Kansas City Confessions. Julie Miller

auditorium. I found a connection between an old double missing-person case and some new stuff we’re working on. I got caught up following the trail through the reports and I lost track of the time.”

      This was remorse talking, maybe even a little fear, he thought, as she slowly tilted her gaze to his again. “I couldn’t find Tyler when I was done. I mean, eventually I did. He was by himself in the parking lot, waiting for me. Everyone else had left and he was locked out of the building. And then I thought I heard... I swear someone was...”

      “Someone was what?” He gently combed his fingers through her scattered bangs, smoothing them back into place.

      “I thought someone was watching me. The lights went out, so it was pretty dark, and while I was looking for Tyler in the dressing rooms, some guy pushed me down and ran outside.”

      Trent’s fingers stilled. His grip on her hand against his chest tightened. “A man attacked you? Are you hurt?”

      She brought her other hand up to pat his, urging him to calm the blood boiling in his veins. “This is why I don’t tell you things. It wasn’t an attack. The dark always freaks me out a little bit, and my imagination made things seem worse than they were. Once I found Tyler with Padre, everything was fine.”

      “You don’t know what that guy was after.”

      “He wasn’t after me. Maybe I interrupted a break-in. Or some homeless guy snuck in to get out of the cold and he got scared by the blackout, too. He just wanted me out of his way so he could escape. Doug Price is going to give me grief tonight for not picking up the mess I left in the dressing room, but I wasn’t hurt. I was more worried about Tyler.”

      He didn’t care about whoever Doug Price was, but if he gave Katie grief about anything, he’d flatten him. “Did you report it?” She hadn’t. “Katie—” His frustration ebbed on a single breath as understanding dawned. “You called me.” Hell. He should have investigated inside the building instead of letting the dog distract him from his purpose. He should have gone straight to Katie’s apartment when he didn’t find her and Tyler at the theater, even if it was the middle of the night and he woke them out of a sound sleep. “I’m sorry. If I’d known what kind of danger you were in—”

      “It wouldn’t have done any good. By the time I found Tyler and went back to take a couple of pictures, anything suspicious I’d seen was gone.” Katie quickly extricated her hands from his and nudged him out of her way. “I wasn’t in any real danger. I was being a lousy mom last night. Guilt and reading that file about the missing teen and her baby made me imagine it was something more.” She picked up a stack of briefing folders and distributed them in front of each chair around the table. “Except for that message.”

      Oh, he had a bad feeling about this. “What message?”

      She tried to shrug off whatever had drained the color from her face. “Some prankster wrote something creepy in the snow behind the theater.”

      “And then he swept it away.”

      Katie spun to face him. “Yes. But how did you...? Right. You were there. And you don’t quit.”

      He propped his hands at his waist. “What did the message say? Something about breaking in to the theater?”

      She hugged the last folder to her chest. “I don’t know if it was even intended for me.”

      “What did it say?” he repeated, as patiently as he’d talked to Padre.

      “‘Stop or someone will get hurt.’”

      He dug his fingers into the pockets of his jeans, the only outward sign of the protective anger surging through him. “Stop what? Who’ll get hurt?”

      Her shoulders lifted with silent confusion. She didn’t have those answers. “Maybe he thought I was chasing him. I wasn’t. The darkness freaked me out and kept me from thinking straight, and all I wanted to do was find Tyler to make sure he was safe. If I hadn’t panicked, I’d have handled things better, and I wouldn’t have ruined your evening.”

      Trent plucked the folder from her grasp and set it on the table. “You lost track of your son. That’s supposed to frighten a parent. Don’t beat yourself up about it. You said he’s okay, right?”

      She nodded. “We’re both fine. Thanks for worrying.”

      “Thank you for sharing. Now maybe I won’t worry so much.”

      She moved back to her computer and manipulated the pictures again. “I’ll believe that when I see it.”

      They did know each other well. “Honey, you know I’m always going to worry—”

      “You shouldn’t call me honey.” Katie glanced toward the window to the main room. “The rest of the team is here. I need to finish setting up.”