Out to Protect by Amber Skyze Read Free Book Online

decided against it. They’d be there later when he returned from speaking with Grant.
    Parker wasn’t expecting company, so it didn’t matter.
    He’d killed enough time, so he grabbed his car keys and headed out the door. The drive over was quick, and when he pulled up he realized he’d seen the place a million times, just never noticed it until today. Likely because he didn’t own a dog, and come to think of it, neither did Grant, so why would they meet up at a dog park?
    He scanned the area, looking for Grant. It took a minute, but he noticed him in the distance just on the opposite side of the park. Grant nodded slightly but did nothing more to draw attention to himself.
    Parker locked the car and casually walked over to where Grant stood.
    “This way,” Grant said. Although he had his hands in his jeans pockets, he led by turning and walking in the direction Parker had just come from. They walked through a small path in the brush that eventually opened to a wider path. At the end of the dirt walkway, Parker was surprised to discover they were at the bay. The beautiful water lay below them.
    Grant stood on a rock. “Nice view, isn’t it?”
    Parker joined him and glanced out at the expansive ocean. “It is. How did you find this place?”
    While they were hidden by the trees and brush, the area was pretty open to the water. There was another path that led down the embankment to a small area where people could swim if they wanted. Parker didn’t notice any signs warning them off, so he assumed it was safe.
    “A friend of mine used to own a dog. We’d bring the golden to play with the other dogs. She had so much excess energy that it wasn’t enough. One day we decided to explore, and we found this spot. It’s quiet, and not too many people know about it. We’d let Sunshine—that’s the dog’s name—swim. She loved the water.”
    Parker watched Grant as he spoke. It was as if he were speaking to no one in particular, just remembering a time long ago when life was good.
    “What happened to Sunshine and your friend?”
    Grant shrugged and turned to Parker. “They moved away. So what’s so secretive that we needed to meet in private?”
    Damn! Grant sure knew how to end a subject when he didn’t want to speak about it any longer. Parker took that as a sign not to bother asking any more questions about Sunshine and the friend. Apparently it was a touchy subject.
    “Do you think we’re safe here?” Parker looked around once more just to be 100 percent certain they hadn’t been followed. He looked for the signs as he made his way to the park. He hadn’t noticed any tails on him.
    “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think we were safe. Now why do you feel you’re in danger?”
    Parker dismissed Grant’s attitude. He could be mad at Parker all he wanted. Unless Parker felt safe, he wasn’t about to share what he’d learned at the crime scene. Plain and simple.
    “Look, this isn’t easy for me. What I’m about to show you is going to change a lot of things. I’m having a hard time absorbing the information and what it means.”
    “For cryin’ out loud, Parker, just get on with it. Does this have something to do with what you stuck in your pocket yesterday?”
    Parker reached deep into his pocket and retrieved the card. He looked at it once again, shook his head, and handed it to Grant.
    Grant studied it for a few minutes, examining the front and back. Parker waited anxiously for him to say something.
    Finally Grant handed him the card back and said, “Yeah, so what?”
    “Oh don’t give me that bullshit, Grant. You know this card says a lot. Too much. Someone in our department is linked the murders.”
    “The card doesn’t say that much.”
    “It sure as shit does. I know you saw the word ‘lead’ in front of ‘detective.’ Who besides Stanley is a lead?”
     
    GRANT DIDN’T APPRECIATE his line of questioning. There were only three others in the department who were considered leads,