will be. Thieves don't give up until they're caught."
"I was hoping ..." She gave a little shake of her head, as though wishing away the trouble they had to confront. "I just hate to think of this happening again." Her voice caught with raw distress. "Isn't there anything else I could do to help you?"
He patted her shoulder, trying to reassure her. "No, just leave everything else to me." He left unsaid his worry that the thief could guess that his MO had been figured out and adopt a new one.
She gave him a tremulous smile.
He found himself looking at her face, examining its oval contour, the soft pale skin. He tightened his hold on her and smiled, encouraging her.
The church doors behind them burst open. "Hey!" Zak shouted as he rushed up to them. "We're going for pizza. Wanna come?"
Rodd dropped his hands and turned. From the corner of his eye, he noted Wendy's cheeks turn pink.
In a wink, Harlan, Sage, Trav, the pastor, and his wife surrounded Rodd and Wendy. Before Rodd could make an excuse and leave, he found himself walking the few blocks to the local pizzeria along with the rest. He willed his eyes not to keep shifting to where Wendy walked beside him. Finally, he gave up and let his gaze linger on her soft profile.
"I like pepperoni." Zak tugged at his sleeve.
"What?" Rodd looked down; then he took the red-mittened hand Zak offered him. The small hand in his felt good.
"I like pepperoni; do you?" Zak gave a jump, then a hop on the sidewalk packed with a layer of frozen gray snow.
"Sure, I like pepperoni." He glanced over to Wendy. "Do you like pepperoni, Wendy?" he asked in a conspiratorial murmur.
"Not alone." She gave a determined shake of her head. "I'm definitely a deluxe-pizza woman."
"Deluxe pizza! Yuck!" Zak declared. "Daddy calls that garbage pizza!"
This outburst was so unexpected and comical, Rodd laughed out loud.
Wendy chuckled too. He liked the soft feminine laugh. It took the sharp edge off the heavy burden he'd been carrying since yesterday when he'd examined the crime scene at Ma Ukkonen's. He'd intended to go to his office immediately after church, but now he was glad he had come along. Wendy and Zak lifted his spirits. Besides, a man had to eat.
Zak saw the pizzeria ahead. He yelped happily. "I'm cold! Let's run!" Zak tugged on Rodd's hand and started forward.
Rodd automatically reached for Wendy's hand, and the three of them ran together. Zak squealed and Rodd grinned, liking the feel of Wendy's gloved hand in his.
Wendy stood at the wall phone in the care-center side of the clinic lobby. Behind her, Olie Olson grumbled loudly at the day nurse admitting him. Wendy punched in the sheriff's number while her nerves did funny little hops and jumps inside her.
"Durand speaking."
Hearing Rodd's voice made the little hops and jumps spike like the readings on a heart monitor. Wendy cleared her dry throat. "Hi, it's Wendy."
"Wendy?" The sudden hope in his voice was unmistakable.
"This is the call you've been waiting for, Sheriff." And the one I've been dreading to make.
"You've brought a patient to the clinic?"
"Yes, Olie Olson from out on Winneshiek Road."
"He'll be in for the night?"
She fiddled with the twisted phone cord, trying to untangle it along with her hope and fear. "Yes, I brought him in for observation for heart arrhythmia."
"Have you told anyone else?"
"No one." She gave up and let the knotted phone cord drop.
"Good. Has anyone seen you bring him in, Wendy?"
She pictured the sheriff's face, how eager it must be. Still, her mood was as tangled as the phone cord. Would this put Rodd in danger?
"Wendy?"
"I don't know. You didn't tell me to try to hide—"
"Right. You followed your regular routine then?"
"Exactly as always, Sheriff." Except that I feel like I'm going to jump out of my skin .
"Good."
"Good?" How could
"I was hoping ..." She gave a little shake of her head, as though wishing away the trouble they had to confront. "I just hate to think of this happening again." Her voice caught with raw distress. "Isn't there anything else I could do to help you?"
He patted her shoulder, trying to reassure her. "No, just leave everything else to me." He left unsaid his worry that the thief could guess that his MO had been figured out and adopt a new one.
She gave him a tremulous smile.
He found himself looking at her face, examining its oval contour, the soft pale skin. He tightened his hold on her and smiled, encouraging her.
The church doors behind them burst open. "Hey!" Zak shouted as he rushed up to them. "We're going for pizza. Wanna come?"
Rodd dropped his hands and turned. From the corner of his eye, he noted Wendy's cheeks turn pink.
In a wink, Harlan, Sage, Trav, the pastor, and his wife surrounded Rodd and Wendy. Before Rodd could make an excuse and leave, he found himself walking the few blocks to the local pizzeria along with the rest. He willed his eyes not to keep shifting to where Wendy walked beside him. Finally, he gave up and let his gaze linger on her soft profile.
"I like pepperoni." Zak tugged at his sleeve.
"What?" Rodd looked down; then he took the red-mittened hand Zak offered him. The small hand in his felt good.
"I like pepperoni; do you?" Zak gave a jump, then a hop on the sidewalk packed with a layer of frozen gray snow.
"Sure, I like pepperoni." He glanced over to Wendy. "Do you like pepperoni, Wendy?" he asked in a conspiratorial murmur.
"Not alone." She gave a determined shake of her head. "I'm definitely a deluxe-pizza woman."
"Deluxe pizza! Yuck!" Zak declared. "Daddy calls that garbage pizza!"
This outburst was so unexpected and comical, Rodd laughed out loud.
Wendy chuckled too. He liked the soft feminine laugh. It took the sharp edge off the heavy burden he'd been carrying since yesterday when he'd examined the crime scene at Ma Ukkonen's. He'd intended to go to his office immediately after church, but now he was glad he had come along. Wendy and Zak lifted his spirits. Besides, a man had to eat.
Zak saw the pizzeria ahead. He yelped happily. "I'm cold! Let's run!" Zak tugged on Rodd's hand and started forward.
Rodd automatically reached for Wendy's hand, and the three of them ran together. Zak squealed and Rodd grinned, liking the feel of Wendy's gloved hand in his.
Wendy stood at the wall phone in the care-center side of the clinic lobby. Behind her, Olie Olson grumbled loudly at the day nurse admitting him. Wendy punched in the sheriff's number while her nerves did funny little hops and jumps inside her.
"Durand speaking."
Hearing Rodd's voice made the little hops and jumps spike like the readings on a heart monitor. Wendy cleared her dry throat. "Hi, it's Wendy."
"Wendy?" The sudden hope in his voice was unmistakable.
"This is the call you've been waiting for, Sheriff." And the one I've been dreading to make.
"You've brought a patient to the clinic?"
"Yes, Olie Olson from out on Winneshiek Road."
"He'll be in for the night?"
She fiddled with the twisted phone cord, trying to untangle it along with her hope and fear. "Yes, I brought him in for observation for heart arrhythmia."
"Have you told anyone else?"
"No one." She gave up and let the knotted phone cord drop.
"Good. Has anyone seen you bring him in, Wendy?"
She pictured the sheriff's face, how eager it must be. Still, her mood was as tangled as the phone cord. Would this put Rodd in danger?
"Wendy?"
"I don't know. You didn't tell me to try to hide—"
"Right. You followed your regular routine then?"
"Exactly as always, Sheriff." Except that I feel like I'm going to jump out of my skin .
"Good."
"Good?" How could
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