by Regan Black
The petite spitfire was making him rethink everything he’d taken for granted since his return to Red Ridge. In the back of his overtired brain, he thought he heard his mother laughing softly.
CHAPTER 13
Shane hated doing it—it felt like tattling—but he let Carson and Finn know where he’d bumped into Danica and what had happened. All three men wanted to dump Noel and Evan behind bars and they would, just as soon as they could get a charge to stick. When Carson offered to speak with Danica, Shane waved him off. “I don’t think she’ll pull that kind of stunt again.”
Carson snorted. “You don’t know her like I do.”
No. Shane knew her very differently. He wasn’t about to tell her brother what he felt for her when he wasn’t sure of the right words himself. Shane focused instead on the fear he’d seen in her face once she realized she was stuck, again, with no way to successfully defend herself. “She won’t do anything that would potentially harm Nico,” Shane said.
“Well, that’s true,” Carson agreed. “Did you and Stumps find anything near the Larson office?”
Shane shook his head. Having hit this latest wall on the stolen dog case, he turned the conversation back to Hayley and his new theory. After a brief discussion, in light of Danica’s insight, they decided not to interview Hayley again.
“I have a short list of men I’d like to speak with in person,” Carson said. “I could use some help on those interviews.”
Shane agreed and took the information on three men in town. It would keep him and Stumps busy for the rest of the day. Probably best to take a step back. They both needed some breathing space after their protracted worst first date in history.
Well, worst first date right up to the moment when they’d spontaneously combusted in her bedroom. And if he didn’t put that memory out of his mind quickly, another Gage was likely to try to put another Colton in an early grave in the interest of brotherly protection for a sister. He left the station and, with Stumps in the back seat, drove out to Harrington Energy to speak with Devlin Harrington.
Shane’s curiosity had been piqued when Danica mentioned that Hayley had turned down the wealthy lawyer who stood to inherit even more when his father retired or died. He certainly had the money to send flowers week after week, but wouldn’t he want Hayley to know? The whole thing felt like a stretch to Shane, especially since the local rumor mill had Devlin happily dating Shane’s cousin Gemma.
Shane had called Devlin’s office from the police station to verify he’d be in on a Saturday afternoon. When they arrived, they were shown back to Devlin’s office suite almost immediately.
“You’re a miracle worker,” he whispered to Stumps. The dog had charmed the receptionist, turning her from aloof to a puddle of corgi adoration in ten seconds flat. Shane counted it as another of his dog’s many talents.
If he’d thought the Larson brothers had decorated with an eye to luxury, Harrington Energy could have given them lessons. Shane supposed it was the typical old money versus new money thing. Everything about Harrington oozed quiet opulence without being ostentatious.
Devlin came out to greet them with a smile and a firm handshake. “What brings you and this little guy out this way?”
“Detective Gage wanted some help crossing the t’s and dotting the i’s on the Bo Gage murder case,” Shane said, refusing to use the sensationalized Groom Killer label in this interview. It would only perpetuate the local fears and he’d decided to keep this as casual and friendly as possible with a light layer of professional on top. But Shane had no doubt Devlin’s father, the even wealthier Hamlin Harrington, was keeping tabs on the case. Hamlin was supposedly dating Shane’s cousin Layla Colton, and Layla’s father—Shane’s rich, entitled Uncle Fenwick, the mayor of Red Ridge—was constantly badgering the chief to get the Groom Killer case solved so Layla and Hamlin could marry. Word was the union was more about business than love. Hamlin had to be twice Layla’s age.
“Anything to help,” Devlin replied. “The sooner we put a stop to the Groom Killer, the sooner the rest of us can get on with our lives.”
Shane managed to smile when he wanted to wince. “Does that mean you’re thinking of proposing to Gemma Colton?”
Devlin’s expression brightened. “It’s early days for that,” he said. “I admit proposals and weddings are on my mind because of the, ah, case, but I certainly wouldn’t propose now and risk making her a widow before we exchanged vows.”
“Fair point,” Shane allowed. “How close were you to Bo Gage?”
“Not very close at all. We ran in different circles, had different interests.”
Shane referred to his notes. “Hayley Patton mentioned that you reached out to her recently.” Of course Danica was his source, but Devlin didn’t need to know that. “She said you were interested in the K9 training center.”
“I was thinking of getting a dog to hike with me,” Devlin said. “That would mean training classes. Hayley was very helpful.”
“Did you plan to purchase one of Bo Gage’s dogs? Well, it’s Darby’s business now, I suppose,” Shane corrected himself. “She has the best German shepherds around.”
“No.” Devlin leaned back, a wistful smile on his face. “Hayley thought a retriever or heeler would be a better hiking companion for me. I think Gemma would be more comfortable with a breed with a less aggressive reputation.”
“Good choice,” Shane agreed. It must be serious if Gemma’s opinion was affecting Devlin’s long-term choices about dogs. “If you haven’t decided yet, you might consider a corgi,” he suggested. “Stumps is great on a hike.”
Devlin smiled at the dog seated beside Shane’s chair. “On those short legs?”
“Amazing but true,” Shane said. “Do you know Tommy Sutton?”
Devlin frowned. “The name sounds vaguely familiar.”
“Sutton Heating and Cooling,” Shane supplied. “That’s his dad’s business, but that’s where most of us know the name. Tommy was attacked yesterday around noon.” Shane tapped his notebook.
“Are you asking me for an alibi?” Devlin asked, clearly amused. “My assistant can—”
“Oh, that’s not it,” Shane said cutting him off quickly. He’d already checked with the receptionist anyway. “Tommy wasn’t engaged so we don’t have an immediate or obvious motive for the attack. Since I remembered he dated Hayley a long while back, the chief sent me out to notify all of her exes that they might be in danger, engaged or not. It’s unlikely, but forewarned is forearmed and all that.”
“Well, you don’t need to worry about me,” Devlin said. “Hayley and I never dated, only conversed a time or two about my future hiking buddy.”
“Perfect.” Shane flipped the notebook closed. “Thanks for your time, man.” Shane stood and Stumps followed suit.
“Thanks for the warning,” Devlin said.
“Be careful and hold off on that proposal as long as you can.” Ever alert, Stumps moved with Shane toward the door. “It seems like a bad time to be in any kind of relationship in Red Ridge.”
When he was back in the car, Shane used the voice command to call Carson at the police station.
“Any luck?”
“Not so far. Devlin Harrington didn’t seem bothered in the least that I’d mistaken him for one of Hayley’s exes. And he’s got an alibi for the Sutton attack. From the sound of things, he’s a workaholic looking to reform, and plenty of people are around who can confirm that.”
“Well, at least we’ve knocked out one wild goose chase.”
Shane bristled, but held his tongue. The police didn’t have anything that pointed them away from Demi. He knew some of the officers were starting to look at the overwhelming physical evidence as a little too convenient, but the only way to clear his sister was to find the real killer. All he could do in the meantime was make sure the police didn’t take the easy way on any asp
ect of this case.
On to the next name on the list.
* * *
Danica didn’t hear from Shane Saturday afternoon or evening. They were both supposed to be working, but unless she started driving out to interview vets in the county on her own, she couldn’t think of anything to help him with the case. What good would she be in an interview? Her family and Shane would flip out if they heard she’d driven around rural South Dakota alone, looking for someone cooperating with the Larson brothers.
Unwilling to deal with that kind of fallout, she’d taken Hayley’s overnight shift to make up for the crisis on Wednesday night. She considered it the first real test.
Sunday morning dawned clear and warm and she supposed she’d passed, if only because all of the dogs were still present and she hadn’t allowed herself to have a breakdown when she’d been out in the yard alone in the dark.
She’d cleaned up and changed into a fresh uniform, prepared for a light day, when she found Tyler mopping the training room floor, looking as if his own personal thundercloud was about to drench him until he dissolved.
Danica understood the sentiment, though she had far different reasons for her moodiness. She’d had a one-night stand with the hottest guy in town and had to figure out how handle herself around him in the aftermath. Still, she remained resolute about hiding all signs of her insecurity over Shane. She’d just tuck those feelings down deep, buried alongside the persistent fear that she couldn’t protect herself as well as she thought.
“Good morning,” she said from the doorway.
Tyler didn’t look up. “’Morning.”
Though he’d never shown up with any signs of physical abuse until the black eye, Danica knew not all wounds were visible. She wondered if his parents had badgered him yesterday, or handed out some punishment he didn’t deserve. “Was it bad when you got home?”
He shrugged and kept mopping.
“I’m starving. Why don’t we go get breakfast?”
“I already ate.” He continued to move the mop back and forth with little enthusiasm for the task. “Not hungry.”
That was a lie. Tyler was always hungry. “Great. More for me. Come on, Tyler.” This wasn’t the first time she’d taken him to breakfast. He was growing like a weed and needed all the good food he could get. No matter what he did or didn’t eat at home, the staff kept snacks ready here.
He slammed the mop into the bucket in a rare display of temper. Water sloshed, spilling to the floor. “Look, I don’t know anything, okay?” He immediately started cleaning up the mess he’d made.
How could anyone doubt he was a good kid? “Did I ask?”
He looked to the ceiling, lip curled, reminding her of Vincent at that age. It had the same effect of making her determined to succeed. “Let’s go. We’ll beat the brunch rush. Consider it part of the volunteer program.”
“I’m not done,” he said stubbornly.
“At the rate you were going, you would’ve been stuck in here all day. Convenient for you, I’m sure.”
Tyler sighed with all the expertise of a put-upon teenager.
“Impressive,” she observed. “Just leave the mop and bucket and mess. No one will be in here today. You can finish when we get back.”
“Fine.” He carefully put the mop in the bucket and brought the wet floor sign with him to leave at the door.
Whatever was going on with him, he hadn’t lost his attention to detail or his normal concern for the people he worked with. She wanted to interpret it as evidence against Shane’s persistent suspicion, but she knew she needed something stronger and more tangible to turn Shane’s investigative nature in a new direction.
They went out to Danica’s car and she drove them into town. Given a choice, Tyler preferred Peeps Diner for their hearty portions, platters of tender hash browns and wide variety of fresh pastries.
“You never told me how your finals went,” she said, pulling out of the parking lot and turning toward the center of town. He was on the cusp of high school, and she had been encouraging him all year to strive for better grades so he’d have more choices when he graduated.
“Fine.”
“What about—”
The glass in the rear window shattered, cutting her off. She checked her rearview mirror and saw only the forest at the edge of town. Swearing, she prepared to pull over when another loud bang reverberated through the air.
“Drive!” Tyler screamed.
“Get down.”
He wedged himself into the space between the front seat and the dash.
They’d just passed the police station. Should she turn around or keep going? Uncertain, she hesitated a beat too long. She heard another gunshot and felt a tire go flat. She swerved and laid on the horn in warning and a plea for help. A bullet whizzed through the car, straight down the middle, leaving a hole in windshield.
She stomped on the accelerator, willing the three other tires to give her enough power as she yanked the steering wheel right at the next corner, getting out of the line of fire. The back end of the car screeched and fishtailed wide but they made it. She could only pray it was enough to move them out of harm’s way.
Voices surrounded her. A faint thrum of exclamations and concern filtered through the ringing in her ears.
“Tyler! Are you hurt?”
“No.” He started to squirm upright. “You’re bleeding.”
“Stay down.”
She peeked at her mirrors. Three RRPD officers were racing toward the car. At just past eight on a Sunday morning, everyone on duty would have been at the station. She was sure other officers were headed out in search of the shooter’s position.
Her priority was Tyler’s safety. “You need to get into the drugstore,” she said, pointing to one of Red Ridge’s original retailers. The thick brick and friendly faces should be enough protection.
“Not without you.”
Good kid. “You first. It’s a straight shot.” She cut the engine and left the keys in the ignition. “I’ll be right behind you.”
“Promise?”
“Where else would I go?”
He frowned as if it was a trick question.
With every second that passed without another gunshot, she breathed easier. Tyler opened the car door and uniformed RRPD officers escorted him off the street and into the store. She grabbed her purse and crawled across the seat. Just as she drummed up the courage to run for it, a familiar corgi nose met hers. “Hey, Stumps.”
He licked her face. Clearly, he wasn’t here in an official capacity. Shane’s big hand came into her view and she accepted the assistance. She didn’t miss the way he put himself between her and the origin of the gunfire.
“Do they have the shooter?” she asked.
“They will,” he replied with unwavering confidence.
In the drugstore, it took all her willpower not to throw herself into his arms and take comfort from him. Why did casual sex have to be such a delightful pastime with bizarre emotional fallout?
Because nothing about Shane is casual, a little voice in her head replied. She ignored it.
“What happened?” His blue eyes were hot, but with fury rather than the passion of last night. At least he wasn’t giving her that cold, emotionless judge and jury expression.
“We were headed to breakfast and—” she flung an arm toward the car “—that.”
He smoothed her hair back behind her ear and turned her face to the light. “A scratch,” he muttered as his thumb traced a stinging line across her cheekbone and ear. Abruptly, he drew her into his chest, wrapping her tightly within the safety of his arms. Startled by the public display, she almost forgot to hug him back. Almost.
“I heard the rifle,” he murmured into her hair. “You…you…”
She waited, but he didn’t elaborate. Under her cheek, she felt his breath mov
e through his chest, heard his heart racing. The tension in his shoulders practically sizzled beneath her palms. “I’m okay,” she murmured, though she couldn’t be sure he’d heard her.
He released her reluctantly as the pharmacy technician on duty brought out first aid supplies. Danica looked around into the collective arched eyebrows and speculative gazes. Surely Shane noticed, but he ignored them. She followed his example.
She and Tyler gave official statements to Shane and a RRPD officer. As her car was towed away as evidence, she was lost. “This is crazy.” Her knees weak, she leaned into him.
“I’ll get you home,” Shane said.
Tyler shuffled over. “I’m sorry. This is all my fault.”
“Nonsense,” Danica began. Shane silenced her with a gentle squeeze.
“You finally ready to talk?” he asked.
She couldn’t scold Shane for being too stubborn about Tyler when the boy nodded. “Can we do it somewhere other than the station?”
“For now, yes,” Shane allowed. “But if you’ve done something criminal, there could be formal charges.”
“Shane,” Danica said.
“It’s okay.” Tyler’s gaze hit the floor. “He’s right. My mom will have a fit no matter what happens.”
Dumbfounded by Tyler’s admission, Danica let Shane usher them into the back office of the drugstore. He locked the door behind them.
“I don’t want anyone overhearing or seeing this conversation.” His cell phone chirped and he stopped, Stumps sitting at his foot, waiting.
She, too, waited expectantly for Shane’s next words. Unlike the dog, she didn’t have the same confidence that she would like whatever he had to say.
He slid the phone into his pocket and met her gaze. “They found the shooter’s position, but they don’t have him in custody.” He rounded on Tyler. “What do you have to tell me?”
Tyler looked at her, his eyes full of regret and sorrow. “I’m sorry. No one was supposed to get hurt.”
Her stomach knotted. Shane was right all along. “Keep going,” she said, though being tough with him cost her dearly.
