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“He is,” Reid answered. “But he retired about five years ago.”
“And your phone call had something to with him and what happened with his wife?”
“We’re refurbishing the north bridge—it’s being restored and the land around it will be turned into a park so the town’s namesake isn’t just some rundown relic. Anyway, a couple of weeks ago one of the guys working on it found an old duffel bag jammed into the rafters. It was stuffed with the belongings of one of the robbers and the empty moneybags from the bank. There were some stains on the outside of the duffel that looked like they might be blood.”
“Human blood,” Chloe repeated.
“There’s no way to tell that just by looking at it. Especially after all this time. I did the initial tests—”
“You did?”
“The wearing-of-many-hats in a small town. The police department keeps some of the chemicals needed to do the initial tests. The first thing that has to be determined is if it is human blood—if it proves to be animal blood they don’t bother the forensic lab in Billings and waste their time. I did the tests here and they appeared positive for human blood.”
“But that call sounded as if someone else was telling you that.”
“They were confirming it and expanding on it,” he qualified. “The call was from the forensic lab—I’ve been playing phone tag with the pathologist there since this morning and that was him returning my last message to his voice mail. I was right, the blood was human, but the forensic lab did more extensive tests and was able to come up with the blood type. Which has just told us that the blood isn’t Celeste Perry’s.”
“So it was from one of the men,” Chloe concluded.
“We have Celeste’s pre-1960 medical records to let us know if it matched hers. We don’t have anything on either of the men, but by process of elimination, since it’s definitely not Celeste’s blood, it’s certainly a possibility that it’s one of theirs. Luke and the rest of the cops here are going over the old investigation. Now that my tests have been confirmed, and the pathologist has found hair and tissue, too, there might need to be a search for a body.”
“Wow, big goings-on in Northbridge.”
“Yeah, everybody’s been talking about it,” Reid said.
“Don’t you need to let your brother or someone else on the police force know what you just found out?”
“Forensics is calling Luke with the formal report. The call to me was more courtesy because I went to med school with the pathologist,” Reid said just as the doorbell rang.
He pushed off the door, turned and opened it, greeting a teenager by name. Chloe didn’t recognize either the teenager or the name—a testament to how long she’d been away from Northbridge.
When Reid had paid for the pizza, he closed the door and finally joined her on the floor with the large box safely between them.
Paper plates, napkins and prewrapped packets of plastic cutlery had also been delivered and Reid divided them evenly before opening the box to reveal a pizza identical to what they’d shared numerous times in the past.
“It doesn’t look as if it’s changed,” Chloe commented, breathing deeply of the aroma of Paul’s special blend of spices and seasonings.
“You know Northbridge—not too much does.”
Reid served her a slice and then took one for himself, biting into its tip while Chloe used fork and knife. She pronounced it as good as ever after her first taste.
But with the renewed town scandal update exhausted and the subject of their dinner explored as far as it could be, an awkward silence fell. And since Reid had carried the conversation to that point, Chloe felt obligated to make her own contribution.
She just couldn’t think of what to say and settled on small talk that she knew he probably wasn’t interested in. But anything was better than the silence, so she glanced at the progress he’d made painting the room and said, “It looks like you got more done than I did today. I spent all afternoon arguing with the company I rented the car from.”
“They weren’t happy about the accident,” Reid guessed.
“That wasn’t the worst of it. I took out the insurance but they lost the paperwork and were trying to claim that I wasn’t covered. I had to go through channels to get them to acknowledge that I was, but even then they wanted me to pay to have the car towed back to Billings. I had to fight to get them to agree to do it themselves and then—for the third round—I had to force them to honor the clause in the contract that says they’ll send out a replacement.”
“Are they going to?”
“Reluctantly, since I’m ‘in the middle of nowhere’ as they said. But they won’t get one out here until the end of the week—Friday or Saturday. They insist that they can’t do it before then and nothing I said—or threatened—made any difference. They were big jerks.”
Something about her rant made Reid smile slightly and for no reason Chloe understood, the entire two hours of turmoil suddenly seemed worth it just to see that.
“I’ll be around all week so if you need to go anywhere that you don’t feel like walking to, I can take you.”
That offer was the second surprise of the evening and even though Chloe knew it probably wouldn’t be smart to take him up on it unless she had to, it pleased her to have it on the table.
“Thanks,” she said simply.
She turned down a second piece of pizza but Reid helped himself to another slice and said, “So. What do you do for a living?”
More safe, surface chat. But Chloe was grateful for it.
“You know the toy prizes in kids’ meals at fast-food restaurants? I design them.”
Another smile that sent a little warmth all through her.
“You’re kidding,” he said.
“Nope, I’m not kidding. Movie tie-ins. Spinning things. Wheelie things. Dolls. Action figures. Magic tricks. You name it, I’ve done it.”
“How did you get into that?”
“I kept up with the painting and drawing I’d always liked to do when I went to college. I thought I wanted to be a graphic artist. Designing a toy was an assignment in one of my classes and not only did I discover that I had a knack for it and enjoyed it, but the toy I designed—a robotic ladybug—ended up winning a couple of awards and being bought by a miniature toy company. Well, the company isn’t miniature, only the toys are. Anyway, they offered me a job on the spot. I turned it down because I wanted to finish school, but they were still interested when I did. I’ve been with them ever since.”
“Amazing.”
He did seem amazed. And impressed. Although Chloe didn’t know how impressive what she did was compared to what he did.
“How about you?” she countered. “You never said anything about wanting to be a doctor.”
“That came out in college. About the same time I was finding that I had an aptitude for the science classes I was also working for most of my tuition as a janitor at the hospital. Old Doc Seymour noticed that I was interested and encouraged me—actually he took me under his wing and taught me a lot before I even got into med school. He also put in a good word for me when it came time to apply and that didn’t do any harm in getting me in.”
“Where did you go?”
“Wayne State, in Detroit. I did my residency there, too. In the heart of the city. After that, coming back to Northbridge was a day in the park.”
“It can’t be too much of a day in the park if you’re the only doctor here,” she said, recalling his comment from that morning about needing a replacement to cover his vacation.
“It’s time consuming,” he admitted. “And tough getting enough sleep now and then. But I have it better than old Doc Seymour who did it before me because now there’s more supplementary staff—besides three nurses to Doc Seymour’s one, I have a nurse-practitioner and a physician’s assistant, too, which helps.”
“And what happened to old Doc Seymour?” Chloe asked but with some hesitancy, because talking about Northbridge’s former doctor took them closer to their past than she wanted to venture.
“He did what he always said he was going to do—he retired to his cabin out by the river and fishes a lot.”
“He doesn’t practice medicine anymore at all?”
“He comes into the hospital every Wednesday, walks around, pokes his nose in here and there, wants to know about any new gadget I’m using. But he’s eighty-six now, his eyesight isn’t great and if I’m seeing one of his former patients he likes to sit in. Sometimes even with lousy vision he still picks up on things I miss.”
“Do you like being a doctor?”
“Yeah, especially here. I get to do a little of everything and sort of take over the surrogate dad role old Doc Seymour played—even though I’m too young for it,” he added with a laugh.
Reid as a dad—surrogate or otherwise. Not a subject she wanted to get anywhere near.
As if he’d thought the same thing after making that comment, he glanced at his watch and said, “I should go.”
Chloe didn’t dispute it. But she did say, “No more pizza?” And she said it with a touch too much hopefulness in her tone.
“I think I’ve had my limit,” he answered, closing the lid on the box. “Besides, the leftovers will give you something to eat around here. Didn’t you always claim that was your favorite breakfast?”
“Mmm, cold pizza—it’s a treat,” she confirmed.
He got to his feet then and so did she, keeping her distance as he put on his coat. But she did follow behind as he headed for the door so she could lock it after him.
He didn’t go out, though. He stopped there, and with one hand on the knob, he met her gaze.
“This was okay,” he seemed to conclude.
Not an accolade but under the circumstances Chloe took it as high praise.
“It was okay,” she agreed.
“So do you think we can do this? Let bygones be bygones or something?”
“What do you think?” she asked. “I mean, do you think you can let bygones be bygones? Or something?”
He studied her for a long moment with those brilliant green eyes. And while they still didn’t look at her the way they had fourteen years ago, they also didn’t look at her the way they had the night before or that morning. And that was a relief. Even if she did still yearn a little for more.
“I can give it a try,” he said when he finally did answer.
“I’d like that,” Chloe responded quietly.
“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then. How early can I start without disturbing you?”
“Anytime. Just use the key Betty gave you and come in. Even if it’s before I’m awake I can’t hear much of anything upstairs and I’ll probably sleep through it.”
“Okay, but I’ll be especially quiet until I know you’re up.”
She nodded.
“Good night, then.”
“Get home safely,” she joked, making him smile a little again.
For another moment they remained standing there, not too far apart, just looking at each other.
As they did, Chloe couldn’t help recalling so many other times when they’d said good-night at her door much like that. Only then he would have kissed her.
He would have kissed her in a way that would have filled her with a special kind of heat. That would have made her feel like his and his alone…
And of course that didn’t happen tonight.
Instead Reid broke the glance first, looking at the handle as he turned it to open the door.
“Thanks for the pizza,” she said belatedly.
“Sure,” he answered as he went out into the clear autumn night.
Then he closed the door behind him and Chloe stepped up to lock it.
When she did she could feel the warmth of his hand lingering on the knob and all on their own her eyes closed and she absorbed that sensation, picturing those other nights, those kisses that had sent her to bed with a smile on her face.
Those kisses…
She couldn’t help wondering if those kisses were anything like Reid’s kisses now. Or if, as had happened with his looks, his kisses had changed and matured, too.
And even though it was completely uncalled for, even though it was its own kind of torture for her, she also couldn’t help—in a secret, forbidden place deep inside of her—wishing she’d gotten a taste of his kiss, old or new, tonight.
Chapter Four
“Don’t get scared—I’m coming up.”
Chloe heard Reid’s warning from the bottom of the stairs to the attic. The sound of his deep voice and the thought that he was on his way to see her were enough to make her pulse race.
There was nothing she could do to slow her heartbeat; she just tried not to pay attention to it. Or to the fact that it meant she was glad he was coming to see her.
It was after seven o’clock Tuesday evening and although they’d both been in the house all day, they hadn’t actually connected. Chloe had been awake, lying in bed when she’d heard the front door open at 8:00 a.m. Moments later she’d also heard Reid climb the steps to the second floor, stop just outside of her bedroom door and then go back downstairs, leaving the scent of fresh coffee to drift in to her.
Curiosity had prompted her to get up and peek out the bedroom door where she’d found a foam cup full of wake-up-call waiting just outside.
She’d called a “Thank you!” in Reid’s wake, he’d hollered back, “You’re welcome,” and that was that. They hadn’t set eyes on each other.
Since coffee was frequently all she had for breakfast, she’d decided to skip the cold pizza and merely make the hot beverage her meal. Sipping it after she’d showered and dressed for the day, she’d gone directly to the attic.
When she’d stopped for lunch and finally trespassed into Reid’s territory downstairs, he’d been on his cell phone, apparently discussing a medical case. So Chloe had merely waved to him, snatched a slice of the cold pizza and a soda from the fridge and returned to the attic to eat while she attempted to put some sort of order to what she needed to do there.
Which was where she was and what she was doing still when he appeared in the doorway at that moment.
“Hi,” she greeted, slipping her hair behind her ears as she glanced up from the small stool where she was sitting in the middle of the attic floor.
“Hi to you, too,” he responded. “You’ve been up here so long without even poking your nose out that I was beginning to wonder if I should check and see if a giant attic rat had taken you prisoner.”
Chloe laughed and wrinkled her nose at the same time. “A giant attic rat? There better not be any rats up here, giant or otherwise.”
Reid came all the way into the attic, stopping not far from where she was and surveying the room.
