But why not let the Troopers investigate? Was she trying to protect her privacy? Wyatt had picked up on her discomfort just having him in her house.
The last thing he wanted to do was push her into something that made her uncomfortable.
“Do you honestly think this was random?” He took another sip of coffee and studied her as she considered the question. Before he’d decided to be a pilot and focus all his energy there, he’d done better in his few college classes than his family had expected. His psychology classes had been his favorite. He enjoyed reading people, something he’d probably used for negative purposes once upon a time.
Elsie’s facial expression didn’t change, but her eyes did focus on some point beyond him for a long moment before she met his eyes again. “I don’t think getting the Troopers involved will help either way. And I think there’s definitely a good chance it’s random.”
Not the answer that would help him sleep well at night, but one that could probably let him walk away and leave her to the privacy she clearly wanted. He nodded once.
“I appreciate that you came over here. I still don’t get why you did, but I appreciate it. I wouldn’t have expected it.” She was usually so polished, it was odd to hear her stumble through her speech like this.
“I had to, once I heard it on the radio. I wondered if it was you.” He looked away from her, not sure what she’d see in his eyes otherwise. Any kind of interest on his part would be unwelcome, he knew. She deserved so much better than him. “Law enforcement should be here soon,” he finally said after searching for a topic. “What’s taking them so long?”
Elsie shook her head. “Maybe they got here when we were in the woods and went to search?”
Seconds later, a knock on the door seemed to confirm her theory. Especially when they heard a voice say, “Destruction Point Police.”
With one last look in his direction, one that seemed to remind him that she didn’t want a big deal made of this, Elsie started toward the door.
“I’ll stick around till they leave and then head out, if that’s okay.”
She met his eyes, nodded and then pulled the door open.
“Elsie. Thank goodness.” Seth Winters, one of the local police officers, had been in Wyatt’s graduating class. He was an overall good guy. Probably Wyatt’s favorite of the officers, so he was glad he was the one to respond. “When I got here earlier no one answered. I did a sweep of the area but wanted to check your house again.” He seemed to be visually scanning her for injuries. “You’re not hurt?”
“No, I’m okay. They got away, though, whoever broke in. Wyatt and I tried to chase them down, but...” She shrugged, as if to finish her sentence nonverbally.
Seth’s gaze swung to Wyatt, seeing him for the first time. His eyebrows rose. “What are you doing here?”
Suspicious because he was law enforcement and Wyatt had been first to the scene of a crime? Or was there something between him and Elsie? He couldn’t see the second working. Seth was a decent guy, nice, honest, honorable, the kind Elsie deserved. But somehow, Wyatt thought they would make a terrible couple.
“He heard on radio traffic and came to check on me.” She spoke up before he could, and while Wyatt didn’t feel like he wanted someone else fighting his battles for him, he appreciated the fact that Elsie was willing to stick up for him. And it helped to ease his mind a bit about her and Seth. If she was defending Wyatt, then chances were good she wasn’t falling for the other guy’s too-concerned demeanor.
“That so?”
“You accusing me of lying, Officer, or accusing Elsie?” He raised his eyebrows.
The other man didn’t justify Wyatt’s snark with a response, which he kind of appreciated. Instead he turned to Elsie.
“I’m going to send a team here to get fingerprints and see if any other material evidence was left behind.”
“No, you don’t have to do that,” Elsie said.
“Good idea,” Wyatt said over her. She turned to him and glared. He saw irritation and a warning to be quiet in her look.
“It’s procedure. After that, we can start a search for who it might have been and so on. It’s possible trace evidence was left that could help us identify—”
Elsie spoke up. “Do you have to investigate fingerprints and all of that if I don’t want you to?”
Wyatt looked at her in surprise, noticing out of the corner of his eye that Seth had done the same. Finally, something they could agree on.
“Why?” the officer asked.
Wyatt kept his mouth shut. Just watched Elsie. Waited. Kind of wanted to pray for her to make the right choice, but getting back onto speaking terms with God after all the ways he’d messed up his life in the years previous was harder than he’d thought it would be.
Would God even listen to him?
Help her, he finally tried, sending the plea heavenward as he waited for whatever she would say.
“Tonight was awful,” she started, looking away from both of them and reaching down to pet her dog, who had settled at her feet. “But I think it was an isolated incident. I don’t want more people in my house combing over it, analyzing things that may or may not help us find whoever was responsible. It was probably a crime of opportunity.”
Wyatt stared at her. That was the opposite of what she’d admitted to him earlier.
Seth apparently didn’t notice the tension in her jaw, the way she was avoiding both their eyes. He continued, trying to explain typical protocol. “Fingerprints and further investigation are what we always do.”
“Can I waive my right to those? Turn them down?”
The officer sighed and Wyatt felt it down to his soul. “Yes.”
“I’d like to do that.”
Elsie smiled at Seth. “Thank you so much for being ready to investigate.” She turned to Wyatt. “And thank you for risking your life for someone you’ve barely talked to in years. I appreciate it more than I can say.”
Her tone clearly communicated that she was ready for them both to leave. They were being politely dismissed. Seth Winters opened his mouth, then shook his head and started to the door, clearly sensing that this was a losing battle.
“Wyatt...” Elsie said. He had a feeling she was about to kick him out a little more directly. Probably because she didn’t want him to call her out for the inconsistency in her story.
Before she could say anything further, he asked, “I, uh, could I use your bathroom before I leave?”
