Chapter Twelve
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“W hat’s going on?” Bristol asked, swiveling to look out the back window.
“No clue.” She’d been doing five or six miles over the speed limit. Not enough to warrant being pulled over. Maybe she had a taillight out or something that she hadn’t noticed?
She turned off the engine and rolled down her window as the male deputy strode over to her. “Hi. Something wrong?”
The deputy stood back a few paces, one hand on the butt of his weapon. “Licenses and registration, please.”
“Sure.” She and Bristol both handed over their driver’s licenses, along with the car registration.
He checked everything, peered at them to confirm ID. “I need you to pop your trunk.”
What? “What’s the probable cause?”
He looked at her sharply.
“Used to be a cop. You can’t search my vehicle without a warrant or probable cause.” There were no visible weapons or drug paraphernalia, and he hadn’t produced a warrant. So yeah, he wasn’t searching for anything. Maybe he was new and overzealous.
His jaw tightened. “You and this vehicle match the description of a suspect reported involved in a drug deal a few miles east of here twenty minutes ago.”
What? “That’s impossible, you’ve made a mis—”
“Open the trunk.”
She weighed her options. Didn’t see any point in arguing and escalating this, and as soon as he saw there were no drugs or stolen goods in the back, he’d drop this and let them go.
She hit the release button. Watched in her side mirror as he went around and started looking inside the trunk.
“What’s happening?” Bristol whispered.
“Don’t know.” But this couldn’t be good. This guy was really gung-ho. It felt like he was looking for something specific.
Her suspicions were confirmed a few minutes later when he returned, grim-faced and his hand on the butt of his service weapon. “Step out of the vehicle and keep your hands where I can see them.”
What the hell? Cassie and Bristol shared a shocked look, then complied. “You’ve made a mistake. We just came from the Albertsons up the highway.”
“I’m putting you both in the back of my vehicle.” He gestured for them to move toward the cruiser. Cassie walked toward the patrol car with Bristol right behind her, feeling numb.
The deputy opened the back door. “Watch your heads.” He waited until they were both seated, shut the door, and got on his tac radio.
“Cass, what the hell’s going on?” Bristol whispered.
“I don’t know,” she answered, trying to stay calm as she watched him. There had to be some kind of mistake.
The deputy finished his conversation and got behind the wheel. “Not only do you and your vehicle match the description of the suspect, I just found drugs in your vehicle,” he said.
Shock ripped through her. “What are you talking about, I don’t have any—”
He raised his hand, held up a small, clear plastic bag of pills for her to see. “Then explain why I just found this in your trunk three minutes ago.”
She stared at it, the blood draining from her face, and her heart kicking hard against her ribs. She shook her head. “No, that’s not mine. We just stopped for groceries at—”
“I’m taking you both to the station for questioning.”
“No.” Cassie shook her head again. Had he planted them?
He was wearing a body cam, but he could have switched it off.
“I’m going to call my lawyer.” Well, CPS, and ask them to get her a lawyer.
“While I do that, call the sheriff. He knows me. I’m an agent with Crimson Point Security, and this is my stepsister, Bristol.
I have nothing to do with those drugs. Someone had to have planted them. ”
He eyed her in surprise. “You’re with CPS?”
“Yes. My ID is in my back pocket.”
“Lemme see it.”
She fished it out and showed him, trying to keep her hand steady. What the fuck was going on? He could easily have planted the drugs, but it seemed like a giant reach. She’d never heard any rumors about corruption at the Sheriff’s Department here.
He studied it for a few seconds, then looked her in the eye, and she could see him hesitating.
“This was a setup. They were planted.” She shot a glance at Bristol, sitting pale and stiff beside her as she stared at the deputy. “And I’m calling my lawyer. Please call the sheriff.” She dialed Ryder before the cop could argue, but he couldn’t stop her. She knew her rights.
The deputy got out of the vehicle and shut the door as he spoke on his radio. Ryder’s phone went to voicemail. She left a quick message explaining what was going on, was just ending the call when the clearly inexperienced deputy finished his own conversation.
He opened the door and got into his seat. “Copy,” he finished saying to whoever was on the other end, then spoke to her and Bristol. “Sheriff’s been notified. I’m taking you to the station. You can talk to your lawyer there, and your vehicle will be towed there later.”
She threw an apologetic look at Bristol, not knowing what the hell else she could do to fix this. “Fine.” In silence she reached across to grip Bristol’s cold hand and squeeze it in reassurance. This was a deliberate setup.
She didn’t know what the hell was happening, but someone had planted those drugs without her noticing, and she was betting it had happened while they were at the grocery store.
She was being targeted.
Who the hell was behind it, and why?