Maybe it was the fact that she knew she’d locked the door before leaving. Had “Ed” somehow jimmied the lock? Surely she was being crazy, maybe reacting to what Matt Crowe said about the cops being crooked.
“Mind if I come upstairs for a minute?”
She wanted to come up with an excuse why he couldn’t, but none came to her and after all, he was an officer of the law. What harm could come to her in the company of a police officer? “I suppose not.”
He moved out of her way and she entered the vestibule. Jill fumbled with her keys for a moment and dropped them on the mosaic tile floor. She bent over to pick them up and suddenly wished she had stooped instead. She could feel his gaze affixed to her backside, probably checking out her panty line through her white uniform pants.
Unlocking the door, she climbed the stairs and opened the big wooden door that accessed her apartment.
“I’m Ed Rafferty, by the way. I’m the police chief in Lincoln.”
Oh, great . She was dealing with the head honcho.
Jill passed through the dining room; the chief followed her.
“You’re a nurse, huh?” Rafferty hooked his thumbs in his belt loops and scanned the ceiling, as if checking the structural integrity of the house.
“Yeah.”
“I always loved nurses. Something about the uniforms.”
Maybe because you can see through the pants if you look long and hard.
“How long at the hospital?”
“A month. I lived in Buffalo before I moved to Lincoln.”
He flashed the yellowed grin again. “Well, it’s nice to have such a lovely lady gracing our community. Pretty girl like you must have a boyfriend.”
Jesus, he was getting personal. She wished he would leave. “Not at the moment,” she replied.
“Recently separated?”
“You could say that.”
Her fiancé, Jerry, had called off their year-and-a-half engagement this past January, saying he wasn’t ready for marriage. She found that odd because buying the ring and getting engaged was his idea in the first place. It was even stranger that a month after the breakup she saw him at the movies with an overweight blonde in stretch pants and a tropical shirt. The woman looked ten years older than him.
She hadn’t said anything to them, but had watched while they held hands and kissed throughout the movie like horny teenagers.
After that incident, she decided to get a job in another town. She had enough of Buffalo; it held too many bad memories. A fresh start was what she needed and she hoped to find it living and working in Lincoln.
But to her dismay, she already had to deal with a leering creep, who turned out to be the Chief of Police, of all people.
“That’s a shame,” he said. “Somebody break your heart?”
“Unfortunately.”
“Tsk, tsk. With that beautiful black hair and those killer eyes, I don’t see how anyone could resist you.”
“I really have a lot of unpacking to do. If you’ll excuse me,” she said pointedly.
He smacked his lips together. “Yes sir, irresistible.”
“I have to unpack.”
“No problem, hon.”
“Don’t call me hon.” She felt a hot flush of anger rise in her but quickly suppressed it. She was dealing with the Chief of Police, not some pickup artist on the prowl at happy hour. She didn’t want to wind up in jail.
“As long as I don’t call you late for dinner, right?” He smiled again and she thought it might be the same way a hyena smiles before tearing into its prey. His friendly small-town-cop act was wearing thin.
“Thank you for stopping by, Chief,” she said. “That door off the kitchen leads to the steps and the side entrance. You can use that.”
He winked at her. “I’ll be seeing you around.” Hands in his pockets, he ambled through the kitchen and went through the door.
Jill padded through the kitchen. She shut the door that lead to the steps. When she heard his lumbering steps hit the bottom landing, she slid the security chain in place.
C HAPTER 7
Rafferty looked up at Jill
“Mind if I come upstairs for a minute?”
She wanted to come up with an excuse why he couldn’t, but none came to her and after all, he was an officer of the law. What harm could come to her in the company of a police officer? “I suppose not.”
He moved out of her way and she entered the vestibule. Jill fumbled with her keys for a moment and dropped them on the mosaic tile floor. She bent over to pick them up and suddenly wished she had stooped instead. She could feel his gaze affixed to her backside, probably checking out her panty line through her white uniform pants.
Unlocking the door, she climbed the stairs and opened the big wooden door that accessed her apartment.
“I’m Ed Rafferty, by the way. I’m the police chief in Lincoln.”
Oh, great . She was dealing with the head honcho.
Jill passed through the dining room; the chief followed her.
“You’re a nurse, huh?” Rafferty hooked his thumbs in his belt loops and scanned the ceiling, as if checking the structural integrity of the house.
“Yeah.”
“I always loved nurses. Something about the uniforms.”
Maybe because you can see through the pants if you look long and hard.
“How long at the hospital?”
“A month. I lived in Buffalo before I moved to Lincoln.”
He flashed the yellowed grin again. “Well, it’s nice to have such a lovely lady gracing our community. Pretty girl like you must have a boyfriend.”
Jesus, he was getting personal. She wished he would leave. “Not at the moment,” she replied.
“Recently separated?”
“You could say that.”
Her fiancé, Jerry, had called off their year-and-a-half engagement this past January, saying he wasn’t ready for marriage. She found that odd because buying the ring and getting engaged was his idea in the first place. It was even stranger that a month after the breakup she saw him at the movies with an overweight blonde in stretch pants and a tropical shirt. The woman looked ten years older than him.
She hadn’t said anything to them, but had watched while they held hands and kissed throughout the movie like horny teenagers.
After that incident, she decided to get a job in another town. She had enough of Buffalo; it held too many bad memories. A fresh start was what she needed and she hoped to find it living and working in Lincoln.
But to her dismay, she already had to deal with a leering creep, who turned out to be the Chief of Police, of all people.
“That’s a shame,” he said. “Somebody break your heart?”
“Unfortunately.”
“Tsk, tsk. With that beautiful black hair and those killer eyes, I don’t see how anyone could resist you.”
“I really have a lot of unpacking to do. If you’ll excuse me,” she said pointedly.
He smacked his lips together. “Yes sir, irresistible.”
“I have to unpack.”
“No problem, hon.”
“Don’t call me hon.” She felt a hot flush of anger rise in her but quickly suppressed it. She was dealing with the Chief of Police, not some pickup artist on the prowl at happy hour. She didn’t want to wind up in jail.
“As long as I don’t call you late for dinner, right?” He smiled again and she thought it might be the same way a hyena smiles before tearing into its prey. His friendly small-town-cop act was wearing thin.
“Thank you for stopping by, Chief,” she said. “That door off the kitchen leads to the steps and the side entrance. You can use that.”
He winked at her. “I’ll be seeing you around.” Hands in his pockets, he ambled through the kitchen and went through the door.
Jill padded through the kitchen. She shut the door that lead to the steps. When she heard his lumbering steps hit the bottom landing, she slid the security chain in place.
C HAPTER 7
Rafferty looked up at Jill
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