Finding Peace (Love's Compass #1) (11 page)

He laughed, holding up a hand. “Take your time. Is there anything I can do?”

“No, thanks!” she called over her shoulder as she shut the laptop and unplugged the cord. “Have a seat and I’ll be right back down.”

Tuck watched as Laurie carried her laptop upstairs and reappeared a few minutes later. She locked the apartment door and gave him a bright smile. “How has your day been?”

“Insane. Yours?”

“Same. Come on, let’s get out of here.”

He told her about the break-in at the pediatrician’s office as he drove them to the sporting goods store.

“How long will it take to go through all the files and see if any of them are missing?”

“I’ll be surprised if we get any information before the end of the week. It was a
lot
of paperwork – you should have seen it. It was like someone had taken the folders and held them in front of a fan. They were everywhere. The chief has us scheduled to help go through them over the next couple of days.”

He caught her worrying her bottom lip. “We have no idea if this is related or not. There’s no sense borrowing trouble if we don’t have to.”

He knew it was easier said than done. Answers would only come with time. If there was anything in his power to make it go faster, he would do it.

At the store, Tuck waited as she filled out the paperwork. He was going to feel a lot more comfortable once she had a firearm at her apartment. The next step was to make sure she got some practice with it so that she was feeling confident about her abilities should she have to use it. A situation he truly hoped she was never faced with.

When everything was finalized, they were escorted to the front where Laurie paid for the Smith & Wesson and two boxes of ammunition. Walking away from the store, she confessed, “There was a lot more to that than I thought there would be.”

“At least they weren’t busy. I wish I could offer to take you out for dinner or something. But the chief has enlisted Lance and myself to help with the files tonight.” He glanced at her as he pulled out of the parking lot. “What time are you supposed to be at mom’s house for the photo shoot?”

“Two o’clock. I wanted to get there early enough to still have some good light to work with. We’re going to see what the weather’s like and decide whether the shoot will be indoors or out.”

He noticed her opening her mouth to say something else, but she closed it again without a word. “What’s up?”

“I don’t want to step on Serenity’s toes. But she seems lonely. A lot of my customers belong to a support group here in town for families with children who have special needs. I thought about giving Serenity the information in case it might be something she was interested in.” She gathered her long hair at the nape of her neck and pulled it over her shoulder.

“You can mention the group to her. But I think one of Gideon’s therapists said something about it in the past and she wasn’t interested.” He had been worried about Serenity as well and was impressed with Laurie’s ability to read other people. “It doesn’t hurt to tell her about it, but don’t push it. She gets defensive easily.”

She absently wrapped a curl around one of her fingers. “I know I don’t have experience as a parent, but I’ve heard several of my customers tell me that they felt alone until they found this group. I think it might be good for her.”

“I don’t doubt that you’re right. But Serenity has a lot of things she needs to work through in her past and in her life in general. She’s exceptionally hard on herself – much harder than she needs to be.” Tuck’s heart ached for his little sister. It had been an answer to prayer when she had agreed to move into the Chandler house, even if she insisted on paying at least some rent while she was there. He wished he could help her more, but she kept everyone’s at arm’s length.

He reached over to take the hand that was fiddling with her hair. “I appreciate your wanting to help. I think taking the photos tomorrow will be the best thing you can do right now. There’s one thing I have learned about my little sister. She has to come to a decision or a change in her life on her own. No one can push her to do anything she isn’t ready to do.”

“I’m looking forward to the shoot. Are you going to make it for dinner?”

“I wouldn’t miss it.” He pulled up to Laurie’s studio, put the truck in park, and turned to her. “I actually thought we could spend the day together. We could go have lunch and hang out a bit, then I could drive us over to Mom’s house.” Tuck watched her face, praying she would say yes.

“I have some equipment to take for the photo shoot that I’ll need to bring along.”

Doing his best to look serious, he grimaced. “That’s a lot to ask of a guy with a truck.” The sound of her giggles wiped the fake expression off his face faster than he had intended and he gave her a lopsided grin. “Of course – I’ll even carry the stuff you need out for you.”

“Why thank you, kind sir. In that case, I accept your invitation.”

The humor in her green eyes made his heart race. It blew him away that she was even remotely interested in him as well.

“I’m sorry I’ve got to rush off. Are you going to be okay getting in?”

“I’ll be fine.” She held up the box containing her new purchase. “I may wait until Sunday to open this so you can make sure I’m doing it right.”

“Sounds good. We’ll get to the range in the next week or so. That way, you’ll feel more comfortable with it.”

“Thanks again, Tuck.”

“You’re welcome.” He reached a hand out and gently pulled one of her curls, releasing it to spring back to its original position. “We’ll keep in touch this week. I’ll let you know when I hear back about the files.”

It felt like the smell of her shampoo was floating all around him. She pulled her bottom lip up between her teeth. It took every ounce of strength he had to not take a taste of that lip himself. Instead, he placed a soft kiss on her cheek near her ear. “I’ll talk to you soon.”

Tuck watched long enough to see her disappear inside before pulling away from the curb. One thing was certain. He was looking forward to spending the day with Laurie more than he had anything else in a long, long time.

~

When Laurie awoke early the next morning, she blinked, trying to figure out why the light filtering through her windows was different. Feeling giddy, she pulled the curtains back. Large, fluffy snowflakes floated slowly past the glass to land on the scene below. Everything was draped in white. It must have snowed all night.

She dressed quickly, grabbed her laptop, and headed down to her studio. She had some processing to do today and didn’t expect to have any customers come through the door with the weather.

That was fine with her. She doubted she was going to be able to concentrate much today. At least she had a great view of the wintry world from her desk.

The chime from her phone announced a text from Tuck.

“Coffee or hot chocolate?”

She texted back, “Hot chocolate, please.”

“You got it.”

Her stomach did a little tumble and she hoped that meant he was coming by sometime this morning.

She had just gotten into her work when there was a rap on the door. Even though she expected Tuck to drop by, the sound made her jump.

Brows knit together, he took a step forward. “I didn’t mean to startle you. Are you okay?”

Laurie stood, feeling incredibly silly. “I only lose a year of my life about every other time now.” His expression was so serious she shook her head. “I’m fine.”

He looked like he was going to argue. Instead, he held out the drink carrier he had in one hand while keeping his other hand behind his back. “Hot chocolate is on your right.”

“Mmmm, thank you.” She cupped it in her hands, welcoming the warmth as she took a tentative sip.

“That’s not all. And no cop comments, please.” He pulled the other hand out from behind his back, presenting a bag of donuts.

Laurie nearly choked on the hot chocolate and swallowed quickly. “And how am I supposed to
not
make a comment?” She grinned at him, enjoying the tint of red that reached the tip of his ears. “Donuts sound perfect. Seriously, thank you.” She set the bag down on her desk and pulled one of the glazed treats out, scooting the bag closer to him. “Did you have to work late last night?”

“We shut it down around one this morning as soon as it started to snow.” He sat on the edge of her desk, taking a bite of his own donut. “We got the rest of the folders sorted and together. They should be able to finish the comparison today. We’ll have some answers.”

“Oh, good.” She took another sip of hot chocolate. “I’m impressed you were able to get out and travel in this at all.”

“I put chains on the tires of my truck and drove it.”

“Good thinking.”

“We’ve gotten two inches of snow already. Traffic will only get worse as the day goes on. Especially if it melts a bit today and freezes overnight.”

Laurie regained her desk chair and studied him over the top of her cup. “With the exception of Daisy’s for soup, I’m not planning on going anywhere until this all clears out. My car barely has a working heater on a good day.”

“I’m glad – you’ll be safer here. People get insane when they’re driving in weather like this. If you need anything, call and let me know.” He polished off the rest of his donut in one bite. “I’ve gotta run. I’ll call you when we get results from the files. But otherwise, don’t be surprised if I’m MIA for a while. Weather like this means a lot of accidents.” He stood and dusted his hands off.

Laurie followed suit and set the rest of her donut down. “Be careful out there, okay? Thanks again for the hot chocolate and donuts.”

“Anytime.”

Tuck gave her a wink and left.

He had brought her hot chocolate and donuts. In the middle of a snow storm. It was a winter wonderland outside. Yep, it was shaping up to be a great day.

~

Tuck was in the station, going over some paperwork, when Lance walked up to his desk and slapped his hand on the surface. “They finished going through those files. There are folders missing, all from the same household.”

Standing quickly, Tuck reached for his coat. “The Chief?”

“He said to go talk to the family, make sure everything is okay there, and see if they have any information.”

With a nod, Tuck followed his partner. “Fill me in. We’ll take my truck.”

Lance read over the report as Tuck took them across town. The files that were missing were for the Lewis family. There were six children – three boys and three girls – and all of those files were nowhere to be found. According to the computer, there was nothing remarkable about the medical history of any of the children. All six had received all of their vaccinations and the fourth child had been hospitalized with RSV when she was an infant. There were no red flags indicating why someone would choose those records over any others.

By the time they reached the Lewis home, Tuck was formulating questions in his mind.

Together, they traversed the snow to the front door. Tuck knocked and waited until a woman in her thirties pulled the door open. “Can I help you?”

“Are you Morgan Lewis?”

“Yes. What is this about?”

They both showed her their badges. “We want to talk to you about a break-in that has resulted in some of your records being stolen. May we come inside?”

Morgan looked from one to the other. “Honestly, my youngest are sleeping. I would rather stay out here on the porch, if you don’t mind.”

“Not at all,” Lance assured her.

She slipped on some shoes by the door, pulled a jacket on, and stepped outside. Together, he and Tuck told her about the robbery.

“As far as we can tell, your children’s records were the only ones missing. Do you have any idea why that might be?”

Morgan looked genuinely surprised. “I have no idea. We’ve been going to that pediatrician since my oldest was born. I have a lot of friends who go there as well. I have provided copies of vaccination records when needed. Do I need to worry about my kids’ safety?”

“Honestly, Ma’am, I don’t know. I doubt they are in any danger. But if you will give me their school contact information, I’ll go by and let them know about the situation and make sure the kids’ teachers know to keep a close eye on them.” Tuck took the information she provided down on a notepad. “We’ll also see if we can’t have a squad car make regular passes by your house for the next few days until we get this squared away.”

“I appreciate that.” Morgan paused. “If I feel uncomfortable about sending them to school the next couple of days, can I get some information from you to present to the school?”

“I will make sure that, when I talk to them here shortly, they know that the kids are excused should you wish to take them out for a few days.” Tuck tried to give her a reassuring smile. “Honestly, your kids are likely fine, but I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to keep them close by.”

Lance handed her a card. “If you have any questions, think of anything, or see anyone around that concerns you, please don’t hesitate to call.”

“I will. Thank you again.” Morgan shook each of their hands and closed the door behind her.

“Did you recognize the school?” Lance asked.