Chapter Five
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Laney stared at the phone screen that Harlan held out to her to see, and the name there punched through her like a fist.
Billy Maddox.
Her breath caught, the shock giving way to a wave of raw disgust that curled tight in her stomach. That lowlife had been here. In her home. In Evie’s bedroom. He had touched her daughter’s things and had taken her hair clip.
Her hands clenched into fists before she even realized it, nails biting into her palms. Heat surged up her neck.
“That son of a bitch,” she muttered, her voice rough with the tangle of emotions.
Anger swelled fast, hot and sharp, and she wanted to storm out right now, find Billy, and make him regret every breath he’d taken since he’d stepped foot on her property.
“Why would Billy be that careless?” Harlan asked, his voice cutting through her thoughts.
Laney blinked, the question slowing the rush of fury just long enough for his words to sink in.
“The hair clip was right there for us to find,” he went on. “In fact, I’d say the plan was for us to find it by having that hoodie-wearing figure lead us in that very direction. So why put it in plain sight and leave his DNA on it?”
Her stomach knotted tighter, the anger still burning but now whirled with something colder. If Billy had wanted them to know he was here… then he was playing a game. Of course, there was another possibility.
Laney turned to look at Harlan. “You think someone’s setting Billy up?”
Harlan gave a small shrug, his eyes steady on hers. “It’s something we have to consider.”
She drew in a breath, working to throttle back the anger that was still running hot in her veins. Letting his words sink in, accepting them as a possibility, wasn’t easy, but he was right. If this were a setup, they couldn’t afford to miss it. Still, that didn’t change one thing.
“He’ll have to be questioned,” she insisted.
Pulling out her phone, she typed a quick message to Sheriff Clay Barnes, laying out the lab results of Billy’s DNA on the hair clip. The sheriff’s reply came fast. Barnes would bring Billy in for questioning first thing in the morning.
Good.
That was a start. Maybe Billy would either make a confession or give them info to let them know who the heck was doing this. Because if he were truly being set up, then he might have an inkling of who was doing that. And why.
Harlan’s phone pinged, sharp in the quiet, and he glanced down at the screen. “We have a visitor,” he said.
Laney’s heart jumped right back into overdrive, not with anger this time but with concern. She was already reaching for her sidearm, and Harlan mirrored her, his gun in hand. They stepped into the hall, her voice carrying just enough to reach her mother without spooking Evie.
“Keep Evie in the bathroom for a while, Mom,” she called out.
She and Harlan moved together down the stairs, boots thudding lightly against the wood. Halfway down, Harlan’s phone pinged again. He checked the screen and angled it toward her.
It was footage from the security feed, and it showed a vehicle approaching. A white Honda that she instantly recognized.
Laney’s pulse eased a fraction. “That car belongs to my neighbor, Sherry Dalton,” she said, lowering her weapon but not holstering it just yet. “She used to be a cop. And she was David’s partner. She’s probably heard about the bomb and maybe the lab results.”
Laney moved with Harlan to the front door, her holster settling back against her hip as she slid her gun into it. Beside her, Harlan kept his weapon low at his side, his eyes scanning the porch and yard through the window.
“I don’t want to risk anyone sneaking in directly behind your neighbor,” he muttered.
The words sent a prickle of alarm down her spine.
Yes. She could see Billy doing something exactly like that.
He could be watching the house, and with the sensors already tripped, he might see this as his chance to make a move.
A move for what exactly she didn’t know, but she didn’t want to take any risks with Evie in the house.
She tightened her grip on the doorknob and eased it open. Cool late-October air drifted in, smelling faintly of dry leaves and woodsmoke. Only a week from Halloween, and Sherry Dalton stood on the porch with a small, round pumpkin cradled in her arms.
Like Laney, Harlan, and David, Sherry was in her late thirties.
She had the lean, wiry build of someone who stayed active, with sharp blue eyes that missed little and a jaw that hinted at stubbornness.
Her sandy hair was pulled back in a no-nonsense ponytail, but the fine lines at the corners of her eyes spoke of long shifts, hard calls, and the kind of wear that lingered even after she’d resigned as a full time cop four years ago, not long after David’s death.
Sherry was still a reserve deputy though and was called in during emergencies and such.
“Picked the pumpkin from my garden,” Sherry greeted, not exactly smiling. In fact, she was chewing on her bottom lip. “For Evie, in case she wants to make a jack-o-lantern.”
“Thanks,” Laney replied, taking the pumpkin from her. She set it just inside the door, her free hand resting lightly on it for a moment before she stepped back.
She motioned for Sherry to come in, but the woman stayed put. Her gaze swept over the yard and the quiet stretch of road beyond. Nothing moved out there, yet Sherry’s quick, tight movements carried a nervous edge. Laney caught it and felt her own unease stir.
Laney dropped back another step, once again a silent offer for Sherry to come up. This time, the woman did, and Laney motioned toward the living room. But Sherry stayed planted in the foyer.
“I won’t stay long,” Sherry said, her voice low. Her gaze flicked to Harlan. “You might not remember me.”
“I do,” Harlan said without hesitation. “You were David’s partner. We met at a barbecue here at the ranch.”
Sherry gave a small nod but didn’t relax. She shifted her weight, one hand slipping into the pocket of her jeans. When it came back out, she was holding a folded note sealed inside a plastic zipper bag.
“I found this under my windshield wiper when I left the grocery store about a half hour ago,” she said.
Laney took it, and Harlan leaned close so they could read it together. The message was scrawled in blocky black ink, and they could read it through the plastic.
Ask too many questions and you’ll join David.
Sherry’s mouth tightened. “I’ve been asking questions since I heard about the bomb left in the culvert this morning. I’m telling you, Curtis Brannigan is behind it. He made similar threats back when David and I were investigating his blasting operation.”
Laney frowned. She remembered the investigation into Brannigan well enough, but she couldn’t recall any direct threats like that. Her gaze slid to Harlan. His expression was unreadable, his jaw set and eyes giving nothing away.
Was that because he didn’t believe Brannigan was involved? Or maybe he was thinking the same thing she was—that Billy might have left this note. Or that someone was using it to try to set Brannigan or Billy up.
Sherry tucked the note back into her jacket pocket. “I’ll take this to the sheriff,” she said, her voice firm, “but I wanted you to see it first.” Her gaze softened just a fraction. “Be careful, Laney.”
Then her eyes shifted to Harlan, lingering on him for a moment. Something in her expression said she’d just put two and two together, that his presence here was not a coincidence.
“Guess you’re already taking precautions,” Sherry added under her breath.
Laney didn’t answer, and neither did Harlan.
Sherry gave a short nod. “Goodnight. Make sure Evie gets the pumpkin.” She stepped out onto the porch, moving quickly to her car.
Laney closed the door and slid the deadbolt into place. Harlan locked the knob, then checked the window beside it before following her back into the house.
He pulled his phone from his pocket and tapped the screen, the glow lighting his face as he watched Sherry’s taillights fade down the road. He kept his attention on her until she reached the turn at the end, and then he glanced at Laney.
“You trust her?” he wanted to know.
Laney frowned. “Why do you ask?”
He hesitated, his thumb still hovering over the phone. “Her story feels… rehearsed. I’m wondering if her visit was a warning or a distraction.” His eyes stayed on hers. “Could she have had a grudge or a hidden reason to want David dead?”
The question hit like a small, cold drop of water down her spine. She searched his face, weighing the possibility, but her gut twisted in protest.
“I’m not sure,” she said after a moment. “But I trust your instincts.” She rubbed her palms against her jeans, uneasy. “I’ll admit I might have a blind spot when it comes to Sherry. She was completely devoted to David. He always said she was a stellar cop.”
Harlan didn’t look convinced, and that unsettled her even more. Yes, she was going to trust Harlan’s instincts. He wasn’t exactly objective since David had been his best friend, but Laney knew there was no way she could see anything related to the investigation with clear eyes.
Once Sherry’s taillights vanished beyond the bend and the night swallowed up the sound of her engine, Harlan moved away from the door, and they started making their way back upstairs.
They were in the hall outside her office when Laney’s phone buzzed. She checked the screen and saw a message from Sheriff Barnes that she immediately showed to Harlan.
Billy will be coming in for questioning at nine in the morning.
She typed back a quick Thanks. We’ll be there before slipping the phone into her pocket.
“Are there any notes about Sherry in David’s file?” Harlan asked.
“Yes,” Laney said, and almost instantly, something from one of those notes tugged at her memory. She opened her mouth to tell him, but the creak of a nearby door cut her off.
Carol peeked out from her bedroom, the worry still etched in the lines around her eyes. “Is it okay for us to come out?” she asked.
“Yes,” Laney said.
Carol stepped into the hall, and Evie darted past her.
Her daughter was wearing pink pajamas patterned with moons and stars, and she launched herself at Laney with all the energy of a child who had not been part of the tense conversation just minutes before.
Then Evie turned to Harlan, and she grinned wide.
Evie latched onto Harlan’s arm as if she had been waiting all day for this moment.
“Come on, Uncle Harley, I have to show you my camping room,” she said, tugging him toward the stairs.
Her little voice bounced with excitement.
“There’s a tent and everything. Grandma even let me bring her flashlight. ”
They all followed Evie, but Carol leaned in and whispered, “The room next to hers and the one across from it are both made up if you two want to stay upstairs,” she whispered.
“I’m sleeping in Evie’s room,” Laney said without hesitation.
“I will as well,” Harlan insisted as they reached the top of the stairs. “I’ve got a go-bag and sleeping bag in my truck. Laney can take the bed.”
Evie heard that because spun around, her eyes wide. “Both of you? In my tent room?”
“Both of us,” Laney confirmed with a smile.
That sent Evie bouncing off to her room, already talking about how there would be cookies for breakfast and stories before bed.
Laney kissed the top of her daughter’s head. “Go ahead and get in your tent,” she murmured to Evie. “We’ll be there soon.”
“I’ll stay with her until then,” Carol said, and then added in a whisper, “Take your time. I know you’re investigating what happened.”
Laney thanked her and walked beside Harlan toward her office, her mind already shifting back to the thought that had been nagging her since he asked about Sherry earlier.
“There is something in the files,” she admitted. “It was in the little notebook David always carried when he was on the job.”
She went to the box on her desk and dug through the folders until she found it. The leather cover was worn smooth from use, the edges soft from years in his pocket. She opened it, flipping to a page marked with a bright yellow sticky tab.
The paper inside was otherwise blank, except for two words written in David’s hand.
Sherry. Payment?
Harlan’s gaze lingered on the page for several moments. “Did you ever mention this to Sherry?”
“Yes,” Laney said, sitting and leaning back in her chair.
“I told her about it after I found it, not long after David’s death.
She said it was nothing. That she and David had stopped at the diner for lunch and they both forgot their wallets.
She told him she’d swing back later and pay the bill, and I guess he made a note of it so he wouldn’t forget. ”
Her voice trailed off. Saying it now, it sounded even less believable than it had before, like a story that didn’t quite fit. She stared at the page again, at the simple scrawl of Sherry’s name and the word beside it, and felt that faint knot of unease twist in her stomach.
Harlan seemed to be thinking the same thing. “Why would he write something like that in a notebook that he used for police work?”
The question landed heavily, because she had no good answer.
Oh, God.
Did David’s former partner have something to hide? And if so, was that the reason they’d all just been slammed into a nightmare?
Laney had no idea. But she knew one thing. She and Harlan would be paying Sherry a visit.
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