RISKING IT ALL

Detective Melody Zachary is determined to find who killed her nephew in a drug-related murder. She’s launched her teen center in his memory, to keep kids off the streets. And she’ll prove to narcotics officer Parker Adams and his K-9 drug-sniffing partner, Sherlock, it’s not a haven for dealers. As they risk their lives to save others, Melody discovers that Parker and she share the same deep commitment to making a difference. Will circumstances allow them to take the biggest risk yet—on love?

Texas K-9 Unit: These lawmen solve the toughest cases with the help of their brave canine partners

“I’m shutting you down,” Parker said,

his eyes cold, his voice hard.

“You don’t have the authority to do that,” Melody exclaimed.

“I’ll get it.” Tension tightened Parker’s muscles as he stared at the drugs sitting on the shelf in the locker. It figured the youth center would be too good to be true. Guess the rumor mill was correct.

Was Melody dealing drugs out of the center? Disappointment flooded his system, yet he had a hard time reconciling those thoughts with the woman standing next to him. The shock in her eyes, the distress on her face couldn’t be an act. Could it?

If she were guilty of dealing drugs through the center, she’d have thought up some excuse to refuse opening the locker. But there’d been no excuses, no hesitation.

He’d give her the benefit of the doubt.

TERRI REED

At an early age Terri Reed discovered the wonderful world of fiction and declared she would one day write a book. Now she is fulfilling that dream and enjoys writing for Love Inspired Books. Her second book, A Sheltering Love, was a 2006 RITA® Award finalist and a 2005 National Readers’ Choice Award finalist. Her book Strictly Confidential, book five in the Faith at the Crossroads continuity series, took third place in the 2007 American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year Award, and Her Christmas Protector took third place in 2008. She is an active member of both Romance Writers of America and American Christian Fiction Writers. She resides in the Pacific Northwest with her college-sweetheart husband, two wonderful children and an array of critters. When not writing, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, gardening and playing with her dogs.

You can write to Terri at P.O. Box 19555 Portland, OR 97280. Visit her on the web at www.loveinspiredauthors.com or email her at terrireed@sterling.net.

Scent of

Danger

Terri Reed

www.millsandboon.co.uk

MILLS & BOON

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The Lord is my light and my salvation:

Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength

of my life: Of Whom shall I be afraid?

—Psalms 27:1

Thank you to my fellow Texas K-9 authors:

Shirlee McCoy, Margaret Daley, Sharon Dunn, Valerie Hansen and Lenora Worth.

You made working on this series fun.

Special thanks and acknowledgment to Terri Reed

for her contribution to the Texas K-9 Unit miniseries.

Contents

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

DEAR READER

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

ONE

Detective Melody Zachary halted abruptly at the sight of her office door cracked open. Unease slithered down her spine. She’d locked the door last night when she left the Sagebrush Youth Center. She always did.

Pushing back her suit jacket, she unlatched her weapon from the holster at her hip and withdrew the Sig Sauer. She pushed the door wide with the toe of her heeled boot. Stepping inside the darkened room, she reached with her free hand for the overhead light switch and froze.

A shadow moved.

Not a shadow. A man.

Dressed from head to toe in black. Black gloves, black ski mask...

Black eyes.

Not just the irises, but the white part of his eyes, as well.

Her heart stalled.

Palming her piece in both hands, she aimed her weapon. “Halt! Police!”

The intruder dove straight at her. She didn’t have time to react, to pull the trigger, before he slammed into her chest, knocking her backward against the wall. Her head smacked hard, sending pain slicing through her brain. The air rushed out of her lungs.

The man bolted through the open doorway and disappeared, leaving only the echo of his black, rubber-soled tennis shoes squishing against the linoleum and bouncing off the walls of the hallway.

Ignoring the pain pounding in her head, Melody pushed away from the wall. For a moment, her off-balance equilibrium sent the world spinning.

The exit door at the end of the hall banged shut. She grimaced. He was escaping.

Forcing herself to move, Melody chased after the intruder. As founder and co-director of the youth center, she’d come in this morning expecting to get a little work done before heading to the police station to start her shift. She hadn’t been prepared for a smackdown and footrace.

The blood surging through her brought the world into a sharp focus she didn’t experience anywhere else in her life except on the job. It had been a while since she’d had to chase a perp. And never from the youth center.

This place was supposed to be safe, for the kids who sought help and for the volunteers who ran the center.

Out on the sidewalk, she searched for the trespasser. Sagebrush Boulevard was empty. There was no sign of a person dressed in black. At seven in the morning on a Tuesday, Sagebrush, Texas, was barely coming to life.

At the end of town, the spire of the white community church gleamed in the early morning May sunlight, like a beacon of hope. A stark contrast to the dark figure who’d assaulted her. She sent up a silent prayer of protection, for herself, for the youth center and for the citizens of Sagebrush.

A cynical voice in her head taunted, Would God

listen?

As much as she hated to admit it, she didn’t know. He certainly hadn’t listened to her pleas when her marriage fell apart and her ex-husband abandoned her to go “find himself.”

Holstering her weapon and pulling her tailored jacket closed, she retraced her steps and entered Sagebrush Youth Center’s single-story brick building.

She stopped in her office doorway surveying the scene. Irritation raced through her. The place had been ransacked. The filing cabinet had been emptied, the files strewn all over. The pictures of her family had been knocked off the desk.

Her heart squeezed tight at the sight of her sister’s face smiling up at her from one of the images. Her arm was slung over her then twelve-year-old son’s shoulders. A time when they’d been happy. Alive.

Forcing back the sadness, she continued her perusal. Books ranging from popular fiction to nonfiction teenage psychology had been pulled down from the shelves and lay haphazardly on the floor. The open desk drawers appeared to have been rifled through.

A cardboard box lay toppled upside down, the contents spilling out. Her nephew’s name was written across the side in big bold letters. She didn’t need a paper inventory of the box. She had the contents memorized. The files full of witness testimonies, and Daniel’s effects at the time of his death had been in that box. All that was left of a life cut too short.

A sense of violation cramped her chest. She was used to investigating this sort of vandalism, not being the victim herself.

She was no one’s victim. Her fist clenched.

She would find the person who broke in, and discover what they’d wanted. She tapped her foot, impatient to get in there and see what had been taken.

But protocol had to be followed.

Yanking her cell phone out of the backpack-style purse she always carried, she dialed the Sagebrush police dispatch non-emergency number.

“Sagebrush Police Department.” Cathy Rodriquez, the day dispatch operator answered in her no-nonsense tone.

“Cathy, it’s Detective Zachary. I need a crime-scene unit at the youth center. My office has been broken into.”

“Were you hurt, Melody?”

“I’m fine.” She wouldn’t mention the throbbing headache. The last thing she needed was to be coddled. She’d find some pain reliever in the nurse’s station once things settled down. “I surprised the intruder, but he got away.”

“I’ll let the higher ups know what’s going on.”

“Thanks, I appreciate it.” Melody hung up and leaned against the doorjamb. Despite the doubts that at times tried to rob her of faith, she sent up a silent prayer of thanksgiving that the intruder hadn’t been armed. This scene could have gone down very differently.

The sound of footsteps sent a fresh wave of adrenaline pumping through her veins. She whipped around, her hand going to her weapon.

“Melody?”

At the sight of her volunteer co-director and fellow Sagebrush police officer coming toward her, she let out a tense breath. Jim Wheaton always wore the navy blue Sagebrush Police Department uniform, claiming the visual reminder of authority helped keep the kids in line.

Nearing fifty and single, Jim spent more time at the center, whether he was on duty or off, than any other volunteer. He claimed it was because he didn’t trust the teens not to cause trouble, but Melody suspected he liked the company even if he wouldn’t admit it.

“You’re here early again today,” he said, coming to a halt a few paces away.

She usually stopped by Arianna’s Diner for a pastry and cup of coffee before heading to the station, but ever since her nephew’s grave had been desecrated last month, she hadn’t had much of an appetite. Keeping herself occupied gave her less time to think.

Besides, the diner was closed now that the owner, Arianna Munson, had been killed after being linked to the crime lord, known only by the police as The Boss.

For the past several years, a crime wave had terrorized the citizens of Sagebrush. The mastermind behind the crime syndicate was a faceless, nameless entity that even the thugs who worked for The Boss feared.

This man was at the top of the police department’s most-wanted list. Especially after the crime syndicate kidnapped Rio, the three-year-old German shepherd partner of the K-9 unit’s captain. The whole department was on high alert looking for the canine.

She could have used a dog like Rio today. Maybe she should look into getting a K-9 partner for the center. A nice big dog with sharp teeth. “Hey, Jim. I interrupted someone breaking into my office. They made a mess of things.”

His gray eyes clouded with concern. “You okay?”

“Just a bruised ego.” And a knock to the noggin. Nothing she couldn’t handle.

“Let me see.” He tried to push past her.

Her arm shot out and blocked him from entering. “I’m waiting for the CSU team.”

He scowled. “It was probably a kid looking for some loose change.”

Melody shook her head. “Guy was too big, too strong to be a teen.”

“You get a look at his face?”

“I didn’t.”

The center’s front door opened. A small dog with his black nose pressed to the ground entered. Melody recognized the beagle as Sherlock, part of the K-9 unit. He wore a vest with the Sagebrush Police Department emblem over his light brown and white coat. A harness attached to a leash led to the handsome man at the other end. Melody blinked.

What were Narcotics Detective Parker Adams and his K-9 partner doing here?

The dog was adorable with his floppy ears and big round eyes.

Much like his handler.

She didn’t know the narcotics detective well. She worked for the homicide division, mostly cold cases, while he was part of the Sagebrush’s elite K-9 unit. Their paths hadn’t crossed much, though she’d noticed him at the police station.

Hard not to take notice when he filled out his uniform nicely with broad shoulders and trim waist. She liked the way he wore his dark hair swept back from his forehead and his warm brown eyes appeared kind whenever he glanced her way.

He wasn’t much taller than she, but he had a commanding presence that she found disconcerting. Though why, she wasn’t sure. Growing up the daughter of a cop, there were few people who intimidated her. But something about the handsome officer made her pay attention.

Two crime-scene-unit techs filed in behind Parker carrying in their equipment. Considering the police station was at the other end of the block, Melody wasn’t surprised how quickly they’d arrived. She just didn’t understand why Parker had responded to her call.

The CSU team approached, each member wearing a dark blue Sagebrush Police Department windbreaker. Parker hung back, letting his dog sniff the floor, the thresholds of the closed classroom doors, the lockers.

“Hey, Melody,” said Rose Bigsby, a stocky woman with short blond curls and wire-rimmed glasses perched on her short nose. “Report came in that you had a break-in.”

Melody gestured to the open door of her office. “In there.”

Clay Gregson nodded to Jim and then smiled shyly at Melody as he moved past her to enter her office. The tall and lean CSU technician wasn’t much on small talk, something the officers of SPD were used to. Rose, on the other hand, made up for her partner’s lack of conversation just fine. Rose followed him in and started the process of looking for anything that would lead them to ID the intruder.

“Any idea who broke in?” Parker asked as he and his dog approached. “What was he looking for?”

Melody frowned. “I have no idea who the guy was or what he was after.”

“What are you doing here, Adams?” Jim asked.

“Captain McNeal thought it’d be a good idea for Sherlock here to check out the center,” Parker replied evenly. “Considering.”

Her defenses stirred. “Considering what?”

He met her gaze. His dark eyes intense, probing. “The rumors of drugs being dealt out of here.”

Her hackles rose like the feathers of a peacock on high alert. She’d been battling that particular thread of gossip since the center opened. She routinely searched the building and kept a close eye on the kids. She was certain there were no drugs on the premises. “We have a strict no-drugs policy. Any offenders will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”

Parker shrugged. “Then there’s nothing to worry about. Sherlock shouldn’t find anything. He’s got the best nose in the state, and it’s never wrong.”

“I’ve got to go to the station,” Jim said abruptly and headed for the exit.

Watching him hustle out the door, Melody frowned. He’d just arrived. She shrugged off her coworker’s strange behavior. Even though she was fond of Jim, she’d long ago decided she would never figure out the male species.

Or teenagers. Starting the youth center had been her attempt to help the kids of Sagebrush so they wouldn’t end up like her nephew. At sixteen, Daniel had gotten mixed up with drugs, dealing and using, by all accounts. He’d ended up dead because of it. During a standoff with the police, he’d been wounded in the leg by Captain Slade McNeal and then shot in the heart by an unknown sniper. The assassin was never caught.

Saving other teens from Daniel’s fate had become her mission in life.

However, that didn’t mean she understood the teens or their thought processes. Thankfully, there were tons of books on the subject. If she could prevent even one teen from ending up addicted to drugs like Daniel, she’d feel she succeeded.

Her gaze strayed back to the mess in her office. Rose knelt beside the lamp and dusted black powder over the surface. The flash of a camera momentarily brightened the room as Clay photographed the crime scene.

What had the intruder been looking for?

“Did you get a look at the perp?” Parker asked, drawing her attention.

“No, he wore a ski mask.”

“With blacked-out eyes?”

Surprise washed through her. “Yes. Very freaky. How did you know?”

“We’ve had a run-in with a guy wearing a ski mask and some kind of eyewear that blacks out the whites of his eyes. Did he take anything?”

Absorbing that information, she turned her gaze once again to the box labeled with her nephew’s name. Would she find something missing? Did the vandalism to her office have anything to do with last month’s desecration of Daniel’s grave? A lump of anxiety lodged in her chest.

It had been five years since Daniel’s death. Five years of searching for answers and coming up empty. What had recently changed to make someone dig into the past? And Daniel’s grave?

The questions intensified the headache pounding at her temples. She didn’t believe in coincidence. Daniel’s grave, now her office. Were the two events connected? Maybe it was time to re-question some of Daniel’s old buddies. Someone had to know something useful.

Her heart squeezed. Five years wasn’t nearly long enough to have healed some wounds, though.

Realizing Parker was waiting for her to respond, she said, “I only did a cursory look, but I didn’t see anything obvious missing. Perp rifled through all my files, drawers and books. Seemed to be searching for something.”

“Interesting.” He seemed to be thinking about something. “I wonder if this was the same guy who searched the station last night.”

“What?” She hadn’t heard about that.

“Someone searched the station house, concentrating mostly on the K-9 unit and Captain McNeal’s office.”

“Do you have any idea why? What were they looking for?”

His expression turned cagey. “We think it has something to do with the crime syndicate plaguing Sagebrush. But the station house wasn’t broken into per se. The culprit came from within.”

Surprised, she widened her eyes. “You think a fellow officer is working for the crime syndicate?”

“That’s one theory. Though I can’t help but wonder if the two incidents somehow connect to Captain McNeal’s missing dog, Rio.”

“Last month, K-9 Officer Jackson Worth spotted a masked man clad in black who was walking a dog matching Rio’s description. We also have a witness who saw someone dressed like you’ve described kill a man in cold blood.”

A shiver of dread worked its way over Melody’s flesh. She was thankful the intruder had decided to just knock her down rather than kill her.

What was he searching for? And would he be back? Maybe this break-in had nothing to do with her nephew’s grave. Or maybe it had everything to do with it.

She intended to find out, regardless of the danger.

* * *

At four that afternoon, Parker’s captain summoned him to his office. He knocked lightly before opening the door.

Captain Slade McNeal sat at his desk. He held the file with Parker’s notes from the day. “So tell me what you think about this break-in at the youth center.”

Only four years older than Parker, Slade had slightly salted dark hair and a square jaw. Lines of stress bracketed his blue eyes.

Stepping fully into Slade’s office, Parker said, “The perp who broke into the youth center matches Nicki Johnson’s description of the man who killed Gunther Lamont last month. The CSU techs didn’t find anything useful.” Not that he expected them to. So far the ski-mask guy had been very careful. No prints, no clear description identifying him.

“Did Detective Zachary find anything missing?”

An image of the pretty dark-haired, blue-eyed woman rose in Parker’s mind. He didn’t know Melody well. She kept pretty much to herself and devoted most of her free time to the Sagebrush Youth Center. A supposed alternative to the drug scene for the teens of Sagebrush.

But Parker was dubious of any place where teens with drug habits gathered. Though he appreciated the intention behind the youth center, he just wasn’t convinced any place was safe from the invading poison.

Rumor had it that too many kids were partying on the center grounds.

Nothing had ever come of the internal investigation their captain had initiated. But that didn’t mean it wasn’t happening, which was why Parker and Sherlock had headed over to the center when the news came in that there’d been a break-in. The crime syndicate overrunning Sagebrush had their hands in the drug trade and would no doubt see the youth center as a viable outlet for their product.

Painful memories of his younger brother raced unbidden to the forefront of his mind. A deep sadness welled. Followed quickly by the anger that always chased after thoughts of Ethan.

His brother had died from tainted drugs.

Forcing his own personal torment back to the dark recesses of his mind, he answered, “No, nothing missing. Perp ransacked her office. She has no idea what he was looking for.”

Slade narrowed his blue eyes. “The code?”

Parker shrugged, baffled by this turn of events. “Maybe. But why her office? She’s not a part of our unit.”

“Assuming that the masked perpetrator and The Boss are the same person, he must be getting desperate,” Slade said.

Parker’s cell buzzed, and he checked the caller ID. He didn’t recognize the number. “Parker Adams.”

“You better hustle over to the youth center. There’s a drug deal going down.”

Parker recognized his confidential informant’s gruff voice. “What kind of drugs?”

“How should I know?” The man hung up.

Parker blew out a frustrated breath. Sometimes Harry Trenton was a pain in the neck. But his intel was usually worth the stipend Parker regularly doled out to him. Which meant the youth center wasn’t what it seemed. An image of the lovely Melody rose in Parker’s mind. He sure hoped the pretty detective wasn’t involved in dealing drugs. He didn’t like the idea of arresting her. But he would in a heartbeat. Getting drugs off the street was his number-one priority.

Meeting Slade’s questioning gaze, Parker said, “My CI claims there’s a drug deal going down at the youth center.”

Visible tension tightened Slade’s jaw. “You didn’t find any drugs this morning?”

“No. Sherlock followed a couple of false trails. Could have been trace amount brought in on a shoe.” He hoped that were the case.

McNeal stroked his jaw. “Check it out. If you find something concrete, let me know. I’ll have to inform Captain Drexel.”

The captain of the homicide division and Melody’s direct boss.

“Will do.” Parker headed out the back door of the brick one-story building and jogged the short distance to the K-9 Training Center on the adjacent lot. Parker had dropped Sherlock off a little earlier with the training staff because, being a two-year-old beagle, the dog needed some time to run around and burn off his excess energy so he’d be ready to focus when needed.

Callie Peterson, the lead trainer for the Sagebrush Special Operations K-9 Unit, greeted Parker with a smile and a wave as Parker approached the training yard.

“Sherlock’s in kennel one,” she called out as she worked with Justice, a good-looking bloodhound, and his handler, Austin Black.

“Hey, Parker,” Austin called out.

Parker lifted his hand acknowledging his friend and fellow team member.

Continued training for all the dogs of the K-9 unit was mandatory and necessary to keep the dogs and their handlers fresh and working well together. Justice was an integral part of the unit, his specialty search and rescue. Thanks to Austin and Justice, seven-year-old Brady Billows had been found unscathed after two thugs working for The Boss nabbed the boy because he’d been a witness to the assault on Captain McNeal’s father and Rio’s kidnapping.

Now if they could only find the captain’s beloved dog. Even a twenty-five-thousand-dollar reward offered by the captain’s good friend, Dante Frears, hadn’t yielded any results. Everyone was working hard to bring Rio home.

Going to the kennel door, Parker grabbed the nylon leash from the nearby hook. Sherlock’s short legs kicked up dirt as he jumped at the door clearly wanting to be set free.

“Settle down, boy,” Parker said softly as he opened the dog-run door.

Instantly, Sherlock sat, his tail thumping the ground, his big brown eyes staring at Parker.

Love for the little beagle filled Parker as he clipped on the leash and led the dog toward his vehicle. “Come on, boy, we’ve got work to do.”

With his lights flashing, Parker drove the few blocks to the youth center with Sherlock inside his special crate mounted in the back passenger area of the SUV. Parker glanced in the rearview mirror at Sherlock. Affection rushed to the surface. The dog was the closest thing to family Parker had in Sagebrush. His parents had moved to San Antonio not long after his kid brother’s death.

The sharp pain of loss stabbed at him. Parker’s life plan had changed that day. He vowed to keep the streets drug free. A tall order for just one person, but Parker figured for every drug dealer he put behind bars, more kids would have a chance to live.

He’d gone on to the local college, but instead of majoring in business as he’d planned, he’d majored in criminal justice. As soon as he’d graduated, he joined the police academy, setting his sights on becoming a narcotics detective. When he’d been offered the job to work with the K-9 unit, he jumped at the chance. Sherlock was the best drug-sniffing beagle in the whole state of Texas.

They both proudly wore the Sagebrush Police Department emblem.

Parker brought the official K-9 unit vehicle to a halt at the curb, climbed out and opened the back door for Sherlock. The beagle jumped out. Immediately, his nose went to the ground, sniffing for a trail to follow. Reining in the leash, Parker walked toward the front of the Sagebrush Youth Center.

A squeaking sound drew Parker’s attention. An old man, dressed in ragged clothing, pushed a shopping cart full of his possessions down the sidewalk. Their gazes met. Surreptitiously, Harry, the confidential informant who’d called Parker, pointed one gnarled finger toward the rear of the building.

Without acknowledging the old man, Parker veered Sherlock away from the front steps and hurried toward the back of the building where a wire fence, erected to keep in stray balls from the basketball hoops, dug into the cement of an old parking lot. Voices echoed off the sides of the center.

“Look, you don’t scare me.”

Parker recognized Melody’s voice. The words were spoken evenly enough but a faint tremor of fear underscored them.

“You should be scared, lady. You’re all alone. We can do whatever we want with you.”

The pretty detective was in trouble.

TWO

Parker quickened his pace, anxious to help his co-worker before anything bad happened.

“Tell me what you know about Daniel,” Melody insisted. “Why was his grave desecrated? What was he into before he died?”

This didn’t sound like a drug deal. Parker rounded the corner. A rough-looking character brandishing a knife had Melody backed up against the brick wall.

His stomach muscles tightened. Concern spread through his chest.

Two other equally seedy-looking thugs stood nearby leering at her. Melody’s hands were up in a placating way, but she seemed far from cowed. In fact, she looked downright impressive in her tailored pantsuit, crisp white blouse and black boots. Her dark hair was gathered up at the nape of her neck by a gold clip. Truth was, he’d never seen her appear more collected.

She stared at her assailant with hard blue eyes and pressed her questions. “Was Daniel dealing drugs? You were his friend back then, so you have to know something. What was he doing in the woods the night he died?”

“I’m not telling you nothing,” the knife-wielding guy said. To emphasize his point, he stepped closer and pressed the knife to her throat. Melody didn’t flinch.

Either the woman was incredibly brave or had a death wish. Parker wasn’t going to wait to find out which. He put his hand on the Glock at his side and stepped inside the fence. “Sagebrush PD. Drop your weapon. Back away from the officer.”

The two thugs immediately bolted as if their feet had been lit on fire. They ran past Parker and disappeared around the corner of the building. Sherlock barked and pulled at his leash, wanting to give chase. The hoodlum with the knife backed up a step but didn’t lower his weapon.

Now that Parker got a better look at him, he realized he knew the young man—Zane Peabody. He’d locked him up a couple of times on drug-possession charges.

Sherlock continued to bark and strain at his leash. He pawed the ground, showing signs of aggression reserved for when he was on the scent of drugs. Parker didn’t doubt Sherlock smelled some cocaine or weed or something else illicit on the younger man. Zane was a user. Parker had come here to bust a junkie and his dealer. But that wasn’t the situation here. Right now Parker’s concern was to ensure his fellow officer’s safety.

“Don’t be stupid, man,” Parker said. “Drop the knife.”

Melody scowled at Parker. Then turned back to her assailant. “Zane, come on, talk to me. You guys were friends. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”

Zane wiped at his nose with his free hand. “He’s gone. You can’t help him now.”

“I can find out who killed him,” she said.

Parker inched closer, keeping Sherlock at his heels.

Zane backed up more. His gaze darted back and forth between Melody and Parker and then dropped to Sherlock. “If I talk to you I’m as good as dead. Just like Daniel.”

“I can protect you,” Melody insisted, taking a step forward.

Zane shook his head. “You can’t protect me.” Fear twisted his features. “The Boss owns these streets. He’ll know. He knows everything.” He backed up even more. “You better watch out, lady. Asking questions could get you killed.” Then he ran.

His words hung in the air. A warning. A threat.

Every protective instinct Parker possessed came to life.

But one look at Melody’s determined face made Parker’s stomach drop to the heels of his black steel-toed leather uniform boots. The cold-case detective wasn’t going to back down, even if that meant putting her life in the crosshairs of the mysterious and brutal crime syndicate.

* * *

“Thanks a lot,” Melody groused as they watched Zane disappear around the corner. “You scared him off.”

Figures she’d go on the attack. He’d heard that she was a tough lady. She’d have to be to deal with teens as much as she did.

“I saved your life,” Parker said, falling into step with her as she marched toward a flight of stairs leading to the basement door of the youth center. Sherlock trotted alongside of him, his black nose close to the ground.

“I had it handled.”

And he could sing like Sinatra. Not. “That situation could have turned bad in a heartbeat.”

She stopped at the top of the stairs and faced him. Her bright blue eyes flashed with indignation. “I wasn’t in trouble. And I don’t need a white knight to save me. Zane wouldn’t have hurt me. He’d been a friend of my nephew’s.”

Sherlock lay down on the cement, with his head on his paws. Clearly the dog didn’t smell anything worth tracking.

“Familiarity breeds compliancy,” Parker commented.

She grimaced. “Cute.”

“What do you mean ‘had been a friend?’”

Sorrow darkened her expression. “My nephew was Daniel Jones.”

A sad case. A cold case. Or was it? Parker had seen the damage done to Daniel Jones’s casket last month when it had been forced open and searched. “I hadn’t realized you two were related.” Empathy wove its way through him. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

She nodded, acknowledging his sentiment. “Was there a reason you showed up?”

“I received a tip a drug deal was going down.” He braced himself for her reaction.

Her mouth pressed in a firm line as annoyance darkened her eyes. For a long moment she stared at him. “What will it take to convince you the center is legit?” she finally asked.

Good question. One he didn’t have an answer for. There was no reason not to believe the pretty detective was all she seemed. Hardworking, dedicated and professional.

Maybe he was letting his own issues cloud his judgment. But that didn’t explain why she had a known drug user on the youth center’s property. “What was Zane doing here? And why were you asking him about your nephew?”

Melody sighed and struggled to put her thought process into words. “I reached out to him. I admit it was a long shot, but it occurred to me since Daniel’s grave had been defiled last month that maybe the break-in had something to do with his case. Since I have the files and evidence from that night in my office, it made sense.”

She sighed and leaned against the railing. “I was hoping Zane would have remembered something or would say something to help me figure out what happened and why Daniel’s grave had been tampered with after all this time.” Instead she was left with more unanswered questions.

“I’m sure it must be hard not knowing who killed your nephew.” Sympathy tinged Parker’s voice.

“It is.” Stinging sadness swept through her like a cold wind. “It shouldn’t have happened. If only something like the youth center had been around when Daniel had been alive, maybe he wouldn’t have gotten mixed up in drugs. Maybe he wouldn’t have been in the Lost Woods that night.”

“I was there the night Daniel Jones was killed,” Parker confessed quietly.

She sucked in a sharp breath. She knew that from the reports, but his statement hadn’t been any different than the other officers’. A burst of hope shot through her. Maybe he remembered something he hadn’t put in his report. Would he have the answers she sought? “Tell me what you remember. What did you see?”

“Sherlock was on the trail of a scent, leading us through the woods.” Hearing his name, the dog rose to his feet, tail wagging, his big brown eyes on Melody. Parker adjusted his grip on the leash. “We found Daniel amped up on drugs and waving a gun around.”

Melody tried to picture her nephew out of his mind and out of control, but the only images that came to her were of the quiet kid who always seemed slightly sad. Her heart ached for him.

“Daniel shot at the captain.”

She winced. “I’d read that in the reports.”

“Captain McNeal put a bullet in the kid’s thigh as a means to stop him.”

It had been the right move, considering he was firing on the police. What had he been thinking?

“I know the reports said no one saw the shooter. But can you remember anything that might ID him?” Hope swelled, anticipation surged. She wanted to find and arrest the man who’d pulled the trigger.

“No. I never saw him.”

Disappointment flooded her veins.

“It happened so fast. Whoever fired was good. We scoured the woods for shell casings. The sniper left nothing behind except the bullet that killed Daniel.”

“And there were no prints on the .308 caliber bullet,” Melody stated flatly, adding to Parker’s assessment that the gunman had been careful.

He shook his head. “Unfortunately not.”

Melody’s fingers curled. Whoever had done the deed thought they’d gotten away with it, but she wouldn’t give up looking for the shooter, or finding out why Daniel was in those woods that night. “I’ve been working his case since I came on board. I wasn’t in Sagebrush at the time. I was a detective for the Austin P.D. But after that night...” She swallowed.

Parker touched her hand. The warmth of his skin spread through her, chasing the cold away.

“Your sister, Sierra Jones, died that night, as well,” he recalled gently.

Sierra. A wrenching pain gripped Melody as it did every time she thought about her older sister. “The ME ruled Sierra’s death a suicide. She’d purposely overdosed on sleeping pills.”

It was still so hard to accept. Her sister had been so full of life, so fiery.

“What about Daniel’s father?”

Melody shook her head. “Sierra would never say who he was.”

“She didn’t know or just didn’t want to tell you?”

“I think she knew.” It still hurt that her sister wouldn’t confide in her. Melody consoled herself with the fact that they were nine years apart in age.

Compassion darkened his brown eyes. “I can’t imagine losing both of them in the same night.”

“It was devastating. For both my mother and me.” As far as Melody was concerned, whoever killed Daniel was just as responsible for driving Sierra to end her life.

His gaze took on a faraway look. “When my brother died I remember thinking how cruel life could be sometimes. How senseless.”

Empathy twirled in her chest. He’d lost someone, too. “How did he die?”

His gaze sharpened. “Drugs.”

Her heart sank. “Oh, no. Was he an addict?”

“No. He was fourteen and experimenting. The kids he was hanging with were on the edgy side, not overly bad kids but...it only took one time.”

She sucked in a sharp breath. “One time?”

“Yes.” Bitterness laced his tone. “He’d taken a hit of ecstasy that was bulked up with a lethal dose of MCPP, a pesticide.”

She reached out to take his hand, the warm contact comforting. “I’m so sorry.”

She didn’t know what else to say. His comment about the senselessness of life echoed in her head. She wanted to refute his words, tell him that with God, everything made sense, everything had a purpose, but how could she say that in the face of his brother’s pointless and painful death?

Deep inside her, restless doubts stirred.

Lord, increase my faith, her heart whispered as it did every time uncertainty reared its ugly head.

Parker’s hand slid over hers, the pressure firm as if he needed to hold on. “So you can see why even the mere hint of drugs sets me off.”

“I do understand. I feel the same way. I started the center to honor Daniel’s memory. But my hope is to give kids a chance to find happiness without getting high,” Melody explained. She had to make him see the importance of the youth center. “We’ve done good work here. My vision has always been to keep these kids off the street and out of trouble.”

“I’m sure your sister would be proud of you,” Parker said.

She appreciated his saying so. Now if only he stopped thinking the worst of the center... Maybe if he became more familiar with the center and the teens, he’d see that the rumors about drugs here were unfounded. That they were making a difference. “Why don’t you and Sherlock come in? The teens are starting to arrive, now that school has let out for the day. Take a look around. Meet the teens. See for yourself that the rumors are untrue.”

He seemed to consider her offer and then nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”

She led them inside the basement entrance. “When we took over the building, we renovated and turned the basement into a gym. There’s a full-size basketball court in here,” she said, pushing open the double metal doors to the gym on the right. Several teenage boys were shooting hoops. “Real hardwood floors and regulation-height baskets.”

“That must have cost a pretty penny,” Parker said as he pressed close to look through the open doorway.

The scent of his aftershave teased her senses. Spicy and tangy, like cinnamon and clove. She breathed in deep, liking the smell. Liking him.

Despite saying earlier she could handle Zane, there’d been a moment or two where she’d experienced qualms about the wisdom of questioning him alone. Even though she hadn’t obtained the answers she was looking for, she was grateful Parker had arrived when he did. She’d known the minute Zane had opened his mouth, he was high on some drug. Who knows what he would have done.

Contrition churned in her tummy. “I owe you an apology and a thank-you.”

Amusement danced in his dark eyes. “Okay, I’m listening.”

He wasn’t going to make this easy for her. Served her right.

“I shouldn’t have snapped at you earlier,” she said. “I know you were only doing your job. I appreciate that you came to my aid.”

“You’re welcome. And forgiven.”

She gave him a grateful smile. She led them out of the gym and down the hall. The beagle’s nose was to the ground as he walked a crooked path at the end of his leash.

“The center used to be an office building,” she explained. She stopped in front of a set of gender-marked doors. “We have two full locker rooms down here as well, complete with showers.”

Sherlock pawed at the door to the boy’s locker room. “Mind if we go in?” Parker asked.

“Sure.”

They disappeared through the door. A few moments later they re-emerged. Parker’s expression had turned pensive. The dog sniffed her boot.

She stepped away. “Everything okay?”

He shrugged. “Not sure. Sherlock lost whatever had him going.”

Melody’s stomach muscles squeezed. She had a strict policy against any and all contraband. Any violators would be arrested. If one of the teens had brought drugs into the center, it would only provide more fuel to the rumors circulating about the center. And give Parker more reason to be suspicious of her and the work they did.

“How did you come up with the funds for the center?” he asked.

She started them walking again. “Several patrons gave the center’s initial start-up money. The Athertons, Dante Frears, Mayor Hobbs and several other business owners. We hold an annual fund-raiser in the fall for the community and usually raise our operating expenses for most of the year. There are two paid staff members and the rest volunteer their time, so the overhead is manageable.”

They took the stairs to the main level. Her office was at the far end near the front door. “This floor has all the classrooms. Jim...you know Officer Jim Wheaton, right?”

Parker nodded. “Yes. I know Jim.”

“He teaches woodworking classes. There are also cooking classes and craft classes. We have a game and TV room with all the latest electronic gaming systems. The local high school basketball coach holds clinics on the weekend as well as supervising open gym time.” She took a breath. “A local nurse gives a free basic health-care class and a couple of women from the Sagebrush Christian Church lead a teen Bible study twice a week. On Sunday evenings, the youth pastor holds a teen worship night.”

“Impressive.”

Sherlock started pulling at his leash. Melody raised an eyebrow.

“What is it, boy?” Parker asked and let the leash drop. Sherlock took off with his nose to the ground. He headed straight for the bank of lockers situated against the wall between two classrooms. He started pawing and jumping at the last locker on the left.

Parker’s expression darkened. “Can you open this locker?”

She grimaced and gestured to the combination lock hanging from the lock mechanism. “The key to the lock has been missing for...oh, at least six months. And no one seems to know the combination. I keep meaning to have the locksmith come out to rekey it, but haven’t. There’s nothing in there.”

She hoped. But watching the way Sherlock was attacking the locker, a lump of dread dropped to the pit of her tummy. It occurred to her Sherlock hadn’t smelled anything in the locker this morning so whatever had him agitated now had been placed in it recently. Not good. Not good at all.

The door next to the lockers pushed open and Jim Wheaton walked out. The heavyset officer’s gray eyes narrowed on the dog. “What’s going on?”

Beside her, Melody felt Parker stiffen. “Sherlock smells something,” Parker said in a neutral tone that belied his physical posture.

“We need to get in this locker,” she said, her voice tight with anger.

Jim frowned. “Why? Nobody uses it. Hasn’t for months.”

Several teens crowded around Jim in the doorway.

Melody’s fingers curled with anxiety. “Can you break it open, please?”

Jim sighed heavily. “Yeah. Let me get something.” He turned and groused, “Out of my way.”

The teens scattered, some stepping into the hall, others moving back into the class.

Jim disappeared back inside the room and reappeared a moment later with a pair of bolt cutters, which he used to cut the lock. The locker door swung open.

Melody gasped. “Oh, no.”

She stared at the pile of baggies filled with white powder and recoiled as if a rattlesnake was about to strike.

Someone had a stash of cocaine in the locker. Shock punched her in the gut. Drugs in the youth center. This was her worst nightmare.

She met Parker’s gaze. The accusation in his eyes stung worse than a snake’s bite ever could. Did he actually think she had something to do with this?

“I’m shutting you down,” he said, his eyes cold, his voice hard. “As of today, this place is off-limits.”

THREE

“You don’t have the authority to do that,” Melody protested.

“I’ll get it.” Tension tightened Parker’s jaw as he stared at the drugs sitting on the shelf in the locker. It figured the youth center would be too good to be true. Guess the rumor mill was correct.

Was Melody dealing drugs out of the center? Disappointment flooded his system, yet he had a hard time reconciling those thoughts with the woman standing next to him. The shock in her eyes, the distress on her face couldn’t be an act. Could it?

If she were guilty of dealing drugs through the center, she’d have thought up some excuse to refuse opening the locker. But there’d been no excuses, no hesitation.

He’d give her the benefit of the doubt. For now.

Sherlock jumped up, the nails of his paws scratching the metal locker, then the beagle let out a series of loud barks.

“Good job, boy,” Parker said, absently withdrawing a small white towel from the leather pack around his waist. The towel had been scented with various drugs, which helped train the beagle to sniff out a wide variety of illegal substances and was the dog’s reward for finding the correct stashes.

Distracted by the toy, Sherlock clamped his teeth around the end and tugged. Holding on to the other end, Parker played tug-of-war as a reward for a job well done.

“Who put this here?” Jim exclaimed, staring into the locker.

“That’s what I’d like to know,” Parker said, his gaze searching each person in the vicinity. “I want the locker and the bags printed.”

Melody nodded her agreement. “Jim, would you call the station and have them send over Rose and Clay?”

Jim grunted his assent and disappeared back inside the classroom.

Pleased with her take-charge attitude, Parker shifted his attention to the kids huddled in a group watching the action unfold with wary expressions. “We’ll need to get a court order to have the techs print everyone who’s had access to the center.”

Frowning, Melody followed his gaze. “Let’s take it one step at a time, okay? See what prints the CSU team finds on the baggies and the locker and run them through IAFIS to see if any of the prints pop.”

IAFIS—the FBI’s Integrated Automatic Fingerprint Identification System—would only show those already in the system.

One way or another Parker would find whoever was using the center as a clearinghouse for their drugs. He wasn’t going to let what happened to his brother happen to someone else.

He didn’t think Melody was involved. At least he hoped she wasn’t because he really liked her. Liked her determination and seeming dedication. She appeared sincere and genuine in her earnest attempt to effect some change in the lives of the kids in Sagebrush. His gaze skipped over her lush dark hair and her beautiful face. In all honesty, he liked a few other things about the detective, too. Sherlock jerked on the towel, bringing him back to his senses. The woman had a locker full of drugs. Now was not the time to be noticing her appeal. He shifted his focus to Sherlock. “Drop it.”

The beagle let go of the towel and sat, his tail thumping softly against the floor. Parker put the toy back into his pack, glad for something to do so he could regain control of his emotions.

A young woman with long blond hair came down the hall. When she saw the locker and its contents, her face paled. “Oh, wow. Is that what I think it is?”

Melody took the woman’s hand. “It is.” To Parker, Melody said, “This is Ally Jensen, my assistant.” She turned back to the young woman. “Do you have any idea how that got there or who’s been using this locker?”

Ally shook her head. Her gaze darted to the group of kids and back to the locker. “No. No, I don’t.”

Parker narrowed his gaze on the girl. Could the drugs be hers? “Are you sure?”

Her green eyes shimmered with anxiety. “I’m sure.”

The doors at the end of the long corridor opened and the crime-scene techs walked in.

“Called to the youth center twice in one day,” Rose Bigsby said as she approached. She pushed up her wire-rimmed glasses with her free hand. “Did you have another break-in?”

Melody grimaced and looked as if she might be sick. “Not a break-in this time.” She gestured to the drugs.

Clay whistled through his teeth.

Rose held up a staying hand. “Hold your horses, everyone. With all due respect to Sherlock’s awesome track record for sniffing out the real stuff, we need to test it first, especially considering the whos and wherefores around here...” Her gaze slid to Melody. Parker could hear the unspoken thoughts about respecting coworkers. Rose set the duffel bag she carried on the ground and pulled on rubber gloves. “Everyone back up and give me room to work.”

She opened her bag and withdrew a vial, then carefully opened a baggie, taking a tiny sample and putting it into the vial. The color the substance turned when mixed with the chemical agent in the vial would determine the type of drug.

“Cocaine,” Rose announced, holding up the vial to reveal the purple-colored bottom.

Parker had figured as much. Rose and Clay set to work on fingerprinting the baggies and the locker.

Melody went to the group of kids and talked to them in a low voice. Frowning, Parker walked over.

“If any of you know anything about the drugs, I need you to tell me. You won’t get in trouble for telling the truth,” Melody said.

Parker’s eyebrows rose. Was Melody really that naive to think these kids would reveal anything? If one of them was involved, they certainly wouldn’t confess. And they would get in trouble.

Was she making this show of trying to find the culprit to throw suspicion off herself? His gut clenched.

What did he really know about her? She could very well be on the crime syndicate’s payroll. Or her partner, Jim, could be. Parker needed to have both officers’ finances looked at, see if either of them had money troubles, because that would be the only logical reason why someone like Melody, who was so smart and competent, would ever betray the oath she took to protect and serve.

As much as he hated the directions his thoughts were taking, he needed to report this to his boss.

And her boss.

They were supposed to be on the same team. If Melody had something to hide, then she’d have to pay the price. That thought didn’t settle well with him at all.

* * *

Melody watched Parker step away to make a call. Tension coiled through her. She needed a plan of action. Get the kids to talk, and then track down the culprit. She would get to the bottom of this situation and prove to Parker the center wasn’t being used for drug dealing. This was a one-time incident. It had to be. But the unease in her stomach taunted her.

“I saw John Riviera hanging around that locker,” Joy Haversham said, drawing Melody’s attention back to the question she’d asked the group of teens gathered in a nervous circle around her.

“Joy!” Tony Roberts made a slicing gesture across his throat.

Melody would be talking to John ASAP. If he were the culprit, then he would pay the price for his bad judgment and illegal activity.

“What? I did,” Joy said. The fifteen-year-old girl twirled a brown curl around her finger. “He was standing there, leaning against the lockers last Thursday night.”

“Doesn’t mean those are John’s drugs,” Tony countered. “They could be anybody’s. This place is easy to get into.”

Melody arched an eyebrow. “Oh, really?”

Tony shrugged. At nearly eighteen, the kid was more man than boy. Had he been the one dressed in black this morning?

She eyed the width of his shoulders and decided no, he wasn’t the man who’d rammed into her and knocked her against the wall. That man had had broad shoulders as hard as bricks. “What do you mean this place is easy to get into?”

A guilty, sheepish look crossed his face before he carefully masked it with insolence. “The windows in the locker room are never locked.”

That was a surprise. Well, they would be from now on. The locker-room windows were at street level since the locker rooms were in the basement. She’d make sure Jim secured them every night.

Parker returned, pocketing his phone. He leveled her with an inscrutable look. “Our captains want us over at the station house as soon as Rose and Clay wrap things up.”

“You two can go,” Jim volunteered. “I’ll stay and keep an eye on the place.”

Parker shook his head. “They want to see you, as well.”

A flash of annoyance shot through Jim’s gray eyes. “I don’t know anything about this. I’m just a volunteer.”

Melody frowned. Technically, he was her co-director. “Jim, we’ll both go. The center is both of our responsibility.”

“Yeah, well, I keep telling you these kids are trouble,” Jim groused. “Wouldn’t surprise me if the captains decided the youth center was too much of a liability.”

His words sent a shaft of apprehension sliding straight to her core. Jim knew how much this place meant to her. He and his late wife had taken Melody under their wing when she’d first arrived in town. Jim had tried to talk her out of opening the center.

But she wouldn’t be dissuaded. And so he’d stepped up to be her co-director.

She suspected he’d volunteered to help her in order to protect her. But would Jim take this opportunity to help Parker convince the captains to close the youth center doors for good?

She sent up a silent plea for God’s protection over the center. They were doing good work here. It would be a shame for everything they’d accomplished and all they could do in the future to end now. There were still so many kids who needed the help, the guidance the center offered. She’d made a promise to herself she’d do all she could to see that teens like Daniel were given every opportunity to choose a path other than drugs.

“I’ll keep an eye on things,” Ally assured Melody.

Melody wanted to trust Ally. The young woman had been a faithful volunteer from the beginning. They shared the bond of grief. Ally had been Daniel’s girlfriend. After that horrible night, Ally had pulled her act together and had been clean ever since. At least Melody believed so. But at the moment, she wasn’t sure what to think or who to trust. Someone with access to the center had stored his or her drug contraband in the locker.

“That’s okay, Ally. I think it will be best if we close the center for the rest of the evening,” Melody said, hating to cancel the classes and programs scheduled for the night. But Parker was right. The place had to be shut down. At least temporarily. “Would you mind posting a note on the doors?”

Ally sighed. “No problem.”

Melody caught Parker’s gaze. She detected a hint of approval mingled with the surprise in his brown eyes. Her hackles rose. She wasn’t doing this for his sake. “Best to close now and sort this out than...”

Let you close us down for good. She let the unspoken words form in her mind.

He nodded as if he’d heard and understood.

Rose put all the bags of cocaine into a large evidence bag. “We’ll take all this to the station. There’s too much to print to do a good job here.”

“I’m done,” Clay added. “I got everything I could off the locker.”

He and Rose gathered their things and exited the center. Jim followed closely behind.

Melody ushered the teens out the door. Hating to see the disappointment and confusion on the kids’ faces, she said, “You all can come back tomorrow.”

She could only hope and pray she’d be able to keep that promise. Would God come through for her? She’d find out soon.

“I’ll give you a lift to the station,” Parker said as he and Sherlock followed her while she locked up.

She shook her head. “I can manage to walk over there by myself.”

“I’ve no doubt you can,” Parker said. “But the captains are waiting.”

“True.” Realizing that it would be quicker to accept the offer of a ride, she followed Parker and Sherlock to the SPD vehicle.

The thick tension between her and Parker made her shoulder muscles tighten. Despite what Parker might think, she knew she’d done a good job with the youth center. And she’d do whatever it took to find who the drugs belonged to. She couldn’t allow these kids to be in harm’s way.

She rolled her shoulders, trying to release the tightness. Someone had breached the center with their

poison.

After arriving at the station house, they went straight to the conference room. An oval table with leather chairs dominated the center. A floor-to-ceiling window stretched across one wall while the far wall was lined with shelves full of procedure books.

Jim was already there as were Rose and Clay. They’d filled the captains in on the situation. Captain Drexel stood by the window. A tall, African-American man in his late forties, he had his hands clasped behind his back as his dark eyes assessed them.

Captain McNeal sat at the table, his piercing blue eyes no less intense than his colleague’s. He waved her and Parker in as Rose and Clay exited. “Any ideas who stashed the drugs?” he asked.

Melody shook her head and answered honestly. “No, sir. But the kids did give me a name of someone to question. Another boy that wasn’t there tonight.”

“It could belong to any one of those teens or even one of the other volunteers who come in,” Jim stated. His gaze shifted from Melody to Parker and back to the captain.

The idea that one of the adult volunteers who came to the center to help the kids would be involved with drugs made Melody cringe. “I can’t believe that.”

“Can’t? Or won’t?” Parker’s voice held a note of cynicism. Sherlock sat at his master’s heel. He seemed to be staring at her with the same cynical look as his handler. Great. Now a dog was judging her, too.

“Both,” she shot back, resenting his insinuation. She understood where his animosity stemmed from, but it didn’t stop her from wishing he had some confidence in her. Though why she felt the need for his approval, she didn’t know. She hardly knew the man. His opinion shouldn’t matter in the least.

She turned her attention back to her captain because his opinion did matter. “Sir, I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

“How do you propose to do that?” Drexel asked, stepping forward until his thighs hit the edge of the table. His sharp gaze speared through her.

Good question. She racked her brain for ideas. Her gaze landed on the bookshelves behind where Captain McNeal sat. “More education. More security measures.”

“Like?” Drexel pressed.

Before she could answer, she felt something nudge her ankle. Sherlock had moved closer. His nose pushed at her pant leg, hiking the material up until he could lick her skin. His wet tongue was warm and rough. She lifted her eyes to meet Parker’s.

Mild surprise reflected in his chocolate eyes. “He likes you.” He gave a slight tug on the leash, bringing the dog back to heel.

An idea formed. “A formal demonstration of how easily drugs can be detected by the police would be a start.”

Parker’s eyes widened, then a grin tugged at the corners of his mouth and knocked some of the air out of Melody’s lungs. Boy, talk about devastating.

“Sherlock and I could do that,” he said.

“That takes care of the education part,” McNeal conceded.

“We could search the kids as they come in,” Jim suggested.

Melody’s gaze snapped to Jim in disbelief, then to Captain Drexel. “We can’t treat the kids like criminals. That will only drive them away. We’ll keep a closer eye on things and manage the facility better.”

With a thoughtful expression, Drexel exchanged a glance with McNeal. “Okay. For now. But there can’t be a repeat of this incident.”

“I’ll do everything in my power to see that drugs never make their way through the doors of the teen center again.”

“And I hope, Officer Zachary,” Drexel intoned with a good dose of censure, “that you will think twice before confronting known drug addicts alone.”

“Yes, sir,” she assured him with a sidelong glance at Parker. Obviously, he’d informed them of the need to run off Zane and his buddies when he’d called the captain earlier.

“Drug addicts?” Jim interjected harshly. Clearly he was affronted that his partner would act without him. “What’s this?”

She slid him a glance. “I was asking Zane Peabody questions about Daniel.”

“Your nephew?” He shook his head. “You need to let that go.”

Anger bubbled and threatened to explode like a geyser. This was an old argument. He’d made his position clear on her quest to find her nephew’s murderer a long time ago. “I can’t.”

The empathy in Jim’s gaze made it clear he thought she was working a lost cause. “You’ve done everything you can and still haven’t been able to solve this crime. You need to accept the fact that you’re not going to.”

“You don’t know that,” she shot back, hurt by his lack of faith in her abilities. Captain Drexel had given her permission to work her nephew’s case on her own time when she’d hired on with the department. “This case isn’t unsolvable. No case is,” she said. “It just takes time and effort. It’s not a waste.”

“Time and effort away from your responsibilities,” Jim reminded her with a pointed look.

She gritted her teeth. Meeting her captain’s arched eyebrows, she winced. The fact that she’d done some investigating today during working hours was something she was going to have to answer for, she knew, but letting Jim’s negativism influence the captain wasn’t something she planned to let happen.

“With the exception of today, I’ve only worked on Daniel’s case after my shift.”

Captain Drexel held up a hand. “I trust you’ll use better judgment from now on.”

The gentle chastisement hit its mark. “Yes, sir.”

“Good. I understand you closed the youth center for the night,” Drexel said.

“Yes, sir.” Aware of Parker’s gaze on her, she added for his benefit, “Just for the night. It seemed the prudent thing to do given the circumstances.”

Her captain nodded. “Agreed. And it will give you time to do a thorough search of the facility to make sure there are no other drugs hidden on the premises.”

“We can help with that,” Parker spoke up.

Remembering how Sherlock acted at the boys’ locker-room door, Melody decided having the supersniffing dog’s help would be a good idea. “We’d appreciate the help, Officer Adams.”

If there were more stockpiles of drugs in the center, she wanted to know. Parker Adams and his dog, Sherlock, were the best means of uncovering any illegal substances. Even if spending time with the handsome detective and his police dog put her on edge.

“Parker, a word?” Slade said as Melody and Jim filed out of the office. Captain Drexel paced back to the window.

Parker nodded and waited until the others were out of earshot before saying, “Yes, boss?”

“What are your thoughts on the center?”

Aware of Drexel’s scrutiny, he replied honestly, “Mixed. I know the center fills a need and provides a safe place for the teens. But finding those drugs leaves me with a bitter taste. Something’s going on over there.”

“Do you think Officer Zachary is involved?” Drexel asked, his deep voice reverberating through the room.

Remembering how upset she was when they opened the locker gave him hope she wasn’t. “I don’t think so. But I know not to come to any conclusions without more information.”

“And Officer Wheaton?” Slade asked.

“Again, without evidence to the contrary, I have to believe both officers are on the up and up.”

The two captains exchanged another look. Drexel gave a slight nod. Slade turned back to Parker. “Given the break-in this morning and now the drugs, I want you to stick close to the center. If something illegal is going on, and if either Officer Zachary or Officer Wheaton is involved, we want to know about it ASAP.”

“Yes, sir.”

With the captain’s backing, he hoped she would accept his protection more easily. Though he had a feeling easy wasn’t going to apply when it came to Melody Zachary. The detective seemed to have an independent streak as wide as the Rio Grande.

Parker started to leave but then turned back to ask, “Any word on Rio?”

Distress clouded Slade’s blue eyes. “No. Not since Jackson spotted him last month in the Lost Woods.”

Fellow K-9 officer Jackson Worth and his dog, Titan, a black Labrador, were the unit’s explosive-detection team. They’d been working on another case when Jackson had seen Rio.

“Melody said the man who had broken into her office this morning was wearing a ski mask,” Parker said. “From her description it’s the same guy Jackson saw in the Lost Woods with that German shepherd.”

Unfortunately, the pair had gotten away while the K-9 unit was in the midst of tracking them.

Slade’s expression hardened. “All the more reason for you and Sherlock to become a presence at the youth center. If this guy in the black mask returns, I want him taken down.”

“Roger that.” Anticipation revved through Parker. This creep was a menace to society and needed to be brought to justice.

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