The Hero Next Door

“How can I work on something that doesn’t exist?”

“Very funny.”

“No. Very true. And sad.”

“You know I’m not in the market for romance, Edith. And you know why.”

“Not all men are like your father. Or Mark.”

Removing the melted chocolate from the stove, Heather poured it into a mixing bowl containing the remaining ingredients for the filling and began to stir. Even after two years, the mere mention of the dashing Boston hotel executive who’d come to the island to manage a collection of boutique properties—and who’d finagled his way past her defenses—left a bitter taste in her mouth.

“I agree, Edith. But the Anderson women always seem to pick losers.”

“Humph.” The older woman licked a speck of cream off her finger. “What does the island’s newest police officer look like?”

“Dark hair, dark eyes, six-one or two.” Heather began scooping the filling into the miniature tart shells.

“As in tall, dark and handsome?”

“I didn’t say handsome.”

“You mean he’s ugly?”

As a mental image of her unexpected customer flashed across her mind, Heather lost her methodical scooping rhythm and a ball of filling plopped onto the stainless-steel counter. Expelling an irritated breath, she gritted her teeth and swiped it up. “He’s not ugly.”

“Well, I’m anxious to meet him. I already like his name. Justin Clay. It sounds very strong and masculine.”

“He goes by J.C.”

“Oh? How do you know?”

She was in too deep now to do anything but tell the truth, Heather realized, regretting the slip. “When he introduced himself, he said that’s what his friends call him.”

“His friends.” Edith mulled that over as she slid off the stool. Ambling toward the back porch, she tossed one parting comment over her shoulder. “Well, that’s a start.” Without waiting for a response, she pushed through the door and disappeared down the steps.

Dismayed, Heather blew out a breath and shook her head. She’d seen that look in Edith’s eyes before, and she knew what it meant—the older woman was in matchmaking mode. Now that Kate and Craig had tied the knot, she was on the prowl for new victims.

Meaning J.C. would probably end up ruing the day he’d stepped into The Devon Rose.

“Marci, it’s J.C.”

“Hey, big brother. You arrived safe and sound, I assume.”

“Yep.” He stretched out on the bed in his new digs, testing the mattress. Nice and firm. Just the way he liked it.

“So how’s life on a ritzy island?”

“I haven’t seen the ritzy parts yet. But I did have a ritzy experience today. I went to tea.”

Her response was preceded by several beats of silence. “You hate tea.”

“The food was good,” J.C. countered. “You would have liked it, Marci. White tablecloths, classical music, flowers.”

“You hate tea.”

“You already said that.”

“I know. I’m trying to make sense of this. What on earth prompted you to go to tea?”

An elegant, graceful woman with hazel eyes.

As that thought echoed in his mind, J.C. frowned. He wished he could attribute his foray into that civilized ritual to hunger, but he couldn’t dispute the truth. Had it not been for Heather Anderson’s quiet loveliness and refinement, he would have vacated the rarified atmosphere of The Devon Rose in a heartbeat, no matter how loudly his stomach protested.

“The question wasn’t that hard, J.C.”

At Marci’s wry prompt, he pulled himself back to the present. “I was hungry. And the tea place is next door to my cottage. Anyway, it’s nice here. Quiet.”

“Good. Maybe you’ll sleep better.”

“I slept okay in Chicago.”

“Hey, you don’t have to pretend with me. I’m your sister, okay? I know you’ve been through hell this past month. So rest. Relax. Think. And move on.”

“It’s not that easy.”

“I know.” Her words came out scratchy, and she cleared her throat. “Pray some more to that God of yours. Maybe He’ll come through for you if you keep bending His ear.”

“I intend to. And He’s your God, too, Marci. I wish you and Nathan would give Him a chance.”

“You don’t need to worry about me. I can take care of myself. As for Nathan…he’s a lost cause. Do you still write to him every week?”

“Yes.”

“I doubt he even reads the letters.”

“Maybe not. But he gets them. And knows I’m thinking about him.”

“Talk about a wasted life.” Disgust laced her words.

“It’s not too late for him to turn things around.” J.C. tried to sound optimistic as he stared at the ceiling, but in truth, his hope was dimming. His younger brother’s bitterness hadn’t abated one iota since the day eight years ago when he’d been sentenced to a decade behind bars for armed robbery.

“Give it up, J.C. All those trips you made down to Pontiac…What good did they do? Most of the time he wouldn’t even talk to you. He doesn’t like cops.”

“I was his brother first, Marci. And I have to try.”

“Yeah. I know.” Her words grew softer. “Too bad you were saddled with two reprobates for siblings.”

There was a hint of humor in her voice, but J.C. knew how she’d struggled with self-image. And hated that deep inside, for reasons he’d never been able to fathom, she might continue to feel less than worthy. “I don’t think of you that way, Marci. And neither does anyone else. You’ve done great.” Then he lightened his tone, knowing praise made her uncomfortable. “I’m impressed with that big word, by the way. Reprobate, huh? All that schooling you’re getting must be paying off.”

“Very funny.”

A knock sounded at his door, and he swung his legs to the floor. “Someone’s come calling, kiddo. Gotta run.”

“Okay, bro. Take care and don’t be a stranger.”

As the line went dead, J.C. stood and slipped his cell phone into his pocket. Smoothing down the back of his hair with one hand, he opened the door with the other.

“You must be Justin. Or J.C., as I’m told you prefer to be called. You’re just the way Heather described you. Welcome to Nantucket. I’m Edith Shaw, and this is my husband, Chester.” An older woman with short, silvery-gray hair stuck out her hand.

As J.C. returned her firm clasp and leaned forward to grasp her husband’s fingers, he gave his landlords a quick once-over.

Edith’s blue eyes sparked with interest, radiating energy. Although she wore black slacks and a simple short-sleeved blue blouse, J.C. sensed there was a mischievous streak beneath her conservative attire.

Pink-cheeked Chester, on the other hand, struck him as an aw-shucks kind of guy, content to let his lively wife run the show. He wore grass-stained overalls, suggesting he was a gardener, and a shock of gray hair fell over his forehead. Someone had tried to tame his ornery cowlick, but it had refused to be subdued.

“I’m happy to meet you both.” J.C. smiled and gestured toward the inside of the cottage. “This place is perfect. And thank you for the pumpkin bread, Mrs. Shaw.”

She waved his thanks aside. “Plenty more where that came from. And it’s Edith and Chester. I was going to invite you to dinner, but I understand you’ve already eaten next door.”

J.C. nodded, admiring her investigative skills. “That’s right.”

“Well, Heather does a fine job. But—” she sized him up “—it’s not a lot of food for a full-grown man. You’d be welcome to join us. I guarantee my beef stew will stick to your ribs.”

After consuming the tea goodies, a burger and fries, and the last of Edith’s pumpkin bread, there was no way he could eat another meal. “To be honest, I also paid a visit to Arno’s.”

Chester chuckled. “I’m with you. I like Heather’s food just fine, but it’s not enough to keep a bird alive.”

“Now, Chester,” Edith chided. “Heather’s a wonderful cook and a great hostess. I’m sure she made you feel welcome, didn’t she?”

Her keen look took him off guard. As did the odd undertone, which he couldn’t identify. “Yes. She was very hospitable.”

She gave him a satisfied smile. “Well, then, I’ll bring you out a plate of stew later, and you can put it in the fridge for tomorrow night. And anytime you need anything, you let us know. We’re just a holler away.”

As she marched across the lawn to her back door, Chester following a step behind, J.C. regarded the stately clapboard house where he’d had tea earlier. Only the roof and parts of the second floor were visible through the trees.

So the tearoom owner had described him to Edith. Interesting. And intriguing. What had she said? he wondered.

More to the point, however, why should he care?

Looking back toward the Shaw house, he found Edith observing him, her pleased smile still in place. With a wave, she disappeared inside.

Planting his fists on his hips, he studied her closed door. What was that all about?

But considering the glint in her eyes, maybe he didn’t want to know.

Chapter Three

“Now that’s what I call a breakfast.” J.C. sat back in the booth and dropped his napkin beside his plate. “And the price was right. What’s the name of this place again?”

“Downyflake. Or, as the locals call it, The Flake.” Burke signaled to the waitress. “I’m glad you enjoyed it. You look like you could use a few good meals.”

That was true. But until yesterday, his appetite had been nonexistent. “I’ve been eating well since I’ve been here. Must be the salt air. And it’s been good for you, too. You look younger than when you left Chicago.”

Three years ago, when Burke had announced he was taking the chief job on Nantucket, J.C. hadn’t been convinced the senior detective would acclimate to the slower pace. He was glad his fears had been unfounded. At fifty-three, Burke’s trademark buzz cut might be more salt than pepper, but the tension in his features had eased.

“The life here suits me,” Burke confirmed.

“Here you go, Chief.” The blond-haired, college-age waitress set the bill on the table, flashed them each a smile and trotted on to the next customer.

When J.C. reached for his wallet, Burke shook his head and picked up the bill. “The first one’s on me. Let’s go take a tour of the station.”

Less than five minutes later, Burke pulled into a parking space in front of an attractive brick building that sported a row of dormer windows.

“Used to be the fire station,” Burke told him as he set the brake. “Won’t take long to do a walk-through.”

Within fifteen minutes J.C. had met the dispatcher on duty—who also served as telephone operator and receptionist. She was ensconced behind a window that looked into the small lobby. The first floor housed the sergeant’s office, interview rooms, a five-cell lockup and a juvenile holding cell; upstairs was home to the department’s four detectives, a briefing room and a few other staff offices.

At the end of the tour, Burke ushered J.C. into his office. The chief’s desk stood in front of the room’s single window and faced the door, a credenza on the right and a bookcase on the left. Cream-colored walls brightened the space.

“Quite an improvement over your digs in Chicago.” J.C. grinned as he inspected the room.

“No kidding. I not only have walls, I have a window.”

“Yeah.” J.C. strolled over to peruse the view of nearby businesses. “And if you get hungry for sushi, it’s just steps away.”

“Hey, don’t knock it. There’s more to life than greasy burgers and stale donuts. So how’s the cottage?”

“It’s perfect. Thanks for recommending it. How do you know the Shaws?”

“From church. It’s a nice little congregation. You’d be welcome to join us.”

“I’ll probably take you up on that. I need to find a place to worship while I’m here.”

Burke gestured toward the chairs to the left of the door. “Now that you’ve seen the station, any questions?”

“Not yet.”

“How about if I ask a few, then?” Burke closed the door. J.C. had assumed this was coming. To his credit, Burke hadn’t pushed for information when he’d offered him the temporary summer position. But now that J.C. was here, he wasn’t surprised Burke wanted more details. Besides, they’d been friends for more than ten years. His interest would be both professional and personal.

Taking one of the chairs, J.C. leaned forward. His breakfast congealed into a cold lump in the pit of his stomach, and he kept his gaze fixed on his clasped hands. “What do you want to know?”

“Relax, J.C.” Burke sat and crossed an ankle over a knee. “This isn’t an interrogation. It’s one friend lending an ear to another. And just so you know, I called Dennis and Ben. After I offered you the job.”

J.C. jerked his head up. Dennis had been the office supervisor and Ben his street supervisor during his nine-month deep-cover assignment. They knew the details of that fateful night as well as anyone.

“If you talked to them, you know what happened.”

“I’d like to hear your side of it.”

Rising abruptly, J.C. shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans and strode back to the window. There were lots of people on the street now. Laughing, smiling, chatting. Everyone seemed to be having a good time.

He turned his back on them.

“It was in the report. I’m sure Dennis would give you a copy.”

“I’d rather hear it from you.”

J.C. fisted his hands in his pockets. “And I’d rather not talk about it.”

The chief pursed his lips. “I’m going to assume the required counseling didn’t help a whole lot.”

J.C. snorted in disgust. “She didn’t have a clue about the stresses of undercover work. The isolation. The no-man’s-land existence, pretending to belong one place but cut off from the place you do belong. The strain of putting your life on hold to bring about justice. And that’s when things are going well.” He took a deep breath and let it out as his shoulders slumped. “But after all that effort, all that sacrifice, to watch two of your buddies take bullets because you made a mistake…” His voice turned to gravel, and he gripped the back of Burke’s desk chair.

“According to everything I heard, it wasn’t your fault.”

“I slipped up somewhere. If I hadn’t, Jack and Scott would still be alive. We walked into an ambush, Burke.”

“I heard you came pretty close to getting taken out yourself.” J.C. averted his head. “There are days I wish I had been.” A fresh wave of anguish swept over him, and a muscle in his jaw clenched. “Or that it had been me instead of them. They each left a wife and young children. No one would have missed me.”

In the ensuing silence, J.C.’s words echoed in his mind. If he was in Burke’s shoes, he’d be having serious second thoughts about now. No chief wanted a troubled cop on the force. Traumatized people didn’t think clearly. They were distracted and emotional, and they often overreacted—or underreacted—to stressful situations. In law enforcement, that could be deadly.

Steeling himself, J.C. faced the older man. Although he didn’t detect any doubt, cops were good at hiding their feelings.

“Did I just shoot myself in the foot?”

Burke cocked his head. “Should I be worried?”

“No. I’ll admit I haven’t resolved all my issues. But I’m working on them. That’s why I asked for an extended leave. I knew I needed some time to regroup in a different environment. Since I started as a beat cop, it felt right to go back to those roots. And after all my years undercover, I know how to compartmentalize. I can promise you I won’t let what happened in Chicago compromise my performance here.”

As Burke regarded him, J.C. held his breath. It wouldn’t be the end of the world if he was sent packing. But in the twenty-four hours he’d been on Nantucket, he’d sensed that this place held the key to a lot of the questions he’d been unable to answer in Chicago. And he didn’t want to leave.

“Okay, J.C.” Burke stood. “I wouldn’t touch most guys in your situation with a ten-foot pole. What you’ve been through can mess with a person’s mind. But I’ve seen you in a lot of tough situations, and you’ve always been steady under pressure. From what I’ve heard and observed, I don’t have any reason to think that’s changed.” He held out his hand. “Welcome to the Nantucket PD.”

As J.C. returned Burke’s solid clasp, he forced his stiff shoulders to relax. And sent a silent plea to the Lord to stick close.

Because while he was confident his training would kick in should he find himself in a volatile situation, he was counting on the summer being quiet relative to the Chicago crime scene. None of the lawbreaking he was likely to encounter here—petty theft, traffic violations, even drug issues—should involve altercations where lives hung in the balance.

And that was good. He didn’t want any more baggage.

What he did want was a quiet, uncomplicated summer that gave him plenty of opportunity to sit on a beach and do some serious thinking about the rest of his life.

The muffled rattling sounded suspicious.

J.C. slowed his pace as he approached the gate leading to the garden beside The Devon Rose. Since his breakfast with Burke, he’d spent the day exploring the town, including an all-important visit to the grocery store. He was ready to call it a night. But he wasn’t wired to ignore odd sounds, and this one fell into that category.

Juggling his bags of groceries, he listened. It sounded as if a metal object was being shaken.

In Chicago, following that kind of rattle into a dark alley often led him to a homeless person rooting through a Dumpster or trash can. But as near as he could tell, homeless people were rare on Nantucket.

Thieves were another story. Due to the private backyards, which were often hidden from the street by lush vegetation or privet hedges, burglars could pull off robberies without detection. According to Burke, that was one of the biggest problems in the quiet season, when many vacation homes were vacant.

This wasn’t the quiet season, however. Nor did The Devon Rose appear to be vacant. Light from an upper window spilled into the deepening dusk.

Another subtle rattle sounded, and a light was flipped on on the lower level of the house. Heather must have heard the sound, too, and was going out to investigate.

Not a good plan if an intruder was nearby.

A shot of adrenaline sharpened his reflexes, and J.C. set his bags on the sidewalk. Unlike the entrance to Edith’s backyard—a rose-covered arbor with a three-foot-high picket gate—Heather had gone the privacy route. Her gate, framed by a tall privet hedge, was six feet high and solid wood. The U-shaped latch, however, provided easy access.

Stepping to one side of the gate, J.C. lifted the latch. To his relief, it moved noiselessly. He opened the gate enough to slip through, shutting it behind him as he melted into the shadows of a nearby bush.

Any other time, J.C. would have admired the precise, geometric pattern of Heather’s formal boxwood garden, with its ornate birdbath and beds of colorful flowers that reflected a well-planned symmetry. Instead, he focused on the back of the house, where he expected her to emerge any second—and perhaps step into a dangerous situation.

He heard the door open at the same time the rattling resumed. Both sounds came from the rear. Sprinting down the brick path that bordered her side garden, he crouched at the back corner of the house and stole a look at the porch.

As he’d feared, Heather was standing in clear sight, the porch light spotlighting her.

Providing a perfect target.

Another rattle. Now he could pinpoint the source. It was coming from behind a privet hedge at the back of her property.

Pulling his off-duty snub-nosed .38 revolver from its concealed holster on his belt, he stepped forward as Heather descended the two steps from the porch. She gasped at his sudden appearance, but when he put a finger to his lips and motioned her to join him, she followed his instructions in silence. Taking her arm, he drew her into the shadows beside the house.

As he pressed her against the siding, shielding her body from the rear of the yard, he spoke near her ear. “I was walking by and heard a noise in the back.”

“So did I. That’s why I came out.”

Her whispered breath was warm on his neck, and a faint, pleasing…distracting…floral scent filled his nostrils. “It would have been safer to call the police.”

She blinked up at him in the dusky light. “This isn’t Chicago. Nantucket is safe. And you scared me to death.” She flicked a quick look at his hand. “Is that a gun?”

“Yes. And crime happens everywhere.”

“Not in my backyard. The noise we heard is probably feral cats. They’re a big problem on the island. I caught them rooting through my trash a few days ago. The cans are inside a wooden box with a heavy lid, but it’s not shutting quite right. I think one of the cats must have squeezed in again. Chester’s going to fix it one of these days.”

Heat crept up the back of J.C.’s neck. If Heather’s assumption was correct, he’d pulled his gun on a cat.

Not the most auspicious beginning for his Nantucket law enforcement interlude.

But he’d come this far. He might as well follow through. “I’ll check it out, just to be on the safe side. Wait here.”

Without giving her a chance to respond, J.C. worked his way to the hedge in back. A quick look around the side confirmed her theory. Two cats had their noses stuck under the slightly opened lid of the trash bin, while a rustling sound came from inside.

At the same time he saw them, the cats got wind of his presence. With amazing speed and agility, the two outside the bin leaped to the ground, bounded toward the privet hedge and dove through. The third scrambled out and followed his friends.

Holstering his gun, J.C. tried to tamp down his embarrassment. Accustomed as he was to finding danger around every corner, the relative safety of Nantucket was obviously going to take some getting used to.

Heather was leaning against one of the back porch posts when he emerged, arms folded across her chest. “I heard them scrambling over the wood. I assumed it was safe to come out.”

“Sorry to raise an unnecessary alarm. It was an instinctive reaction.”

“You must travel in rough circles.”

“Yeah.”

“I appreciate the thought, anyway.”

Amusement glinted in the depths of her eyes, and J.C. had a feeling she’d have a good chuckle about this later. He could only hope she’d keep the incident to herself. If she told Edith, he suspected half the island would hear about the feral felines’ caper within twenty-four hours. Burke had told him his landlord was well-connected and a better source of Nantucket news than the newspapers.

But he’d worry about that later. At the moment, he was too busy enjoying the view. Backlit by the lantern beside the door, Heather’s shoulder-length hair hung soft and full, free of restraint, the gold highlights shimmering. The light also silhouetted her willowy frame, which was accentuated by jeans and a soft tank top. Gone were the classy pearls and silk that had made her seem so inaccessible.

He had to remind himself to breathe.

Yet if yesterday he’d felt outclassed in her presence, tonight he found a different reason to keep his distance.

Heather Anderson had never been tainted by exposure to violence. In her world, cats were the biggest predators.

He, on the other hand, had spent his career dealing with the lowlifes of Chicago. And he’d been doing it for so long, he didn’t even know how to behave around a woman who was untouched by the raw side of life.

She tucked her hair behind her ear and shifted from one foot to the other. “Well…thanks again.”

“No problem.”

Turning, she disappeared through the door. Thirty seconds later, the downstairs light was extinguished.

As J.C. retraced his steps to the gate, an odd heaviness settled in his chest. One that had nothing to do with the burden of guilt he’d been carrying for the past month. This was related to a woman with hazel eyes.

Though he knew little about her, J.C. sensed that Heather was a kind, decent, caring person. The sort of woman who would add warmth and sunlight and joy to a man’s life.