Cold Case Recruit by Jennifer Morey Page B

again.”
    For a moment, he thought she’d contemplate doing just that. But then defeat brought her back on down. “I have children.”
    “Bring them with you.”
    “They’re at school.” She shook her head. “No, thank you, sir. I’ll stay here with my husband.”
    With that, Melvin relaxed, turning to Brycen with smug triumph. “You see? She loves me. She wouldn’t stay otherwise.”
    Drury grunted in disbelief, drawing Melvin’s unappreciative look.
    “Why don’t you step down and come talk to me, Mrs. Cummings?” Brycen moved back from the porch, away from Melvin.
    She looked at Melvin, who nodded once. Had she assured him that she’d not betray him, so he felt confident in allowing her to speak alone with Brycen?
    Melvin climbed the porch steps as though each breath and step pained him. Drury reached to help him but he waved her away.
    Out of hearing distance from Melvin, Brycen kept his tone low. “Mrs. Cummings, is there anything you can tell me about that day Trooper Noah Decoteau came here?”
    She shook her head. “No. I’m sorry I called. I overreacted.”
    He looked down at her healing bruise. “Did you?”
    “Please, Mr. Cage. You have to leave. My husband does have a temper, but he’s a good man. He loves me and the kids.”
    “A good man doesn’t beat his wife, Mrs. Cummings. He has no right to hurt you. And he better not hurt your kids.”
    Again, she shook her head, more adamantly now. “No. He doesn’t hit them.” Tears sprang to her eyes.
    “He only hits you, then?”
    She said nothing.
    He hoped she told the truth. He checked on Melvin, who stood on the porch talking to Drury. She kept a good distance from the man.
    “I think you should come with us.” He had a bad feeling about her reasons for staying, but most of all about Melvin.
    She put her hand on his arm. “You’re a good man, Mr. Cage. You don’t hit those you love. But I’m fine. And I will be fine. My entire family lives in the village. I can’t just up and leave.”
    “Yes, you can. I can help you.”
    “No, I can’t.” She shook her head. “I’ll be fine.” She would not change her mind, not today.
    Brycen took out his card and handed it to her. “If you need me, call. I can take care of Melvin so he will never hurt you again.”
    She took the card and tucked it under her shawl, going back toward the porch. Brycen followed, stopping at the foot of the porch. Evette went inside without looking back.
    Drury joined Brycen down on the ground. “Let’s get out of here.”
    “Don’t make me have to come back here,” he said to Melvin, and then he let Drury take him toward the helicopter.
    Before getting in, he checked the porch. Melvin still stood there, holding his stomach.
    In the helicopter, they put their headphones on and the pilot lifted off.
    “Is that how you usually solve cases?” Drury asked.
    “I hope it’s enough to make him leave her alone.”
    “It won’t be.”
    How could she say that?
    “Men like that are like angry drivers. Once they’re enclosed in their own environment, they do what they want. He might take out his humiliation on her. He might not. The best we can do is try to get her to leave. In the end, it’s her decision. If she chooses to stay in that violent place, there’s nothing anyone can do.”
    “I just couldn’t stand knowing he hurt her.”
    “Yeah. I saw the bruise, too. I also think she was too scared to press charges.”
    “She lied when I asked her if she knew anything. I could tell.”
    Drury sat straighter. “She knows something? Is her husband involved?”
    Maybe, that was what his gut told him. But how? Melvin had a point about motive. Why would he kill the cop who answered his wife’s call when she didn’t press charges? And especially, why would he wait to gun him down? Anonymity? If he shot him on his property chances were he’d have been caught.
    “Noah must have seen something.” Melvin slapping his wife around? It didn’t seem like