Chapter 24
Jules pinned him with an emerald gaze that pierced his heart.
“North Dakota is not our home. The sooner we catch Chase and make the world safe for Abby to live her life freely and without the constant strain of always looking over her shoulder, the sooner she can leave the hospital and I can go back to Winnipeg and finish my research, get my PhD.”
The disappointment that prodded him must have shown on his face, because she pulled her feet from his lap and sat up.
“You didn’t really think I was staying around here long-term, did you?
I mean, that’s why I didn’t rent an apartment or sign a long-term lease.
I’d hoped to catch Chase in some manner within a few months and then get my real life back on track. ”
“Your real life,” he repeated, his chest tight. Why hadn’t he realized Jules’s presence in his life was temporary? Of course, she didn’t have the roots here in Red Grove that made him love his small town despite, or maybe because of, its slow pace and remote location.
“Cal? What—”
His phone buzzed at his hip, sparing him from further discussion of a topic he didn’t want to address. He checked the caller ID. Wyatt.
Forcing a breezy tone, he answered, “Hey, man. What’s up?”
“Forensics report on that hair band you turned in came back.” His brother’s lack of banter told him he wouldn’t like what the report had to say.
“Go on.” When he stood from the couch, Jules reclined again on the cushions. Cal moved out of the living room, mouthing to her, Sorry. I need to take this.
“The lab confirmed that hairs and other DNA trace evidence found on the band belong to Zoey Rogers,” Wyatt said, “so I sent a team to the Rogers’ house.
Fingerprints found on her window frame and on her dresser drawer match Hamilton’s.
We’ve got enough to bring him in on B and E and misdemeanor theft, but we can threaten him with more serious charges based on his history and your testimony of seeing him watching the girl, following her. ”
Cal walked farther down the hall and closed the laundry room door behind him. If Jules caught wind that there’d been actionable progress with Hamilton’s case, she’d want to be involved.
Lowering his voice, he asked, “Does this mean you’re ready to bring him in?”
“Yeah. Wanna join?”
Irritation plucked at Cal. “What about the drug task force? I thought you wanted to leave Hamilton in the wild for your drug trafficking investigation.”
He tried not to sound bitter. While he understood his brother’s reasoning, they’d had enough probable cause to get Hamilton on trespassing and other misdemeanor charges for days. If they’d arrested him when he and Jules first asked, Jules wouldn’t have gotten hurt. Maybe.
Or maybe the scumbag would have bonded out and still been on the street that day when the shooting occurred. Cal gritted his teeth with frustration. Was he letting his feelings for Jules color his professional judgment?
“The task force investigation is actually what we have in mind. We finally have weighty enough charges and evidence to be a real negotiating tool with Hamilton. We’re hoping he’ll give up names in a plea.”
Cal pinched the bridge of his nose. “A plea? Meaning he could still end up back on the street in a matter of days?”
“Damn it, bro.” He heard the frustration in Wyatt’s voice. “You know how this works. Sometimes the small fish gets away in order to hook the big fish. I know this guy has a history with Jules, and I’m sorry if she’s mad about how this is playing out, but…looking at the big picture—”
“I know. I know.” Cal heaved a sigh. “Yeah, I want in on his arrest. Give me the details.”
“You’re not going to do anything to mess this up for the task force, are you?” Wyatt asked.
Cal blinked. “Did you really just ask me that?”
“You can’t bring Jules.”
“Wasn’t gonna.”
“Sorry. I just know how invested you are in this and how much Jules means to you. I shouldn’t have questioned your professionalism.”
Cal furrowed his brow. Wyatt knew how much Jules meant to him? What did his brother mean by that? What did Wyatt think was going on between him and Jules?
What did he think was going on with Jules?
If I’m still here… North Dakota is not my home…
He shoved the ache and the questions aside for another time. Arresting Hamilton was the priority now. “It’s all good. Should I meet you at your office?”
“No. Task force is moving out as we speak. They plan to take him at work when he gets back from his route.”
Cal checked the time. He needed to hurry if he wanted to be present for the arrest. “All right. Thanks for the heads-up.”
On the way back to the living room, Cal went upstairs to his bedroom to get his service weapon, his badge and his uniform hat. With luck, by tonight, Chase Hamilton would be behind bars.
But if that happened, how long before Jules left town and was out of his life?
Cal returned from his call with his campaign hat in his hands and his service weapon strapped at his hip. Jules shivered. The pistol was a chilling reminder of not only the exchange of gunfire when she’d gotten injured, but also the nature of Cal’s work. A ripple of disquiet shimmied through her.
“I’m going out. Will you be okay by yourself for a couple hours?” he asked, his expression grim.
Jules propped herself up on the sofa, leaning on her elbows. “Where are you going? You look…so serious.”
So serious…which alone was cause for concern. Cal typically had a pleasant, even carefree expression. Something was wrong.
He situated his uniform hat on his head and twisted his mouth as if deep in thought. “Department business. Something I need to handle personally instead of sending a deputy.”
“Oh.” While disappointed he was leaving, she knew she didn’t have a monopoly on his time. The man had a job to do, and he’d already taken a great deal of time off for her. But the uneasiness that clawed at her wouldn’t abate. “What is it you have to do? How long do you think you’ll be gone?”
Why had she asked that? It made her sound…needy. Or nagging. Or somehow more deeply invested in their relationship than she wanted to be.
He pulled his keys from his trouser pocket and bounced them in his hand once. “Hard to say. If all goes well, I’ll be back by dinnertime. I’ll bring in a pizza.” He cocked his head. “You got everything you need for a bit? I can freshen up your drink or get you more ice before I go.”
She waved a dismissive hand. “I’m fine. And I know where the kitchen is if I need anything.”
He bobbed a nod, and as he turned to go, an odd shiver chased through her. He hadn’t said what his trip was about. An intentional dodge? “Cal?”
He faced her again.
“Is this business…dangerous?” She curled her hands into fists around the edge of the afghan. He was the sheriff. Of course he would occasionally face perilous situations on the job. That was a fact of life she’d have to get used to if…
No. There was no if. He was simply a friend she was concerned about. Period.
Except he didn’t answer for a moment, and the hesitation didn’t bode well. “Cal?”
“Look. I don’t want to lie to you. I want our relationship to be fully honest and forthcoming. I want you to trust everything I say and do.”
“But?”
“No buts. It’s only that I can’t always know what might happen on any given day or investigation or call. The nature of law enforcement means I encounter a degree of risk pretty often.”
She frowned. “So this outing is dangerous. Is that what you’re saying?”
His lopsided grin softened the serious edge of his expression, though his eyes remained shadowed and intense.
He stepped to the side of the couch and bent to kiss her.
“I’m saying I’m a trained professional, and I don’t want you to worry unnecessarily about me.
I will be back with a pizza in time for dinner. ”
His reassurance did little to quell the niggling in her gut. She forced a smile as he strode back to the door and called, “Extra pepperoni and cheese.”
He signaled a thumbs-up as he exited her view, and she flopped back against the throw pillows. He could tell her not to worry all he wanted, but until he was back from this mysterious errand, she would do exactly that.
Cal chewed the inside of his cheek as he drove away from his house.
He hadn’t lied to Jules…exactly. He’d just been carefully selective with what he’d told her.
Because if he’d said Wyatt had tipped him off to the imminent arrest of Chase Hamilton, Jules would have insisted on coming with him.
And he’d have had to refuse her. Because no way did she need to be trying to accompany him while she was freshly injured from their last escapade.
Which would anger her. And they’d fight about it. And, well…
So he hadn’t told her.
When he arrived at Red Grove Food Distributors, where the arrest would be made, Cal found Wyatt and two more plainclothes officers already there. No marked patrol vehicles to tip off Hamilton before Wyatt or the other officers could take him into custody.
The team members had gathered in the company’s main office and were in conversation with the distribution manager.
Cal sidled up to his brother, and when the manager offered his hand, Cal shook it and gave a nod of greeting as he introduced himself.
“What sort of deal are you planning to offer Hamilton?” Cal asked Wyatt under his breath.
Wyatt explained that the task force had intel that the local drug ring was buzzing, and Chase Hamilton was likely the stick that had poked the hornets’ nest. Clearly the attempt on Hamilton’s life that had caught Jules in the crosshairs wasn’t a one-off.
The hope was that knowing he was persona non grata with local drug dealers and could be targeted again, Hamilton would trade names for safety.
The task force, working with the mayor’s office and local DA, was willing to drop charges against Chase Hamilton and allow him to secretly relocate to another state.
Cal goggled at his brother. “Hang on. You’re saying that not only does he get away with stalking a teenager, Jules’s sister and who knows how many other women, he gets to start over in a new location with no strings attached?”
“Callum—” Wyatt began darkly.
“Don’t Callum me!” He poked a finger toward his brother. Anger boiled up, making his muscles tense. “You can’t let this guy get off scot-free! He’s a menace to women. At a minimum, he needs to be reporting to an officer of the court, so his location and activities can be monitored!”
Wyatt propped his arms akimbo, glaring at Cal. “I don’t like it any more than you do, but can you really see this Hamilton guy agreeing to name names if he thought he could walk out of the police station and be killed for his efforts?”
Cal gritted his back teeth and suppressed a growl.
“We’ve kept a tight seal on this deal in an effort to keep the guy alive,” Wyatt continued. “Only a handful of people know about this plan for a reason. I had to get special permission from the task force to let you in on the operation today. Don’t make me regret the courtesy.”
Cal met his brother’s blue glare, so like his own. “Doesn’t it get to you? Seeing people you know are a drag on society, a danger to others, getting off on technicalities or walking on pleas or dodging arrest for lack of actionable evidence?”
Wyatt was serene, but serious, his voice low. “Of course it bothers me. We’ve had this conversation before. But as you’ve reminded me in the past, the system works more often than not. And it’s set up to protect the innocent.”
Cal rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Save the lecture.”
Wyatt cuffed his brother on the shoulder. “I know you’re just venting. But I—”
“Detective Colton,” one of the plainclothes officers called. “Hamilton just pulled up to the loading dock.”
Wyatt straightened his spine and arched an eyebrow toward Cal. “We good?”
Cal’s returned nod and expression confirmed his agreement. “Go get the bastard.”
Wyatt and the other officers disappeared from the manager’s office, and Cal stepped over to the black and white video screens, where the feed from security cameras played in real time.
He set his teeth as he watched the men approach Chase Hamilton, badges out. He saw the moment Hamilton tried to flee, but was tackled by one of the plainclothes officers. Hamilton fought back and eventually had a pair of handcuffs snapped on behind his back.
Cal should have felt a deeper sense of satisfaction at the stalker’s arrest. The operation went smoothly.
Charges of resisting arrest and assaulting an officer could be added to Hamilton’s list of crimes.
But knowing Wyatt and the drug task force planned to offer the scumbag a Get Out of Jail Free card gnawed his gut.
Jules would go ballistic.
After returning to his Jeep, Cal followed his brother and the unmarked cars to the police station, where he intended to observe Hamilton’s interrogation.
As expected, they had to wait for a public defender to be summoned to represent Hamilton during the plea deal negotiations. During the intervening downtime, which was taking much longer than expected, Cal called Jules to check on her. “Everything okay at the homestead?”
“Yes. Fine. Kelly stopped by to visit. She’s challenged me to a game of Scrabble, which I’m losing big-time. I think she’s making up words, but she brought cherry cobbler, so I’m letting her play whatever words she wants.”
Cal laughed. “Had I known she was coming to the house, I’d have warned you that my sister is a word game Mensa.”
“What about you? How is your work errand going?” she asked, and he heard the trepidation in her tone.
“The hard part is over. Just waiting for the strings to all be tied up.” He glanced at the clock in the station lobby. “Clearly I’m going to be later than I thought. Maybe you and Kelly should eat without me. Put it on my account.”
Hearing the front door of the police station open, Cal glanced up. He stilled and frowned, recognizing the woman who’d just entered the station. “Hey, I’ve got to go.”
“Be careful,” Jules said as he hung up.
He approached the woman and asked, “What are you doing here?”