Chapter 11
ELEVEN
The heat beat down on Jonah’s shoulders as he watched kids use a rope swing to jump into the lake. The screams of enjoyment carried up the hill. Hamburgers sizzled on a nearby grill. A group of parents kept watch over the kids swimming while preparing dinner.
Inside the visitor center, Laney was checking Nolan and Lisa’s reservation. Jonah had almost gone with her, but he’d needed a moment.
To cool his head. To think.
Watching Garrett Wheeler practically drool over Laney had been hard.
It’d taken every ounce of his self-control and training to stay next to the cooler, when what he’d really wanted to do was get that creep away from her.
At the same time, he’d been proud. She’d handled the interview like a pro.
Her flirty smile hadn’t been genuine, but no one other than him would’ve noticed.
His mind had been on Garrett and the case, which is why he'd been thrown off when he'd caught her staring at him in the car. The way her eyes skittered away from his, the blush on her cheeks…if he didn't know better, Jonah would've thought she'd been checking him out.
But that was ridiculous. Laney had made it clear fifteen years ago that they didn't work as a couple. She'd broken up with him, kindly but firmly, and they'd built something better—a friendship that had lasted through jobs, moves, relationships, and everything else life threw at them.
Laney hadn’t shown a shred of romantic interest in him for a very long time.
So why had she been staring?
Someone called out his name. Jonah turned to find Texas Ranger Ryker Montgomery strolling toward him.
A new cowboy hat shielded his eyes from the sun, and the belt buckle at his waist gleamed.
He looked well-rested and tanned from spending two weeks in Hawaii.
Jonah met him halfway. “So you came back after all. We were taking bets on whether you would.”
“I almost didn’t.” Ryker grinned, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “If I thought for one second I could convince Hannah to live on the beach with me, I’d do it. Clear skies, blue waters, my wife in a bathing suit—”
“Stop, dude.” Jonah thought of Hannah like a sister. He scowled. “Not okay. Just…no.”
Ryker chuckled. His happiness was palpable.
It was getting harder and harder to be in Company A.
The rangers were marrying left and right.
Ryker and Hannah deserved every happiness in the world, but hearing about it sent a weird pang of longing through Jonah.
He wanted that. A wife. A family. But no one had ever come close to claiming his heart.
No one but Laney.
And that was a nonstarter.
The door to the visitor center opened, and Laney emerged, Scout trotting behind her. The dog’s tail wagged, and she raced ahead to greet Jonah. He stroked her soft ears only to have her abandon him for Ryker, who gave her a good rubdown.
Laney’s smile was breathtakingly sweet. “Well, look at who’s back from his honeymoon.” Ryker abandoned Scout to give Laney a brotherly hug. She leaned back and stared at him for a moment. “Marriage looks good on you, Ryker. You’re happy.”
“Hannah makes it easy. Thanks for the crockpot and the cookbooks, by the way. It was one of our favorite wedding gifts. We can’t wait to make chili.”
“It’s the best gift for busy people.” She slipped an arm through Jonah’s.
The casual touch shouldn't have made his pulse skip—she did it often—but somehow his heart couldn’t quite get in sync with his head.
“And I can’t take all the credit. Jonah picked out the cookbooks himself.
We spent an hour in the bookstore. I think he looked through every single book in the cooking section. ”
Ryker’s brows shot up. “Impossible. Jonah doesn’t cook.”
He scowled. “Actually, I do. I use a crockpot all the time.”
It’d been a gift from Laney. Truth be told, the wedding gift for Ryker and Hannah had been her idea too.
But that was the thing about Laney. She never overlooked his contribution.
No matter how small, no matter how seemingly insignificant…
she noticed. She saw him. Growing up in a family where he'd never fit in, never felt good enough, her easy recognition was a balm on those scarred wounds.
A light breeze ruffled the strands of Laney’s hair, and the clean smell of her soap tickled his nose.
Jonah, stupidly, breathed in deep. Ryker’s gaze narrowed slightly, and a smirk played on his lips.
Jonah shot his friend a dirty look. He’d been fending off commentary from his fellow rangers—and their significant others—about his relationship with Laney for years. “Where’s Tate?”
“He should be here any minute.” Ryker checked his watch. “He was ten minutes behind me, but you know Tate. He drives like a grandma.”
“What’s that about my driving?” Texas Ranger Tate Atwood came around the side of the building.
His curly black hair was cropped military short and matched his rigid bearing.
He had the athletic build of someone who played sports naturally, but the guarded look of the quiet kid always chosen last for the team.
As the newest member of Company A, Jonah hadn't worked with Tate much, but he'd found him detailed.
The two men couldn't be more different. Ryker was all charm and personality, a touch loud, but with determined dedication that made him pursue cases long after others gave up.
Tate was reserved and rarely cracked a joke. He wasn't unfriendly…just measured.
“I said you drive like a grandma.” Ryker lightly shoved Tate in greeting. “‘Bout time you showed up. I thought we’d have to send out a few patrols to find you.”
“You’re hilarious.” Tate’s smile said he didn’t mind the joke. But he didn’t poke back at Ryker. That was something Jonah noticed. He could take the ribbing without an issue, but never dished it back.
Jonah had no such reservations. He snorted. “I’d rather ride with Tate than you. Last time I was in a car with Ryker, he changed lanes three times in five seconds while eating a breakfast taco and arguing with Hannah on speakerphone. Nearly took out a semi.”
Everyone laughed. Even Tate's mouth quirked.
“In my defense,” Ryker said, grinning, “Hannah was wrong about which exit we needed, and the taco was delicious.”
“You're a menace,” Laney said, shaking her head. But her smile was fond.
The laughter faded naturally, and Ryker's expression sobered. “So. Two victims, attacked at their campsite. What are we looking at?”
Jonah appreciated the shift. As much as he valued his friendships with these men, they had work to do. “Let’s go inside and I’ll fill you in on where we’re at.”
The group trekked inside. Their boots were loud against the lobby’s tile floor.
Jonah noted Brett wasn’t working today. A young brunette was behind the counter.
She waved to Laney, but her eyes looked worried as she took in the group of Texas Rangers.
Jonah offered her a reassuring smile. They could’ve set up the task force in the sheriff’s department, but it seemed easier to stay on site in the park.
It also allowed Jonah to stick close to Laney.
He didn’t like the idea of her being alone, even if she was a fellow law enforcement officer. Especially not being followed.
Laney led them to a conference room. “You guys can use this as your headquarters for the time being. There’s a break room across the hall stocked with coffee and snacks. Help yourself.” She took a deep breath. “I really appreciate you guys being here. It means a lot.”
“Don’t think twice about it.” Ryker squeezed her arm as he passed by to grab a seat at the head of the table. He set his backpack down and pulled out a laptop.
Tate followed suit, grabbing a chair and one of the bottled waters in the center while his computer booted up. He slung his messenger bag over the back of the chair. “What can you tell us?”
Jonah ran through everything as succinctly as possible.
He pushed the binder he’d been compiling into the center of the table.
“The lab reports are here, but I can tell you they haven’t found anything helpful so far.
Our primary suspect at the moment is Garrett Wheeler.
He was a guest lecturer at the university Ava attended, and according to her roommate, harassed Ava.
” He detailed what Kylie had said, along with their interview with Garrett.
“He claims to have an alibi. Laney and I were just about to check it out when you arrived.”
“What kind of alibi?” Tate asked, looking up from his keyboard. His fingers had been flying while Jonah was talking. Tate always took detailed notes.
“He says he was with friends staying in Cabin 3,” Laney offered. She checked her phone. “According to our records, the cabin was rented by Nolan Carlson for a week. He’s due to check out on Wednesday.”
“If Nolan verifies Garrett’s alibi, then this case goes back to square one,” Jonah added.
“Laney and I interviewed everyone working at the park on the day of the murders. The front desk clerk, Brett Morrison, mentioned seeing a man looking at Ava in the lobby, but he couldn’t give a good description of him.
And I can’t be certain he wasn’t embellishing the story.
But it’s something we should follow up on.
We should also run background checks on all the employees.
Rangers are done every year, but administrative employees are only every five years.
” He pushed a list toward Tate. “Start with these. These people were working on the day of the murder. Then we’ll go backward from there. ”
“Got it.” Tate pulled the list closer.
“Why don’t you and Laney go talk to Nolan?” Ryker suggested. “That’ll give me time to go through the crime scene photos and lab reports. We can reconvene back here and discuss the next steps. Our priorities may change depending on what Nolan says.”
He had a point. Jonah nodded. “Sounds like a plan. We’ll be back soon.”
Scout followed them out of the conference room and into the bright sunshine.
Jonah scanned the area, looking for any sign of trouble, as he pulled his sunglasses out of the front pocket of his shirt.
The shouts of the kids still swimming rose from the lake.
Relief uncoiled the knots in his stomach.
He felt lighter having his fellow rangers here.
Like the weight bearing down on his shoulders wasn’t so heavy.
As they crossed the parking lot to her car, Jonah popped a peppermint in his mouth before offering one to Laney.
She plucked the small, round breath mint out of the tin with a smile. “Every time we hang out, I get hooked on these. Then I always forget to buy some for myself when I’m at the store.”
“I’ll stock your pantry with them.”
She laughed. Laney loaded Scout up, and a few minutes later, they were driving toward Cabin 3. The road was lined with tall pines. A squirrel jumped in front of her vehicle, and she slowed to let the small animal pass. “Have you ever worked a case with Tate before?”
“Once or twice. Why?”
She shrugged. “He’s very…tall, dark, and silent.” Laney shot him a teasing look. “I didn’t think anyone was less talkative than you. Just goes to show, never say never.”
A pinch of jealousy grabbed hold of Jonah. “He’s single, if that’s what you’re getting at.” The words came out clipped and with more of a scowl than he’d intended.
Her nose wrinkled, and she shot him a look that indicated he was being foolish. “I wasn’t.”
Heat crawled up the back of his neck. What was wrong with him? Laney had made an innocent observation about Tate's personality, and he'd jumped to jealousy like some territorial teenager. He needed to get his head straight. “Sorry. It’s been a long day.”
“You didn’t sleep much last night, and it’s been a while since we had kolaches and coffee.” Laney wiggled her eyebrows at him. “How about we stop by the mess hall for dinner? I heard a rumor that lasagna was on the menu.”
“Again, I’m not some troll you have to throw food and caffeine at every once in a while. I’m allowed to be in a bad mood. We’re getting nowhere fast on a double homicide.”
“It hasn’t been the first time you’ve dealt with a tough case. Just admit it, Jonah. Life is better with food, coffee, and sleep. Maybe not in that order, but you get my drift.” She beamed and reached across to jab a finger in his midsection. “Admit it. Come on. You can say I’m right.”
He jerked away from her. “Absolutely not.” But Jonah couldn’t stop a smile from forming at the corners of his mouth.
Truth was, she was right. He operated better with food, sleep, and caffeine.
Most people did. Laney was one of the few individuals he knew who could be starving and still be positive.
She turned onto a dirt road, and Cabin 3 appeared.
The rustic log structure hunched between towering pines, their branches creaking softly in the late-afternoon breeze.
Cicadas droned from the underbrush, and the air hung heavy with the scent of pine needles and approaching twilight.
Jonah felt uneasy as he approached the front door.
“No lights on inside. They may not be here.”
“The air conditioning unit is running,” Laney pointed out. “But you’re right. There’s no sign of their vehicle.”
He opened the screen door and knocked on the wooden one. No answer. He waited a moment and then tried again to be sure. Logically, Jonah knew the lack of a response was likely because no one was inside, but his skin prickled with apprehension. He let the screen door slam shut.
“What is it?” Laney asked.
“I’m not sure.” He scanned the cabin and the surroundings, trying to pinpoint what had set off his internal alarm bells. The hum of the air conditioner mixed with the chirp of the cicadas. Dark shadows deepened between the trees.
Laney laid a hand on his arm. “Something’s wrong.”
She pointed to Scout. The lab hung back, away from the door.
Jonah could’ve sworn there was a mournful look on her furry face.
His pulse skipped a beat. Giving in to his instincts, and Scout’s, he circled the small cabin.
At each window, he peered inside. Everything appeared normal.
Dishes in the kitchen sink, a checkers game on the coffee table, a throw blanket unfolded and dumped in a heap on the couch.
Jonah used the light from his flashlight to peer down the hall to the bedroom.
And his breath caught.
A bloody handprint stained the wall.