Chapter Twenty-Five
The door shut behind Pops and Josh took another drink of coffee and then set his empty mug in the sink.
Maya hadn’t moved. Where did she start? She figured the information she’d learned from Lucas about the dead body was the best. She filled Josh in and he listened, leaning back against the counter. When she was done, there was silence.
Josh finally said, “The Dark Angels are a dangerous gang that originated in Chicago.”
“Aren’t they all dangerous?”
He shrugged. “True, but the leader was a lady who took over after killing her husband. And not just shooting him or something like that. She has a loyal following and rumor has it she tortured him for hours. She wanted the men to respect her. I guess after some of the things she did, no one ever messed with her or questioned her authority.”
“She sounds lovely,” Maya said sarcastically.
“But what is one of her men doing here? There’s too many Chicago connections.
First Amber and this missing prosecutor want information about Sydney Bradford’s murder, claiming the wrong person was convicted.
Then your family comes and they happen to run into the senator and his family and now they’re here? ”
“You don’t think my family is involved, do you?” Josh asked.
“No,” Maya said, “I don’t, but I don’t trust the senator. He’s nosy, and Pinecone Junction isn’t like Aspen. Rich people and politicians don’t just show up here.”
“That’s starting to change,” Josh said. “Have you noticed some of the houses going up outside of town?”
“I have, but we’re still not like Aspen. Telluride. Vail. Any of those places.”
“No, but people like to come here to get away. I mean, I think anyone famous could walk down Main Street here and no one would know who they were.”
“True,” Maya said. “But the senator being here is not a coincidence. What do you know about him? I know you knew Sydney, but what about her father?”
“I agree his timing, visiting right now, is suspect,” Josh said. “I didn’t know him well. I knew Sydney and her brother, Miles, better.”
“That guy is off too.”
“Yeah, he was always kind of a loner. Sydney made sure he was included in things and that everyone left him alone. I think he kind of put her on a pedestal,” Josh said.
“Do you still have the evidence Amber wanted?”
“I do.”
“Ever since she asked for it, there have been multiple deceased persons in the national forest,” Maya said.
“Not to mention, I think someone is trying to frame you for Amber’s murder.
And if your evidence proves that an innocent person was convicted, then they might even turn the tables on you and try to convict you of Sydney’s murder too.
You are the one who found her. That evidence is important.
Plus, Lucas warned me that he wants to talk to you.
And not as a fellow officer. He wants to interrogate you as a suspect. ”
“Seriously? I thought you two were friends.”
“We are friends. He’s like a brother. And you know as well as I do that it’s because we’re close that he let me know that. When does law enforcement ever warn someone that they want to question them? Never.”
“I agree,” Josh said, walking to the garage door. “I’ll be right back.”
Maya waited. What was he doing? She hoped he wasn’t blowing her off about this because he was in denial. He came back in with an envelope in his hand.
“There’s no one I trust more than you,” he said.
“This is the evidence. It’s not much. My memo book with notes.
I flipped back through them, and you can tell I was high, so they’re not great, but I had enough cop instinct going to write down the important stuff.
I think what someone is after though is the pictures on that memory card. ”
Maya reached out to take the envelope, but Josh hesitated.
“There’s also no one else I love like you,” he said, reaching out and caressing Maya’s cheek. “I want to be with you. Forever. I know that. I’ve hesitated to give you this because I don’t want to put you in danger.”
Maya’s heart pounded. She knew Josh loved her and she loved him.
She’d realized in January when a serial killer almost took her life that she wanted to be with Josh forever, but this was as close as they’d ever come to saying it.
She reached forward and pulled him down to her, kissing him hard, her hands entwined in his hair.
When they parted, she said, “I will be careful. I will make sure no one gets this. Juniper will help keep me safe. I love you too, and I want to be with you for the rest of my life, so we need to find this missing prosecutor and figure things out. We need to give Lucas someone else to question.”
“I agree,” Josh said before they kissed again.
“I think we better get going or we’re not going to make it anywhere on time,” Maya said, a little out of breath.
Josh continued to hold her to him. She could feel his heart pounding and smell his cologne.
“How about we continue this tonight?” he asked.
“Good idea,” Maya said. “I’m holding you to that.”
Then she pulled him close and kissed him again, lips tingling, not wanting him to leave. She had a feeling that this was all far from over, and she wanted to savor the moment.