Chapter Thirteen
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Delaney stared at the laptop screen as the crime scene photos loaded one by one. Her pulse ticked harder with each image. Beside her, Eli leaned in, silent, his gaze steady and focused.
Grant’s body was sprawled in the narrow parking lot behind his office, the pavement dark beneath his head. A single gunshot wound had ended him.
“Back of the skull,” Eli said, voice low. “Execution style.”
Delaney nodded, jaw clenched. She clicked through the photos. There was no sign of a struggle. No weapon in sight. Whoever did this had planned it and gotten away clean.
Through the open door, she could hear Sheriff Chase’s voice in the bullpen. She was speaking with several deputies, her tone sharp, her instructions clear. The whole department felt on edge.
Delaney glanced toward the open door, then back at the screen. Noah had already left, headed back to headquarters to dig deeper into the details behind the murder and anything new that might surface about Grant or Wade.
And to arrange for Vivian to be brought in from the safe house.
That was necessary, not only so that the sheriff could do the death notification, but also because Vivian would have to be questioned. In cases like this, the spouse or significant other was always the prime suspect.
Vivian had an alibi, of course, since she was at the safe house with Olivia and two Crossfire Ops guards.
Or rather that’s where Vivian was supposed to have been anyway.
The woman was free to come and go, but even if she had stayed put, even if she had witnesses that she hadn’t been the one to pull the trigger, that didn’t mean she hadn’t hired someone to murder her fiancé.
But why?
Delaney could think of several reasons for that, but she could say the same for Lawrence who had clearly despised Grant. And that was the reason that Sheriff Chase would be bringing him in as well.
Eli shifted his position, the movement drawing her out of her thoughts and back to him. He leaned in and tapped the laptop’s touchpad, pausing on a closer shot of Grant’s face. Delaney swallowed hard, the image hitting harder than she’d expected.
Delaney stared at the screen as Eli paused the image of Grant’s body. The shadows made the scene even starker.
Eli leaned in and pointed toward the edge of the frame. “Look at the pavement. That’s old aggregate. You walk on that, it makes noise. Hard to sneak up on someone unless they’re completely distracted.”
She nodded. “And Grant doesn’t look like he was trying to run. His briefcase is still in his hand. Keys too.”
Eli shifted his focus to Grant’s posture. “And the angle of his head. He wasn’t looking ahead. It looks like he was turning back.”
She saw it then. His neck twisted just slightly, like he’d heard something behind him, maybe even someone he recognized.
“He knew who it was,” Delaney murmured. “At least, he didn’t feel threatened right away. That might be why he didn’t run.”
“Whoever it was got close,” Eli went on. “And didn’t give him a chance to change his mind.”
Delaney glanced out as the front door of the station opened. Noah stepped in first, his face drawn tight. Behind him were Vivian and Olivia. Olivia’s arm was around her mother, guiding her gently forward. Vivian’s eyes were red and puffy, her mascara faintly smudged, but she wasn’t falling apart.
“We heard,” Vivian said before anyone could speak. “Grant’s assistant called me. She found him after lunch.”
Sheriff Chase motioned them all in, and she pulled out one of the chairs for Vivian. “You should sit.”
Vivian lowered herself into the chair like her limbs had turned to stone. “Grant didn’t deserve that.” Her voice was barely louder than a whisper. “Whatever else… he didn’t deserve to die like that.”
Delaney watched her carefully. Vivian was upset, but her grief felt measured. As if she were mourning more what the murder meant than the man himself.
Noah moved to stand beside the sheriff. “We’ve got a team reviewing security cameras near the office,” he let her know. “Waiting on results now. The time of death lines up with when Grant’s assistant says she left for lunch. That gives us a window.”
Sheriff Chase looked at Vivian again. “Do you know if Grant was expecting anyone today or why he was leaving the office?”
Vivian shook her head. “He didn’t say anything. But we weren’t exactly talking much.” Her gaze flicked to Olivia, then back to the desk. “This is a mess.”
It was. And Delaney knew this particular mess wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.
“I’ll need statements from both of you,” the sheriff said, her gaze shifting between Vivian and Olivia.
Olivia practically snapped to attention. “Why? We didn’t see anything. We don’t know anything about it.”
She moved closer to her mother and slid a hand protectively over her shoulder. Delaney noted the subtle shift in Olivia’s stance. Defensive. Ready to fight if she had to.
“It’s standard procedure,” Sheriff Chase replied. “You were close to the victim. Any detail, no matter how small, could help.”
Vivian placed her hand on top of Olivia’s and gave it a soft pat. Then she rose, slow but steady. “It’s fine. We’ll do it.”
Olivia opened her mouth to protest again, but Vivian gave her a look. Not harsh. Just firm enough.
Sheriff Chase turned to the rest of them. “You can observe if you’d like,” she offered. “I’m taking Vivian’s statement first, then Olivia’s.”
“I want to stay with my mom,” Olivia insisted.
The sheriff shook her head. “It’s better if we do them separately. Keeps everything clean.”
Olivia’s jaw clenched, but she didn’t argue.
Delaney stepped closer to her. “I’ll stay with her,” she volunteered. And that way, Noah and Eli would be able to listen to Vivian’s statement while Delaney had a chat with Olivia.
Before the sheriff could guide Vivian toward the interview room, the front door swung open.
Lawrence stormed in, his face red with anger. He spared his daughter and granddaughter a glance before he settled his glare on the sheriff.
“You’ve got a hell of a nerve,” he barked. “Demanding I come in here like I’m some common criminal.”
Sheriff Chase stepped forward, calm but firm. “A man’s been murdered, Mr. Melborne. Questions need to be asked. That includes everyone connected to the victim.”
“Victim?” Lawrence spat out and dismissed it with a scoff. “That gold-digging snake finally got what was coming to him. The world is better off without him.”
Vivian’s face crumpled. She let out a quiet sob and turned away, covering her mouth with her hand.
Olivia immediately moved to her side, slipping an arm around her. “Stop it,” she snapped at Lawrence. “You have no right.”
Lawrence didn’t even flinch. “I have every right. I warned her what kind of man Grant was, but she wouldn’t listen.”
Sheriff Chase raised her hand. “Enough. You can have your opinions, but keep them to yourself in my station.”
Delaney watched Lawrence with quiet fury, her gaze flicking between him and Vivian. There was no remorse in the man, not even a hint of concern that someone his daughter once trusted had been killed. Just rage and disdain.
The sheriff straightened, but her tone stayed cool and in control. “I was just about to take Vivian back for her statement. You can wait in the reception area. I’ll speak with you and Olivia after.”
Lawrence folded his arms across his chest. “I’m not giving a damn thing until my attorneys get here. They’re on their way, and once they arrive, they’ll be filing formal harassment charges against you.”
He turned his scathing glare toward Noah, Delaney, and Eli. “And the three of you won’t be left out of that harassment suit. I have no doubt you talked her into dragging me down here like some suspect.”
Delaney rolled her eyes. She held his gaze, steady and silent. The man reeked of entitlement and manipulation.
“Stop. Just stop,” Vivian practically shouted. She sank back into the chair, shoulders shaking as the tears kept falling.
Olivia shifted beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, whispering something that Delaney couldn’t hear. It seemed to soothe her, if only a little.
Vivian wiped at her face, then looked up at her father.
Her expression was softer now, but full of raw emotion.
“Please. Back off. Not just now but with the court order too. You’ve already gotten what you wanted.
Grant is gone. He’s out of my life. So what’s left, Dad?
Why do you still need that kind of control over me? ”
“I won’t back off,” he snarled. “Not when I need to protect my granddaughters.” Then Lawrence looked her dead in the eye. “So tell me why you withdrew ten thousand dollars in cash yesterday.”
The words hit like a bomb. Vivian’s breath caught, her gaze darting away from her father’s.
And Delaney’s mind began to race. Wade had said Vivian hired him to scare them. Maybe that money was payment for that job. Or maybe it had nothing to do with Wade at all. Maybe it was for something else.
Like paying for a hit on Grant.
But why would Vivian want her fiancé dead? Was this because she blamed Grant for Lawrence’s petition to declare her incompetent?
Vivian’s chin lifted, but her voice came out thin. “I wanted the cash for the safe house. I didn’t know how long Olivia and I would be there, and I didn’t want to rely on anyone else.”
Delaney watched her closely. Something about the answer didn’t sit right. Vivian was defensive, but there was also a flicker of something else. Guilt, maybe. Or fear.
Vivian opened her mouth to say more, but Sheriff Chase raised a hand. “Hold onto that. You can explain everything when I take your statement.”
Delaney understood the interruption. The sheriff wanted it all recorded, wanted Vivian’s words on the record in case she needed to pursue charges. And it wasn’t just about the money. The sheriff would no doubt ask Vivian about Wade too, and his claim that she hired him.
Sheriff Chase gestured for Vivian to follow her. “Let’s go talk, Mrs. Camden.”
Vivian rose, eyes red and cheeks still wet, and followed the sheriff toward the back hall that led to the interview rooms.
As they walked off, Eli leaned in closer to Noah. “I’ll stay with Delaney.”
Delaney didn’t miss the low murmur or the glance Eli sent her way. She also didn’t miss the reason behind it. He didn’t want her stuck handling Lawrence alone. She was grateful, though she didn’t say it aloud.
Olivia moved quickly once her mother was gone, edging farther from her grandfather until she stood on the opposite side of the room.
She didn’t say a word to him, but her arms folded tight across her chest and her mouth pulled into a hard line.
It was clear she wanted nothing to do with Lawrence Melborne.
Lawrence ignored her. He adjusted the cuffs of his tailored jacket and lowered himself into one of the hard plastic chairs in the small reception area, but the tension in his jaw betrayed his annoyance.
Delaney stayed on her feet, standing near Olivia and keeping her body angled toward both of them.
Delaney’s phone buzzed in her hand. She glanced down at the screen. The call was coming from Crossfire Ops dispatch.
She answered quickly. “Hart.”
“Delaney, it’s Karla,” the dispatcher said. “I’ve got a call coming in for you. It sounds important. I’m forwarding it to you now.”
Delaney straightened. “Thanks, Karla.”
A beat later, the line clicked, and a breathless voice came through.
“Delaney? It’s Ava.”
Delaney’s heart leapt. Eli turned toward her, alert.
“I need help,” Ava said, her voice ragged and drenched with fear. “I got out. I ran from the institute. Please, come and get me.”
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