by Rebecca Deel
“Why hasn’t he married her?”
A wry smile from the other marshal. “Same reason a lot of marshal personal relationships flounder. The weird hours and frequent travel. Not many women can handle that.”
“Same problem with military wives,” Rio said. “Want me to take him?”
Josh nodded. “Mike Daniels.”
“On his fourth marriage.” Stella carried her plate to the sink and rinsed it before placing it in the dishwasher. “No children and doesn’t want any. He says the world is in chaos and too dangerous to have kids. It’s hard on witness protection families to leave everything they own and all their friends, then take up a new identity in a strange place.”
Alex’s expression grew troubled. “I can’t imagine going through something that devastating as a kid.”
“Mike’s a good man and a good cop.” Deke ran a hand through his hair, leaving it rumpled. “He’s retiring next year or asking for assignments that don’t require as much travel. Mike’s crazy about his wife and wants this marriage to last.”
“I’ll take Mike,” Quinn said.
“Next is Eric Green.” Josh glanced at his partner. “Alex, he’s yours. Stella, what do you know about him?”
“He’s a newlywed.”
“Rough background,” Deke said. “He grew up in the system. Street cop busted him for drug possession and saw potential in Eric. When he got out of juvie, the cop was waiting for him. He’d arranged to be his foster parent. Eric considers the cop his father, even asked him to be best man at his wedding.”
“Nate, take Will Riley,” Josh said.
He scowled. “Do I have permission to dangle him over the side of the Bat building?”
“Only if you want to spend the next several years behind bars.”
“Spoilsport,” he muttered. “He deserves that and worse for what he’s putting Stella through.”
“No arguments from me, but you also deserve that vacation you’re planning with your girl. Stella, what do you know about Riley?”
“He’s so old school he doesn’t think women should be marshals. Says it’s too dangerous.”
“Some of the best law enforcement officers are women, present company included.”
She grinned. “Thank you.” Just that simple statement was a confidence booster after the doubts and accusations hurled at her in recent days.
“Riley transferred in eighteen months ago from Los Angeles,” Deke said. “His wife, Irene, is a sweetheart.”
“I’ll take Gage Yates,” Josh said. “Deke, what do you know about him?”
“Closed mouthed, hard worker.”
“I’ll forward Zane’s research to your email addresses. Dig deep. Use Fortress resources. We’re looking for things that don’t fit. Look at lifestyles. Make discreet inquiries. We don’t want to tip these guys off. If we do, our perp will bury the evidence Stella needs.”
“What do you want me to do?” Deke asked.
“Do you have access to your case files?”
He nodded.
“Put together a list of cases you and Stella worked. Check for overlap with the marshals on our suspect list.” Josh turned to Stella. “I want you to look into Ty Barnes.”
She stiffened. “Why? I can run down leads on the marshals as well as you and your teammates.”
Nate laid his hand on her knee. “No one doubts your ability.”
“You surrendered your credentials,” Josh said. “If you pursue leads on the other men, you risk being slapped with obstruction of justice.”
“I can make inquiries as a private citizen,” she protested.
“You’ll do that, starting with Barnes. Remember our investigation might skate on the edges of the law.”
“I don’t care. I want my name cleared, however we have to do it.”
“I hope you mean that, Stella,” Alex said, his voice soft. “By the time we finish, you may not have friends left in the office.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
After Stella returned to her room for her purse, Deke motioned Nate outside to the porch. “Keep an eye on her.”
His eyebrows rose. “Always. Something I need to know?”
“Ty’s wife, Grace, can be difficult on her best days and she’s not fond of Stella.”
“Why not?”
“Stella stayed late each night for weeks. That’s when we discussed the leak investigation. I was in the office with her and Ty, but Grace believed I was covering for Stella.”
Anger twisted his gut into knots. “She thought Ty and Stella were involved in an affair.”
Deke folded his arms across his chest. “Going to ask if it’s true?”
“Not necessary.” He grinned. “The lady marshal is smitten with me.”
“You don’t lack for confidence, Armstrong.”
“It’s only fair since I’m crazy about her.” More than that, if he were to tell Deke the truth. He’d fallen head-over-heels in love with Stella Grayson. Once she was cleared, he’d talk with her and hope she felt the same way. Otherwise, he faced a long winter of persuading the woman of his dreams to share her life with him.
The next hurdle was balancing her job and his. Military families did it all the time. It took effort, but the rewards were worth the time and energy invested in the relationship. When it worked, it was a thing of beauty, like Josh and Del’s marriage as well as Alex and Ivy’s. They might be newlyweds, but their relationships were solid. Nate believed their marriages would go the distance. He wanted the same with Stella. Whether she knew it or not, the lady marshal had captured his heart.
“Stel will push you to let her investigate the other marshals.”
“Would you be different if the situations were reversed?”
Deke shook his head. “Don’t let her do anything without you. One of our colleagues attacked her or hired someone to do it. In public, she’ll be more at risk than ever.”
“I won’t allow anything to happen to her.”
“See that you don’t. If she’s hurt again, I’ll come after you myself.”
“Deke.” Stella closed the door, purse in hand, eyes wide. “Are you out of your mind?”
“Your dad and brothers aren’t here. I’m allowed to stand in for the males in your family.”
“I trust Nate as much as I do you.”
“Then listen to him. Don’t chase any leads on your own. Someone has a target on your back. Don’t give him the chance to pull the trigger.” He frowned. “I don’t want to train a new partner.”
She hugged Deke. “I’m in great hands with Nate. If you leave, you be careful, too. I’m afraid you’re as much a target as I am.”
“I will. I promise.” A grim smile settled on his mouth. “I want to walk my daughters down the aisle one day.”
“Ready?” Nate asked.
Stella nodded and clasped his extended hand. “Later, Deke.”
Nate tucked his girl into the passenger seat of his SUV and came around to sit behind the wheel. “What’s Ty’s address?” He programmed the information into his GPS. “Let’s go sweat Mrs. Barnes.”
Stella’s laughter filled the interior of his vehicle. The sound brought a smile, glad to provide levity. He knew from experience things would get worse before they improved.
After driving on I-24 for an hour, he exited onto Bell Road and headed into Brentwood. He turned right onto Apple Valley Drive and parked in front of a modest two-story brick house. Three cars were in the drive plus a white minivan.
“The van belongs to Grace,” Stella said.
“How many kids?”
“Three. Two boys and a girl, all in elementary school.”
Nate blew out a breath. “Whoever killed Barnes has a lot to answer for.”
“Unfortunately, my whole office thinks I’m the guilty party.”
He removed his seatbelt and leaned over the console to kiss Stella. “Let’s convince Grace you’re crazy about me.”
“Not a problem since I am crazy about you. Why do we need to
convince her?” She held up a hand. “Never mind. Deke told you about Grace’s suspicions.”
“He did.”
“You didn’t ask me about the accusation.”
“I know it’s not true.”
“Okay, that’s it. I’m keeping you, Armstrong.”
“Don’t expect arguments from me, baby.” He opened her door. “How do you want to play this?”
“Condolence call. I hope she doesn’t slam the door in my face or take a swing at me.”
Nate threaded his fingers through hers and walked with her up the aggregate sidewalk to ring the bell. A minute later, a man in his sixties opened the door. His eyes widened at the sight of Stella’s bruised face. To his credit, he didn’t inquire how she obtained them.
“May I help you?”
“I want to offer Grace my condolences, if she’s available,” Stella said. “I worked with Ty.”
“She’s in the kitchen with her mother.”
“I’m Stella. This is Nate.”
“Gerald Foxworth, Grace’s father.”
“I’m sorry for your loss, Mr. Foxworth.”
“So are we. Ty was a good husband and father.” He closed the door after them. “This way.”
In the kitchen, stainless steel appliances gleamed in the morning light along with glass-covered cabinet doors. The earth-toned granite countertops were uncluttered, giving the modest kitchen an open feeling. A puffy-eyed woman with red hair sat at a table with an older woman hovering close to her side. Must be Grace’s mother. She looked more like her father.
“Stella,” said the redhead, her voice flat.
“Grace, I’m sorry for your loss.”
“What are you doing here?”
“We came to offer condolences,” Nate said. “I’m Nate, Stella’s boyfriend.”
Grace’s eyes widened. “Boyfriend? Why haven’t I met you before?”
“I live a few hours from here, ma’am. Stella and I have been dating a while.” He smiled. “I’m hoping the lady will keep me.” With her hand in his, Nate felt her jerk at his words. Surely she knew he wasn’t blowing smoke for Grace. All he had to do was convince Stella he was worth the risk.
“I see.” Sadness crept across Grace’s face again. “Deke wasn’t covering for you, was he, Stella?”
Nate pulled out a chair at the table for Stella.
“Ty was a good man, Grace. He adored you and the kids. No woman could take him away from you.”
“Thank you for saying that.” She brushed away fresh tears. “You and Nate hold on to each other. Ty and I didn’t have enough time together. What happened to you, Stella? Your face looks like someone beat you.” Her gaze shot to Nate, eyes narrowing.
“No,” Stella said, her tone sharp. “Nate would never lay a hand on me.”
“I’d sooner throw myself in a pit of snakes than hurt her, and snakes give me the shakes.” Just the thought of hitting his girlfriend made Nate want to barf. No woman deserved that, certainly not the woman he was dating. His dad hadn’t let him or his brothers raise their voices to their mother in anger. He didn’t know what his father would have done if his boys dared lay a hand on their mother in anger, but it wouldn’t have been pretty. Armstrong men loved and protected the women in their lives, no exceptions.
“You’re right about the beating.” She glanced at Nate who nodded. “A man broke into my apartment and assaulted me. Ty was protecting me when he was shot.”
“Why was Ty at your apartment?”
“I don’t know, Grace. I left him and Deke at the office at 11:30 that night. Ty must have been worried and followed me home.”
“That sounds like him,” Grace’s mother said. “He spoke highly of you, dear. You and your partner, Deke. My son-in-law didn’t trust easily, Stella, but he trusted you and Deke.”
Nate clasped Stella’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “Grace, do you know if Ty was concerned about anything?”
“He said he was working on a sensitive assignment with Stella and Deke.” Another tear escaped. “I thought he was lying. I was hateful to him the morning he was killed.”
Stella laid her free hand over Grace’s arm. “He knew you loved him. Ty planned to take you away for a weekend after the assignment was over.”
“Really?”
She nodded. “Grace, Riley is convinced I had something to do with Ty’s death. Nate’s helping me look into things, but I can’t go to the office. Would you mind if we searched Ty’s office here?”
“Riley’s a fool if he thinks you killed my husband. If it helps you find Ty’s killer, search anywhere you want.” Grace stood. “Come with me.” She led them to the back of the house. Opening a door, she stepped inside a room with filing cabinets, desk, computer, and two chairs. In the corner sat a basket of toys.
Looked like Ty encouraged his children to play in here when he was working. He felt bad for Ty’s wife, but he hurt worse for his children, growing up without a father. He couldn’t imagine losing his dad at such a young age. Dad had been the rock for all of them and still was.
“I can’t stay.” Grace’s voice choked. “The scent of his aftershave is everywhere.”
He laid a hand on her shoulder. “We’ll leave everything as we found it.”
“Thanks.” She fled the room.
“Where do we start?” he asked Stella.
“I’ll take the filing cabinets. You tackle the computer.” She paused. “You’re good with computers, right?”
“I’m not Jon, but I’m competent enough.” He spent time on computers in his work for Fortress and Personal Security International. Nate circled the desk and dropped into the leather chair. He wiggled the mouse. The computer screen flared to life. Password protected. “Do you know his password, sweetheart?”
“Abigail3.”
“And you know this, how?”
“This is the third computer he bought and Abigail is his third child. His office computer password is Adam2. His laptop password is Aaron1.”
Jon and Zane would have a fit. Most people used birthdays, anniversaries, and important names as passwords. A determined hacker could easily crack Ty’s password. His computer security was a joke.
He typed in the password and, sure enough, he had access to all the files and programs. One by one, he clicked on files, most of them Word documents. He found performance evaluations of the marshals in one. He copied that and attached it to an email he sent to himself. Maybe one of the marshals was angry about an evaluation and decided to exact revenge. He found a few love letters to Ty’s wife. Though uncomfortable, he scanned the contents on the off chance the man slipped something important into the document after he’d given Grace the originals. Nothing except confirmation the marshal had been in love with his wife.
Again, he returned to the Word documents. Draft copies of news releases. Letters to his superiors about his marshals, recommending various ones for awards or asking for transfers upon the requests of the people under him.
He continued searching files without sending anything else to his email. The last file he opened was gibberish. Frowning, he studied the mixture of letters, symbols, and characters on the screen. Interesting. No other file was encrypted. “Stella, do the marshals encrypt files as a rule?”
From the file cabinet, she glanced over her shoulder. “Not that I know of. Why?”
He inclined his head toward the computer screen. “Barnes encrypted one file.”
“Can you decode it?”
“I know someone who can.”
“Jon?”
“Who better?” He attached the file to an email he sent to the SEAL. Next, he sent Jon a text to look for the file. “Zane’s running the marshals and I don’t want to pull him off that task.”
She turned back to the filing cabinet. “I’ll owe Zane Murphy favors for the rest of my life, especially if he finds anything to clear me.”
“He wanted to help. No favors owed. He has a sweet tooth, though. He’d love a double batch of chocolate chip cookies.
”
“That I can do. Have you heard anything from Del or Ivy?”
“They have three more hours before they reach home, one more until Ethan and Nick meet them.”
“You’re sure Jon or Eli would call if they had a problem?”
“Absolutely. As far as we know, only you and Deke are targets for this guy’s vendetta. Eli and Jon are escorting the girls to Otter Creek as a precaution. The extra protection will give us peace of mind while we focus on finding the killer. No one will hurt Del and Ivy, baby.”
She closed the final drawer of the filing cabinet. “Nothing.”
“I’ve gone through everything on the computer. Want to search the desk?” He nodded toward the closet on the other side of the office. “I’ll take the closet.”
He opened the door and flipped on the light. Huh. Grace used this as an overflow closet for her clothes. More pairs of shoes than he’d ever owned lined the walls. The shelf held photo boxes. Not expecting anything, Nate pulled down each box and lifted the lid. Pictures of Grace and Ty as kids and their families.
Stella’s cell phone chirped. As Nate dropped the lid back in position and replaced the last box of pictures, Stella answered her phone.
“Grayson.” Silence, then, “Luke, slow down. What’s happening?”
Nate’s gaze locked on Stella. Concern clouded her face.
“Where are you?” She listened. “Don’t go to the secondary location. Stay out of sight where you are. Don’t call any marshal other than Deke. Do you understand? I’ll be there in thirty minutes in a black SUV. My boyfriend will be driving. Do not move until I arrive.” She shoved her cell phone in her jeans pocket.
“What’s happening, baby?”
“Someone tried to kill one of my protected witnesses.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Stella buckled her seat belt as Nate cranked the engine and peeled out of the driveway. How could this happen? She and Deke were careful with Luke Dyson’s relocation and new identity. The former engineer had moved from Georgia to Tennessee. He now worked in a Nashville-based video game development company.
