Chapter 18 Marcus
Marcus
“Well look what the cat dragged in,” Mrs. Baxter grinned the moment I stepped through the entrance. “Sleep in today, handsome?”
I just groaned, shaking my head. I wasn’t ready to admit to anyone that I’d spent most of the night fucking Xavier, fell asleep with him in my arms, and then slept through my alarm. And then there was the quick blowjob before work at the front door. It was quite a night.
“My alarm didn’t go off,” I lied. “Power must’ve gone off for a minute.”
“Uh-huh,” she grinned. She loved to tease me. Never missed an opportunity actually. “Coffee’s hot, but you can get some from Dolly when you see her.”
“Dolly? Somethin’ wrong?”
“Seems like our local thief struck again last night. She’s not shook up at all, just annoyed.” She shrugged, turning back to her paperwork. “She called about a half hour ago. I was gonna phone you if you didn’t show up soon.”
“I’ll just head over there now,” I replied, turning back to the door. “She’s probably got a coffee mug waiting for me already.”
“She always does,” Mrs. Baxter nodded. “Good luck.”
I made my way back out to the truck, my body still pleasantly sore from last night’s activities.
The drive to Dolly’s was mercifully short, giving me just enough time to try to get my head on straight.
I needed to be professional, focused. Not thinking about the way Xavier had looked spread out beneath me, or the sounds he’d made when—
Nope. Not going there.
I pulled into Dolly’s parking lot and killed the engine, taking a moment to compose myself before heading inside.
The diner was relatively empty for mid-morning, just a couple of regulars nursing coffee at the counter.
Dolly was behind the bar, her usual beehive hairdo looking slightly more frazzled than normal.
“Sheriff,” she called out when she saw me, already pouring coffee into a mug. “About time you showed up, sugar.”
“Morning, Dolly,” I said, settling onto a stool at the bar. “Mrs. Baxter said you had some trouble last night?”
She set the coffee in front of me with more force than necessary, the liquid sloshing dangerously close to the rim. “Trouble is putting it mildly. Some no-good thief broke into my apartment upstairs and stole my things.”
I pulled out my notebook, clicking my pen. “What was taken?”
“My white Valentino bag,” she said, her voice tight with anger. “The real deal, not some knockoff. Cost me three thousand dollars. And my Louboutin heels—the black ones I wear to church. Those were nearly a thousand.”
I wrote it down, though I had to admit I had no idea what made a purse worth three grand or shoes worth more than a hundred. “Anything else?”
“Not that I’ve noticed so far, but I haven’t gone through everything yet.” She crossed her arms, her jaw set. “I’m tellin’ you, Marcus, this is gettin’ out of hand. First the ranches, now me. Nobody’s safe anymore.”
“When did you notice the items were missing?”
“This morning when I got up to get ready for work. I went into my closet and my bag was just... gone. Same with the shoes. They were right there in my closet last night.”
I took a sip of coffee, my mind already working through the details. “Any signs of forced entry? Broken windows, damaged locks?”
“Not a damn thing,” Dolly said, shaking her head. “That’s the strange part. Everythin’ was locked up tight, same as always. It was locked when I came down for the bachelor party last night, locked when I got back, and locked this mornin’ when I got up.”
“Anyone have keys to your apartment?”
She paused, her expression shifting to something I couldn’t quite read. “Just me and... well, Xavier has the spare set.”
My stomach dropped. “Xavier?”
“Yeah, I gave him a master key yesterday to let the strippers into the spare apartment,” she nodded. “I think he still has ‘em.”
My blood ran cold. Xavier had the keys to Dolly’s apartment. Xavier who’d been at the Turner Ranch when items went missing there. Xavier who’d been around when the Baker Ranch was hit. Xavier who’d mysteriously shown up in my life right when all these thefts started happening.
No. No, that couldn’t be right.
“Marcus?” Dolly’s voice cut through my spiraling thoughts. “You okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
I forced myself to focus, to think like a sheriff and not like a man who’d just spent the night with someone who might be a criminal. “When did you give him the keys?”
“Yesterday afternoon, around three or so.” She refilled my coffee without asking. “He needed to get the strippers settled before the party. Said he’d return them today.”
I wrote that down, my hand steady even though my insides were churning. “And you’re sure the items were there last night before you left for the party?”
“Positive. I remember because I was debating whether to wear those shoes or my red ones.” She leaned against the counter, studying me with those sharp eyes of hers. “Why? You don’t think Xavier had something to do with this, do you?”
Everything in me wanted to defend him. To say no, absolutely not, Xavier would never do something like that. But I couldn’t let my personal feelings interfere with an investigation. That was exactly the kind of thing that could cost me my badge.
“I’m just gathering information,” I said carefully. “Need to establish a timeline.”
But even as I said it, my mind was racing through the details.
Xavier was from New York, a city where designer bags and expensive shoes were commonplace.
He’d know what they were worth, how to sell them.
He’d been at every single location where items had gone missing. He had access to Dolly’s apartment.
And he’d been alone for stretches of time at the Turner Ranch. At the Baker Ranch. Hell, he knew every detail of the investigation so far.
My stomach twisted into knots.
“You want to go up and take a look?” Dolly asked, pulling out a set of keys. “See if there’s anything else missing or any sign of how they got in?”
“Yeah,” I said, standing up and leaving the coffee untouched. My appetite had vanished entirely. “Let’s do that.”
I followed her through the back of the diner and up a narrow staircase to her apartment above. It was a cozy space, decorated in that same retro style as the diner below. Everything was neat and organized, nothing obviously out of place.
She led me to her bedroom, opening the closet door wide. “The bag was right there on that shelf,” she pointed. “And the shoes were on the floor, right next to my other heels.”
I examined the closet carefully, taking photos with my phone. No signs of disturbance, no scuff marks or indication that someone had rifled through her belongings.
“Are you certain that the last time you saw them was before the party?” I asked, trying desperately to find an alibi for Xavier without her noticing. “You didn’t see them when you got ready for bed?”
“I…” She faltered for a moment. “I’m not too sure, honestly. It was a long night, and I had more than one drink.”
“Let’s retrace your steps then,” I offered. “That might jog your memory. Tell me exactly what you did last night after the party ended. Don’t leave anything out.”
Dolly leaned against the doorframe, her brow furrowing as she tried to remember. “Well, the party wrapped up around midnight. The strippers left first. Xavier saw them out, I think. Then everyone else started trickling out. Logan and Eli helped me clean up a bit before they left.”
“And Xavier?” I asked, trying to keep my voice neutral even though my heart was pounding.
“He left right after you did,” she said, and I felt my stomach clench. “Maybe five minutes later? Said something about needing to get back to the ranch since he had an early start in the mornin’.”
But he hadn’t gone back to the ranch. He’d come to my house. Been with me all night.
“And when did you come upstairs?” I prompted, making notes even though my hand was starting to shake.
“Not long after that. Maybe twelve-thirty? I locked up downstairs, came up here, got ready for bed.” She walked over to her dresser, gesturing. “I definitely remember putting my jewelry away in this box. But I didn’t open the closet again. Just changed into my nightgown and went to bed.”
So, the items could have been taken anytime between when she last saw them before the party and this morning. That was a window of at least twelve hours, maybe more.
“Did you hear anything unusual during the night? Any sounds from downstairs or up here?”
“Nothing,” she shook her head. “Slept like a baby, actually. Those drinks Logan made were stronger than I thought.”
“You didn’t get up at all?”
“Not that I recall.”
I walked around the bedroom, examining the windows. All locked from the inside. No scratches on the locks, no signs of tampering. Whoever had taken those items had either picked the lock downstairs or...
Or they’d had a key.
“You’re sure Xavier didn’t give the keys back to you already?” I asked one last time, desperation coloring my voice.
“Not that I know,” she replied, tilting her head. “You don’t think that Xavier could have—”
“I’m not thinking anything yet,” I lied, even though my mind was screaming at me that all the evidence was pointing in one direction. “I’m just following the facts.”
But the facts were damning. Xavier had the keys.
He had an opportunity too since he’d left the party shortly after me and could have come back or taken the items when he was helping the strippers settle in.
And he’d know exactly what those designer items were worth.
Not to mention he’d been present at every single theft.
And… he had small feet and sneakers that could’ve matched the footprints at Baker Ranch, but I’d never bothered to check.
My chest felt tight, like someone was squeezing all the air out of my lungs. Last night, wrapped up in his arms, I’d felt safe. Happy. Like maybe I could actually have something real for once in my life.
Had it all been a lie?
“You know,” Dolly said slowly. “Xavier and I don’t quite get along. He’s been rubbin’ me the wrong way since he got here. But Lucas said he was successful… so why would he steal?”
“People steal for all sorts of reasons,” I said automatically, my sheriff brain kicking in. “Sometimes it’s not about the money. It’s just for the thrill.”
I felt Dolly’s eyes on me, studying my reaction a little too closely. I forced myself to maintain a neutral expression even though my insides were twisting into knots.
“Marcus, are you sure you’re alright?” she asked, concern creeping into her voice. “You’re as pale as a sheet in a snowstorm.”
“I’m fine,” I said, though I was anything but. “Just thinking through the timeline.”
I couldn’t let her see how much this was affecting me. Couldn’t let her know that the idea of Xavier being behind these thefts was tearing me apart inside. Because if she suspected there was something personal between us, the whole town would know by sundown.
“I’m going to need to talk to Xavier,” I said, keeping my voice professional. “Get his statement about the keys and his whereabouts last night.”
“Of course,” Dolly nodded. “Whatever you need to catch this thief.”
I took a few more photos of the apartment, documented everything in my notebook, and promised Dolly I’d keep her updated. Then I practically fled down the stairs and out to my truck, my heart hammering against my ribs.
Once I was alone in the pickup, I let myself feel it.
The panic, the betrayal, the sick certainty settling in my gut.
Every piece of evidence pointed to Xavier.
He had means, opportunity, and knowledge.
He’d been at every single location. He had the keys.
It just kept playing over and over in my mind. Everything pointed to him.
And I’d been so blinded by my attraction to him, so desperate for connection, that I’d never even considered it.
My phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out with shaking hands to see a text from Xavier.
Xavier: Last night was incredible. Can’t stop thinking about you <3
I stared at the message, feeling bile rise in my throat. Was this all part of his game? Seduce the sheriff so I’d never suspect him? Keep me distracted while he robbed half the town blind?
I wanted to text back, wanted to demand answers. But I couldn’t. Not yet. I needed to approach this like a professional, gather all the evidence before confronting him.
Even if it killed me.
I started the truck and pulled out of Dolly’s parking lot, my mind racing.
I needed to verify his alibi, check if he’d returned the keys to Dolly before the items went missing.
I needed to compare his shoe size to those footprints.
I needed to do my job, regardless of what my heart was screaming at me.
But first, I needed to talk to someone who might give me some perspective. Someone who knew Xavier better than I did.
I pulled out my phone and dialed Lucas’s number.
“Hey Marcus,” Lucas answered on the second ring, sounding cheerful, if not a little hungover. “What’s up?”
“I need to ask you some questions about Xavier,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “Official business.”
There was a pause on the other end. “Is everything okay?”
“Just need some information,” I replied. “Can you come down to the office?”
“Yeah. I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”
“Great. And Lucas?”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t mention anything about this to anyone yet, alright?”
There was another long pause. “Okay, Sheriff. See you in twenty.”
The phone line went dead, and I sat there in my truck, staring down Main Street and wishing against all odds that I hadn’t been duped. That this entire affair with Xavier hadn’t been a lie.
I wasn’t sure I could survive such a thing.