Chapter 6

His body quivered. He swallowed hard. "Is he dead?" he asked, knowing the answer already.

Markie nodded.

Poor Edwin. He really liked the old guy.

"What happened?"

"We're still trying to figure that out. But the empty gas can lying on its side next to the vehicle leads me to believe it was not an accident. The fire marshal is investigating as we speak."

An array of emotions collided through him - sympathy, grief, fear, apprehension. Two of his code violators in one week? The property maintenance ones in particular? Was someone targeting them? These poor people didn't intentionally cause anyone harm. So they were hoarders - junk collectors. That didn't mean they were bad or vindictive people. In fact, when it came to Edwin and Sister Ann, they pretty much stuck to themselves.

Admittedly, this didn't look good for him. Hence, why Markie was in his office staring at him as if he should have some sort of explanation for her. But he didn't. He hadn't a clue why this was happening.

"Which vehicle?" As soon as he asked the question, he wished he could take it back. What did it matter?

Markie tilted her head to the side. Her long, red ponytail flopped. God he loved her sexy red hair. His fingers itched to reach out and comb through those silky looking strands.

"His truck. Go figure, none of the beaters."

Her use of the word beaters made him sad. To Edwin, those were treasures.

"Does anyone else have access to your computer passwords?"

So, this was how it would be, she was going to continue to interrogate him. Even after that look of belief she'd flashed him moments ago.

"No. It was me in the records room creating those files. Nobody else."

"When was the last time you saw Old Hulbert?"

Reaching back, he grabbed the clipboard off the credenza behind him, then he placed it on his desk facing the accusing investigator. He pointed at the date and timeline on the report attached to the clipboard. "Yesterday. I was at his house following up on his property maintenance issue. I was there from ten-thirty to just before noon."

"Why so long? It wasn't hard to see that he hadn't made one bit of effort to remove those rust buckets from his property."

"They're not rust buckets," he snapped back. The quizzical look on her face had him wanting to explain further. "To you, they may be crappy old cars - junk, but to him, they were prize possessions - a valuable collection. He had a history with them - fond memories associated with each and every one."

Adrenaline rushed his veins as he spoke, sending the pitch of his voice higher than normal. Why couldn't people have just left the nice old man alone?

Markie leaned forward. He thought she was just going to look more closely at the report, but instead, she placed her soft hand over his. That beautiful, bright emerald gaze of hers locked onto his.

"I'm sorry for your loss."

His heart slammed against his ribcage. Her touch was too dangerous. He wanted to pull away but couldn't. It led to him wanting more from her. This was exactly why he avoided her - kept his distance. He knew he wouldn't have the strength to fend her off once he endured the feel of her.

Losing himself in her emerald gaze was hard enough when he wasn't able to avoid it. But her touch right now proved he'd been right all along. She had his senses begging for more, starting with a kiss to those full red lips of hers, and ending with...

Bryce closed his thoughts off and yanked his hand away from hers. He couldn't think about that. He just couldn't. It could never happen. Sheer defeat encompassed every cell in his body. He had the needs of every normal man, but he wasn't normal - he was incomplete.

Her wide-eyed, shocked gaze transitioning to pity made him feel even worse.

***

Markie's heart cracked in half. Oddly though, not because of his rejection of her sincere gesture, but for him, for whatever it was that had bruised him so badly he couldn't accept her heartfelt compassion.

The compassion in his eyes when he defended Old Hulbert told the story of their friendship, and she honestly felt sympathy for him for his loss. Womanizer or not, this man cared for the old guy. She'd taken enough psychology classes to earn her Master's degree in Police Science to recognize Bryce had endured something horrific in his life to cause him to behave the way he did toward women. What it was, she didn't know, but the need to find out - fix it, was overwhelming.

She'd have to do a bit of research on Bryce. Get his story. She studied him as he stared out the window, off in his own little world. The man was elusive, and since she didn't do his background check when he was hired, she actually knew very little about him except for the fact he was a casanova. He looked and acted like a player and hanging around with Tiana Bennett only solidified that. That woman liked the smooth ones.

Thinking back, she recalled hearing recently that Bryce had been in the Marine Corps - did a tour in Afghanistan. But that was all she knew, and it should have nothing to do with why he went through women like they were disposable.

When he returned his gaze to her, those dark eyes of his had transitioned from caring and grieving to cold and off-putting. Classic I'm going to push you away now eyes. Too late though, she'd seen it. There was more to this man than what he let the general population see. He was kind and caring. Was his womanizing attitude his way of pushing people away - keeping them at a safe distance? But why? What made him do that? Self-esteem issues?

She was dying to find out why this man who seemed to have everything going for him possibly lacked the self-esteem to let people past the wall of defense he'd constructed around him.

Markie leaned back in her seat. "I'm sorry. You're right. Those cars were important to Old Hulbert, I shouldn't have been so cold about it."

He shrugged as if it didn't matter, as if he didn't care what the old man thought of the vehicles. Unlike a minute ago when he would have defended Edwin's actions to his death. Yep, she'd lost him in those couple minutes.

"Whatever. It's not my deal. Now it can get cleaned up and the neighbors will be happy. Maybe you should question them. They all had something to gain by getting Edwin out of the way."

"I will be."

"Did you have any more questions for me or can I eat my lunch now?" he asked. His tone oozed with annoyance as he grabbed his sandwich and took a bite.

Markie gripped the arms of the chair and pushed herself up. "No, not for now. I'll see you later."

He stopped chewing and swallowed. A muscle in his jaw bulged and twitched. "Looking forward to it."

His lie filled the room, pushing her through the door.

On her way back to her office, she stopped by Captain Tomie's office. "Got a minute?"

Looking up from the mounds of paperwork on his desk, the middle-aged man's light blue gaze met her's. "What's up?"

She stepped in and took a seat. "I just talked to Bryce. He was here all morning...during the car explosion at old Hulbert's."

He nodded, and she shifted in her chair.

"Something else on your mind?" he asked.

Why wouldn't he ask her that? He was a trained observer, and she probably looked nervous - antsy.

"I'm just curious about his story?"

The man's blue-eyed gaze narrowed. "Who's story? Edwin's?"

"No, not Old Hulbert's. I've known him my whole life. He was just an old bachelor, a kind old soul who minded his own business. He and my grandfather were actually buddies. Both served in Korea."

The captain's thick eyebrows pulled together, and he tilted his head to the side. "So then, Bryce?"

Her cheeks heated. She knew she needed to tread carefully or he'd figure her out.

"Yes, Bryce. When I talked to him just now about Edwin he was...well, at first he seemed sad, like he grieved his death, but then as the conversation continued, he turned cold and hard as stone. He went from one extreme to the other in a matter of seconds."

He nodded. "Hmm."

She stared at him, hoping for more of a response.

"He was in the military...Marines. Been out a few years. I know he saw some action in Afghanistan. Maybe he's still working through some shit."

"But to transition so quickly from one end of the spectrum to the other seems...distressing."

Captain Tomie leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms over his chest, and mulled it over with a look of understanding on his face. She wondered if the mention of the military, Korea and Afghanistan, had him thinking about his own days when he served in Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

He refocused on her. "That behavior is not all uncommon for a soldier. On the battlefield, it's necessary to suppress...control emotions in order to make critical decisions...life-saving decisions. It becomes a way of life, so when returning home it's hard to shut off. It can take some time to work through that. Unfortunately, some veterans never do."

"I wonder if..."

Captain raised his hand cutting off her words. "Don't. Leave him be. I recognize that I want to fix it - him, look on your face. I've seen it first hand on my wife, my mother, and even my sisters."

"But..."

His hand went up again.

Her cheeks heated. He knew how she felt about Bryce.

"I understand. Everyone just wants to help. But having been a person who's been there..."

The man paused, lost in familiar memories, she supposed.

He refocused. "Tell you what, I'll have a chat with him, see where it leads."

That was her cue. Leave it to the veterans. "Thank you, sir."

Still, she wanted to help the man she'd vowed to stay away from. What on earth was wrong with her? She should take the opportunity to run as far away from him as possible. Hurting, wounded, or not, a man like Bryce was bad for her because whether or not he had a good excuse for being a womanizer, he still was one.