Officer on Duty (Lock and Key Book 4) by Ranae Rose

you.”
    He tipped his head to the side. “How do you figure that’ll work, exactly? Am I supposed to flash a little leg when a situation turns sour, or do you think the sheriff’s department will issue me a special pair of Capri uniform pants?”
    “Some cops wear shorts.”
    “City cops who ride bicycles. I’ll be damned if I’m going to trade in my cruiser for a bike, helmet and shorts.”
    “I always did think bicycle cops got the short end of the stick. I mean, whatever happened to horses? That seems like more fun.”
    “I’ll stick with four wheels and an engine. And pants.”
    She smiled, then opened the bandage box. “Can you even drive like this?”
    “Of course I can. It’s my left leg. But I’m off duty for now.”
    “For how long?”
    “Until my supervisor says I can come back. Hopefully not more than a day or two.”
    She frowned as she prepared a bandage. “You want to go back to work with your leg in stitches?”
    “Better than sitting on my ass flipping through daytime TV while people are being murdered.”
    She wasn’t sure if he was a workaholic, or just very protective of his hometown.
    “Hold still.”
    He caught her by the wrist just as she was preparing to position the bandage on his leg. “I’ve got it. God knows what kind of bacteria that dog had in its mouth.”
    He fixed the bandage himself, though they’d surely disinfected his wounds at the hospital.
    Assumedly, insisting on doing it himself was just his little way of being a macho man. Lucia might be single, but she’d grown up with three brothers.
    “So,” she asked when he’d rolled his pant leg back down, “are you going to tell me what the latest news on those women is?”
    The pained expression on his face lingered, and there was no telling whether it was because of his leg or the murders.
    “Some bloody footprints were left at the scene of the second homicide.”
    “And?”
    “They’re real small. Or at least, they would be if they were a man’s. They’re considering the possibility that Kaylee’s killer might be a woman.”
    “They weren’t just the victim’s footprints?”
    He shook his head, and she felt a little silly. Of course the crime scene investigators had thought of that.
    “Sorry – I’ve watched just enough forensics shows on TV to think I know a little something when I really don’t.”
    He flashed her a smile. “The killer being female isn’t definite. But it’s a possibility.”
    Why would a woman want to murder another female – possibly two of them? Neither Brianna nor Kaylee had been robbed, so it wasn’t like the crimes had been committed by someone coldhearted or desperate enough to kill for monetary gain.
    Why, then? For some sick sense of pleasure? It was rare for a female to do something like that, wasn’t it?
    Jeremy looked just as troubled as she felt. His face was smooth – well, except for the rugged stubble – but it showed in his eyes.
    Seeing all that conflict and worry stirred up in those gorgeous baby blues made the bottom drop out of her stomach. Seeing him unhappy made her want to reach out and touch him – fix it.
    “Sorry,” she said. “Being pestered for details about something so awful is probably the last thing you want after a sucky day at work.”
    He met her eyes and a little bit of that dark, brooding energy cleared.
    What replaced it sent a hot shiver rolling slow and merciless down her spine.
    “I’d be a liar if I said sitting down and talking to you was the last thing I wanted, regardless of the conversation topic.”
    Her belly clenched, squeezing the butterflies there. They’d been soaring lazily, but the pressure seemed to shoot them full of energy. Her entire body buzzed from head to toe with awareness.
    “You may have gotten the hint, with the excuses I’ve found to come over here and chat,” she said. “But I like talking to you too.”
    “I’ve never considered myself much of a conversationalist, but anytime you want to talk