Chapter Twenty-Six
Through all this, she’d stood by his side.
He didn’t think she’d ever doubted him, or if she had, she would never say it.
He loved her and never wanted to lose her.
When he’d first met Maya, she’d been working to get her life back on track.
The PTSD had a strong hold on her and her drinking was out of control.
He knew she had to be the one who wanted to change, and she had trusted him to help her, knowing he too dealt with his demons.
At the time, he’d thought he was through his past. It was done. Over and dealt with.
How wrong he was.
Josh didn’t want to admit it to Maya, because that meant saying out loud that he agreed with her and she was right—he was in a bit of denial.
Sydney’s murder had rocked her family and the media had hounded them for weeks.
All the major network shows like Dateline had done specials on her case.
The man who went to prison was a member of the Dark Angels.
So why were the Dark Angels here trying to find a prosecutor? And if the remains were Amber, then did they kill her? Or someone else? Was there any way the senator could be tied in with the gang?
He knew that in typical Chicago fashion, instead of the mob, politicians were now in bed with gangs. They literally formed alliances and there were times when he’d be arresting someone only to find out that they needed to be released. No questions asked.
Josh just never thought that the senator would stoop to such levels.
On the other hand, why wouldn’t he? Sydney had always said her father sold his soul to the devil when he went into politics.
And who better to make sure that someone else went to prison than a former prosecutor. But would the senator kill?
Probably not. He’d keep his hands clean, but he had hired guns who would kill for him and Josh knew them both—Tony Lancaster and Ian Bachar.
Tony had been a detective in Josh’s district and Ian was a patrol officer.
Their paths didn’t cross much, but they had been among the many officers that helped isolate Josh.
No one wanted to work with him after his partner was shot and killed.
There were many people Josh could remember along the way down when he headed toward rock bottom.
No one except Bianca ever offered him any kind of support.
Tony and Ian knew about Josh’s issues in the past. Someone might think that they would make the perfect team to frame Josh.
But all of this was just a hunch. He had no way to prove that Tony and Ian were involved.
Glancing at his watch, he hoped he could make it to the courthouse and catch his dad before Pops’ trial started. Josh had plenty of questions.
* * *
Maya drove out to the crime scene, her toast churning in her stomach along with the coffee. But her stomach flip-flopping wasn’t from what she’d eaten or drunk—it was from nerves, both from Pops’ trial and wondering about all the Chicago connections in town.
She could tell that Josh was trying to play cool and act like none of this worried him.
She hoped he was putting on a facade. It should worry him.
All of this. And the evidence against him wasn’t good if the remains ended up being Amber.
Dr. Meyers’ voice resonated in her mind about staying in the moment.
Not letting her anxiety and imagination get out of control.
But this time it was difficult, because she could lose not just Pops, but the other important person in her life that she had come to rely on, trust, and love.
Pushing those thoughts aside as she parked, she heard Juniper get up and stretch along with a yawn and a little squeak. Maya opened the door between Juniper’s compartment and the cab. The Mal stuck her head through, wanting a scratch behind the ears. Maya obliged and Juniper sighed in happiness.
“Give me a few minutes, girly. I’ll figure out what’s going on and what the plan is, but I think you’re going to get to work again.”
Juniper gave Maya a slurp on the cheek in response.
“Thanks, girly.”
Maya stepped out of her patrol vehicle and headed toward the tent that was still up from the previous day.
In her peripheral vision, she saw a person approaching her.
Turning, she realized it was one of the reporters.
It took Maya a moment to recognize the young woman.
Payton Hayes. They’d gone to school together.
“Hi,” Payton said. “I hope you don’t mind, but I was hoping to talk to you for a moment.”
Maya did mind. She wanted to get to work, but she’d liked Payton. They hadn’t been close friends, but Payton had always been kind. “Good to see you. You’re a reporter now, huh?”
“I am. I’m the mountain bureau reporter for the Daily Times. I really like it, as I can report on the stories that matter to me, including our hometown news.”
Maya nodded, unsure what to say next. “I need to get to work. What did you want to ask me?”
“I have some sources within the CBI. I heard about the murder and missing person. I also learned that there might be a connection to your boyfriend. I wanted to ask you directly. You know, give you a chance to comment.”
Lucas does have a leak. I’ll have to let him know.
Maya shoved her hands in her pockets. Had Payton been one of the reporters camped outside their house?
At least her suspicions about the reporters already linking Josh to the crime were accurate.
“I can’t comment about an ongoing investigation.
Sorry. But the CBI has an information officer and maybe that’s even who you’ve already talked to.
You need to get your information from them, not me.
Sorry, Payton. I need to get to work now. ”
“I understand. Good to see you.”
“You too,” Maya said, turning away and continuing to the tent. At least she knew one of the reporters, which had its pluses and minuses.
There were search-and-rescue team members there, drinking coffee and studying maps. The team leader, Ryan, was on the radio. Spotting Lucas in the crowd, she made her way over to him.
“Hey, Tree Cop,” Lucas said. “Took you long enough to get here.”
Maya didn’t laugh. She knew Lucas was only teasing, but she also wanted to confront him about the leak. “You do have a leak. A reporter stopped me and asked about Josh’s connection. You need to keep your guys on a tighter leash.”
He sighed. “It’s been a long night. I’m sorry about the leak. I’ll see if I can figure out who it is.”
“I thought you were going to get some rest.”
“I changed my mind. Miranda went home to catch a quick nap, but I drank coffee and I’m going to keep going. For now.”
Maya nodded. “Any updates since I last talked with you?”
“Not really. I’m going to head out to the crime scene where this guy from Chicago was found. Doc is supposed to meet me out there and I’m hoping maybe by the time he comes, he will have heard from the dentist.”
“I can go out to the crime scene with you and we can run Juniper after Doc shows up. See if she can track anything or find more evidence. I’m guessing the SAR team isn’t excited about continuing with all the events of last night,” Maya said.
“No, but they have agreed to stay for now. If they find something or see anyone suspicious, they’re going to radio it in so we can respond.”
“That works. That way maybe we can find the missing person.”
“Who’s possibly being pursued by our killer,” Lucas said.
“I can head out to the cabins now. I have the key to open the gate into them anyway.”
“Perfect. I’ll be right behind you, and if you want to work Juniper, I can be your backup officer since I think the other gal is off.”
“Yeah, Rory worked some long hours, although knowing her, she’ll come back to help.”
“Young and dedicated. Remember when we were like that?” Lucas asked.
“It wasn’t that long ago. I’ll go get the gate unlocked so Doc can get into that area. It’s a perk of knowing a Tree Cop, Leatherneck,” Maya said, using a term for a marine affectionately. She felt a little bad now about getting on Lucas about the leak. It wasn’t his fault or something he would do.
“I’ll be right behind you. Just need to get my guys going on a couple things here,” Lucas said with a grin that suddenly disappeared. “Today is the start of Pops’ trial, isn’t it? Are you going?”
“No, he asked me not to,” Maya said, looping her thumbs into her duty belt and working to keep the emotions at bay. She would let them out later. Dr. Meyers had also worked with her on the importance of not holding everything in, but for now, she was glad to have the distraction of work.
“I guess I can understand,” Lucas said. “Let me know if you need anything.”
“Thanks,” she said, turning to walk back to her vehicle. “See you in a few minutes.”
When Maya climbed back in her patrol SUV, Juniper popped her head out the small open door into the cab. She gave Maya some more slurps. “Thanks, girly.”
Hearing the vehicle start, Juniper pulled her head back and curled up in her compartment, deciding to catch another nap while they drove. Maya headed in the direction of the recreation cabins, hoping they could find something useful.
Preferably something that didn’t connect or incriminate Josh in this homicide.