling tight. Scrapes on her palms stung as blood seeped from the wounds. She flexed her fingers with a groan.

The realization that the whole confrontation could have been much worse hit her with a force that had her heart racing again.

Praise God! She didn’t even want to think about what would have happened if the guy had had a gun. It was one of the many reminders lately that He was working in her life and Laurie was incredibly grateful for that. Heaven knew she needed the help.

Daisy shuffled her way back to the table and sat down in a chair across from her. “I talked to a dispatcher who said a detective will be here shortly. I can’t believe it – a break-in on this street. What is our town coming to?” She shook her head, pushed away from the table, and stood again. “Coffee. That’s what we need. Some strong coffee.”

Laurie didn’t particularly care for coffee. But after tonight, she wasn’t going to turn it down.

~

Kentucky drank the last of his Coke and tossed the can into the trash. He had traded shifts for the day with Jeff so the guy could take his girlfriend out for their anniversary.

It was half past nine in the evening and already he was yawning. It had been an unusually slow day. 

Yeah, the caffeine in that last Coke wasn’t going to go far enough. He may have to get a cup of the sludge they called coffee in the kitchen.

He wondered what Laurie Blake was doing.

Where had that come from?

He thought about how surprised she’d been when he’d offered to help seal off the window the night before. Did so few people offer her any kind of help? Or was she just stunned to get any from him in particular?

With his Grams, mom, and two sisters living in the area, plus his job, he was around his fair share of women. He didn’t think he’d ever met one who talked as little as Laurie had.

And it fascinated him.

He was having a hard time getting his mind off those bright green eyes.

His partner, Lance Davenport, strode up and perched his hip on the edge of the desk. He had agreed to work the late shift with Kentucky, but was much more of a night owl. Of course, the fact that he was sipping his third cup of tar might have something to do with it.

The two men had been friends since they were kids. They used to spend hours playing cops and robbers or cowboys and Indians. Had they known then that they would both be police officers and partners to boot – they would have laughed. Truthfully, Kentucky considered Lance to be a brother just as much as he did a friend.

“Do you know what I realized this morning, Tuck?”

“What’s that?”

“We haven’t played ball in ages. We should talk to the boss about having a net put up in the back or something.”

“I hadn’t thought about it, but that’s a great idea.”

They used to play basketball all the time. Even Kentucky’s older sister, Lexi, joined them in some of the neighborhood pick-up games. Being able to go out and shoot some hoops on break would be a great stress reducer.

Lance tossed back the last of his coffee and stood. “I’m going to go get a refill. I’ll be right back.”

Kentucky gave him a wave and shook his head. Thinking back, he could barely remember a time before his friend started drinking coffee strong enough to wake the dead.

He’d only just turned his attention to paperwork sitting on his desk when Lance came back.

“We have a 459 on the east side.”

Kentucky stood quickly, pulled his coat on, and followed his partner outside. He folded himself into the passenger seat of the police car they shared. His fellow officers liked to jab him about being taller than anyone else at the station. They claimed it was like watching a giant fit into a clown car. He tossed his partner a look. “What have we got?”

Lance looked over his shoulder at the road behind him and pulled away from the police station. “It happened at Capturing the Moment. The photographer walked in on the perp and he took off. The owner of Daisy Belle’s Diner called it in and they are safe at her establishment.” 

Kentucky blinked in surprise. What were the odds he would get called out two nights in a row to the same place? They got their fair share of burglaries in the north Texas town of Kitner, but it had been relatively quiet the last couple of weeks. Not to mention a photography studio was an unusual target for thieves.

He thought of the pretty woman from the night before and tensed. Laurie was certainly experiencing more than her fair share of bad luck.

Between Lance’s expert driving and the light traffic on the roads, they made it to State Street quickly. They parked in front of the photography studio.

Kentucky got out of the car and rested his hand on the Glock 9mm fastened securely at his hip. His eyes adjusted to the night as they followed the sidewalk in either direction. Nothing moved and he allowed his hand to drop to his side. “Let’s talk to the owner and find out which direction the perp might have gone.”

They headed towards the diner. Light poured through the glass door and spilled onto the otherwise dark sidewalk.

They waited for the door to be unlocked. The moment Kentucky stepped inside, a short, pudgy woman grasped his arm and pulled him along beside her. “Thank goodness you’re here. I was about to call an ambulance. That man pushed her down like she was nothing. What is wrong with people these days? No respect for anyone else. It’s a shame – a real shame.”

Kentucky approached Laurie who sat on a wooden chair. As he approached, she looked up at him, recognition flashing in her eyes.

His gaze moved to her foot. She had removed her shoe, and her ankle was visibly swollen. “Lance, go ahead and call for an ambulance. Tell them we have an injured ankle and possible concussion.”

“Don’t.” Her voice brought both of the men to a stop.

“You need to see a doctor,” Lance said.

“I can’t afford an ambulance. I can drive myself.”

Kentucky wasn’t about to let her do that, no matter how much she insisted. He motioned for Lance to go check out the studio. His partner lifted an eyebrow but complied without argument.

Footsteps retreated behind him and Kentucky drew a chair up beside Laurie’s.

She moved her foot and gasped, setting it gingerly back down on the floor. “Do you ever go home, Officer Chandler?”

He studied her for a moment. She squared her shoulders and moved to sit up straighter under his scrutiny. It was clear she was in pain.

“I’m really not big on formalities. My name is Kentucky. You can call me Tuck.” He smiled, trying to put her at ease.

Laurie raised an eyebrow. “That’s an unusual name.”

His ears grew hot, though he wasn’t completely sure why. “Yes, it is. It’s nice to see you again, Laurie, though I’m sorry it’s under such stressful circumstances.” He would feel better if she were crying or raging about the burglary. He was worried the lack of emotion meant she was in shock. “Did you get a good look at the burglar? Did you see which way he went?”

She shook her head. “I wish I had. He wore dark clothes and a ski mask. His eyes were brown. He took off running towards Rochester Street.” She licked her lips. She kept staring at her hands, which were clasped in her lap, the knuckles white.

“We’re going to do our best to find the person who did this. But first, we need to get you to the hospital so they can take a look at your ankle. If you have no objections, I’ll take you there myself. I can get your statement and make sure everything is okay.”

He took Laurie’s small nod as affirmation and stood. “I’ll be back in a few minutes. Hang in there.” He rested a hand on her shoulder and the energy he felt at the touch made him pause. He tried to shake the thought and headed outside to find Lance to share what little information he had gained.

~

Laurie sat at the table, waiting for the police officers to return. Her hands ached. She noticed, for the first time, that the blood from her palms had been smeared along the edge of the chair. A closer inspection showed that she had also spread it along the front of her shirt and jacket. “I’m sorry about the mess, Daisy.”

The older woman stepped forward to pat her shoulder. “Now, don’t you worry about a thing. A little cleaner, some paper towels, and you won’t know it was there. You worry about getting your ankle fixed up.”

Not for the first time, Laurie compared Daisy to Aunt Bea from one of the old shows she used to watch as a kid.

She watched as Tuck walked back into the diner, barely able to come through the door without ducking his head. Seeing him eased the tension in her stomach.

He observed her, as though he were trying to decide exactly what he was going to do with her. “Did you hit your head at all when you fell?”

She lifted her hands, palms out. “No. Just some scrapes.”

“Can you walk out to the car?”

“Walk? No. Stumble like a drunk? Absolutely.”

Tuck laughed. The sound should have annoyed her, but she found herself wanting to smile in return. She would have, too, if she hadn’t been in pain and dreaded having to move.

“Let me rephrase that. Can I help you walk to the car?”

She held an arm out. Tuck quickly reached out to grasp it while Daisy took the other. Together, they helped her stand and gain some semblance of balance.

With their assistance, Laurie hobbled outside, the icy air stinging her lungs.

Lance joined them and Tuck turned to speak to Daisy. “Officer Davenport will take a full report from you and he is going to check out the area. I would appreciate it if you could cooperate with him. We want to do everything we can to catch the man who did this.”

“Of course, of course.” She gently laid an arm across Laurie’s shoulders. “Now you call me if you need anything.”

“Thank you, Daisy.”

Laurie cringed as Tuck helped her into the back seat of the police car. He apologized for her having to ride there, but said it was station policy. Truthfully, she didn’t really care. She just wanted to get off her feet. If her ankle wasn’t broken, it might be by the time they got to the hospital.

Lance shook his partner’s hand. “I’ll make sure your truck gets to you in an hour or so.”

“I appreciate it.” Tuck tossed his keys to him. “Keep in touch.”

Laurie sat quietly as he got into the car and pulled it away from the curb. She shifted uncomfortably on the hard bench-like seat. She caught his eyes looking at her in the rearview mirror.

“Are you okay back there?”

“Yeah. Thanks for taking me.”

“You’re welcome. I’ll wait with you while they check your ankle and make sure you’re okay. I would like to get your complete statement tonight, if you’re up to it. Then, as soon as you’re released, I’ll drive you back to your studio. You can take a look around and let me know exactly what has been broken or stolen.”