Read In the Dead of Night for Free Online

and shook his hand. “Word travels fast.”

    “Small town.” He smiled. “You’re…a relative?”

    “They were my parents.”

    “Oh.” B.J. nodded. “I’m the one who took the prowler call last night. Sorry ’bout that. Hope it didn’t scare you too much.”

    “It’s okay.” Sara glanced at Nick. “The power was out and Chief Tyson let me borrow his lantern.”

    Nick almost smiled. B.J. hung on to every word like a pup waiting for a treat. At twenty-four, he was Nick’s youngest officer and obviously enamored by Sara.

    “Let me grab a towel for you.” Rising, B.J. disappeared into a back room and returned with two fluffy towels. He tossed one to Nick, and handed the other to Sara.

    “Thank you.”

    Taking the towel, Nick wiped the rain from his face and crossed to the coffee station, pouring two cups.

    “That’s fresh-brewed, Chief. Made it just a few minutes ago.”

    Nick handed one of the cups to Sara and lowered his voice. “Be careful, his coffee is lethal.”

    For the first time, she smiled. Nick would have smiled back, but noticed the small abrasion on her cheekbone and grimaced instead. He couldn’t believe his mother had struck her. But he knew she’d never recovered from what had happened that night twenty years ago. He supposed they all bore scars. But to hold a misplaced grudge against Sara for something her father did was unconscionable. He was going to have to talk to his mother about it.

    “We can talk in my office.” He motioned toward the wood-paneled door at the rear of the room.

    Sara headed toward Nick’s office. Nick glanced back at B.J. who was doing his best not to ogle her. His deputy raised his brows up and down like Groucho Marx and gave him a thumbs-up.

    “Cut it out,” Nick murmured.

    Walking inside, he closed the door behind them and settled behind his desk, all too aware of the faint scent of perfume on her wet skin.

    Sara took the visitor’s chair across from him and sipped her coffee. She’d toweled her hair, leaving it tousled and curling around her face, like wet brown silk against fine porcelain. Her brows were thin and dark and arched above big, gypsy eyes. But it was her mouth that arrested his attention and held it. Full lips the color of mulberries arched like a pretty bow. Twenty years ago he’d kissed that mouth. Even as a twelve-year-old kid, it had made one hell of an impression on him. As a man, he knew one kiss would never be enough….

    “I didn’t realize your mother would still harbor such intense ill feelings toward me over…what happened.”

    Realizing he was staring, Nick picked up his cup of coffee. “I wanted to apologize for what she did.” Taking in the mark on her cheek, he grimaced. “That was inexcusable.”

    “Thank you.” She lifted a hand as if to touch the small bruise, but let her hand drop to her lap instead.

    “If you want to press charges…”

    “I think everyone involved has already been hurt enough.”

    “Just don’t think that because she’s my mother I won’t do my job.”

    “Thank you for saying that.”

    Leaning over, Nick dumped his remaining coffee into the ficus tree’s pot. When he set the cup back on his desk, he noticed Sara watching him. “Tree doesn’t seem to mind.”

    “I wasn’t going to ask.”

    He smiled. “Just don’t tell B.J.”

    She didn’t smile back, but amusement glinted in her eyes.

    For an instant, the only sound came from the rain hitting the glass. Nick took that moment to ask the question that had been gnawing at him since the moment he’d seen the rental car parked outside his mother’s shop. “Was your visit to my mother part of the family business you’re taking care of while you’re here?”

    “One of the reasons.” She sipped coffee.

    Nick’s cop’s instinct had been telling him all along there was more to her appearance in Cape Darkwood than she was letting on. “So what’s the other reason?”

    “I want you to reopen the