Sheriff

by Laura Scott

  “You’ll be able to reopen soon,” Brody promised. “And I’ve just called dispatch, the deputy is going to swing by and drop off Banjo.”

  Dr. Grover nodded.

  He came up to stand beside Julianne. “We missed lunch and it’s almost dinnertime. I’m hungry, how about you?”

  She grimaced, remembering the last time they’d shared a meal. It had felt too intimate, as if they were on a date rather than two colleagues working a case. But since her stomach was growling, she acquiesced. “Yes, I’d like to eat, and to feed Thunder, but I don’t like the idea of putting anyone in danger.”

  “We’ll need a place to stay for a few days,” Brody said thoughtfully. “I don’t think it’s smart to go back to the same motel you and your team stayed in last night.”

  “Max and Zeke already checked out,” Julianne informed him. “My stuff is in a car parked outside your sheriff’s department. You have someplace in mind?”

  “There’s a place called the Thoroughbred Inn, located not far from here,” Brody informed her. “They have tiny kitchenettes, but it’s probably best if we pick up a pizza to go.”

  She shrugged. “Why not?”

  Another hour went by before they were checked into adjoining rooms at the Thoroughbred Inn, the surroundings luxurious compared to the Broke Spoke, but certainly nothing fancy. The kitchenette area made the rooms bigger than she’d expected. They decided to eat in Julianne’s room. She filled Thunder’s food and water dishes, prior to joining Brody at the table.

  She bowed her head to pray. “Dear Lord, thank you for keeping us safe in Your care today. We ask that You continue to watch over Clark, to keep him safe, as well. Lastly, we thank You for this food we are about to eat, Amen.”

  “Amen,” Brody echoed.

  She couldn’t help but smile, remembering how often they’d done this same thing during college. But then her smile faded. They weren’t the same people they were back then, and she found herself missing the closeness they once shared.

  Brody’s embrace. His kisses.

  “It’s nice being here with you. I haven’t prayed much since you’ve been gone,” Brody said.

  His admission warmed her heart, although she was disheartened by his lack of faith. “Why not?”

  He shrugged. “I guess I fell out of the habit, especially after the long hours I was putting in during the investigation against Nate.”

  And there he was, the man who’d come between them. Her appetite waned, but she forced herself to take a bite of her pizza, topped with the works, knowing she needed to keep up her strength. She turned the conversation back to the issue at hand.

  “Do you have an idea who the gunman might be?”

  Brody looked surprised. “No, why would I?”

  “I figured you might know who some of Nate’s accomplices are.”

  “I arrested the guy I trailed to the cabin,” Brody said. “I questioned Nate for hours, thinking I could use our former friendship to get through to him, but without success. When he asked for his attorney, the interrogation came to an end.”

  “Is that when you realized I was right about him six years ago?” she challenged.

  He scowled. “Nate wasn’t responsible for Lilly’s disappearance. He didn’t turn back to his life of crime until after I left him alone to join the army.”

  The years fell away, and they were suddenly right back to the old arguments. “And my feelings don’t mean anything to you, right?”

  Brody didn’t respond, then again, he didn’t have to. She knew the truth.

  They ate in silence for a few minutes. From the way Brody avoided her gaze, she sensed he wanted her to drop the subject, but she couldn’t leave it alone.

  “What about the juvenile facility you and Nate attended together when you were young?” she asked, breaking the prolonged silence. “Don’t you think the gunman could be one of the guys he befriended back then? One of the guys who had a criminal record?”

  Brody seemed to go tense. “Like me?”

  She frowned. “Of course not you. But don’t you think it’s likely that someone from there reconnected with Nate later? Someone who’d gone into a life of crime with him?”

  “No.” Brody shoved away from the table and rose to his feet in a jerky movement. “I’m not going to incriminate someone based on a slim connection from well over a decade ago. It’s not fair to judge them based on some stupid stunt they pulled when they were too young to appreciate the consequences of their actions. People are considered innocent until proven guilty, remember?”

  She sucked in a harsh breath. Those were the same words he’d thrown at her back when she’d accused Nate Otwell of being involved in Lilly’s disappearance.

  Without another word, Brody stalked through the connection between their rooms. He didn’t slam the door, but shut it with a decisive click, effectively ending the conversation.

  She stared down at the remains of her dinner, her appetite disappearing in a nanosecond. Brody was one of the few who’d turned his life around, and he remained touchy about his relationship with Nate and the other kids he’d met during his time in juvie. He’d always wanted to believe in their ability to do the same, turn their lives around for the better.

  A noble cause, sure, but she had never liked Nate. Brody had shrugged off her concerns about him, standing up for his friend.

  Time to face the truth. Brody hadn’t loved her six years ago. And there was no reason to believe that had changed in the time she’d been away, either.

  SEVEN

  It didn’t take long for Brody to regret his ridiculous behavior. What was wrong with him? Yes, he very much believed that all people should be considered innocent until proven guilty, but that wasn’t the way he should have handled the situation with Julianne.

  He sat on the edge of the bed and dropped his head into his hands. She’d hit a sore spot, especially dragging up their past argument, throwing her beliefs about Lilly’s disappearance once again in his face.

  Yet he couldn’t blame her for asking the question about other kids he’d served time with. Julianne was right, the gunman could very easily be someone he and Nate had met during their time in a juvenile detention center. In fact, it was highly probable.

  But what was he supposed to do? Take a wild guess? Or decide who the most likely candidate might be based on decade-old crimes that had been committed? Each one of them had come to the juvie center with a criminal background, some worse than others.

  The thought of guessing wrong bothered him. He couldn’t imagine ruining an innocent person’s life, or wasting time going after the wrong perpetrator. No, the best approach would be to wait until the FBI lab processed the evidence, providing direction for their investigation.

  Besides, if he were to be completely honest with himself, he knew it wasn’t smart to trust his judgment. He’d believed Nate had turned his life around, which he had, at least initially. But after Brody left to join the army, his former friend had slipped back into his old ways, as easily as if he’d never been a law-abiding citizen for almost eight years.

  Nate had damaged so many lives. Trusting him had been the absolute wrong thing to do.

  He wouldn’t, couldn’t afford to make the same mistake again.

  The sound of a door opening and closing had him jerking his head upright. Springing to his feet, he hurried over to the window, his heart thumping wildly in his chest.

  He let out a sigh of relief when he realized that Julianne was only taking Thunder outside to do his business, one of the reasons he’d insisted on getting rooms on the ground level.

  She wasn’t leaving him.

  At least, not yet.

  But she would when this mission was over. And there was nothing he could do or say to stop her.

  After watching her and Thunder wa
lk along the perimeter of the building for a few minutes, he forced himself to turn away. Foolish to long for something he could never have. He’d chosen to stay behind, first to serve his country, then to serve his community.

  Wishing he could go back to change the past was useless.

  He stretched out on the bed, fully dressed, staring blindly at the ceiling. Where was Nate hiding out? Brody didn’t think he’d return to any of his old hangouts, although he should have one of his deputies check things out to be sure.

  But Nate wasn’t stupid. He’d know those would be the places Brody would look. It wasn’t a good thing when the criminal you were hunting knew you better than anyone else. Nate had used his friendship with Brody to his advantage, over these past few years.

  Brody’s gut clenched at the thought.

  Despite his intent not to think about the other kids they’d served time with, he found himself going through them one by one. Billy Ray Creech. John Williamson. Kurt Royce. Jerome Fontaine. Jeff Polzin.

  Soon their faces merged together in his mind, morphing into Nate’s round features. Nate was the true bad guy here, and he had to admit that any one of the old crowd could be involved as well.

  Apparently Brody had dozed for a bit, because the sound of a door closing had him blinking his eyes in confusion. Julianne and Thunder must have come back inside. He sat up and dragged his hand through his hair, wondering if he should go over and apologize.

  Gingerly, he opened his door just enough to see if she’d locked him out, relieved to discover she hadn’t. She was a strong, independent federal agent, yet no one was infallible. Thunder lifted his head, looking over at him, his tail thumping in greeting. But even then, the dog didn’t move from his spot in front of the closed bathroom door. Brody smiled, glad that Thunder was there as an added source of protection for Julianne.

  He backed off, leaving his side ajar in case she needed something during the night.

  Returning to his position on the bed, he mentally reviewed the evidence they’d gathered so far. Fingerprints at the Broke Spoke, the veterinary clinic and Clark’s house. Blood from the woods and the motel towels. Shell casing and bullet fragment from the woods. Size-eleven cowboy boot with a worn tread from the clinic.

  More than he’d anticipated, yet so far not enough to give them a hint as to who the gunman might be.

  Thoughts were still running through his mind, and once again he must have fallen asleep because a dull thud similar to that of someone closing a car door brought him instantly awake. Not unusual for a motel, but he got up anyway, moving once again to the window overlooking the parking lot.

  It took a minute for his eyes to adjust as he peered through the darkness. His SUV was parked around the corner, out of the immediate area, leaving the parking spaces outside his and Julianne’s doors vacant.

  He frowned, realizing that there wasn’t any light illuminating from the small fixtures attached to the wall outside each door.

  A chill snaked down his spine, filling him with a sense of apprehension. Even though it was hard to believe that the assailant had found them, he couldn’t afford to take any chances.

  Not with Julianne’s life on the line.

  * * *

  Julianne bolted upright at the sound of Thunder’s low growl. He was standing right in front of the door leading outside, his keen nose and hearing clearly sensing danger.

  Grabbing her weapon from the nightstand, she rolled off the bed and onto her feet at the exact same moment that Brody pushed open the door between their rooms.

  “Someone cut the power or took out the bulbs in each of the lights outside the doors,” Brody said in a grim whisper. “We need to get out of here.”

  She nodded, swallowing hard. “There’s only one way out,” she softly pointed out. “The gunman could be out there, waiting for us to leave, hoping to kill us as easily as ducks floating down the river.”

  “I know.” He glanced at Thunder, then shook his head. “But we’re trapped if we stay inside.”

  A no-win situation if she ever saw one. The thought of sending Thunder out first made her feel sick to her stomach. She couldn’t bear the thought of her partner being shot.

  There had to be another way. But what? Some sort of diversion? Maybe.

  She turned to scan the room, racking her brain for a solution. Starting a fire was risky, but smoke would give them a bit of cover as they made their escape.

  Towels might burn. She could use Thunder’s metal bowl to contain the flames, but would there be enough smoke? She didn’t think so.

  Her gaze landed on the fire extinguisher attached to the wall in the kitchenette area. She quickly ran over and pulled it out of the holder, convinced the canister full of smoky powder would work.

  “Good thinking,” Brody said, admiration reflected in his gaze.

  Her smile was tight as she pulled the elastic ponytail holder out of her hair and wrapped it around the handle. “Okay, here’s the plan. I’ll hold Thunder back while we open the door. We can use the fire extinguisher to cover us as we rush out of here.”

  “I’m afraid he’ll just shoot at the smoke, regardless. I think it’s better if we can toss it outside one door, using the other to escape. They might think it’s a bomb, especially once the canister hits the pavement.”

  She could see his point. “All right.” She pulled on her backpack, clipped Thunder’s leash to his collar and tugged him back from the door. Brody took the fire extinguisher through the connection into his room. Her chest tightened with fear, and she realized how much she didn’t want to lose Brody now that she’d found him again.

  He pulled the locking pin, opened the door and then pressed the trigger, quickly looping the rubber band to keep it in place. Smoke erupted from the nozzle and he tossed it out the door, slamming it shut and then rushing over to her side.

  Bang! Bang! Bang!

  The sound of gunfire hitting the door leading to Brody’s room forced her to back away from her own door.

  She turned toward Brody. “Grab the table.”

  He seemed to read her mind, grasping one end while she took the other, moving in unison as they upended it so they could use it as a shield. Mere seconds after they dropped down behind it, a single gunman came into the room, coughing from the smoke of the extinguisher. He fired repeatedly as if he couldn’t see very well.

  She cringed as bullets crashed into the drywall, the bed, and from the sounds of shattering glass, she knew he’d hit the mirror over the desk.

  She and Brody returned fire, and once again she heard a grunt. She guessed that one of them may have hit the gunman. The sound of pounding footsteps made her think the gunman had fled.

  Brody didn’t hesitate—he leaped over the table with the quickness and grace of a gazelle and rushed out after the perp. She quickly released Thunder from his leash and followed Brody, Thunder keeping pace at her side.

  The smoke had already dissipated, leaving a fine white powder behind. So much for her bright idea. She found Brody standing in the center of the parking lot, watching as taillights became smaller and smaller in the distance.

  “He got away.” Brody’s voice was hoarse, either from anger and frustration or because of the remnants of powder floating in the breeze.

  “At least we’re safe,” she said, reaching out to grasp his arm.

  “Yeah.” He covered her hand with his, the expression on his ruggedly handsome face looking as if it was carved in granite. “Let’s get out of here.”

  As much as she wanted nothing more than to get as far away from this place as possible, she shook her head. “We have to call for backup, although I’m sure by now anyone who heard the gunfire has already notified the authorities.”

  “Fine.” Brody’s tone was flat and hard. He quickly made the call and told the occupants milling about outside to sta
y back, out of the way. When they huddled over by the lobby, he turned to her. “It’s clear this guy is after us. Getting away from here will keep everyone else safe ”

  By now it was more like the third attempt on their lives, but who was counting? Julianne decided it was useless to argue, especially since she didn’t really want to stick around, either. “Them?” she asked, as they grabbed Thunder’s dishes and hurried over to where they’d left Brody’s SUV.

  “There was a man sitting behind the wheel,” Brody said. “Floored it the second the gunman climbed inside the passenger seat.”

  Nate, she thought, but didn’t voice her theory. Instead, she looked down at Thunder who was sniffing the ground around the SUV. When he alerted near the back end, she grabbed Brody’s arm.

  “Don’t touch it,” she hissed.

  To his credit, Brody instantly took a step back. “What’s wrong?”

  “Thunder is alerting near the back of your SUV. Remember the bomb under my FBI vehicle?”

  “Yeah.” Brody took another step backward and she followed. Soon they were far enough away not to be harmed by an unexpected blast. “Okay, we can’t use the vehicle. But we can’t leave it here...someone else might trigger the bomb.”

  “I know.” She glanced toward the wooded area off to the east side of the building. “Let’s take cover over there, we can keep an eye on both the front of the motel and the SUV while we wait for backup.”

  Brody must have read her mind, since he was already heading for the woods. “Rick is already on his way, but I’ll request they call Eddie in as well. He’s a retired cop who used to work on the bomb squad in Houston. He’ll know what to do. Once the bomb has been secured, we’ll have Rick take us to the sheriff’s department. Isn’t that where your boss left your replacement vehicle?”

  She nodded, following him into the woods and taking cover behind a tree. Thunder stayed on her right while Brody hovered on the other side. The SUV was well within view of their hiding spot.