TUCKER WOKE FROM A fitful doze. The digital clock read 11:37. Barely an hour since he'd fallen into bed. On the nightstand, his phone vibrated again. He answered without checking the display, his heart leaping into the thundering tattoo of Emergency! Emergency!
"Tucker, it's Lily Mae."
Not his parents. Not his friends. He exhaled some of the anxiety.
"I'm sorry to call so late, but we've got a sensitive case here and we'll need a restraining order filed first thing in the morning."
He scrubbed a hand over his face, palm rasping over stubble. "On my way."
Pulling on jeans and a polo, he gave fleeting thought to coffee, but Lily Mae had an eternal pot going out at the shelter. He'd get a cup there while he took the victim's statement. His lone concession to professionalism before heading out the door was to grab his briefcase.