I wasn’t Daisy, but I got it. What little hope I’d had that Jenny might give up her plans to take off were crushed at hearing her conversation with my dog. I backed up in the hallway, returning to my bedroom.

If she hadn’t made a deathbed promise, would she have decided to stay? It had sounded like she would have at least considered it. A part of me understood her need to keep the promise, but another part resented that someone now dead meant more to Jenny than I did, and I was a bastard for thinking that.

Even sound asleep I’d reached for her, finding only a cold sheet where she should have been. Truthfully I was glad I’d heard her talking to Daisy. Until tonight there’d been that little sliver of maybe in my mind. Funny. I loved being in love, but for whatever reason, the fates were apparently aligned against me. Having a slew of women’s numbers in my contact list didn’t appeal to me. I wanted to love a woman who loved me back, and only me. One I could trust not to find another man in our bed when I returned from a trip.

I thought Jenny could be that woman. Unfortunately she had a promise to keep. And that was still my hang-up about telling her I’d wait for her to return home. I refused to be the reason she felt guilty if she met a man on her travels that she wanted to bring back to her hotel room.

Jenny never came back to bed, and I passed the remainder of the night planning how I’d begin to step away from her. I did my best to ignore the ache in my chest, and I absolutely ignored the burning in my eyes.

Always an early riser, I walked out to my living room at six, expecting to see Jenny curled up on the sofa. She wasn’t there. In the kitchen I found a note taped to the coffee maker. Snatching it, I scanned the words.

Good morning, Dylan.

I have a ton of errands to run today for Autumn, so I’m taking off early. The coffee’s ready to go, just push start. Last night was amazing. You’re one hot cop. Just wanted you to know that. So, I’m going to be really busy helping Autumn get ready for her wedding. I might not get to see as much of you as I’d like before I leave. I’ll call you.

Jenny

She was as much as running. After overhearing her conversation with Daisy, I shouldn’t have been surprised. I read the note one more time before crushing it in my hand. Damn it. Hadn’t I decided only hours ago to do the same thing…put distance between us? I put my hands on the counter and bowed my head. Evidently my heart wasn’t very good at protecting itself.

Daisy whined, nudging my leg with her nose. “Don’t ever fall in love, Daisy my girl. No good will come of it.” She barked, which I took as agreement. I could just stand here, feeling sorry for myself, but I had a big day ahead of me. There was a police captain I had to deal with and a mayor’s daughter to arrest.

I sat in a corner booth in Mountaintop Pancake House waiting for the mayor. My mood wasn’t good.

“Morning, Chief.”

I nodded to the mayor as he slid into the booth. “Jim John.” This wasn’t going to be a fun conversation.

Our waitress poured coffee into the mayor’s cup and then refilled mine. I ordered an omelet and hash browns, with a side order of bacon to go, Daisy’s reward for being a good dog. She was tied to a post right outside the window where I could keep an eye on her. It hadn’t taken her long to locate me, and her gaze was fixated on me.

“The meeting went well. Pretty much how I expected,” Jim John said after ordering sausage and a double stack of pancakes.

I managed not to roll my eyes. The man had been ready to throw me to the wolves if it came down to it. “So we’re good?”

“Of course. What’s going to happen to your old partner? He really flipped out, didn’t he? ’Course any man that bangs another man’s wife deserves what’s coming to him.”

Ironic he should say that considering what I now knew. “I don’t know.” No way was I going to talk to him about Jack. Whatever I said would be all over town by the end of the day.

The waitress returned with our food, and I waited while Jim John poured an ocean of syrup over his pancakes.

“I wanted to catch you up on a few things,” I said. “An e-mail came in this morning from the DA. They’re not going to charge Gertie Jansen. Said she acted in self-defense.”

He nodded. “I got that e-mail, too.”

Figured he probably had, but that really wasn’t my agenda for this meeting. “You good with that?”

“It is what it is.” He shrugged, then dived back into his pancakes.

That didn’t tell me what he really thought, but I let it drop. Personally I couldn’t have been happier that Gertie wasn’t headed for a trial. There were two issues we needed to discuss, and I debated which one to bring up first. Both were going to make for an unhappy mayor. I decided to save his daughter for last.

“We need to talk about Captain Moody.” That got his attention.

He set his fork down on his empty plate. “About?”

“He’s dirty. I know it and you know it.” I pushed my plate aside. Jim John glanced around as if worried that our conversation would be overheard, but I’d kept my voice low. No one was listening to us.

“I know no such thing. He told me you’re out to get him. That you’d manufactured fake evidence against him.”

No surprise that Moody had been bending the mayor’s ear. “I don’t have to manufacture anything where he’s concerned. He’s been stealing from the department, probably for years. What are you afraid of, Jim John?” I hoped he’d level with me, but I didn’t expect him to.

“Don’t know what you’re talking about.” His gaze shifted away.

“He knows about your secret daughter, doesn’t he?”

His face paled as he glanced around us. “This isn’t the place to have this discussion.”

“No problem. I’m going to drop Daisy off at the station. I’ll meet you in your office.”

“Not there either. Just follow me. You can bring the damn dog.” He threw a few bills on the table and walked out the door.

We ended up at the city park, sitting at a picnic table near the creek. There was no one else here this early in the morning, so I let Daisy off her leash, knowing she wouldn’t venture far.

Jim John leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “What is it you think you know?”

That his secret wasn’t as secret as he thought. “Three years ago Moody somehow found out that you’d had a brief affair and that you have another daughter. Her name is Isabelle Bradley, and she’s ten years old. He’s been blackmailing you ever since.”

Jim John sucked in a breath, then blew it out. “How’d you find out?”

“Moody doesn’t know how to keep his mouth shut. He told Jansen a while back, and Jansen told his wife.” Jenny’s father had hinted that Jim John had skeletons in his closet. He’d also hinted that since Moody and Jansen had been tight, Jansen probably knew. So I’d paid Mrs. Jansen a visit early this morning. I didn’t even have to ask her what she knew. Her life with Jansen came pouring out. The mayor’s secret had been among the many things she’d told me.

“What if she tells anyone else?”

“Gertie won’t say anything, but I have to wonder who else Moody’s blabbed to.”

“I didn’t mean for it to happen… my affair with Sarah.” He buried his head between his knees.

Ah hell. I was sitting in a public park with a crying mayor. It didn’t get any better than this. Daisy cocked her head at the grunting sounds coming from Jim John. She eased up to him and whined. When that got no response, she licked the side of his face. I seriously considered slipping away, leaving the two of them to their misery.

He lifted his head, pushing Daisy away. “I take care of them financially.”

Not my concern, nor was it my place to judge him. “I’m going to fire Moody.”

Panic lit his face. “You can’t. He said he’d tell my wife if I do anything he doesn’t like.”

“Maybe you should tell her first. How many other people do you think he’s told besides Jansen? Eventually your wife is going to hear. Better it comes from you.” I was starting to feel like a priest holding confession. “Think about it. In the meantime I’ll take care of Moody.”

Daisy brought me a stick, dropping it at my feet. I threw it, and off she went. He didn’t ask how I was going to deal with Moody. I sure would have, but then I never would have put myself in this position. “I’d advise you not to answer any phone calls from him from now on.”

“That’s actually a relief to hear.” Jim John stood. “I want to know when it’s done.”

I almost snorted. It sounded like he thought I was going to kill the man. “Sit down, Jim John. There’s something else we have to talk about.”

“I’ve heard enough bad news this morning.”

“Sit,” I said when it seemed like he was going to walk away. “We need to talk about Stephanie.”

He sat, his shoulders slumping in defeat. “I’m listening.”

“Her blood test came back. She was over the legal limit.” I hadn’t been here long enough to decide if he was a good mayor. His personal life and family were definitely screwed up, though.

He let out a weary sigh. “She almost killed that boy. Charge her with a DUI. Maybe she’ll think twice next time.”

I sure hadn’t expected it to be that easy. Even if he had ordered me to drop the charges, I wouldn’t have. Hopefully Stephanie would learn a lesson from this.

“We done here?”

“Is Stephanie home?”

“Yes. Probably still asleep.”

“I’ll send Gene Lanier and Sarah Griffin to bring her in. You might want to warn your wife. If we do it this morning, I can probably push things through, get her in front of a judge this afternoon. You going to cover her bail?”

“I should probably let her sit in jail tonight, but yeah, I will.”

He walked away, his shoulders slumped. The meeting had gone better than I’d hoped, but I was mentally drained. Mostly because I hadn’t been able to go to sleep after I’d gone back to bed, and I was missing Jenny Girl like the very devil.

“Come on, Daisy. We have a bad man to deal with.” I ran a critical eye over her as she trotted to me. Her ribs were still showing, although not nearly as badly as when I’d found her. It was her enlarged nipples that had me frowning.

“Anyone seen Captain Moody?” It was early afternoon, and the man had yet to show his face. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he knew he was losing his job and had made himself scarce.

“He’s not been around all day,” Kim said.

If I were still giving out points, Moody would have been deducted a truckload for an unexcused absence. I went to my office, got out my phone, and called him.

“This is your chief,” I said when he answered. “Be in my office at five.” I hung up before he could respond since I didn’t want to hear any excuses as to why he couldn’t come in. Next I buzzed Gene Lanier, telling him I needed to see him.

“Close the door,” I said when Gene walked in.

“Am I in trouble?”

“Not today, but Moody is. He’ll be here at five, and I’m taking his gun and badge. I want you in here as a witness so he doesn’t go making up lies afterward. You’re going to hear some things that you can never repeat, capisce?”

Gene nodded. “I can’t say I’ll be sorry to see him go. He’s bad news. But he’s not going to go away without a fight.”

I smiled. “Maybe not, but I have a few tricks up my sleeve. You think we scared Stephanie straight?” I’d stayed away from that, making myself scarce when they’d brought her in. The mayor and I had to work together, and I wasn’t about to put myself between her and her father.

“I hope so. She seems genuinely sorry. Said she can’t sleep at night because when she closes her eyes, all she sees is Sean’s mangled body.”

“Hard way to learn a lesson. Let me know when her court date is.”

“Will do. Anything else, Chief?”

“No, just be back a few minutes before five.”

I got busy planning my meeting with Moody, half hoping he’d come at me so I could throw his ass in jail. If nothing else, it helped keep my mind off Jenny. For a while. But she was there in my thoughts, refusing to go away. I kept asking myself one question. What if I did tell Jenny I’d wait for her? What was the worst that could happen? She’d meet someone and fall in love. If that happened, I didn’t want her to feel guilty.

As far as I knew, she’d never been in love. I had. It was a wonderful and beautiful thing to love someone, until they didn’t love you anymore. Then it was like walking into a wasteland where everything was dead. But it didn’t have to be that way for Jenny.

The right thing to do was to let her go.