Murders & Romance: A Psychic Detective Romantic Mystery (Isaac Taylor Mysteries Book 5) by Lashell Collins (motivational books to read txt) 📕

“Trust me, Sidney. You are braver than you give yourself credit for.”

She couldn’t look away from his eyes. They held her in place.

“Sgt. Taylor?”

He looked away and the spell was broken. Sidney let out a long slow breath and followed him over to a desk manned by a red-haired man in his mid-thirties.

“Detective Casey, you got a minute?”

“Sure thing. What can I do for ya?”

“Well, it seems I’ve got myself something of a harassment case. And I thought about taking it to patrol, but what’s the point of that when I know it’s eventually going to end up here on the fourth floor anyway?”

“I see your point. Have a seat, Sarge. Whatcha got?”

Isaac motioned for Sidney to sit in the chair beside Casey’s desk. Then she watched him pull over an empty chair and sit down beside her.

“Detective George Casey, this is my fiancée, Sidney Fairchild.”

“Nice to meet you, ma’am.”

“You, too.” Sidney smiled at him and glanced at Isaac.

“Casey here works in the Violent Crimes division,” Isaac told her before he turned back to Casey. “Now, Casey I know that this isn’t violent yet, but it’s escalating quickly, and I don’t like the direction it’s going, so…”

“I understand. Lay it out for me.”

“Sid’s been having some strange occurrences at work.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, Sidney. What’s been happening?”

She told him everything then. All about the deal with the slashed tires and the sick box of goodies. Isaac handed over the box and its contents as evidence, and even forwarded the pictures he’d taken of her slashed tires.

“And do we think this could be a coworker harassing you? Maybe someone that you had words with recently?” Casey asked.

Isaac looked at her, waiting for her to answer, and Sidney’s stomach rolled.

“Actually there are two people that came to mind as possible culprits.”

She explained then about Ann’s angry husband, pointing to her fading bruise for reference. And she told him about Lance Tobey and how she’d jilted his affections. Detective Casey took their report and told them that he would look into it personally.

When they finally left the PD over an hour later, Sidney climbed into the car and crumpled with exhaustion. She sighed, and Ike started up the car.

“Here.”

She looked up and he was holding out a slip of paper to her.

“What’s this?”

She took the paper and unfolded it. A name and number. That’s all the information the paper contained. She looked Ike in the eyes.

“He’s not cheap. But he does convincing work. And he’s discreet.”

Still puzzled, Sidney stared at him until his meaning became clear. This was the name and number of someone who could provide her with false papers to help Ann get away.

“Isaac…”

“This cannot come back to me in any way.”

He cut her off before she could say anything more.

“So the less we discuss it, the better. Just be careful, Sid.”

“I will.”

She knew the position she was putting him in. She knew how difficult it was for him to watch her willfully do something against the law. And she knew that she loved him even more for his willingness to help her however he could.

She strapped on her seatbelt, and he pulled out into traffic without another word. In fact, the further he drove, the longer his silence stretched, and Sidney wondered what was going on inside his mind.

She couldn’t blame him. She had done a lot lately to upset him. She knew that he wasn’t happy about her decision to help Ann get away from her abuser. And he really hated that she was going to be doing business with criminals in order to help Ann. Now he had an image of her kissing another man in his head.

“Let’s face it, Sid. He isn’t talking because he’s angry. He can’t even look at you.”

Those thoughts tore her up as they drove on in silence.

Was he really so angry that he couldn’t talk or look at her right now?

She sighed and turned her gaze out the window.

Isaac took her hand.

Birds took flight and angels sang songs.

She looked at him, and he kept his eyes on the road. But he held her hand as he drove on, lightly rubbing his thumb over her skin.

She smiled and glanced out the window again. This time with a lighter heart.

Suddenly it dawned on her that they were heading out of Cleveland.

“Isaac? Where are we going?”

She asked the question more than once. His only response was a quick glance at her from behind the wheel.

She had no clue what to make of it. And she had no clue where they were. Glancing around, she didn’t recognize anything. Not a single landmark. Finally, she couldn’t take it anymore.

“Isaac. Please tell me where we’re going.

“We’re here.”

She glanced around again.

“Where?”

“Woodmere.”

“Woodmere?”

She’d heard of it. She knew it was a village in Cuyahoga County, about half an hour from downtown Cleveland. But she’d never had occasion to go there before.

“What are we doing in Woodmere?”

“Coming here.”

She glanced out the window as he pulled to a stop in front of Tiffany & Co. Then her gaze shot back to him.

“Well, obviously I need to put a ring on it so that other men will back the hell off. I need to tag you as taken.”

The southern drawl that became more prominent when he was excited or agitated made his words sweeter than honey, and Sidney smiled at him.

“We’re ring shopping?”

“I’m sorry that I didn’t do this sooner, Sid. With everything going on, it just kept slippin’ my mind. It’s certainly not because I don’t want to marry you. I’d rush you off to Vegas tonight if you’d let me.”

“I know that. And I wasn’t worried about not having a ring yet. I knew we’d eventually get to it.”

“Well, we’re getting to it right now. I want all the men in the world to know that you are no longer available.”

He got out of the car and came around to open her door. Sidney couldn’t wipe the silly grin