Epilogue
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Leland walked into the sheriff’s department several days later, looking for Katie.
He’d seen her a couple times already. He didn’t really have an excuse this time as to why he wanted to see her, except for the fact that he could use a little bit of information.
He just didn’t want her to get in trouble for him being around.
As he walked in, she looked up and smiled.
“Hey,” he greeted her.
She got up and came around her desk to talk to him. “Hey, yourself. What’s going on in your world?”
He smiled. “Isn’t that my line?”
“No, I don’t think so,” she replied, grinning, “but you can bet that everybody here has been talking a lot about you guys.”
“And you?” he asked, teasing her.
“Nah, just you and the merry band of misfits you gathered.”
“I hope it’s all good.”
“Can’t say all of it is,” she quipped, with a smile. “Yet, so far, you’ve stayed out of trouble, so I haven’t had too many warnings in my direction.” When a frown formed on his face, she nodded. “You thought you were flying under the radar?”
“You tell me.”
“Of course your repeated presence has been noted,” she shared. “I’m a trained officer, and you may be doing your own thing, but there are always limits.”
“I don’t want to do anything to get you into trouble.”
“Good,” she stated, that smile still on her face. “So far, we’re doing well then.”
He snorted. “If you say so. It’s kind of a nutty mess going on right now.”
“It sure is. Apparently the FBI is involved, and that was news to me. They came in to talk to Tim today.” When he looked at her in surprise, she nodded. “I figured you knew all about it.”
“I don’t usually know all about anything,” he stated, shaking his head. “We’re just trying to keep people alive while chaos reigns around us.”
“Yeah, and I’m not against that at all,” she added, “but I have been warned.”
“I thought you said it’s not an issue.”
“May not be an issue, but, like I told you, it’s been noted.”
“I’m sorry,” he muttered.
She laughed. “That’s okay. I don’t want to get into trouble, but I also haven’t done anything wrong. So, if people have a problem with me, they need to speak up.”
“So, you’re being watched.”
“Yeah, I am,” she confirmed, with a wry look in his direction. “So, tell me why you’re here, and your visit will seem to be a little more formal and official.”
“And what if I just want to take you out for coffee?”
Her eyebrows shot up, and she nodded. “Then you better do it outside of work.”
“Good enough,” he noted. “How about a coffee break? Would that get you in trouble?”
“No, I don’t think so. I’m entitled to have a cup of coffee.” Then she frowned and looked around. “How about now?”
“Sure. You got time for it?”
“Sure, I was on duty early this morning.” Even at that, she yawned and groaned. “So, I’m due for a coffee break anyway.”
“Can you actually leave the station?”
She nodded. “I can. Again, not so sure what anybody is likely to say, but, at the moment, I’m not really too bothered.”
“So definitely problems?”
“Some,” she declared cheerfully. Then she motioned at the door behind him.
They walked out, and he was very aware of the searching gazes.
“I know,” she muttered, trying to ignore the curious eyes. “Lately it feels like every step I take is under constant watch.”
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “That’s a shitty way to live.”
“And work,” she clarified. “But I also know that you seem to be involved in something, and I don’t really understand what it is, but I would like to.” He stared at her for a long moment. She nodded, sighing. “You’re not going to tell me that, are you?”
“I can’t tell you very much.”
She groaned. “Can you at least tell me that what you’re doing is legal and legit and make me feel better about it?”
“It’s 100 percent legal and legit, and I am working now on behalf of a military security group, which is all aboveboard. Due to the involvement of people whom we all care about, they were asked to help out in this situation.”
“Military group?” she repeated.
He nodded. “They also help out in private cases. And, in this case, it’s about friends.”
“You’re talking about the case Anderson was working on. Who was it again?”
“Talia, his sister.”
She frowned. “I think that was Samuel’s case.”
“Yes, and Samuel Colt has been botching it since it started.”
She stiffened. “If you’re right, … and that’s a big if, then that’s bad news.”
“It is bad news,” he stated, as they walked side by side. “All kinds of people are involved, making the bad news worse.”
She nodded. “I hear you, and there’s definitely been some talk about it, but I’m not in on all the details.”
“Good. Hopefully the lack of talk will keep people safe.”
She nodded. “Not sure it’ll keep me safe though,” she muttered.
He turned to face her.
She shrugged. “I’m pretty sure I’ll be fired.”
“How long have you been here?”
“Five years now,” she stated. “I had four years in New York, and that was enough of that. So, I came out here, thinking a change of pace would be good. But maybe it’s too much of a change of pace, as they say. I’m finding problems where there weren’t any.”
“Ah, in other words, you’re finding crimes, and they don’t like the extra work.”
“Something like that,” she said, with a smile. “I’m not sure where it’ll end right now. I’m not worrying about it. If it’s time for a change, then it’s time for a change.”
“Maybe you should move up in this organization instead of down.”
She frowned at him. “Not too many places to move up to.”
“You could always be the next sheriff.”
“I could be,” she conceded and then laughed. “I would be good at it—”
“But the sheriff is crooked,” he stated immediately.
She shook her head. “I wasn’t going to say that.”
“No, but you know it to be true.”
She hesitated. “No, I don’t know it. Yet I’ve been a little suspicious about enough things for quite some time.”
“And that suspicion,” he pointed out, “is what’ll get you fired.”
“Maybe, but what does that mean? Am I supposed to just turn a blind eye?”
“No,” he declared, “absolutely not. But maybe it means something completely different. I don’t know what, particularly for you. I just want to ensure you stay safe in this world that’s gone pretty wild.”
“You think it’s connected to Talia?”
“Yep, I sure do. But I also don’t know if there aren’t some other connections that I haven’t seen yet.”
“There absolutely are,” she declared, with a wry look.
“Yeah, and that worries me. You need to stay safe. No one sees everything all the time.”
“We also need to go get coffee,” she reminded him. “Otherwise it seems I’m here having a private conversation, and that will look suspicious as hell as far as they’re concerned.”
“Let’s go.” As they crossed the street to the small café, he heard an engine roar.
Maybe it was instincts. Maybe just everything was so fired up right now. But he immediately grabbed her and pulled her out of the way, just as a vehicle careened past them at an absolutely mad speed, narrowly missing them before ripping down the street and out of sight.
He helped her back up to her feet, looked her over, and asked, “You okay?”
She looked a bit dazed but recovered quickly. “Yeah, I am fine.”
“So, will you take my advice now?”
She stared at the vehicle, then back at him, brushing off her clothing, even as somebody from the sheriff’s department raced out, calling to her.
“Katie, are you okay?”
She nodded at her fellow officer. “I’m fine, Steve. No worries.”
“Are you sure?”
She nodded, brushing down her pants.
“Did you see the driver?” Leland asked Katie as they stepped up onto the sidewalk.
Once there, she took a deep breath and nodded. “That was Joel.”
“Joel,” he repeated. “As in Joel … Colbert?”
“Yeah,” she confirmed. “As in Joel Colbert.” She looked at him and shook her head. “Roger Colbert’s son.”
His face tightened.
Steve edged closer and suggested to Katie, “Maybe you need to go inside and sit down.”
“I was going to buy her a cup of coffee,” Leland told Steve. “She probably just needs to chill for a minute.”
Steve muttered, “Yeah, you’re not kidding.”
Leland gently hooked his arm in hers and walked toward the café.
“I’ll head back to the office,” called out Steve. Facing Leland, he added, “I don’t know if that was intended for her or for you, but that kid is nothing to make light of.”
“No, neither is his father,” Leland responded to Steve. “In case you haven’t got the memo.”
He flushed. “The problem is, he’s got a lot of influence in this town. And the kid runs right up the same alley as his dad.”
“Good to know,” Leland said, “but what I really want to know if he’s also the one who ran his boots straight into a friend of mine.”
Steve stared at him and asked, “Who’s that?”
Katie answered, “Talia. … He’s asking about Talia.”