***Mat glared at his cousin. "Why do members of our community ask if there's anyone else to send when I tell them you're on your way?"Thorn's brows knit together and his thick lips tugged down in a scowl. "Who was that? Where are you sending me?""Never mind who that was. That's the second person in forty-five minutes who seemed like they'd rather put up with the crime than deal with you. I want to know why." "Lisa doesn't count. She hates me." Thorn appeared bewildered by that comment. "I don't understand why she won't see me.""She's your ex-wife for a reason, Thorn." Mat resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Thorn was one of those people who couldn't ever see more than one side of an issue. Lisa had been a cheerleader, Thorn a football player. They'd been Morrisonville's fairy tale couple all through high school. Married right out of highschool after dating since junior high. Thorn wasn't the only one who'd been surprised when Lisa had called it quits after ten years of marriage. The whole community had been astonished. Mat figured she'd finally had enough, but since she'd tolerated his cousin's many flaws for years, he wasn't quite sure what had tipped Lisa over the edge. "Well, if there's a reason she's never said!" Thorn looked hurt... which in itself surprised Mat enough that he felt bad for mentioning the way the callers had reacted. "Look... I don't want to get involved in your marriage woes. But I don't want to send you out on this call if it's going to be a problem. ""Look at you being all boss like and playing peacemaker. FIne. YOu go. I'll answer the phones for Holly." Thorn cast a disparaging glance at the switch board. "How hard can it be?""Are you sure?" He shouldn't go. He'd promised Holly that he'd cover until she got there... but he really wanted to see CC again, and the man's voice had sounded so... forlorn and ... "Holly is going to be here soon. She said she had to do something on the way over.""Everything okay with her?" Concern darkened Thorn's eyes, reminding Mat that his cousin, like his brother, could be a dick, but they were family, and Holly, as an employee at the police department, was family by extension, and there was good in everyone, even if they didn't always front it. "Yeah... she didn't say what she was doing but she sounded okay." And CC had not sounded okay, so... "It's just a routine report, so I'll be back in half an hour. Even if Holly doesn't show up, you can handle the phones that long, right?"***