Seeds of Evidence (9781426770838) by Linda J. White

brown pelicans flew parallel to the shore, their wings beating the air. “Hey, your friend Sellers came by to see me.”
    Kit arched her eyebrow. “He did?”
    â€œYep. Asked me all kinds of questions. Why had we gone out on the ocean, how long had I known you, was I helpingyou with the investigation, what did I do in D.C. . . . he was really nosy.”
    â€œThat’s weird.” She blinked. “Did you tell him where I’m staying?”
    â€œNo way!” David ran his hand through the sand. “My guess is he is going to file a report and he wanted to cover all of his bases.”
    That made sense. Rick had shown her the paperwork. Even given her copies. But how did he and that reporter find out where she lived?
    The sound of the breakers murmured a refrain. David glanced toward her. “Kit . . .”
    She turned.
    â€œHow long were you married?”
    The question caught her off guard. She hesitated. “Seven years.”
    â€œWhat happened?”
    â€œThat’s pretty personal.”
    â€œSo was my shooting incident.”
    She couldn’t argue with that. Kit picked up a small shell, a white, ridged scalloped shell, fingered it, and tossed it into the sand. She gave him the outline. “By the time he got his PhD, Eric didn’t want to be married anymore.” She hated the fact that tears formed in the edges of her eyes. She stared straight ahead at the sand, hoping he wouldn’t notice.
    â€œHe left you.”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œThat stinks.”
    She let that comment ride for a minute, secretly agreeing with him. Then she pulled out the response she’d memorized: “I believe God will take care of it somehow.” Did she even believe that anymore?
    The muscles in David’s jaw flexed. He threw a little shell off into the sand. “Law enforcement’s pretty hard on relationships.”
    But what had she done wrong? She’d asked herself a million times if she had neglected Eric, put her career ahead of him, failed to be a good wife. Kit felt her neck tightening up. Off to her right, a kid kept trying to get his mother’s attention. The mother, apparently lost in her own thoughts, ignored him.
    â€œIt seems like you have to choose one or the other; law enforcement or marriage. The two just don’t seem to mix.”
    Kit bristled. “I don’t believe that.”
    David picked up a handful of sand and let it drain through his fist. “It’s hard. It’s a consuming profession. A lot of times, spouses don’t understand.”
    â€œI think it could work. I’ve seen it work, in fact.”
    â€œNot sure it’s worth the trouble.”
    â€œSounds like you like being alone.”
    â€œPretty much.”
    So what was he after? Why did he call her?
    Out on the ocean, two kayakers paddled in rhythm. David inhaled deeply. He turned to look at Kit. “I, uh, I wanted to tell you that I just can’t get involved with your case right now.”
    He was pulling back.
    â€œI understand.”
    â€œThat first day, after I helped you move that boy, I didn’t stay because I came here to get away from law enforcement, you know?”
    â€œSure.”
    â€œI was intrigued by the boy, and by Jimmy’s story, but then,” David stroked his arm, “I realized I . . . I can’t do this. Not now. And I’m sorry . . .”
    Kit’s emotions were swirling. “It’s OK. Look, you’ve already helped me a lot, so don’t worry about it. Take care of yourself, OK?”
    He nodded and squinted as he stared out over the ocean. His feet burrowed down into the sand. “Do you have any new leads?”
    Should she tell him what she’d learned about the littoral currents of the ocean? Or the ag industry on the Eastern Shore? She decided not to feed the law enforcement addiction. “A few,” she responded