Love's Protector: A Maverick's Shield Novel by Charisma Chloe Page A

down next to him. Having his large warm body wrapped around her made her feel safe and secure enough to drift into a deep sleep.
     
    * * *
     
    “Do you really think this ex-cop is going to tell us something he hadn’t already told Chandra?” Amour asked as she and Jason headed west on Pacific Coast Highway.
    Jason had received a call from Chandra when they’d woken up this morning informing him that she’d spoken with the retired cop she had questioned again. He’d confirmed that he had not spoken to anyone else about what they were doing. He’d also agreed to meet with them at his home in Malibu to further discuss the case.
    “I don’t know, but I still want to ask him some more questions. He worked on the case back then so anything we ask may help to jog his memory.
    “That’s fine but I think that maybe we’re barking up the wrong tree here. I think we should talk to Mrs. Pruitt; she was a witness, they only witness. If she remembers anything about that day, I’m guessing she would be of more help to us.”
    “You’re right and we’re going to question her also but I think we need to talk to any and everyone we can who was directly and indirectly involved in the case. Mrs. Pruitt was a witness yes, but given the fact that it was so long ago, her memory may not be exactly reliable.”
    She took in a deep breath and exhaled as they parked in front of the address Jason had logged into his navigation system. “Okay.”
     
    The medium sized house on Heathercliff Road was located within minutes of Zumba Beach. The views were gorgeous here in Malibu and so were the homes. Amour could definitely get used to this . “All this on a retired cop’s salary?” she asked in amazement.
    “You’d be surprised by all the kick backs and bonuses cops get. They could make a hefty living off of their pensions alone depending on their ranking and who they are.”
    The two of them approached the front door to the sound of a large wind chime that filled their ears as a heavy warm breeze hit when Jason rang the bell. The portly owner of the house didn’t exactly strike Amour as someone who was ever in law enforcement. He was all of five-feet-six inches tall with a large round belly and stubby hands. He stood in the doorway smoking a large strong smelling cigar that let out a huge cloud of smoke. “Yes?” he asked running his fingers through his thinning salt and pepper hair.
    “Hello, are you Daniel Riley?” Amour asked fanning the smoke out of her face.
    “That’s me.”
    “I’m Amour Graciette and this is Jason Kincaid; we spoke on the phone.”
    “Yes, please come in and have a seat.” He gestured towards the small sofa in the living room before sitting in the large winged-backed chair across from them. He placed his cigar in an ashtray shaped like a giant seashell that was sitting on the coffee table in front of him.  His home reeked of cigar smoke. It was very obvious that smoking them was his pastime. “Now, what can I do for you?”
    Amour opened her mouth to speak, but Jason beat her to it. “We just need to ask you a few questions about the day Carly Graciette died. We heard that you worked the case back then.”
    “Yes I did but as I told Officer Winslow, there really wasn’t much to it. I don’t recall there being any reason to investigate any further. The case was pretty cut and dry.”
    “Why was there an investigation in the first place?” Jason asked. Amour suspected he’d asked that question to see if the former officer’s answer matched up with Chandra’s.
    Riley rubbed his knuckles across his chin. “Well if memory serves me, it was because someone close to the victim suspected fowl play so we had to prove or disprove it.”
    “Was this person Ted Crawford by any chance?” Amour’s eyes grew wider as she asked the question.
    “I’m not completely sure but that name does sound about right. It’s been such a long time since then, so remembering all the details isn’t exactly easy