"I don't know," he finally replied. Because he didn't know for sure. He had pride but sitting around wasn't his style, either. "I'd love to tell Pete where to shove his sheriff's position, but then I think about the town and I know that I can do a good job. Hell, it's all I know how to do. It's what I am."
"It's not all you are."
Her words were spoken so softly he'd almost not heard.
"A man defines himself but what he does, honey, and how he takes care of the people he loves."
She'd been looking down but now her head came up, her gaze searching his face. For what? He wasn't sure.
"You're more than the sheriff of Springwood, Tanner Marks. And you take care of us just fine."
Snorting, he shook his head. "Letting you pay all the bills? I don't think so."
"Is that what this is about? Money? If the roles were switched–"
"But they're not," he interjected smoothly. "You knew I was an old-fashioned man when you married me."
"Stubborn, too," she muttered. "You make a mule look reasonable."
"You love me anyway."
Her smile widened and she stepped closer, placing her palms on his chest. The heat from her skin seared him through the thin cotton of his t-shirt and his stomach clenched. He loved this woman more than he could even begin to express.
"I do love you." Her hand slid up to his shoulder and she stood on her tiptoes to kiss him, but then her attention was quickly pulled away. Her brow was wrinkled and pinched together. "Is that Bibi?"
Turning around, Tanner watched Bibi and another man that he couldn't identify disappear into the back door of a condo building just down from their own.
It didn't look like Leo.
"Yes, that's Bibi."
"That wasn't Leo, was it?"
"It could have been Leo. I didn't get a good look."
"Neither did I, but he seemed too tall to be Leo. He kind of looked like...Randy."
"Maybe they're just visiting friends."
Even to his own ears the excuse sounded lame.
"You're right. That's probably what it was. Just a visit to friends."
It could be completely innocent. Or not. He didn't really care or want to get involved. In a week, he'd never see any of them ever again.
Tanner hadn't had a great feeling about the people they'd met tonight to begin with and this confirmed it. Not only was Maddie going to take Ashley's advice, Tanner was going to do it as well.
Give Leo Gordon - and all of his friends - a wide berth.
9
For the first time in months, Tanner didn't wake up before Maddie. When the rich aroma of coffee tickled his nostrils the next morning and he opened his eyes, his wife's side of the bed was empty.
He'd slept in.
A bit. It wasn't late, the sun barely up. But considering that he'd been awake before dawn every day for months this was a major victory. He didn't know how he'd won the battle but he could only hope that the war would be next.
Levering out of bed, he pulled on a pair of cargo shorts and a t-shirt and padded on bare feet out to the kitchen where Maddie had made a pot of coffee. She couldn't cook at all but she made a damn fine cup of coffee. He poured himself a mug, inhaling the delicious smell that was slowly waking him up.
Maddie had taken the newspaper out to the balcony to drink her coffee and was currently wearing an old pair of sweats, her feet propped up on a chair. The sun was rising slowly making a golden halo around her fiery hair, like a mixture of devil and angel.
He leaned down to give her a kiss good morning. "I don't suppose you'd share some of that newspaper with me? And where did you get it to begin with?"
"I got up early to see the sunrise and then remembered that the condo is facing west. Then I heard the thump of the delivery person against the door, and I peeked out and there was a newspaper on the mat." She pulled out a section and placed it on the table. "You can have sports. I'm keeping comics."
Settling into the chair opposite, Tanner stretched out his legs and took in the sunrise spread out before him. Maddie had been talking about doing this the entire trip here and she was right. It was a terrific way to start the day.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" she said with a sigh, sipping her coffee. "It's the same sky that we have at home but somehow it's just amazing."
"That's because we don't have to hurry and get to work right after we see it. We can sit here and enjoy it."
"You're so practical."
"You're so romantic."
Maddie liked to pretend that she was all efficient and practical, the professional physician, but as he'd grown to know her more deeply, he'd learned that she was quite fanciful at times. Watching her play dolls, unicorns, and princesses with their daughter never ceased to bring a lump to this throat. There were so many facets to her that he found fascinating.
But his Maddie wasn't having any of it. "I am not a romantic."
"You are. You definitely are. Just admit it."
She playfully stuck out her tongue. "I won't admit anything."
He waggled his brows. "I could make you admit it."
"Promises, promises."
"You ought to know by now, Maddie, that I'm a man that keeps my word."
His wife didn't have the opportunity to reply. A scream ripped through the air from down on the beach. Both he and Maddie flew to the railing and looked down. A woman and man walking their dog were bent over a prone figure on the sand, the water lapping at the still limbs of the person.
Something bad had happened last night.
Bibi Gordon was dead.
It appeared that she'd been strangled with her own scarf and left on the beach sometime during the night to be discovered when the sun came up. Tanner and Maddie, along with the couple that had found the body had waited until the police arrived, of course, but now a large crowd had gathered to see what the fuss was about.
At some point, someone must have alerted Leo because he was talking to one of the cops. Red-faced and crying, he kept shaking his head and asking who would do such a thing. As a former law enforcement officer, Tanner could have answered that question.
A hell of a lot of people, sadly. There were too many sick and twisted individuals in this world. A lot of good people too, but the bad apples made it difficult for everybody.
The officer finally finished with Leo and wanted to speak with Tanner and Maddie since they'd been on the scene almost from the beginning.
"I'm Sheriff Ken Smith," the man said, shaking their hands. He didn't look old enough to be a sheriff, maybe in his mid-thirties, but then Tanner remembered he'd been about that age when he'd taken over Springwood. This little beach town was even smaller. "Can I ask you folks a few questions?"
The sheriff had pulled them aside while the coroner was dealing with Bibi's body.
"First of all, can I get your names?"
Tanner placed his arm around Maddie's shoulders. "My name is Tanner Marks and this is my wife Dr. Madison Shay Marks. We're from Springwood, Montana and on vacation here. We're renting a condo in the same building as the Gordons."
He'd told more than their names but Tanner knew what questions were coming next, so he might as well get it all out there.
The sheriff wrote the information into a notebook, the pencil scratching on the paper. "Tanner Marks from– Wait, Tanner Marks? The Tanner Marks? The one who helped bring in Wade Bryson, the serial killer?"
Maddie stiffened next to him. He'd never get used to this. When he and his friends had put an end to Bryson's reign of death and destruction there had been a great deal of press coverage. Too much, in Tanner's opinion. All of them had received a shit load of notoriety and none of it was wanted. All he'd been doing was helping a friend. That was it. He didn't do it for the glory or to get his name in the papers and magazines. He'd been there for Logan. They'd succeeded. Now everyone knew his damn name.
"Yes," Maddie replied softly. "My husband helped stop Wade Bryson."
She'd told him she was proud of him.
She'd told him that before he'd even left to do the job and then again when he'd come back alive. She'd never once complained about the dangerous situations his job put him in, nor had she complained when he'd gone to help Logan. She could have, but that wasn't her style.
Sheriff Ken Smith's eyes were wide and his mouth had fallen open in surprise. Eventually he pulled himself together and a huge grin spread across his face.
"Holy cow, Tanner Marks. In my little town. Wow, I never thought I'd meet someone like you. You and your friends are amazing. I'd love to hear some stories–"
"Did you have more questions for us?" Tanner cut in. He didn't want to tell any stories of glory and fame.
The sheriff cleared his throat and nodded. "Ah yes, I do. Uh...so you found the body along with the other couple?"
"Technically, they found the body. We were sitting on our balcony having coffee and we heard one of them scream. We looked over the railing and saw someone lying on the sand. We went downstairs to see if we could help–"
"Because you're a trained first responder," Smith interjected helpfully. "That makes sense."
That hadn't even crossed Tanner's mind when he'd run downstairs. It had simply been an instinct.
"We found Bibi with a scarf wrapped around her neck and she was clearly dead."
It hadn't been a pretty sight, either. Luckily, Maddie was a doctor and had a cast iron stomach.
"Did you see anyone around? Anyone suspicious?"
Huh?
"The beach was pretty much deserted."
This wasn't his murder to worry about.
He should just leave it alone.
But this guy was in over his head.
"I doubt the murderer would stick around," Tanner said. "I think she'd been dead for awhile."
Smith frowned. "What makes you say that?"
"Because she was already in rigor. That sets in anywhere between three and six hours after death, so the killer was probably long gone before she was discovered."
"Right. That's right." Smith nodded, scratching more down in his notebook. "Three to six hours. Right."
Dammit.
"Son, is this your first murder case?"
Tanner kept his voice down so that no one else could hear but the three of them.
Smith's gaze darted left and then right and then back to Tanner. "Uh, yes. Does it show? I've been on the job for less than a year and apparently the last murder around here was five years ago."
It showed.
"Less than a year?" Tanner queried. "How long were you a deputy?"
The sheriff shook his head. "The job is an elected position. I got laid off from my computer programming job and thought I'd give it a shot. I’ve always liked to read about crime and serial killers. I won by thirty votes."
Holy shit.
"You've never been to the academy or studied law enforcement?"
Smith scratched his chin. "I read the manual. Honestly, until today this was the easiest job I've ever had. Nothing ever happens here."
Until it does. Then the citizens were up shit creek without the proverbial paddle. Whoever the killer was, he wasn't stupid. He had to know that the local police were inexperienced and the chances were slim that he'd be caught.
Ken Smith was smiling again. "Wait...why don't you help? You're like...one of the greatest sheriffs ever, right? You can teach me."
No. No...just...no.
Tanner couldn't think of anything he wanted to do less. A root canal? Major surgery? Those would be higher on the list than trying to train some IT guy on how to be a cop. He'd done it in the past and he'd more than satisfied the karma gods.
Maddie's own eyes had gone wide and she looked horrified at the thought that he might say yes. He'd find a nice way to tell this young sheriff that he wasn't giving up his second honeymoon to chase a killer.
"About that...I'm really sorry but I'm no longer in law enforcement. I guess you could say that I'm retired. My wife and I are here on vacation as well. I'm sure you'll do fine." Tanner glanced over his shoulder to the condo buildings behind him. He could at least head the man in the right direction. "The first thing I'd do is check for security cameras. One might have captured footage of the crime or persons of interest. Maybe a witness or two. Then make up a chart of the crime scene, showing where everyone was at the time of death. You'll need the medical examiner to tell you that. I don't suppose you have any forensics in this town?"
Smith's smile fell and he shook his head. "For a crime scene, I think I'm supposed to call the county or state, but I'm not sure."
"Call one of them. They'll for sure tell you if they're not who is supposed to help. But get one of them here and in the meantime get your deputies to secure the crime scene until they can arrive. Depending on how busy they are, it could be several hours."
Wincing, Smith rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah...there's only three of us and Deke is on vacation. I'm supposed to have a fourth position but no one has applied for the job because it doesn't pay very much."
Shit.
"Let me guess," Tanner replied grimly. "Budget cuts?"
Smith nodded. "I suppose I could get Deke out of bed. He's got a few days off but I don't think he went anywhere."
"Get him in uniform and get him out here," Tanner growled. "It's all hands on deck when there's been a murder. You can always call in the county or state if your team can't handle it. In fact, that might be the best thing you could do."
"Then I won't get elected again," Tanner heard Ken Smith mutter under his breath.
That might be for the best.
Tanner gave the novice lawman a hard look. "Someone was killed here last night. Someone is dead, Sheriff. That trumps your election or your deputy’s vacation. In fact, it trumps it all - sleep, food, fun. A human being was murdered and it's your responsibility to find out who did it. This isn't a movie or video game. This is real life and this poor woman is depending on you for justice."
Sheriff Ken Smith's skin had turned a peculiar shade of green and he looked like he wanted to puke.
"I don't know if I can do this."
"I said the same thing on my first murder case."
Tanner had been that nervous but, dammit, at least he'd had training.
"And you caught the guy?" Smith sounded hopeful again, like maybe all of this was going to be okay. "You solved it, right?"
It was so long ago Tanner barely remembered. It was vague but it was there.
"I did. Two friends got in an argument. One ended up dead. I talked to the friend and he eventually confessed after awhile. It was a long time ago."
"Someone might confess."
"They could. I wouldn't count on it, though."
"But it's possible?"
"Yes, anything is possible. But not probable."
"It would be great if someone would confess."
From the looks of the crowd gathered, it didn't look to Tanner that anyone was anxious to do that. Sighing, he shot his wife a look of apology.
"Listen, if you need any advice that would be okay. I'm staying in that building there in 4A. We'll be in and out but you can always leave me a note or something."
Ken Smith grinned from ear to ear. "That would be awesome. Just great. Thanks, man. I really appreciate it. I really, really do."
Christ, now Tanner felt terrible about not helping even more.
"I also need to tell you that my wife and I were out for a walk last night on the beach and we saw Bibi going into that gray building down the way with a man. From where we were standing, we couldn't see who it was but it didn't look like her husband."
Smith rapidly scratched down the information. "Wow, okay. That's good. You don't know who it was?"
Maddie shook her head. "It was too dark. But he was tall. Bibi only came up to his shoulder."
Tanner nodded in agreement. "He was wearing light-colored pants and a dark t-shirt. It looked like he maybe had light brown hair but once again it was hard to see in the dark. That's why you need to get the sur
veillance footage. One of those security cameras might have got a better look at him. You want talk to whoever he is as soon as possible."
"Right. Got it. Thanks. I guess I better call Deke."
The sheriff ambled off, phone to his ear, the lone deputy on his heels. What a clusterfuck.
"That was nice of you."
Maddie didn't sound mad but then she rarely lost her temper, despite being a true redhead. She'd always defied the stereotype of a redhead with a nasty temper. She was usually quite laid back.
"Are you mad? I don't want to ruin our vacation but dammit, he isn't–"
"It's fine," she assured him. "You're right. That poor man is in over his head and Bibi deserves justice. You helping him might be her only hope."
"I'm not helping him," Tanner denied. "I'm just...advising. Hell, it's not even consulting. He ought to just call in the state police. They'd probably be happy to take over the investigation. He can learn from them."
Her head tilted to the side, her gaze steady on him. "Usually you'd be all over a case like this."
"Usually it would be my responsibility. It's not. Plus, we're here on vacation. This is supposed to be our second honeymoon. Are you getting tired of me already? It's only been two days," he joked.
"Not in the least, but if you want to do this, I wouldn't stop you."
Did he want to do this? The instinctual part of him was raring to go. It was a case and he wanted to be all on top of it.
But this wasn't Springwood and he wasn't the sheriff here. It wasn't his to solve.
I'm not a sheriff anymore.
But there was another part of him that didn't want to go backwards. In some ways in the last few weeks he'd crossed over inside. Law enforcement was good but he'd been saying over and over for years that he was getting too damn old. He loved helping people but there had to be another way besides getting the crap beat out of him as sheriff of a small town. He just didn't know what "it" was.
"I'm fine in a consulting capacity. I think if we point the sheriff in the right direction he'll do okay."
Maddie didn't look convinced. "If you think so..."
"He'll be fine. How difficult could it be? This town is so small there's probably less than half a dozen real, honest to god suspects."
Bitter Justice (Cowboy Justice Association Book 12) Page 7