Bound By Duty

“Stay right there. Don’t move. Don’t touch anything,” Linc ordered. It was only a few strides to the hallway and bedrooms where he called, “One of you get back in here and check for trace evidence. Now!”

His next words were for Zoe. “What else are you withholding?”

“Nothing. I wasn’t withholding that.” Her hands were clasped in front of her. “Look. I was in combat mode, okay? Details were fuzzy. Some still are. All I know for sure is that I charged him when I thought he was going on the attack.”

Linc glanced over at her son. “At least one of you had the presence of mind to call for help.”

“Did he? Good for Freddy. That didn’t register with me either. Nothing did except the fight I was in. I do remember screaming, probably at you, come to think of it.”

“Maybe.” Linc shook his head. “You were certainly hollering something when I hit the top of the stairs. Are you always so excitable?”

“Only when somebody is threatening to kill me,” Zoe countered. She rolled her eyes. “You don’t need to act as if I’m a hysterical female, okay? I’m actually very levelheaded and sensible. Most of the time. I’d have to be to have dealt with the significant others in my life.”

“Your brother.”

“And my late husband. But that’s a story for another time.” She stood still as evidence techs inspected her hands and stroked her skin with sterile cotton swabs. “I can’t imagine that there’s anything there.”

“Maybe not,” Linc said. “But when there is even a remote chance of touch DNA, it makes sense to take samples.” He addressed the technician. “Check her clothing, too. She says she grappled with the prowler, so there may be something stuck to her body, as well.”

“I wish you’d been this thorough in the warehouse,” Zoe drawled. “There had to be some kind of evidence there.”

“Yeah. From any one of the hundred or so people who had passed through in the last few weeks,” Linc countered. “This is different. You and Freddy are the only ones living here. If anything from the attacker rubbed off on you, we’ll detect it.”

“Who do you think it was?” she asked.

“Well, I’m beginning to doubt it was your brother if that’s what you’re asking,” Linc said. “Knowing that he pulled a knife on you and you tackled him changes everything. If it had been Boyd, I imagine you’d have tried to talk him down.” It amused him to see her rolling those warm hazel eyes again, and he chuckled softly. “Hey, I just tell it like it is.”

“No,” Zoe countered, “you tell it like you think it is. There’s a huge difference.”

He decided to humor her now that the techs had stowed their samples and returned to the bedroom where the man had probably been hiding. “Okay. Here’s what I think happened. You hired Portia to babysit, and she invited a young man to keep her company. When he heard you come home, he probably thought you were alone and he hid. Then, when I checked the bedroom and rousted Portia, I failed to let Star search the rest of the room. That’s on me.”

“You think he was here all that time?”

“Yes, unless you left your back door open.”

“Never. There’s a dead bolt and chain on it so Freddy won’t wander out on to the deck.”

Linc shrugged and spread his hands. “There you have it. You probably scared that guy so badly he’ll never come around again.” To his relief, Zoe began to smile.

“I sure hope so. He scared me plenty.”

“Are you okay now?” Although he expected her to affirm her well-being, he hadn’t imagined she would be so candid.

“Yes,” Zoe said, her smile softening. “I’m okay. You’re here.”

She averted her gaze, but not before Linc noted the glistening of unshed tears and felt his gut clench in empathy.