“They bag and tag whatever they like and take hundreds of photos.”
“As they’re trained to do,” Troy interjected.
Bowe’s lip curled. “And then I must use my education and experience to sort it into something viable for a case. Give me better field investigators and you’d get better results.”
Her jaw nearly cramped, but she clung to her fraying patience. “I don’t believe the discrepancy originated at the scene,” Melissa stated baldly.
Bowe puffed up his chest. “Are you suggesting I made a mistake?”
“Surely everyone makes one now and again,” Troy observed.
“Not in my lab.” His arrogance was appalling. “I take my duty seriously and I am thorough, focused and meticulous about it.”
“You’re implying any discrepancy happened at the scene,” Troy said.
“No. I’m stating it outright,” Bowe snapped. “Whether or not you believe it, your precious cousin is a weak link in this department. I could list ten mistakes she’s made in the last month that could’ve been disastrous for your cases.” His glare raked across both of them. “This particular police department would benefit from less nepotism and more expertise.”
Melissa bit back a retort and Troy tensed up beside her. It seemed there was one thing Ian and Bowe agreed on. Clearly, she needed to do a better job rooting out that misplaced resentment. She would add it to her task list once they had answers for the Emerson case.
“The explanation is simple, Chief,” he sneered as he used her title. “As you know, not all fibers are visible to the naked eye, which is why my role in the process is imperative.”
She’d had enough lectures for one day. “I understand your role,” she said through gritted teeth. “It’s past time you understood my role as the chief of this department. A woman went to extremes to get our attention. Please review and process the evidence again and get me a new report as soon as possible.”
Bowe sputtered. “That’s preposterous! I can’t—”
“Noted,” she barked, cutting him off. “The state is sending someone to handle it. You will show whomever arrives the utmost professional courtesy.”
“You cannot do this,” Bowe said with startling conviction.
She stared him down. “I can. In this case, with a woman on trial for murder, it seems the prudent move.”
“You’re afraid of those sign-toting fools on the street.” He snorted. “Of all the Coltons in this department, I thought you had guts.”
Troy whistled low and long, but Melissa refused to sink to Bowe’s level. “Mr. Bowe, for the sake of department unity, I’ll blame your poor attitude on the Monday blues. I expect your cooperation and compliance on this matter moving forward. Be a leader in your department, Mr. Bowe, before I’m forced to conduct a job search for your replacement.”
She walked out, giving him no time to anger her further.
“If he didn’t like you before, he hates you now,” Troy murmured when they were in the stairwell.
“Us, as Coltons,” she amended. “He can pull himself together or get out, though.”
“You think he’s at fault?”
“My opinion isn’t the point. We need to be sure,” she replied with brutal honesty. She pulled open the door to the main floor, letting Troy go in first. “I need to be able to trust our team,” she added fiercely. “Even when their personalities annoy me. This is all about getting justice for victims—not ego.”
If she’d been forced to point a finger at who made the error, she’d choose Bowe, but only because she was mad right now. She’d had a similar reaction, if far less intense, when Ian had made his insinuations against Jillian. She would need more information before drawing further conclusions.
What was happening in her department? A week ago, she would’ve said her family included everyone on the force, not just those named Colton. She remembered feeling part of something bigger from her first day as a rookie. There had been so much to learn and so many good, trustworthy people to guide her.
Now, she was chief of police and her unspoken goal was to honor that legacy, to build on that foundation. Everyone tied to her department was her responsibility, even the few who regularly got under her skin like a road rash.
What a nightmare. As the chief it all flowed back to her. Any problems within the department ultimately rested on her shoulders. It was hard to convince anyone, even herself, of the good work they did day in and day out when she didn’t have any real answers for this dreadful situation.
She signaled Troy to follow her to her office. By the time she’d closed the door her mind was made up. “I’ll call the state lab for another forensic scientist to examine our evidence,” she said. “I need you to quietly dig into the Emerson investigation. Revisit witness statements. Go see Everleigh at the county prison if you need to. Be fast and accurate. Parks only guaranteed us today. Sift through every detail we have on the deceased. You saw McPherson. Whatever we find will likely affect the kidnapping case, too.”
Troy shook his head. “She didn’t waver, not once, about taking Danny. She was remorseful about causing the family grief, but she did not back down about why it was necessary.”
“That’s what scares me,” Melissa admitted. “Get moving. We both have work to do.”
Alone in her office, she draped her coat over the back of her chair, but she was too restless to sit down as she made her phone call. They needed the truth, even if it made things worse. She thought about the protestors on the street and the media milling out front, not wanting to miss another update.
Hannah McPherson had kicked over a hornet’s nest and Melissa had no idea how she was going to guide her department through the stinging fury.
With the Emerson case in Troy’s hands, she returned to the cold case she wasn’t ready to hand off: Paxton.
The woman’s family deserved answers. Justice. Melissa understood how it felt when those things never came around. A memorial service might offer closure, but peace was elusive when a killer was still out there somewhere, alive and free.
Thinking about the Paxton case inevitably led her mind to Antonio. It would’ve been nice to enjoy a simple, brief daydream about the man. She knew he’d keep pressing her for answers and she really shouldn’t be looking forward to those exchanges on a personal level. Yes, he made her pulse race and stirred up more than a few fantasies.
But he should have answers, too, and she harbored plenty of guilt and worry that mistakes—or worse—made in her department last summer were coming back to plague him now.
* * *
Start-of-the-week meetings, calls and emails kept Antonio engaged through Monday morning, but his mind never wandered far from Melissa. Was she getting anywhere on the Emerson issues that led to the kidnapping? Selfish or not, he had to hope the case was resolved quickly so she could shift gears and focus on how Orr slipped through the cracks.
The anonymous text messages prior to the break-in and fire were still on his phone. Clearly Orr wasn’t worried about being caught. Was it simply because Orr didn’t care if the police found him? Not the latter. Antonio crossed that off his list. Orr’s intention to stay out of prison was the only thing that made sense.
He found himself starting at the “or else” message. There was no way Melissa would drop this, especially not after the drive-by and the fire. She was in serious danger just because she was good at her job. He had to find a way to protect her.
Suddenly, his cell phone rang. The caller identification showed the number had been blocked and the icons on the screen suggested spam. Antonio answered, anyway.
“I told you to back her off.” Orr’s voice, low and tight.
His grip tightened on the device as adrenaline pulsed through his veins. What new threats would Orr toss out today?
“Hello, Drew.” Antonio leaned back in his chair, grateful he’d install
ed the feature that allowed him to record incoming calls. “I’ll say it again, turn yourself in. The cops have you dead to rights for the shooting and the break-in at my place.”
“Spreading more lies about me. My attorneys will bury you in slander and libel lawsuits.”
“Whatever firm is foolish enough to take you on will cut you loose before that happens,” Antonio told him. “I gave the police a positive ID about the shooting.”
“That won’t hold up.”
“Take some advice from an old pal,” Antonio said. “Breaking and entering isn’t your strong suit, either. My security system caught enough that night for facial recognition.” He hoped this lie provoked Orr into a mistake.
“My friends in Grave Gulch told me you’ve been dragging my name through the mud. I’ve been in Texas for weeks. Michigan is too damn cold in the winter. Whatever you want, I’m not afraid to tell everyone how you backed out of our deal, Ruiz. You broke the promises.”
Antonio wasn’t buying in to any of this. All he’d done was turn down a business opportunity, and he knew Orr must be in Grave Gulch, looking for revenge or trying to save his skin. Likely both. “I changed my mind before anything was inked,” Antonio clarified. “I did nothing illegal. You, on the other hand—turn yourself in. If the cops have to come looking for you, it won’t go well.”
“You first. Tell the truth,” Orr said in a mean hiss. “Go on and tell your pretty cop friend what you did with my girl.”
“Nothing.” That was a line Antonio had never crossed. He didn’t mix business with pleasure and breaking up relationships wasn’t his thing. “You and Wendy had issues that didn’t require interference from anyone else.”
“Shut up. You have no right to speak her name after what you did.”
Finally, Antonio understood the real motive for the call. Orr assumed that Antonio would be reporting this call or possibly even have the police listening in after the fire. He’d tried to pin Wendy’s murder on Antonio before and here was the next attempt.
“Are you done?” he asked as if he didn’t care. As if he wasn’t the least bit sickened by Orr.
Shady, reputation-wrecking business deals were more than enough cause to part ways. When they’d met, he’d never imagined this affable, charismatic man was capable of taking the life of someone he’d claimed to love.
“Don’t worry. You’ll know when I’m done.”
The call ended and Antonio shut off the recording app with a quaking finger. It would be nice to blame the unsteadiness solely on his anger, but it was fear, too. The sunlight pouring in the window felt all wrong, completely at odds with the dark tone of the call.
He had to take this to Melissa—whether or not she could use it, she needed to hear Orr’s threats for herself.
Maybe then she’d take her safety more seriously. He started for his coat and keys and paused. Orr had urged him to “go” and tell Melissa about the call, implying Antonio and Melissa would be in the same physical space sometime soon. If he invited Melissa to the hotel, it was basically the same thing, with one primary street between the two locations.
All Orr had to do was wait on that route and the police chief would be easy pickings.
He sat down again, forcing himself to think and anticipate what Orr might do. Taking a deep breath, he reached for the phone on his desk, giving a start when it rang under his hand.
“Ruiz,” he barked.
“Hello to you, too,” Melissa said. “I’m heading your way—”
“No!” he shouted, leaping out of his chair. “Sorry. How close are you?”
“What’s going on?”
“Turn around,” he pleaded. “Wherever you are, turn around and go back to your office.”
“I actually haven’t left the office yet.” Her voice shifted so that she sounded like the consummate professional she was. “What’s the problem?”
“Good. Stay inside. Close your blinds,” he said. “Please.”
An image of the drive-by shooting flashed through his mind only this time it ended with her lifeless on the sidewalk, not checking him for injuries. He couldn’t bear a loss that heavy. It terrified him to care this much.
“Give me a reason why.”
He caught his breath and pulled the chair back so he could sit down again. He was jittery from head to toe. “Drew Orr just called. Making threats. I recorded the conversation. I’m not sure which one of us he wants to kill more.”
“We can sort it out,” she said, her voice cool. “I’ll come over.”
“No. That’s just what he wants—another chance to hurt you. I was going to come to you.”
“All right. I’ll wait.”
“Don’t do that, either.” He scrubbed at his face, aggravated with his indecisiveness. “I think Orr has set a trap for me. Us.”
“Mr. Ruiz—” she began.
Her suddenly formal tone was so absurd he started laughing, though it felt bitter. “Stop it.” He took another deep breath. “I’m not paranoid, but he is pushing me in that direction,” Antonio allowed. “When you hear the call, you’ll understand.”
“And when will I hear the call if you won’t let me come to you?”
“I can send the audio file as an email attachment,” he decided as clearer thinking prevailed. “And you should know I’ve got my security firm researching Orr’s whereabouts over the last six months. On the call he claims he’s in Texas, but I’m sure that’s another lie. I’ll share whatever they find with you.”
“Great.” She didn’t sound too happy. “My department is working the drive-by shooting,” she replied evenly.
“And doing a great job, I’m sure. I mean that sincerely,” he added, regretting that the clarification was necessary.
“Thank you,” she said softly. “I’ll keep you in the loop as we make progress.”
“You haven’t reopened the Paxton case, have you?”
“Not officially. I’ve spent most of the past twenty-four hours reviewing it, though.”
Was that the only reason she sounded tired? “You said it would take a back seat to the Emerson situation?”
She sighed. “This would be a better conversation to have in person.”
Not if it meant Orr getting a clear shot at her. Another wave of panic threatened to swamp him. With the hotel situated as it was on the lake, there was one primary drive in and out. Of course, there were access roads for service and deliveries to the property, but Orr could park himself at the main intersection and wait for one or both of them to roll on by.
“Is there a way for you to ride over with someone else?” Once he had her here, they could discuss all of the details and then he could convince her to move into the safe suite.
“Let’s start with the easy pieces,” she said. “Send me the audio file. Once I listen to it, I’ll be in touch about the next steps.”
“Just stay alert.” He tucked the handset between his shoulder and ear so he could send the file from his cell phone. “He isn’t going away.”
“You be careful, too.”
“I’m taking precautions. His picture has been circulated to all the staff.” Melissa should be here, behind the layers of expert protection he’d implemented. “There, the file’s sent.”
Over the phone he heard a faint ping. “Got it. I’ll call when I can.”
“Melissa—”
But she’d hung up and the disappointment was sharp and uncomfortable. What was his problem? After losing Karen, he hadn’t allowed himself to get this involved, to get close enough to be consumed about anyone’s welfare. General kindness and compassion were fine, but this swirling thing growing inside him for Melissa specifically… No. He had to find a way to stop it.
His days of sheltering someone precious were gone. He’d buried all of those tendencies with her and the child she’d carried. Independence was what life h
ad decreed for him. Frequent, lighthearted dates were the ideal situation and he could dote on his nieces and nephews. All the fun, and no real risk of deep heartache.
By rights, Melissa should’ve stayed on the periphery of his life. She epitomized independence. Just being the chief of police, despite the pitfalls and potholes that must have riddled her path to the office, illustrated her ability to watch out for herself. She wasn’t his business, yet he couldn’t get her out of his mind. Couldn’t stop feeling some responsibility for putting her in danger.
He checked his watch, then his cell phone. He’d sent the email almost five minutes ago. The conversation with Orr hadn’t lasted even that long, had it? Maybe the file hadn’t gone through or the recording was garbled.
He started to dial the station’s phone number and stopped himself. If he’d learned anything the night of Danny’s kidnapping, it was that Melissa was thorough. And while he viewed police work as reactive, once she got over the initial shock, she’d never been rash or in a hurry during their search, though they’d been searching for her defenseless nephew. He had to give her time.
Antonio went to brew himself a cup of coffee and realized it would only make him more restless and impatient. He poured a tall glass of water instead, then strolled to the window, determined to be calm. He’d done everything he could do to protect his property. Though he’d tried to protect Melissa, he had to trust her to protect herself and the town.
His office, on the second floor, offered good sightlines down the main tree-lined drive. This time of year, with the limbs bare, he could see most of the intersection. Was Orr out there somewhere lying in wait?
A dumb question. He had to be. He’d all but told Antonio he would strike again soon.
He glanced back at his desk. What was taking her so long with the audio? He really should be there to explain some of Orr’s comments, give her the whole story about Drew and Wendy.
He realized, belatedly, just how successful Orr had been with his phone call. Antonio’s focus was gone, derailing the tasks on his agenda. Plus, the entire mess dredged up his old frustrations and doubts of his dealings with Orr. Not a good place for a man who made decisions involving millions of dollars at a time. If Antonio let worry and fear edge out common sense, Orr had the upper hand. He couldn’t live that way. Wouldn’t.
Harlequin Romantic Suspense January 2021 Page 36