The Black Sheep's Redemption by Lynette Eason Page A

having much luck. Demi took his spoon to help him. She looked at Charles. “Has Owen run my picture on the news yet?”
    He nodded. “Yes, Owen said they were filtering the calls. When they get something worth following up on, we’ll be the first to know.”
    Demi bit her lip and slid another small spoonful of vanilla ice cream into Aaron’s waiting mouth. “Good. I think.”
    “It will be.”
    “Did he mention that I have amnesia?”
    “No, he didn’t want to invite any troublemakers or people who might want to take advantage of you. Instead, they ran the picture with the story that you were looking for your family and if anyone recognized you and knew who your family was, they were to call the eight hundred number at the bottom of the screen. As it is, we may have to weed through some crazies.”
    Demi grimaced. She hadn’t thought about that. When the police had run her picture while she’d been in the hospital, she hadn’t even considered that scenario. The police must have made the judgment calls in that case, too.
    “Well, if this isn’t a nice cozy scene.”
    Demi froze as she recognized the voice of Burke Hennessy. She glanced up to see him bearing down on their table.
    Charles’s posture went rigid. Demi ignored Hennessy and concentrated on feeding Aaron, hoping the children didn’t pick up on the sudden tension.
    “What do you want now, Burke?” Charles asked.
    “Don’t you have patients to take care of, Dr. Fitzgerald?” He didn’t give Charles a chance to answer before he said, “Oh, that’s right. You’re a murder suspect. I imagine not too many people in town are in need of your services these days.”
    Charles’s face went red and his hand clenched.
    Demi looked at the man who seemed to have nothing better to do than cause trouble. “Could you please just leave us alone?”
    Burke snorted. “Hiding behind a skirt? Who taught you that, your dad?”
    Charles stood. “Burke, I’d like nothing more than to smash your face, but I’m praying real hard that I have more class than that. If you want to take this outside, I’ll go, but you might want to think twice about how that will look to your constituents.”
    Demi blinked at the lightning-fast speed at which Burke backpedaled, his hands held in a conciliatory gesture. “Hey, no need for that.” Then he dropped his hands and his eyes hardened. “But you can tell your father that I’m calling him out in a debate. I’ve had enough of this Fitzgerald monopoly in the police department and the town. Tell your father I’ll be in touch.”
    Burke spun on his heel and left, seemingly unaware of the eyes that followed him. Charles cleared his throat and seated himself in front of Brianne. His daughter frowned. “Bad man, Daddy. Don’t like him.”
    Demi choked back a surge of laughter, not thinking it was an appropriate response. Then she caught the glint in Charles’s eyes as he nodded to Brianne. “Very observant young lady.”
    Brianne grinned as though she understood and Demi’s heart softened at the exchange. She glanced at the door where Hennessy had just left. “I admire your restraint,” she said softly.
    Charles nodded his head. “Me, too.” Pulling in a deep breath, he let it out slowly. Demi watched him for a moment longer, wishing she had the right words to say. Having none, she stayed silent.
    He looked up and said, “How do you feel about fishing?”
    She shrugged. “I don’t know. Why?”
    “Because I think that might be just the thing to take our minds off everything that’s going on around here.”
    “And your mind off Burke Hennessy?”
    “Exactly.”
    “Sounds good to me.” She smiled then shivered as her eyes caught Burke’s staring back at them from outside the restaurant window.
    His malevolent glare said he wasn’t finished with them.

TEN
    S urprisingly, the rest of the week and most of the next passed without incident. Thursday rolled around with no more break-ins, no more weird messages. And