Page 35 of Protect My Heart

“Holy Mary.” Jim made a sign of the cross and muttered a silent Hail Mary. “My mother would be mortified to hear the Virgin Mary was used in a crime.”

“The holy mother was the centerpiece of Aunt Rosa’s garden. She’s had it as long as I’ve known her.” CJ shook his head.

“Mami will be heart broken, but maybe some stone adhesive will fix her.” Doc stood in the doorway behind them.

Jim’s brows jetted to his hairline. “She’s been decapitated.”

“Right, I’ll have to look for a new one.”

CJ crossed the room and pulled her into a fierce hug before holding her at arm’s length and examining her. “Are you alright?”

“Hello, Cuz. A little shaken up, but I’ll survive.” She hugged her middle, the blanket replaced with her coat and hat. Jim felt a spark of pride when she pushed her shoulders back and stood tall. “I didn’t want to bring the family into this.”

“What actually is this?” When she didn’t respond, CJ turned his cop-stare to Jim.

“It seems Doc has picked up an admirer. He’s escalating.” Jim filled him in on the events of the week.

Jim had never seen CJ’s face turn that shade of red. The tick in his jaw beat at a staccato pace. The veins in his neck jumped. Jim fully understood what his partner was feeling, but with each curl of his fists, Doc shrank a little more. A strong confident woman, but the sight of CJ’s anger had her folding in on herself.

“Let’s you and I talk about this.” Jim laid a hand on his partner’s shoulder but CJ shrugged it off.

Turning to Doc, voice low and steady, CJ asked, “Why am I just now hearing about this?”

Doc straightened to her full height, an amazing thing to see. The scared woman of a few seconds ago was gone. She had pushed that part of her to the corner, and the strong, independent warrior stood before them.

“CJ, I know you feel the need to always protect me, but I don’t need to run to you with every little problem.”

“Little?” He gestured to the Virgin Mary on the floor. “I’d say this is a big problem, and it’s definitely in my wheelhouse. Why didn’t you report this before?”

“I did.” She turned to Jim.

Okay, that was the hand-off. He picked up the ball and ran with it. “I filed a report on the incident at your parent’s house the other day, and the break-in this morning.”

“But you didn’t think to tell me. A text. A shout-out. A ‘Hey, your little cousin has a psycho on her tail?’” CJ’s face had returned to a normal color but his jaw still ticked. “Maybe we should talk.”

Not a conversation Jim wanted to have. His eyes zipped side to side looking for an out, none existed.

Officer Larson entered the room, “Sir, we lost the tracks two houses down. No neighbors reported seeing anything odd at this time.”

At his nod, she looked from one man to the other then turned to Doc. “Can I bother you for a glass of water.”

As Officer Larson and Doc left the room, Jim overheard Larson say, “It looks like the testosterone levels were getting a little high in there. Time for us females to clear out.”

She was right, but he hoped to defuse the situation since he and CJ wanted the same thing, Doc’s safety. He looked back to CJ. He knew it would be a long and loud conversation when he was met with the cop-stare. Damn.

“What are they saying out there?” Liz glanced toward the other room as she handed the officer the glass.

“No sense worrying about it. They will have their cock-fight, and I’m betting Detective Whittier will win. He usually does.” The officer waited until Liz turned her attention back to her before continuing. “I’m Officer Larson, you can call me Amy. So, how long have you known CJ?”

“Since I was little. He’s my cousin.” She uncapped a water bottle and took a drink.

Amy nodded. “What does he think of his partner dating his cousin?”

Liz inhaled and water rushed up her nose. She coughed and sputtered, finally clearing her throat. “Oh, we aren’t dating.”

“Uh huh.” She didn’t sound convinced. “Yet.”

“No, Jim and I are both working the Delie case.”