CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“What do you mean, there is an access point from the roof?” Jace asked Mitch, unsuccessfully wiping away the exhaustion from last night. He and Shae had finally managed to move to the bedroom, where they’d made love until the sun began to rise over the horizon. The way the rays colored her porcelain skin to a beautiful golden shade had him rethinking curtains on the upstairs windows. “Don’t answer that quite yet. Give me a second.”
Jace shoved the filter with the grounds into the slot so that the hot water could brew the sustenance needed to get him through this conversation. He’d already turned on the tea kettle so that the water for Shae’s tea would begin to boil.
“Okay,” Jace said, able to hold the phone against his ear without fear of dropping it to the floor. He leaned against the counter and pressed his thumb and index finger tightly against his eyes. “Start from the beginning.”
“Kendrick and I spent most of last night going over the footage from the bar. No one attempted to take the stairs to the apartment with the exception of Shae, Brynn, and you. That leaves someone breaking in from the outside, but the security camera pointed toward the back of the building picked up nothing.” Mitch mentioned at the beginning of the call that he was at the station. The sudden burst of noise over the line indicated that someone had entered his office. “Kendrick and I went over to the Cavern first thing this morning to check for other possible entry points.”
“Let me guess,” Jace said wryly, pushing off the counter so that he could reach into the cupboard for two cups. “There’s a way inside that studio apartment from the roof above.”
“In a manner of speaking.” Mitch must have put his hand over the desk phone he was using, for the exchange was slightly muffled. Not enough so that Jace didn’t recognize Patty’s voice. It wasn’t long before his brother was back on the line. “Kendrick already had a suspicion that was the point of entry. Forensics processed every access to the upper level, but nothing has come back so far.”
Jace recalled there was a small jewelry store of some sort next to the Cavern, but he’d never had reason to go inside before.
“Doesn’t Dad do business with that shop making custom jewelry boxes?” Jace pulled out the carafe, having one of those coffee makers that stopped brewing when the pot was taken off the burner. He poured himself a cup before topping it off with an ounce of fresh water to make it drinkable. “Who owns it now?”
“It was passed down to Stella Fields from her grandmother. Kendrick already subpoenaed for the footage from her security system, but it turns out it’s useless due to her not wanting to pay the monthly charge for storage of the video data files.”
“So how does this help us?”
“It doesn’t. But it does open up the suspect pool once more.” Mitch made his point, but it couldn’t have been the reason he called at zero eight hundred. Jace took a fortifying drink of his coffee so that he could be somewhat prepared for the bomb Mitch was about to drop on what should have been a beautiful morning after. “Would it be possible to have Shae at the station in a couple of hours?”
“What for?” Jace asked cautiously, setting his cup down when the contents failed to do its job. “And spell it out for me, Mitch.”
“The profiler who has been helping Kendrick believes she’s found a connection between the victims. I need Shae to confirm a few things, and I’d rather it be officially on the record.” Mitch was a stickler for the rules, so it wasn’t surprising to Jace that his older brother would want all the paperwork in order on a case this size. “Look, this is the last thing I expected to do with my life immediately after getting out CID. I understand why Dad believed he needed to rush me into this, but I truly thought I’d have a few months before making such a monumental decision to take on the responsibility of an entire town. This…this place is a clusterfuck. Patty was able to maintain some semblance of order, but this entire office needs an overhaul in the worst way.”
“You can’t say that you’re not perfect for the role.” Jace recalled them as children playing cops and robbers. Mitch was always the sheriff, whereas Lance was the one who always got thrown in jail—which happened to be the treehouse in their backyard. Times were much simpler back then. “Listen, I’ll make sure Shae is at the station and—”
“Is everything okay?” Shae asked, though the words were a bit raspy with sleep. She was standing in the middle of the open doorway, using the heel of her hand to rub the sleep out of her eye. She’d somehow acquired one of his t-shirts. It hung well below her waist, but damn if she didn’t look sexy as hell. Her gradual smile when she finally focused on him literally took his breath away. “Good morning.”
“Morning, Doc,” Jace replied softly, eternally grateful for such an ideal greeting. This exchange could have gone a thousand different ways, but this was damn close to perfect. “I made you—”
The high-pitched whistle of the tea kettle finished his sentence.
“I’ll get it.” Shae shuffled over to the stove in her bare feet, gesturing toward the phone in his hand. Damn it, but he forgot all about Mitch. “You finish up.”
“Mitch? Sorry about that.” Jace moved a couple steps over so that Shae had room to reach the stove. “Like I said, Shae and I will be at the station in a couple of hours.”
“Super Ace, is there something you want to tell me?”
The old nickname practically slammed into Jace’s ear.
His first heartbreak had been in the first grade by a pigtailed blonde who had made fun of the poem he’d given her at recess. While Noah and Lance had joked about it on the walk home from school that fateful day, Mitch had played the older brother card just right. He’d laid a hand on Jace’s shoulder and explained that love could be cruel and that even Superman had to pretend to be someone else to get the girl.
“Are you saying I should be Superman?”
“No, Jace. Super Ace is what got you into this mess to begin with, because you thought a poem would get Wendy to like you.”
“So I should have just given her the candy I got from the basket at Mr. Arlo’s store?”
“Exactly.”
Jace’s current situation wasn’t anything like it was now, therefore the nickname didn’t apply. He appreciated Mitch’s concern, though.
“Nothing to tell,” Jace hedged, knowing full well he and Shae had established ground rules last night. This thing between them was temporary. “That doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate the warning, Mitch. We’ll see you in a bit.”
Shae faced him while holding her cup of tea with both hands, already blowing gently on the hot beverage. The sheer bliss that crossed her features on her first sip reminded him of last night. He hardened at the memory, already calculating the time down to the second of when they needed to leave the house.
“Why are we seeing Mitch in a couple of hours?” Shae asked, refreshed by just the taste of her tea. She leaned back against the counter, using her foot to scratch her other knee. The innocent gesture had him wishing he didn’t have to answer her question. “Personal or business?”
Jace didn’t like the way tension settled in her shoulders as reality began to intrude on their morning. Unfortunately, he couldn’t make the start of the day better.
“First,” Jace said, not willing to forgo, “a morning kiss.”
Jace took his time and savored the sweet flavor of her lips, expressing to her just how much he enjoyed last night.
“Hmmm,” Shae replied, resting her forehead against his when they both came up for air. She scrunched her nose in rebuttal. “You’re about to ruin my good mood, aren’t you?”
“Kendrick is apparently using a profiler on this case, and the woman might have found a connection between the victims.” Jace figured he might as well put everything on the table. “Mitch wants us to come into the station to ask you some questions.”
Shae surprised him by setting her cup on the counter and wrapping her arms around his waist. He did the same, holding her close and letting her soak up whatever strength she needed to get her through this horrible situation. If he had the ability to take away all her pain, he would have done so in a heartbeat.
“Thank you.” Maybe three minutes had passed before she uttered those words. Shae sighed in acceptance, which set him on edge. He prepared himself for the regret she promised they would forgo. “I’m going to take a shower and get dressed.”
“Shae, we don’t have to—”
“I’d rather get this over with.” Shae reached for her cup before she stepped around him to exit the kitchen. “Jace?”
“Yes?”
The hammer was about to be swung.
“Would you like to join me?”