Turning by Dawn Kirby

Complications

Lieutenant Carter got in the car and gripped the wheel. It took everything he had not to turn around and ring Chris’s neck. He’d just made himself look like an ass. Not to mention accused an innocent woman of a crime she in no way could have committed. To suggest Matt had something to do with her friend’s death was absurd. Had killer been in his nature Ben would have never made it to trial.

“What the hell were you thinking?” Carter asked. He tossed the keys on the dashboard, waiting for an answer.

“I’m doing my job,” Chris said coolly. “Something we should have done a long time ago.”

“The only job we had here was to make sure that girl didn’t get attacked again. If you had a problem with that you should’ve asked to be reassigned.”

“Do you not see it?”

“What? That she’s scared? That she’s lost her best friend?”

“Is she?” Chris asked staring through one of the windows in Alana’s house. He’d just seen a shadow move across her window. Who it was he didn’t know. She and that jack ass brother of hers were still standing in the door way. “You treat her like she’ll break. You never even bothered to ask where her brother was the night that girl was killed. For all we know they found the con and killed him.”

“Hate to say it, but that’s one case of justifiable homicide.” He grabbed the keys and started up the car. He could tell Chris had rattled them. They didn’t usually perch at the screen door they way they were now. The best thing he could do was drive away now. “Maybe you need to read that file again. Refresh your memory a little bit.” He pulled out onto the street leading away from the complex. “She was the victim. Not the suspect.”

“Carter, for all we know she took out that kid for some stupid little something and blamed him for it.”

“You’re kidding right?” Carter asked, hopeful he was. “You saw the pictures of her. Hell you saw the autopsy report. There’s no way that scrawny little thing could’ve killed that boy.”

“When passion’s involved ‘scrawny’ can do almost anything.”

“He confessed! Did you forget that part?”

“No, but what’s to say he wasn’t covering for her?”

“How?” Good God, this kid was out for blood. “He beat her senseless. That poor girl was in the hospital for days recovering.”

“When you’re desperate.”

Nicholas pulled Alana away from the door. Danger lurked and here she stood like a lamb put up for sacrifice. “Please. Stay away from the door. Benjamin is stronger than most new vampires. I do not know yet how advanced his abilities actually are.”

“But if I’m inside my house-”

“It takes only one toe outside the boundary,” Nicholas said, cutting her off quickly. “The young officer will be a problem. You do know this?”

“Carter’ll straighten him out,” Matt said. He shut and locked the door then collapsed on the couch. “Nothing to worry about.”

“The lieutenant will try,” Nicholas said leading Alana toward the kitchen. “But he will fail. His partner is a very strong willed man. By nature he is suspicious. He will dig until he gets to what he thinks is the truth.”

“Which is?” Matt asked.

“That you had something to do with Jennifer’s death. I am almost positive he has decided Alana committed a crime of passion and left Benjamin holding the bag, so to speak.”

Matt snorted. That was ridiculous. The only thing his little sister could kill without feeling some guilt for was flies. “That guy needs to have his head examined.”

“If he comes back here I’m sure he’ll get that and more.” He glanced outside, looking for any sign of his rival. “Benjamin will likely be less forgiving.”