“You stay right there.” Hayley marched off.
Grabbing a wig from the cart, Demi headed toward another desk. Dare she risk being caught again, by Hayley and whoever she’d gone to fetch?
She found a private desk in the corner. If she stayed low, she wouldn’t be seen. She removed the overalls she wore, now in jeans and a white T-shirt. She put on her blond hippie wig and dug out another pair of glasses from the pocket of her overalls.
Lucas took Queenie from the enclosed training area after pretending to do a session. He could see the shed from there. It was far enough away from the enclosure that if any gun had been hidden there, none of the dogs would have alerted anyone.
“Come on, girl.” He had already let Queenie smell Devlin’s shirt and gave her a command. He unleashed her and away she went, trotting along the fence line. She veered away from the fence, not far from the shed, and zigzagged across the ground. She caught on to something near the shed and trotted from there toward a neighboring warehouse. At the edge of the gravel parking area, she stopped and sat, waiting for him.
That’s where the trail ended. He went to Queenie. “Good girl.” She took her treat. Devlin must have parked here when he’d come to spy on Hayley.
Now Lucas took out his gun and let Queenie smell that. She’d know to search for weapons now. “Find.”
Queenie trotted back toward the shed. She didn’t deviate. She went straight for it. When she reached the front double doors, she stopped and sat.
“Hey, bro, what are you doing out there?”
Lucas walked to Queenie and stopped, seeing Detective Carson Gage standing inside the training enclosure with Lucas’s sister Elle, a fellow K-9 officer.
“Just doing some tracking training with Queenie.”
“That’s an odd place to be doing that,” Elle said.
“Maybe not. I haven’t trained her around building structures in a while.
Elle lifted her head speculatively and Carson just stared at him like he’d lost a marble or two. Why not take Queenie to a building outside the center? He could hear them both thinking.
Queenie moved to the doors of the shed and sat again.
“Huh,” Elle said. “Did she find what you asked her to find?”
“Don’t know yet.” Lucas preferred to search the shed alone, without onlookers, but he apparently had no choice or his actions would seem suspicious. Unless this developed into something concrete, he’d rather keep it under wraps. He didn’t feel like answering any questions, like why he’d chosen this particular shed to search. Then he’d have to explain how he’d illegally obtained Devlin’s absurd library of Hayley pictures.
He used the key he’d gotten from the facility manager’s office and unlocked the shed.
“How do I get my own key to the outbuildings?” Carson said.
“You ask,” Lucas said. Except he hadn’t asked. He’d borrowed.
Queenie entered the shed and maneuvered around all the equipment, nose to the floor. It was a sizable shed, maybe twenty by twenty feet. The dog zeroed in on something in the back. In a corner, she pawed at a stack of boxes and then sat.
Outside, he heard Carson and Elle talking about the upcoming Christmas party the K-9 center had planned for the weekend before Christmas. Their voices faded.
Lucas went to the doorway and saw them disappear inside. No one else was out in the training yard. Looking up, he saw clouds had gathered, gray and low and a chilled breeze moved his hair. Snow would arrive any minute now.
Returning to Queenie, he began lifting boxes until he reached the one she’d pawed. He opened that and discovered nothing more than extra heavy-duty work jackets and pants.
Queenie whined and pawed the wood floor.
“Okay, girl.” He slid the box aside and examined the floorboards. All appeared to be in place. Finding a pry bar in a tool chest, he returned to the corner and began prying planks up. Queenie moved into the corner with her nose down, pawing at a different plank.
Lucas forced that one up.
Queenie began barking as the light dimmed inside the shed, not the kind of bark that alerted him to a find. Someone had entered the shed and closed the doors. She lunged just as someone knocked him over the head with something hard. He fell to his side, dizzy but conscious enough to see Devlin kicking Queenie aside and keeping her from biting him. Queenie whimpered.
“I’m going to hurt you for doing that!”
Lucas rolled out of the way of another enraged swing. Devlin’s crazed eyes were wide and inhuman. He pulled out a pistol. One of the doors to the shed hadn’t closed all the way. Had he planned to kill him quietly so as not to arouse attention? Now that that had failed, he’d resort to shooting.
Hearing Queenie growl, Lucas gave her a hand signal to keep her from lunging again. He would not have her hurt. He just had to be faster than Devlin with a gun. Problem was, Devlin had a gun in his hand.
* * *
After hacking into William’s user account, Demi navigated through emails, finding the one with Miller and Devlin arranging to meet and forwarding it to her own email. She opened a browser and checked the favorites Williams had selected. One was for his personal bank account. She opened that and saw he’d saved his login information to easily access it. She opened his account and looked through his deposits over the last several weeks. She saw his regular payments from the RRPD, and then there was one for ten thousand around the time Devlin had gone on the run.
She printed a copy of that statement. Now she had to make it to the printer and then go find Lucas.
Standing, she heard Hayley explaining that a woman had been sitting at a desk working on the computer.
It was Micah Shaw she was telling that someone strange had been snooping around in the administrative area. Staying low, Demi walked along the outside of the cubicles, the walls concealing her.
She heard Finn’s voice now, and then Carson and Elle.
“What’s going on?” Elle asked.
“A woman sneaked in here and was going through Miller’s computer,” Micah said.
Demi made it to the front of the administrative area and walked down the hall toward the back where Lucas had said he’d take Queenie. Outside she walked along the fenced enclosure, seeing the equipment shed in the distance, one of the two doors cracked open. She heard Queenie growling and the sound of a fight. Something crashed inside the shed and then Lucas’s body came flying outside, banging the doors against the shed.
A gun had fallen to the shed floor and Devlin appeared in the opening, bending to pick it up. Lucas corrected his balance and kicked Devlin, sending the man falling backward, away from the gun. But Devlin picked up a pry bar and threw it at Lucas, who held up his arm to protect himself.
Devlin used the distraction to crawl toward the gun. Lucas punched him, preventing him. Devlin picked up a metal bucket next, hurling that at Lucas. Then he rammed into Lucas, sending them both falling outside the shed.
Getting to his feet, Devlin scrambled for the gun.
“Stop or I’ll shoot!” Demi shouted, pulling her pistol from the back of her jeans. She was a pretty good shot.
But Devlin picked up the gun and aimed it at Lucas, who had just gotten to his feet.
“Drop your gun or I’ll kill him,” Devlin growled. “I will.”
He was going to shoot Lucas!
“This is all your fault!” Devlin hissed.
“Don’t do this, Devlin. Enough people have died.” She aimed for his hand that held the pistol. “Put down the gun. It’s all over.” He’d killed too many and had almost succeeded in killing her. She tasted victory. At last Devlin would pay, pay for all those victims and pay for framing her.
“It’s not over until you’re dead!”
“You’ll be dead if you don’t drop that gun.”
“If you want your precious boyfriend to
live, you better be the one who drops their gun.”
Demi wavered, afraid if she shot first if he’d get a shot of his own off and kill Lucas. If she hesitated Devlin might get the upper hand. She could not allow him to escape again.
Seeing Lucas inch his hand closer to his own gun, Demi took a chance and fired her well-aimed pistol. She hit Devlin’s hand. His gun dropped as Lucas drew his.
Devlin bent over with a wail, holding his bleeding hand.
“There she is!” Hayley cried out as several Red Ridge police officers rushed forth and saw the scene that had just played out. A few K-9 cops poured out from the building—Shane and Brayden, Hayley and Carson, and a few others.
Lucas pointed his gun at Devlin’s head and kicked the fallen pistol away. “Give me a reason to pull this trigger.”
“Drop your weapon!” Seeing Carson made the demand of her, Demi dropped her gun and lifted her hands, showing everyone she would surrender, never more frightened in her life.
Would she ever see Wolf again? The concept terrified her and soured her core with dread.
She glanced back to see Lucas shoving Devlin against the shed wall and cuffing him, reading him his rights.
What would happen to her now? She hated not knowing. She’d worked so hard to stay free, to prove her innocence. All of that was uncertain now.
She faced the crowd of officers.
Finn approached her with a displeased frown. Lucas pushed Devlin toward Shane, who took control of the madman, holding his cuffed wrists while Hunter appeared and held a gun on him.
“I’ve waited a long time for this day,” Hunter said to Devlin.
“You have the wrong person,” Devlin shot back.
“Oh, really? Is that why you almost killed Lucas Gage?”
Devlin grumbled something unintelligible, the ramblings of an insane man. Then he yelled, “You can’t do this!”
Stopping before Demi, Finn reached for her hair and pulled off her wig. He studied her a moment.
“Hello, Demi.”
Apprehension reared up higher. Her heart slammed and she debated whether to run or not.
“That’s Demi!” Devlin yelled some more. “She’s the one who’s the killer! She’s right there. You have her! Why aren’t you arresting her?”
“Quiet.” Shane gave Devlin a jab with his gun.
Lucas went to Demi and pulled her behind him, facing Finn. “You’re not arresting her.” Queenie sat beside him, panting.
Finn’s brow turned stormy. “You had her all this time and didn’t tell me? I knew something was going on.”
“Nobody is arresting her,” Lucas repeated.
Finn said nothing.
Lucas told Queenie to stay and guard, and she went to stand beside Demi. His protectiveness warmed her and eased her tension.
Standing beside Finn, Lucas said, “I need to show you something.”
Demi perked up. Had Queenie found something?
Lucas led Finn into the shed. Demi moved closer so she could see, Queenie staying right by her side. Lucas pried a board from the floor of the shed, tossing it on top of the others he’d removed.
Excitement chased through her. Brayden and Shane came to stand to her left, the other K-9 cops, including Hayley, also stepped closer. Queenie turned and growled, baring her teeth in warning.
“We won’t come any closer,” Hayley said.
Lifting a duffel bag, Lucas put it on the shed floor and parted the opening enough for all to see. Demi saw two guns inside.
“Queenie tracked Devlin to this shed and to these guns,” Lucas said.
Finn looked up from the guns to Lucas. “How did she track him?”
Lucas would have to explain how Queenie had gotten Devlin’s scent. Finn wanted to know if he’d followed legal channels, and of course he hadn’t.
“I obtained an article of clothing.”
“From?”
“His house.”
“Without a warrant?” Finn wore a disapproving frown. “You know—”
“If his prints are on these guns, it won’t matter,” Lucas cut him off.
Finn had to know that. He was just angry Lucas had kept him in the dark.
Demi took out the printout and handed it to Finn. “I found this on Miller and William’s work computes.”
Finn reached up, took them and read. Then he lifted his head. “I’m not even going to ask how you got these.” “You aren’t arresting Demi,” Lucas said again. “She’s staying with me.”
Finn stood and Lucas stood with him. “Ordinarily I’d remind you I’m the chief.”
Demi waited, glancing behind her to see the other cops waiting for Finn’s order. She’d be arrested any second. She glanced up at Brayden, who held his hand out and moved it up and down as though telling her to simmer down.
“But I’m going to allow her to stay in your custody until we get these guns through forensics.”
Demi nearly sagged in relief. She put her hand on Brayden’s forearm and he put his arm around her in support.
“Queenie, come.” Queenie moved to Lucas’s side.
“Get a crime scene team in here,” Finn demanded.
“I’ll go.” Brayden left Demi’s side and went inside the building.
Finn stopped before Demi. “Don’t try to get away.”
“I didn’t kill anyone.”
“I know. I need you to stay put until we can prove that. Do I have your word?”
She glanced at Lucas, whose eyes were full of heat and triumph over succeeding in protecting her.
“Yes. You have my word. I won’t leave Lucas’s sight.”
“The whole town is going to be abuzz over this one,” Hayley said.
“Everybody, back to work,” Finn said. “Get Mr. Harrington in a jail cell over at the police department.”
“Gladly.” Shane handed a complaining Devlin over to a RRPD officer, and he and two other officers took him into the training center. They’d take him to the RRPD and throw him in jail, something that was long overdue.
Finn turned to Lucas and Demi. “I won’t be forgiving if you go against your word and try to run again.”
“I won’t run.”
He looked at Lucas. “I’ll let you know as soon as forensics is finished.”
“Where is your baby?” Hayley asked. “Didn’t you have one?”
Demi didn’t answer. She took Lucas’s offered hand and walked with him along the outside of the building toward the front and his car.
“Trust me now?” Lucas asked.
She stopped by the car and faced him. “I do.”
He sort of faltered over the way she said that, as though she were uttering a vow.
Chapter 16
Demi’s trust had a strange effect. Lucas had half teased her the other day, but the other half was what had him in a conundrum. He liked her trust. When she had said I do, she’d addressed her confidence that he’d ensure no one arrested her, but he felt her meaning reach deeper. Did she trust him as a man? The surge of satisfaction with the prospect alarmed him.
Right now they were in Edson’s home, sitting in his office. Layla had contacted him this morning, asking him to help her work something out with his father to help her bail out her father’s company and fund the K-9 center. She had likely come to some decision on Edson’s terms.
Able to move freely now as long as she was with Lucas, Demi dressed as herself and the previous night she had changed her hair back to its natural color. She’d said she couldn’t wait for it to grow long again. In gray slacks and a long-sleeved white blouse, her butt looked great and he liked her natural breasts. Her green eyes needed no enhancement.
Layla entered the office, her beautiful blue eyes sharp with intent. She stopped before Lucas and Demi. “Thank you for coming.” She hugged Demi. “I’m
so glad you’re back.” Demi had thought them being there would help Layla’s cause, Lucas being Edson’s son and Demi being one of Layla’s cousins and so close to being eliminated from the Groom Killer suspect list. Demi and Lucas made a powerful alliance. It was time for unity.
“Edson,” she greeted Lucas’s father, going over to shake his hand.
His face was unreadable he returned the shake.
“I’ve given it a lot of thought and I agree to your terms,” Layla said.
Edson considered her and then walked around his desk to come closer. “What about your father? Surely he won’t agree as you have. Doesn’t he have the final say?”
“Let me worry about that. The future of his company will be what sways him. He won’t allow it to crumble.”
Edson’s proposal was not an unfair one. If he hadn’t been a Gage, Fenwick would’ve jumped at the opportunity. Any savvy businessman would. With his father’s old money, Edson could afford to make this conditional proposal.
“It must be difficult for him to fall from such wealth to having to beg for help.” Edson didn’t sound offensive using the word beg. Fenwick and Layla would have to act soon to avoid potentially irreversible damage to their livelihood.
“He’s not the one doing the begging.”
Layla wasn’t exactly begging, either. She was making a business move, one that her father would never have made on his own.
“I hope you know that this proposal is intended as a peace offering and not revenge or any kind of payback for a century-old poker loss.”
“I hope that in time my father will see that.”
“He’ll agree to the sale of land at the price I proposed?”
It was below the actual value of the land, but Edson stood to make money and Fenwick would have his K-9 center funded. Both would benefit over the long term.
“In exchange for a bailout and K-9 center funding for five years, yes, after some persuading.”
More like a lot of persuading.
“And if he doesn’t agree?”
Layla’s head lowered and then lifted. She did have her doubts.
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