Chapter 20
Wade glanced over his shoulder. “Ben’s coming. Be better if it came from him.”
Ben Logan joined them on the front porch. “Evening, Tori. Scott.”
“Why did you need to get a search warrant?” Tori asked. She nodded toward Zack. “My brother would’ve—”
Zack jutted his chin and glared at the sheriff. “Could be because I don’t have it.”
Ben stared him down. “You want to explain?”
“Not particularly, since I don’t like the way you bulldozed in here accusing me of all sorts of things.”
“Ben,” Scott said, “Zack’s alibi is solid. I checked—he has half a dozen men who say he was at McKay’s when Jenny was killed. And surely you don’t believe Drew killed her.”
“I appreciate your input, Scott, but you should know better than anyone that I have to follow the facts. And the facts point to either Zack or Drew being involved, Zack in particular due to the print on the casing, and . . .” He turned to Zack.
“Everyone knew you had a crush on Jenny, but she didn’t return—”
“You don’t know how either one of us felt.”
Ben shrugged. “I want to talk to Drew because Jenny’s mobile carrier provided her call log. It shows the last call she made was to Drew and that he called her back after that. So why hasn’t he told us that he talked to Jenny that night?”
Her gut clenched. She’d known her nephew was hiding something. “Neither of those prove that Drew or my brother are involved in her murder, especially since Zack has an alibi and no one would seriously believe Drew killed her.”
Ben nodded. “That’s why I haven’t arrested Zack, but it’s not unheard of for teens to commit murder.”
“Come on, Ben,” Tori snapped. “You’ve known Drew since he was a baby—he’s your son’s best friend—you know he wouldn’t kill anyone.”
“I don’t want to believe he would, but he knows something.” He turned to Zack. “Do you have a key to Jenny’s house?”
“Drew and I both have one—she gave them to us in case we needed to get in and she wasn’t there.”
Tori rubbed her forehead with the back of her hand. She’d stepped into the middle of a nightmare. The humid air clung to her. In the distance a motorcycle with no muffler accelerated, the roar filling the night. It was a nightmare, all right, but not one she could wake up from.
Ben turned to Zack, his tough demeaner softening. “Where’s the gun?”
“Told you I don’t have it.”
“Come on, man. I don’t want to take you in, but you’re leaving me no choice.”
Zack dropped his gaze to the ground, where he kicked at a rock with his boot. Then he shrugged. “A couple of months ago, Jenny thought someone tried to break into her house, and I let her have the gun. It was fully loaded, probably why my print was on the casing.”
“There was no gun at her house, either.” Ben rested his hand on his holster. “Do you have proof you gave it to her?”
Zack swayed slightly. “Just my word, Ben. It’s always been good enough in the past.”
Tori tensed as Ben studied her brother, relaxing only slightly when the sheriff gave him a curt nod and took out a small notepad. “Did anyone else know the gun was at her house?”
Zack’s mouth turned down as he shrugged. “I don’t know who she might’ve told.”
Ben raised the pen from the pad and looked up. “Did Drew know?”
“You’d have to ask him.”
“I will.” Ben turned to Tori. “Is he at Erin’s?”
“You’re not going to question him tonight, are you?”
The sheriff gave her a quick glance. “It’s as good a time as any.”
“It’s after ten.” She crossed her arms. “He’s probably in bed, and if he isn’t, my sister is—she has to get up early in the morning.”
He started to say something, and she cut him off. “He’s not going anywhere, and we all know that Drew wouldn’t kill anyone.”
Ben glanced toward the house then turned back to Tori. “I expect you to have him in my office by 9:00 a.m. tomorrow. And you might want to hire a lawyer.”
That was the fourth time tonight she’d heard a lawyer mentioned.
Zack cleared his throat. “Look . . . no need to bother Drew—I doubt he knows where the gun is, but if he does, I’ll get it and hand it over to you.”
“Just call me—I’ll come get it.”
Drew’s words echoed in her head. “I didn’t kill Jenny, but I think I know who did.” Did he think his dad killed Jenny?
Before she could process the thought, her cell rang. She started to ignore it, then thought better of it and pulled the phone from her back pocket. Her fingers froze when the ID showed Megan Russell’s number.
“I need to answer this.” She slid the answer button and put the phone to her ear. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, but you need to be careful.”
She walked a few feet away and spoke quietly into the phone. “Can I call you back in just a minute?”
“Sure. I’m not going anywhere.”
Tori disconnected and returned to where the men were still talking. “If you don’t need me, I’m heading back to Erin’s.”
“Sure thing, just don’t forget—Drew, my office, nine tomorrow morning.”
“Do I need to be there?” Zack asked.
She stared at her brother. Of course he needed to be there.
Zack kicked at a rock. “I missed work today because I was sick, and I need to get ready for an inspection at the warehouse first thing tomorrow.”
“You need to be there.” Ben put away his notebook.
“I’d think you’d want to be there,” she muttered, glaring at her brother. She turned toward her car. “I’m out of here.”
“Hold on a sec,” Scott said, “and I’ll follow you.”
“You don’t have to do that. I’ll be safe enough—Erin’s house is only a couple of miles away.” When he looked doubtful, she said, “I’ll be fine.”
“Maybe so, but I’ll feel better if I know you get home safely.”