Lawman with a Cause

by Delores Fossen

  “I wondered where you’d stayed the night,” Christian grumbled, and he shifted back to Egan. “I guess you no longer believe the sheriff is trying to kill you if you spent the night with him.”

  No, she didn’t think Egan was a would-be killer, but Christian’s tone troubled her. It sounded as if he was mocking her for believing it in the first place.

  “I guess you no longer believe that I made up the threat,” she fired back. “After all, you told Deputy Morris that you had proof of who was trying to kill me.”

  “That’s proof I’ll want to see,” Egan insisted.

  Christian certainly didn’t jump to agree with Egan’s demand, and he looked as if he was having a debate with himself about that. However, he must have known if he truly did have evidence that he would have to share it with Egan. After all, the attack had not only happened in Egan’s jurisdiction, but he’d also nearly been killed by the gunman.

  “Fine,” Christian spat out like profanity. “Let’s go to your office where we can talk.”

  Now it was Egan’s turn to hesitate, and he finally shook his head. “We’ll use one of the interview rooms. No windows,” he added to her under his breath.

  Jordan watched Christian to see if he was unhappy about that, but he didn’t have a reaction. He merely followed them into the hall. The other deputy, Ian, was there, and he had his hand over his holstered gun as if he expected some kind of trouble.

  “You want me to stay with you?” Thea asked Egan. “To take notes or something?” What the deputy was probably asking was if her boss wanted some backup. It was a good offer because it was possible there was just as much threat inside the building as there was from a potential sniper at the window.

  Egan shook his head. “Go ahead and call Court, though, and see if he has any updates. Also press to get those dental records.”

  Thea nodded and cast another uneasy glance at Christian before she went back in the direction of the squad room.

  “Dental records,” Christian repeated. “You’re trying to confirm that Tori Judd is the dead woman.”

  Egan ignored that comment, probably because he didn’t want to share any info about the case with Christian. “What evidence do you have?”

  That tightened Christian’s jaw a little. “We’re on the same side, Sheriff. I want Jordan to be safe just as much as you do.”

  She hoped that was true, but Egan certainly didn’t look as if he believed it. He huffed and stared at Christian, obviously waiting for the cop to tell them what he’d learned.

  Christian finally huffed, too, and took out a piece of paper from his pocket. If it was indeed evidence, it wasn’t much because there was only a name written on the paper.

  Leon Brunson.

  Jordan repeated the name a couple of times, but it didn’t mean anything to her. “Who is he?” she asked.

  “A criminal informant. A good one, too. After I found out about the truck used in last night’s attack, I started asking around.”

  Egan didn’t ask how Christian had heard about the truck. He’d learned about it through police channels. “And?” Egan prompted when Christian didn’t continue.

  “Leon Brunson knew about a chop shop. One that also does custom builds from stolen auto parts. He said he was at the shop earlier in the week, and he saw a blue truck that the owners had just finished building. Don’t bother calling about it,” Christian added to Egan when he took out his phone. “The shop is no longer there. When I started asking questions, it picked up and moved.”

  Now Egan cursed. “Then, you shouldn’t have been asking questions until I’d had a chance to check it out.”

  Christian’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t tell me how to do my job. I’ve been a cop just as long as you have, and I’ve had a lot of experience dealing with things like this. I knew I had a very narrow window of time to get any info from the shop.”

  “A window of time that you could have told me about,” Egan argued.

  Christian’s glare only got worse. “Those men wouldn’t have talked to some cowboy cop from a hick town.”

  Egan stared at him. “Apparently, they didn’t talk to you, either, if they closed up shop.”

  Bingo. That really didn’t help Christian’s stare. “Do you want to hear what I learned from Leon or not?”

  “I’m all ears.” And there was plenty of sarcasm in Egan’s voice.

  “Leon said he was there when the buyer picked up the truck,” Christian answered once he got his jaw unclenched. “He gave me a description of the guy, and it sounded familiar so I showed him two pictures. One of Leeroy Sullivan and the other of Kirk Paxton. He said it was Kirk.”

  Jordan pulled back her shoulders. “He was certain?”

  “Certain enough.”

  She had no idea what that meant, especially since the info had come from a criminal informant. One Christian had almost certainly paid for the info. And it was also possible that someone else, maybe Leeroy, had perhaps hired the man to lie to Christian so that they in turn would believe that Kirk had been the one responsible for the attack.

  “I’ll have a Texas Ranger talk to Leon,” Egan said, letting Christian know he wasn’t just going to take his word for this. “And I’ll have my deputy get Kirk in here for questioning.” Egan did that by firing off a text to Thea.

  “I want to be here when you interview Kirk,” Christian insisted.

  Egan shook his head. “If I learn anything that falls into your jurisdiction, I’ll let you know.” He paused for only a few seconds. “And now why don’t you tell me your reason for visiting Leeroy Sullivan.”

  Yes, that was something she wanted to know, as well. “I’d especially like for you to explain why you told Leeroy that you thought I was crazy,” Jordan added.

  Christian didn’t curse exactly, but that was what it looked as if he wanted to do. “Really? Now you’re questioning my motive about that?” He grumbled something else under his breath that she didn’t catch. “I saw Leeroy because I wanted to find out if he was connected to the deaths of those other two women, Breanna Culver and Cordell Minter. He didn’t admit to anything, but I believe he could be a loose cannon.”

  Jordan believed that, too, but it didn’t explain the part about Christian claiming she was crazy so she motioned for him to continue.

  Christian took in a long breath before he started talking again. “It was obvious that Leeroy doesn’t like you or Egan so I thought if I fed him something he wanted to hear, that he would open up. I wanted to make him believe we were of a like mind, and that in turn would get him to trust me. It didn’t work, by the way. He just kept spouting his hatred for you two and his grief over losing his daughter.” He paused. “I believe Leeroy could be a very dangerous man.”

  Again, Jordan thought that, too, but what they needed was something more than talk and a shredded letter.

  “It wasn’t your place to visit a person of interest in what could be three murders,” Egan said to Christian. His tone had warning written all over it. “Why have you taken such a strong interest in this case?”

  Christian kept his stare on Egan for a moment before he turned to Jordan. “You know why,” he said to her. “I care for you. Maybe more than care,” he added in a frustrated-sounding grumble. “And I know you don’t feel the same, but that doesn’t change how things are for me.”

  Jordan wasn’t exactly shocked about Christian’s feelings, but she hadn’t expected him to spell them out like that. Especially not in front of Egan.

  Egan looked at her, no doubt to see her reaction. She shook her head and aimed her answer at Christian. “I don’t want you to have feelings for me. And I need you to back off of this investigation.”

  Christian looked as if she’d slapped him. “You’re in danger, Jordan. I’m trying to stop someone from killing you.”

  “I’m well aware of that, but you’re not helping me
right now. I need you to do as Egan said and back off.”

  Christian sighed, put his hands on his hips and volleyed a few glances at both Egan and her. “Fine. But I’m a hundred percent sure you’ll regret this.”

  Egan moved in front of her again. No doubt because that sounded like a threat. But Christian didn’t add anything else. He gave them both a final glance and walked out. Jordan wished that meant she was seeing the last of him, but she wondered if Christian would indeed stop interfering in the investigation.

  “You knew he was in love with you?” Egan asked. He stepped into the doorway and watched the man leave.

  “Yes.” But then Jordan had to shake her head. “I know that he claims to care for me.”

  That sent Egan’s gaze shifting to her. “You think it’s all an act?”

  “I just don’t know,” she admitted. “We’ve spent a lot of time together going over those old cases. He’s always been, well, attentive. And he’s asked me out a few times. I wasn’t interested,” she added.

  Egan opened his mouth as if to ask a question, but he seemed to change his mind about what he was going to say. Maybe he didn’t want to hear her admit the reason she hadn’t dated Christian was because of him. Because she still had feelings for Egan. It wasn’t especially something Jordan wanted to admit to him, either, but she was afraid it was true.

  “I’ve always had an uneasy feeling about Christian,” she added. And it was the truth.

  “Because of those case files.” Egan made a sound of frustration, snatched up the piece of paper with Leon’s name on it and headed back toward the break room.

  Jordan followed him, and once he was there, he immediately picked up his laptop and opened the death penalty files that she had been reviewing for her job.

  “You said there were two cases you were suspicious about,” Egan reminded her. And those were the two that he pulled up onto the screen.

  Egan began to read through them, but there was no need for Jordan to do that. She’d studied them in such depth that the details were all still fresh in her mind.

  “As I told you, Christian was the arresting officer in both cases. They happened nearly two years apart, but both involved human trafficking that had resulted in the deaths of several women. One of the victims was just a teenager. Both were big-money operations, and the two men arrested were middlemen.”

  That obviously got Egan’s attention because he looked up at her. “Were the bosses ever caught?”

  She had to shake her head. “If they were, they weren’t specifically connected to these two cases.”

  Egan stayed quiet a moment while he continued to read the files. “How were the two middlemen caught?”

  “The cops were tipped off, and in both cases the chain of evidence led directly to the two men who were arrested.”

  “Men who Christian arrested,” he grumbled under his breath.

  Obviously, Egan was suspicious. Jordan was, too. But there was something else that stood out about these two cases. “Both men arrested were on parole for other violations, and Shanna was their parole officer.”

  Egan’s head whipped up, their eyes connecting, but he didn’t say anything for several long moments. “What’s the timing of the men’s arrests and Shanna’s murder?”

  “The first arrest was two years before Shanna’s death. The second one happened the same month.”

  A muscle tightened in Egan’s jaw. “It could be a coincidence,” he said.

  And she prayed that was true. “I’ve looked for anything to indicate Shanna was murdered because of either of these two men, and I haven’t made any connection.”

  “I’ll search, too,” Egan assured her. “In the meantime, I think it’s a good idea to stay away from Christian.”

  His gaze locked with hers again, and even though Jordan had no intention of arguing about what he was saying, it seemed as if Egan was waiting for her to do just that. Or at least he was waiting for something anyway. And then it hit her. This could be about the attraction again. It definitely wasn’t a good time for it while they were discussing Shanna and possible motives for not only her murder but also the attack against them.

  Egan looked disgusted with himself, and Jordan figured he was about to put some distance between them. However, before he could move, his phone rang, and she saw Thea’s name on the screen. Since he’d asked the deputy to get him any updates on the case, Egan answered it right away, and he put the call on speaker.

  “I just got a call from one of the reserve deputies,” Thea immediately said. “Dakota Tillman.”

  Jordan knew Dakota. He’d once worked full-time for Egan but was taking a break to finish his criminal justice degree.

  “They’re at Kirk’s place now, and they need one of us to get out there.” Thea paused. “They found something.”

  Chapter Seven

  Egan figured whatever Dakota and the other reserve deputy had found, it had to be important, so he just waited for Thea to continue. He didn’t have to wait long.

  “Dakota found a .38 Smith & Wesson in the bottom of Kirk’s dresser drawer,” Thea explained. “It was wrapped in plastic and hidden under several layers of clothes. Dakota said he was pretty sure it had been recently fired, and there appear to be traces of blood on it.”

  Jordan obviously realized the importance of that because she pulled in a hard breath. Their still yet-to-be-identified Jane Doe had been killed with a .38.

  “What did Kirk have to say about this?” Egan asked. Because he wanted to know how the man was going to try to explain the hidden gun.

  “Kirk isn’t at the house,” Thea went on. “He’s actually on his way here, but his live-in housekeeper is there, and she’s putting up a fuss about the deputies taking the weapon.”

  “We have a search warrant,” Egan reminded her, though he was sure it wasn’t necessary. Thea knew that, and the deputies had almost certainly shown the housekeeper the warrant when they entered the house.

  “Yes, but she ran into the backyard with it, and she’s threatening to throw it in the pool. She said that Kirk told her that the cops were trying to frame him and that she believes they planted the gun.”

  Well, hell. Jordan looked as if she wanted to curse the same words that Egan had just belted out.

  “Call Court and tell him to go to the scene to assist you,” Egan instructed. “I want the housekeeper arrested and that .38 taken to the lab ASAP.” He would have preferred to go there himself, but it was too risky to take Jordan. Too risky to leave her at the station, as well.

  “Kirk is on his way here,” Jordan repeated when Egan had finished his call with Thea.

  Yes, because Egan had wanted to question him about the chop shop allegation that Christian had made, but now he could ask Kirk about the gun, too. But he understood the concern he heard in Jordan’s voice. Kirk was a hothead under normal circumstances, and his housekeeper had likely told him about the reserve deputies and the gun. That meant Kirk was going to be even more unpleasant than usual.

  “You can wait here or in my office when I question him,” Egan said.

  She nodded, but that wasn’t a look of agreement in her eyes. “If Kirk truly did try to kill us, I’d like to hear what he has to say. I won’t compromise the interview,” she quickly added. “I just want to listen.”

  Her nerves were already right there at the surface, and Egan knew that it wouldn’t help her to hear what would almost certainly be another Kirk tirade, but he couldn’t refuse. Because she was right. If Kirk was the one who was after them, then she might be able to pick up on something when Egan questioned him.

  Egan’s phone rang again, and he braced himself in case it was one of the reserve deputies calling to tell him that things had escalated in a bad way at Kirk’s house. But it wasn’t. However, the name that popped up on a screen was a familiar one. Harlan McKinney, the marshal who was setting up t
he safe house for Jordan. It certainly wasn’t something Egan had forgotten about, but with everything else going on, he’d put it on the back burner.

  “Sheriff McCall,” Harlan greeted the moment Egan answered. Since this was likely about Jordan, he put the call on speaker. “I have a problem. I believe the location of the safe house might have been compromised.”

  That brought back the knot in Egan’s stomach. “What happened?”

  “Nothing yet, but it’s possible someone hacked into the computer system. There’s been some sort of irregular activity, and even though I don’t know for sure, someone might have been able to get access to info on the safe house we were setting up for Jordan Gentry.”

  Egan heard the hitch in Jordan’s breath and saw the renewed fear in her eyes. “Who did this?” Her voice barely had any sound, but the marshal must have heard her anyway because he answered.

  “I’m guessing you’re Miss Gentry?” the marshal asked, and he didn’t continue until Jordan had confirmed that she was. “I don’t know who could have done the hacking, but trust me, if there’s been a breach, I’ll find out who’s responsible. In the meantime, I don’t want you anywhere near that safe house.”

  Egan didn’t want her there, either, but that left him with a huge problem. He needed a place to take her where the would-be killer couldn’t get to her.

  “I can put in another request for a second safe house,” McKinney went on, “but I’d rather not do that until I’m sure the problem has been fixed.”

  “I understand,” Egan answered. “I’ll make my own arrangements for Jordan.” Though at the moment he wasn’t sure what those would be.

  “Just be careful,” the marshal warned him. “If someone can hack our system, they can probably hack yours, too.” And with that stomach-knotting reminder, he ended the call.

  “I don’t think Christian has hacking skills,” Jordan immediately said. “What about Kirk or Leeroy?”