He wrapped a hand around the back of her neck, tilting her head and angling her mouth for a deeper invasion. She wound her arms around his neck. His free hand slid around her body and splayed at the base of her spine. He urged her hips closer. There. Right there.
"Grant." She moved her mouth an inch away from his.
"Mm." There was nothing more he"d like to do than strip Ellie naked and make love to her. And even though he knew there was no way that was going to happen at this moment-he didn"t have a condom, there were too many children and other family members in the house, and they were in the middle of searching for a key piece of evidence-he wasn"t ready to let her go yet. Holding her, kissing her, thinking about making love to her, eased his loneliness. She gave him hope.
She squirmed. "We can"t . . ."
"I know," he whispered against her cheek. "Just give me another minute. Please."
He wanted an hour or ten. h.e.l.l, since he was fantasizing, he might as well wish for a whole day of Ellie without distractions.
But that was not to be.
Reluctantly, he pressed a kiss to her temple and eased away from her body. "Thank you."
Her mouth tilted in a sad smile.
"Were you close to Lee and Kate?" he asked, getting back to business.
"I worked with Lee for years, but since I moved next door, Kate became a good friend. We had a lot in common. They were new to the neighborhood, too. They"d just moved into this house a few months before me."
"I don"t know much about Kate." Grant sighed. "I spent two weeks of my leave with them each year, but I feel like I didn"t know her as well as I should have."
"You can hardly help being sent to Afghanistan."
But he could have visited more when he was stateside. He"d been so focused on his career that he"d neglected his family.
"Kate was quiet." Ellie turned away from him and walked to a small octagonal window. "She and Lee were proud of you."
He shoved his thumbs into the front pockets of his jeans. "I still wish I"d been here more."
She nodded in understanding. "I"m sorry you can"t change that, but being here for Carson and Faith is what"s important now."
And that was only temporary.
"I guess. I really don"t know where else to look." He scanned the attic. A row of storage containers was lined up under the eave. "We"ll check these boxes, then start on the guest rooms."
The boxes were full of clothes Carson had outgrown. Had they been saving them for a future little boy? Grant closed the lid before the sadness enveloped him. There was no point speculating. He moved containers and lifted insulation but found no secret hiding places.
They moved downstairs to the guest rooms and did the same checking of floorboards and s.p.a.ces behind and under heavy furniture. They had no more luck on the first floor.
Two hours later, Ellie emerged from the laundry room. "Did you find anything?"
"Nothing." Grant righted the sofa. They"d torn apart every cabinet and closet in the house. All that was left was the detached garage, and he doubted the file was under the lawn mower or in Lee"s workbench.
She brushed a cobweb from her hair. "What next?"
"I don"t know. I"m out of ideas."
Her eyes went round. "What am I going to do if I can"t find the file?"
Grant stood and crossed the room. He took her by the arms. "You"re not alone."
"He"s going to hurt my family." Her horrified whisper rent his soul in two.
"I won"t let him." But what would happen if he had to leave and the threat hadn"t been eliminated? "We have to figure out what Lee discovered the hard way. Lindsay Hamilton skated at the same rink as Julia. Do you know her parents?"
Ellie dropped onto the sofa. "No. I"ve never met them. Lindsay was older. Plus, Julia isn"t a serious skater. She only goes to her lesson and one team practice a week. Once in a while, Kate would talk her into practicing in a free skate, but Julia hated it. The advanced skaters are aggressive on the ice."
"Aggressive?" Sitting next to her, he thought of the combative hockey players.
"They act like they own the rink. They"d skate in her path or spin close enough to make her uncomfortable." Ellie rubbed her hands together, pushing at the skin until it reddened. "Julia likes skating, but it"s a hobby, not a pa.s.sion. She certainly doesn"t love it enough to put up with the ha.s.sle."
"Do you know Regan and Autumn"s parents?"
"I know who they are, but I"ve only spoken to them a couple of times."
Grant reached over and put his hand on Ellie"s to still them. He wanted to fix everything for her. Frustration stirred in his chest, along with the desire to pull her onto his lap. "So maybe those skaters really are bullies?"
"The only thing I know for sure is that they hog the ice." Her eyes met his, and the fear in them stirred his anger. "I feel so helpless. What do I do?"
"Do you have the Hamiltons" phone number?"
"I do. I had to change one of Lee"s appointments with them. Let me sign in to my e-mail account." She pulled her hands out from under his grip. He missed holding the contact immediately.
They went into the office. She sat down in front of Hannah"s laptop on the desk. "Here it is."
Leaning over her shoulder, Grant inhaled the flowery scent of her hair and resisted the urge to wrap his arms around her. "Call them and see if they"d be willing to meet with us."
"OK." Ellie dialed the number. A minute later, she covered the receiver with a hand. "Voice mail." She left a message and hung up.
"Do you think they"ll call back?"
She thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yes. Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton have shown no signs of giving up on their daughter"s case. They"re going to a.s.sume I"m calling them as a firm representative. Roger has been avoiding them since Lee died."
"Why?"
"He doesn"t want to deal with it, and without whatever evidence Lee discovered, the case won"t go anywhere."
Grant scratched his chin. Beard scruff rasped under his fingers. "Who has the biggest stake in this case?"
"Regan and Autumn." Ellie brushed hair off her face. "Regan"s dad, Corey, is a computer guy, which explains how his daughter would know to buy and use burner phones."
"I"d think most kids would be able to figure that out with a basic Google search. But Lindsay"s phone was wiped out with a cell phone virus. That seems like more specific knowledge. Do you think Corey would have helped his daughter eliminate her cybertrail?"
"I"d hope not." Ellie frowned. "He"s kind of an a.s.s, but helping his daughter torment another teen seems extreme. But I suppose it"s possible."
"What does Josh Winslow do for a living?"
"He used to be an administrator for the juvenile justice system. But he stepped down. The media coverage of the bullying case was brutal."
"I thought the media isn"t allowed to name minors?"
Ellie sighed. "This is suburbia. Everyone knows who they are."
"So everyone believed Lindsay?"
"No, but there was speculation that the girls were getting special consideration because Josh was a civil employee."
"Is that wrong or right?" he asked. "His daughter wasn"t charged with anything. I don"t know whether to feel bad for him or not."
"I know what you mean. I thought I had a good handle on Julia, but considering she sneaked out in the middle of the night, obviously I was wrong. I don"t know what to think of Josh. At least his wife is a surgeon, so financially, they"re going to be all right."
Ellie had given him a lot to mull over: information on the case and a smoking hot kiss that rocked him to his soul. He hoped the Hamiltons would be able to shed more light on the case. He was on his own with the kiss and his needy soul.
The doorbell rang. Barking erupted in the hallway.
Grant walked to the window. "It"s the police."
Chapter Twenty-Five.
AnnaBelle went ballistic, barking and circling in the foyer of the Barretts" house. Ellie followed Grant to the door. He opened it. "Please come in."
Detective McNamara wiped his feet on the doormat and stepped inside. Hannah joined them. She quieted the dog with a hand on the retriever"s head.
"We have some pictures to show the kids." McNamara lifted an eight-by-ten envelope in his hand.
The cop zeroed in on their handguns. "Do you have permits for those?"
Hannah crossed her arms, her eyes hardening. "Yes. Do you need to see them?"
"Not right now." McNamara gave her a tight head shake. He obviously didn"t approve. "Can you shoot it?"
"Yes." Her mouth pursed. Mutual irritation pa.s.sed between them.
Grant cleared his throat. "What can we do for you, Detective?"
McNamara shook the envelope. "As I said before, I have some pictures we"d like to show to Julia and Carson. Are they still awake?"
"I think so. I"ll get them." Ellie jogged up the stairs. Julia"s voice carried from the open doorway of Carson"s bedroom. Ellie peered in. Julia and Carson snuggled on the bed in their pajamas, relaxed. A copy of a Henry and Mudge chapter book lay open between them. Julia read a page, then tilted the book toward Carson. The words were slower, but he read well.
Sadness filled Ellie as she interrupted the peaceful scene. "Would you two come downstairs for a minute? Detective McNamara wants you to look at some pictures."
Carson"s eyes went from relaxed to scared in a blink. Julia frowned and gave his shoulder a squeeze. She took him by the hand and led him down the hall.
Downstairs, the cop and Grant were sitting at the kitchen table. Mac, who"d finally returned Grant"s call and agreed to move in for a few days, walked by with a fussing Faith on one shoulder. On the other side of the kitchen, Hannah leaned backward against the cabinets. A coffee mug steamed in her hand. No relaxing for Grant"s sister. She caffeinated 24/7.
McNamara rubbed his face with both hands. Bags under his eyes attested to the hours he must be putting into the case.
"Can I get you some coffee?" Hannah offered.
"Please," the detective said.
Hannah poured a mug. The detective waved off cream and sugar. He drank while Carson and Julia shuffled into the room.
"Hi, kids. Do you think you"re up to looking at a few photos for me?" McNamara opened the envelope. "We"ll do this one at a time, OK? Julia, would you wait in the hall?"
She nodded.
Carson pulled his hand out of Julia"s and hurried to Grant to climb on his lap. Grant folded his arms around the child and brushed blond bangs off his forehead. Ellie took her daughter"s hand and led her to the hallway. It had been a long time since Julia had allowed her mother to hold her hand, but tonight, she curled her fingers and hung on.
"Now that I"ve recovered from the sheer terror, I want to tell you how proud I am of the way you handled the situation today," Ellie said.
"Proud enough to lift my sentence?" Julia"s attempt at humor told Ellie her daughter was all right.
"Not a chance." She squeezed her daughter"s fingers.
"It was worth a try." Julia shrugged.
"But maybe I haven"t given you enough credit."
They heard papers shuffling, then Carson"s small voice. "This is him."
"All right," McNamara said. "Julia, your turn."
Grant stood with Carson in his arms and walked out of the room. Ellie and Julia took their places at the table. McNamara spread six head shots across the table. The photos were all of young, rough-looking Caucasian men in their early twenties. None had tattoos.
Julia scanned the photos. Her eyes moving back and forth. She pointed to the third picture. "I think this is him."
"Think?" the cop asked.
Julia"s face scrunched. "The closest he got to me was about thirty feet, and it was only for a few seconds before he ran away. I wasn"t even close enough to see the tattoos Carson was talking about. And I was pretty scared."
Ellie wrapped an arm around her daughter"s shoulders. She was simultaneously proud and terrified that Julia had defended the children at her own risk.
McNamara called Grant and Carson back into the room. Carson was perched in Grant"s arms. His little blond head tilted to rest against his uncle"s broad shoulder.
"Can the kids go?" Grant asked.
"Yes." McNamara nodded. "Thanks, both of you."
Julia took Carson from Grant. Ellie"s stomach clenched. No doubt both kids would have nightmares tonight. At least she and Julia were sharing a room. Ellie would be there if Julia needed her.