Easier said than done. But Colt forced his mind back on what it should have been on in the first place.
He checked his watch. Cleared his throat. He didn’t dare try to stand yet and seriously doubted he could walk.
“The hypnotist will be here soon,” he reminded her. “Why don’t you go ahead and grab a shower.”
They’d both taken one when they’d gotten in around 10:00 p.m., but at least a shower would get them off the bed.
Maybe.
“You want me to shower alone?” she asked.
Colt groaned. That didn’t help. “No, I’d rather be in there with you and your soap-slick body, but that would fall into the worst-idea category. Best if you shower alone.”
His body protested that, of course.
Elise leaned in, kissed him. That didn’t help, either. Then she groaned.
“The shower,” she repeated, and he didn’t think it was his imagination that she had to force herself to leave. Colt sure had to force himself to let her leave.
Once she was in the shower with the water running, Colt groaned again. What he should do was stick his head, and another part of him, in a bucket of ice water to cool him down and maybe regain his senses. He was playing with fire when it came to Elise, and he was pretty sure both of them would end up getting burned.
Or worse.
If he didn’t keep his focus, the danger was going to come back to bite him in the butt, and in this case it could get her killed. That reminder helped even more than a bucket of cold water.
His phone buzzed, and Colt rifled through the sleeping bag to find it. He figured it was Cooper, calling to make sure it was okay to come to the flop room, but it wasn’t a number that Colt recognized.
“It’s me,” the man said when Colt answered, and unlike the number, it was a voice he instantly recognized.
“Buddy,” Colt greeted. “Where the hell are you?”
“Nowhere near you, so don’t bother looking for me. Don’t bother trying to trace this call, either, because I’m using one of those prepaid cell phones. I wanna talk to Elise now.”
“She’s busy.” And Colt had no plans to unbusy her so she could take this call. “You can talk to me and not just over the phone. I want you down at the sheriff’s office ASAP so we can chat face-to-face.”
“Yeah, I’ll bet you do so you can arrest me on the spot. Don’t you think I know what in Sam Hill is going on? It’s all over the news about the body that the cops dug up at Elise’s place.”
It didn’t surprise Colt that the story had already made the news. Something like that couldn’t be kept under wraps for long, especially since there was an APB out for Buddy’s arrest.
“You need to turn yourself in,” Colt insisted.
“Not gonna happen. I didn’t kill that woman.”
“But she got in the truck with you on the very night that she disappeared.” Colt had read all the details in the report that SAPD had sent Cooper. “That makes you a prime suspect.”
Buddy didn’t jump to deny that, but he did hesitate. “Yeah, she was with me. So what? Doesn’t mean nothing.”
“Did you kill her?” Colt came right out and asked.
Again, Buddy hesitated. “No. She started whining about wanting more money for staying the whole night. We got in an argument, I maybe sort of pushed her to stop her from slapping me, and she fell and hit her head on the kitchen counter. I didn’t kill her.”
It would be days or even weeks before a cause of death could be determined, but a fatal blow to the head should show some kind of trauma. Of course, it might not tell if it was accidental or intentional.
“If that’s really what happened, then why didn’t you just call Cooper and tell him there’d been an accident?” Colt pressed.
“Because I figured he wouldn’t believe me, that’s why.” Buddy no longer sounded hesitant, and he cursed. “I also figured nobody would miss her. She was just a working girl. Lower than dirt. I probably gave her a better burial than she would have gotten on the street.”
Even though Colt didn’t know the dead woman, it turned his stomach to hear Buddy talk about her that way. Once he caught up with Buddy, he’d do whatever it took to make the man pay. Because even if this had been an accident—and Colt doubted that it was—the woman still deserved a whole lot better than being buried in a shallow grave.
“All of this is Elise’s fault,” Buddy continued at the exact moment that Elise came out of the bathroom.
She mouthed, “Who is it?”
Colt wasn’t especially eager for her to hear what this dirtbag was saying, but he couldn’t keep it from her, either. However, he did motion for her to keep quiet. No way did he want her in a shouting match with Buddy, and that’s what would happen if she heard Buddy blaming her for everything.
“If Elise had just sold me the place like I wanted,” Buddy went on, “then nobody would have ever found that girl.”
“And you would have gotten away with murder,” Colt promptly reminded him.
“I told you that it wasn’t murder!” Buddy shouted. “It was an accident, and if I’d thought you and your brother would have given me a fair shake, I would have already told you about it.”
The color drained from Elise’s face. She likely already knew that Buddy had killed the woman, but it clearly hit her hard to hear it spelled out like that.
“So instead you decided to try to run Elise off her own land,” Colt said. “When trashing the place, intimidation and graffiti didn’t work, then you escalated things by rigging the barn so that it’d fall and kill us.”
“What?” Buddy asked, sounding surprised.
Of course, the man could be faking that particular emotion. Murdering the prostitute wasn’t personal, but an attack against Elise and him certainly was. Buddy had to know something like that would make Colt come after him and come after him hard.
“You heard me,” Colt snapped. “You tried to kill us.”
“I didn’t.” And Buddy repeated it several times. Not a shout, either, like before. He was mumbling like a confused man. Or a man pretending to be confused. “That barn was old. It probably just fell on its own.”
“No. It had some help, and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that it happened shortly after you went to the barn and got that box. Did you set the booby trap then, or did you wait until nightfall?”
Buddy cursed. “I knew calling you was a mistake. Tell Elise what I said.” And with that, he hung up.
Elise stood there, waiting for him to fill her in, but Colt took a deep breath first. “Buddy’s blaming everyone but himself for the dead body. He said it was an accident, that the woman fell and hit her head.”
“You believe him?”
“No.” But Colt immediately had to rethink that. “Maybe, about that part, anyway.”
Elise stayed quiet a moment, obviously giving it some thought, too, and she made a sound of agreement. “But if Buddy owned up to the woman’s death and the vandalism, why wouldn’t he also just admit he rigged the barn?”
Colt shrugged. “Maybe because he knew it’d make me come after him.” However, Buddy had to know that Colt was already after him. “But if that’s not the reason, I’ll find out as soon as I talk to him.”
That meant keeping the pressure on to find Buddy, and while a burner cell phone couldn’t be traced, they might be able to locate the tower that’d been used for the call. If so, they could get a general idea of Buddy’s location and find out if the man was still near Sweetwater Springs.
He made a quick call to Reed to tell him about the call so the deputy could get started on the trace. Colt would also need to write down everything the man said in case it was later needed for a trial. And unless Buddy made some kind of plea deal, it would be needed.
“Give me a minute to wash up,” Colt told Elise. “And then I’ll get to work so we can find some answers to all these questions.”
Colt hurried because he was anxious to get started but also because Elise didn’t l
ook too steady on her feet. That caused him to curse. She wasn’t getting many moments of peace and quiet these days, and Buddy’s call certainly hadn’t helped.
She was sitting at the foot of the bed, staring down at her hands when he came back into the room. “Don’t let Buddy get to you,” he said, but he already knew that the man had managed to do just that. “Now that he’s confessed to burying the woman, we can arrest him. And it won’t be hard to pin murder charges on him.”
Elise nodded. “But I still have to get past the hypnosis.”
He certainly hadn’t forgotten that some big bad memories could be uncovered during that session.
“One step at a time,” he reminded her. Reminded himself, too. “I’ll call the diner and have them send over some breakfast.”
But when Colt led her into the squad room, he saw that someone had already taken care of that. There were pastries and coffee—thank God. He poured a cup for each of them, but after seeing Cooper’s expression, Colt wished he had a shot of something a little stronger.
“You weren’t able to get the tower for Buddy’s call,” Colt concluded.
“Nothing on that yet,” Cooper answered. “But I just got word Frank Wellerman’s going to turn Elise’s report over to SAPD so they can question Meredith about possible embezzlement activity at her last job. Let’s just say Meredith’s not too happy about that. She’s called here twice already looking for Elise.”
Colt definitely didn’t like the sound of that. “Any chance Meredith will go out to our ranch looking for her?”
“Maybe. I’ve already alerted Dad and the ranch hands. We’re locking down the place for a while.”
“Oh, God,” Elise mumbled. “I’m so sorry.”
“No need to be,” Cooper assured her. “This is on her, not you. In fact, none of this is on you. I’ve got Reed looking into both Meredith and her brother. Maybe something else will pop up that we can use to file our own charges against them.”
Cooper’s attention turned back to Colt. “Here’s the second round of news that you probably don’t want to hear before having coffee. Since Joplin’s request for a mistrial was denied, he’s trying a different angle. He’s trying to have Elise declared a hostile witness so he can have her removed from our protective custody.”
Colt should have seen this coming, but then he hadn’t exactly had a lot of time to sit down and try to figure out what Joplin might do next. Obviously, the lawyer was doing everything he could to get Elise away from the McKinnons.
“Will Joplin succeed?” Elise asked, the worry dripping from her voice.
Cooper lifted his shoulder. “Joplin’s claiming that you two are having an affair and that Colt is exerting undue influence over you that could in turn affect your testimony.”
Hell. After all the dirty thoughts he’d had about Elise, it probably did look as if they were sleeping together, and Joplin had arrived at the ranch shortly after Elise and he had had a steamy kissing session.
Now it was Elise who cursed. “I’m sick and tired of that man. It’s none of his business if Colt and I are having an affair. And since when would sex—even great sex—fry my brain to the point where I couldn’t tell the truth under oath during a murder trial?”
She glanced around at Cooper, him and the other two deputies in the room. “Sorry,” she mumbled, obviously a little embarrassed about that great-sex comment. But then the embarrassment faded, and she snapped back toward Cooper. “Can I get a restraining order against Joplin because this is harassment?”
Cooper didn’t actually smile, but it was close. “I’ll see what I can do.” Thankfully, his brother didn’t touch that great-sex comment, didn’t address a possible affair between them, either, and he strolled in the direction of his office.
“No need to say you’re sorry again,” Colt said when Elise opened her mouth. And since she immediately closed it, he figured he’d pegged exactly what she’d been about to say to him. “Cooper’s right. This isn’t your fault.”
She shook her head. “But it certainly feels that way.”
Even though they weren’t alone, Colt put his coffee aside and pulled her to him. “Try to eat something,” he coaxed. “The hypnotist will be here soon. Since the session might take a while, you don’t want to start it on an empty stomach.”
However, the words had no sooner left his mouth when a car pulled into the parking lot of the sheriff’s office. Elise probably wasn’t mentally ready for the appointment. Colt wasn’t sure he was, either. But whatever she might remember was just something they’d have to face.
Like all the other junk that’d been coming their way.
“Oh, no,” Elise mumbled, her attention on the side window that faced the parking lot. “Not this. Not now.”
Colt immediately saw what had caused that reaction, and while it was already too late to block the door, he did step in front of Elise in case this turned as ugly as he was afraid it might.
The door flew open.
Meredith tried to come in, but the hulk of a man next to her practically shoved her aside, and he stormed into the building first. Even though Colt had never met the man, he recognized him from the photo that’d come up during the background check.
Leo Darrow.
“Where the hell is Elise Nichols?” Leo snarled. “Because it’s payback time for what she’s trying to do to my sister.”
Chapter Twelve
Elise hated having yet another confrontation, especially since the morning had already started out with that phone call from Buddy. But there was no way she would back down from this despite the fact that Leo was downright intimidating.
Ignoring Colt’s warning for her to stay put, Elise stepped to his side and faced Leo and Meredith head-on. It was actually a good thing that her stitches were throbbing and that she hadn’t dosed up with caffeine yet because that would help her give the pair as ornery a look as they were giving her.
Leo certainly looked menacing with his heavily muscled body and flattened nose. A sign that it’d been broken a few times—no doubt in bar fights. There were nicks and scars on his face, and along with the bulging veins on his neck, Elise figured his idea of payback was physical violence. Something he looked more than capable of doing.
Reed obviously thought so, too, because even though he was on the phone, he stood, moving closer to Colt and her. Still, Elise figured two armed lawmen weren’t going to stop Leo and Meredith from speaking their piece.
Hopefully, speaking was all they would do.
Of course, if they did something violent, or just plain stupid, then it would give Colt a reason to arrest them on the spot.
“Frank Wellerman’s turning over your report to the cops,” Meredith said, stepping to her brother’s side, too.
Elise nodded. “I heard.”
Meredith had to get her jaw unclenched before she could speak again. “The cops will think I did something wrong.”
Good. Because she had. “Trust me, as bad as your day’s been, I’ve got you beat. And if you’re here to demand I pull the report that I wrote up on you, then you’re wasting your time.”
“Oh, you’re pulling that report, all right,” Leo insisted, and the step he took toward her had Colt taking a step of his own. Colt also put his hand over the gun in his holster.
“You’ll want to take a moment,” Colt warned him. “So you think about what you might or might not do in the next couple of seconds. If you’re wanting to spend a lot of time in jail, then go ahead and come closer.”
Leo stopped, all right. Well, he stopped moving, anyway, but the venomous look he aimed at Elise only got worse.
“If the cops believe your lies, my sister could go to jail,” he said as if that excused his behavior.
“That’s not my call,” Elise answered. “I only reported the facts as I found them. I didn’t tell Mr. Wellerman what to do with the information I gave him.”
“Facts,” Leo spat out. “Yeah, right. If you get your way, you’ll have the cops looking at
both of us for something we didn’t do.”
“If you’re innocent, you’ll be able to prove that in a court of law, won’t you?” Colt argued. “But coming here like this darn sure won’t help your case.”
“To hell it won’t,” Leo argued right back. Except he turned to Elise. “You don’t think I have friends? I can ruin any chance you have of continuing this line of so-called work you do.”
“I’m sure you have friends,” she answered before Colt could issue another threat. “I have them, too, and if I want to keep working, then I will.”
“We’ll see about that,” Meredith snapped. “I’m going through with my defamation of character lawsuit, and—”
“Hold that thought,” Reed interrupted, and while he finished his phone call, he lifted his index finger in a wait-a-section gesture. The moment he hung up, the deputy handed the notes that he’d been taking to Colt.
“What now?” Meredith snapped. “More lies and allegations about me?”
Elise didn’t get a chance to read the note before Colt dropped it on his desk and shot a glare at Leo.
“Tell me about Simon Martinelli,” Colt ordered, and there was no mistaking his tone. It was an order.
Meredith shook her head, maybe pretending not to recognize the name. But Elise certainly did. It was the now-dead hit man who’d run her off the road.
“What about him?” Leo countered. “He has nothing to do with this.”
Colt shook his head. “Wrong answer, try again. You knew Martinelli.”
Oh, mercy. This wasn’t a connection she wanted. A thug paired with a hit man. And the timing of the attack could have meant that Leo had been the one to hire Martinelli.
Of course, Meredith could have done the hiring, too.
And that meant this only complicated their investigation even more since Buddy, too, had known Martinelli, and Buddy had just as much motive as these two to hire a hit man.
“So?” Leo’s chin came up a notch.
“So,” Colt repeated. “Martinelli’s dead.”
Leo didn’t seem the least bit surprised about that. Of course, it had been on the news, so he could have already heard. “I had nothing to do with that.”
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