the taillights of Matt’s car disappeared in the distance before she walked into the apartment building lobby. She breathed a sigh of relief to be back on familiar ground. When she’d left earlier, she had no idea what awaited her on that dark neighborhood street.
She’d gone expecting to see a policeman take a bribe or maybe a drug deal going down. Never in her wildest dreams would she have expected to see two men murdered. On top of that, she couldn’t have guessed that Matt Franklin would chase her down an alley.
The most unbelievable of all, however, might have been her agreeing to a date with Matt. One date didn’t mean anything. It wasn’t like she intended to begin a romantic relationship with him. She had more sense than that. Romance was the last thing on her mind. She’d certainly told herself that enough times.
Loneliness washed over her and she bit down on her lip. Where did this feeling she didn’t understand come from? No matter how hard she tried to ignore it, at times she couldn’t. She might have trouble understanding her emotions, but tonight had made her positive about one thing—there was a vigilante in Lake City.
FOUR
Rachel set her cup of coffee on her office desk, dropped into the chair at her computer and unfolded the newspaper’s morning edition she’d picked up when she entered the Lake City Daily Beacon lobby. Just as she thought, her story had claimed the headline spot this morning. It wasn’t often that a decorated police officer was killed while taking an alleged—as she’d carefully worded it—payoff from a gang member.
She skimmed the story that she’d filed soon after returning home the night before and smiled. Her presence at the crime scene lent credibility to her hinted allegations. It was the question of whether or not a vigilante was stalking the streets of Lake City that she read with interest. Such a declaration couldn’t help but get her noticed, and according to the messages in her in-box this morning, this was exactly what had happened with her readers. It shouldn’t take long for others in the media to follow.
Lost in thought about her story, she jumped when a knock sounded at the open door to her office. She glanced up to see Matt and Philip Nolan standing in the hall.
Even with the tired lines around Matt’s eyes, she had to admit he was just about the best-looking guy she’d met in a long time. There was something different about the image he projected and the other policemen she’d seen at the gang-related murder scenes. Although she knew little about his background, one thing she did know—he was comfortable with who he was. She liked that about him.
She smiled and stood. “Good morning. Come on in.” They walked into her office and stopped in front of her desk. The serious expressions on their faces told her this wasn’t a social visit. “What are you doing here so early?”
Matt’s dark eyes flickered across her face before he pointed to the newspaper lying on her desk. “We read your story.”
The barbed tone of his words told her he was less than pleased. She raised her chin and stared at him. “What did you think?”
Before Matt could answer, Philip spoke up, “Needless to say, we were a little concerned. Where did you get the idea a police officer was one of the victims at last night’s shooting?”
She motioned to the chairs across from her desk and sat down. When the two detectives were settled, she leaned forward and crossed her arms on her desk. “I heard two police officers talking. Although they mentioned Detective Carr’s name, I didn’t reveal his identity. I had no idea if his family had been notified of his death. Once we’ve established that they know, I’ll print it. The citizens of Lake City have a right to know if one of our trusted police officers is really a crook who takes bribes.” She looked from Matt to Philip. “It may cause your department some problems, but that’s not my concern.”
Anger flashed on Matt’s face and he started to speak. Philip laid a restraining hand on his arm. “We understand your position, Miss Long, and we’re not asking you for preferential treatment. However, we’re just now getting to the bottom of this. When we have proof of any wrongdoing, the Chief will hold a press conference.”
Rachel smiled. “I’ll be in the front row.”
Matt leaned forward, his elbows on the chair arms and his hands clasped in front of him. “We just want to make sure that you don’t do anything that will hamper our investigation.”
She stared into his somber eyes. “I have no intention of interfering with the police.”
He didn’t break eye contact with her. “Then you’ll cooperate with us?”
“I’ve always done that.”
Matt’s eyebrow arched. “From the calls the station is getting this morning, I don’t think our captain would agree with that.”
“What do you mean?”
Philip leaned forward. His eyebrows pulled down over his hawklike nose. His dark eyes bored into her. “Your story about a vigilante in Lake City has upset a lot of citizens. The phone has rung all morning from people wanting to know what the police are going to do about it.”
There was no mistaking the annoyance in Matt’s and Philip’s eyes. Rachel bit back the retort hovering on her lips and considered their point of view. They were the ones who risked their lives every day to keep the citizens of Lake City safe.
She took a deep breath and forced a smile. “There’s no one in this town who respects the police more than I do. But you need to understand that the press has a responsibility to keep the people informed. I hope you catch this guy soon so I can write the ending to this story.”
Matt smiled. “So does that mean you’ll help us?”
“Of course.”
“By telling us what you learn from your source?”
Rachel glanced from Matt to Philip, a frown on her face. “You know I can’t reveal a confidential source.”
Philip shook his head. “We have a duty to protect the citizens of this city. If your informant knows something that can help our investigation, we need to know what it is.”
Matt’s forehead wrinkled and he stared at her. “Don’t make the mistake of thinking you’re capable of dealing with these people. They’re dangerous, Rachel.”
There was no avoiding the concern she saw in Matt’s eyes. The memory of a bullet striking the bricks above her head the night before sent a tremor through her. Perhaps in her haste to get a story she hadn’t been careful enough.
She nodded. “I know the gangs pose a threat to everybody around them. If my source calls again and he agrees that I can tell you what he tells me, I’ll let you know.”
Philip’s mouth crooked into a smile. “Well, until that time, how about not staking out any lonely street corners by yourself?”
Rachel chuckled. “Okay.”
Matt stood. “We don’t want anything to happen to you, Rachel.”
Rachel glanced from Matt to Philip. “I appreciate that.”
Philip let out a big breath, pushed to his feet and extended his hand. “It was nice to see you again, Miss Long.”
“Please call me Rachel.” She smiled and grasped his hand but pulled away when his ring pressed into her finger. “Ouch.”
Philip’s eyes grew wide and he released her hand. “I’m sorry. Did my ring hurt your finger?”
She rubbed her hand and gaped at the gold ring Philip wore. “I’ve never seen such a beautiful ring. It must be a family heirloom.”
Philip smiled and held it out for Rachel to get a better look at the unusual design. The gold ring featured two hands that encircled the finger and met in the front to hold a crown perched atop a heart. “It’s been passed down in my family for generations. Originally it was given to my great-great-grandmother