Page 116 of The Darkest Chase

That’s food for fucking thought, all right. A lot to chew on.

Just what did poor Brian Newcomb see that he wasn’t supposed to?

Why would she kill him?

I swing my chair to look at Grant.

“Let me take this,” I say. “I know the hills around here pretty well. I can get in and out without being noticed. I’ll keep you guys posted if I find anything new.”

With a dubious grunt, Grant rubs the silver-shot brown scruff of his beard. “You always work alone. Dunno if this is a one-man job.”

“It is for now, Captain. We need stealth, not force.” And I need them out of my hair. One wrong move, and they could undo everything I’ve been working for when I feel like I’m on the verge of something big. “The second I need backup, I’ll loop you right in.”

“Gonna hold you to it.” Grant eyes me like he knows damned well I’ll probably try to manage everything on my own anyway.

He’s right.

But we don’t need to say it out loud.

I flash him that quick, practiced smile. “Okay. I’ll head out and have another look at the crime scene. My witness notes are in the system if you want to check them out. The girlfriend’s staying a few days in case we need her. Her sister should be coming in to be with her.”

“Got it,” Grant says and trudges back to his desk, letting Rolf sniff his hand in passing.

I take another minute to enter more notes.

I’m a little on edge, and I feel like I’m racing not just against the impending storm, but something else.

Something big and mean and unnamed, looming on the horizon.

Maybe I’m imagining things.

Making connections that aren’t there because I need to believe all these years of work, of patience, of lying in wait will actually pay off.

But I can’t shake this feeling that something big is coming.

And when it breaks, it could take Redhaven down with it.

I finish up my notes and stand, summoning Rolf with a click of my tongue.

Even though he’s languishing in all the treats and attention he pretends not to enjoy, he doesn’t hesitate to go bounding up, breaking free from Mallory, who’s abandoned her post at the 911 dispatch station for a belly rub.

As I’m attaching Rolf’s leash, though, the creak of old hinges makes me look up—only to blink as the door to Chief Bowden’s office drags open.

Damn.

I didn’t realize he was here, considering he’s been calling out for days on end.

He’s clearly been in his office since last night.

From the looks of it, he slept in there.

He’s bleary, his face dotted with stubble and his uniform shirt hanging open over a thin white undershirt that barely covers his ample belly. His hair sticks up everywhere.

Looks like he slept rough, and he’s got a hand behind him on the small of his back. It’s probably aching when the leather chair in that office isn’t too comfortable to sit in, let alone sleep on.

Yawning, scratching at his face, he hobbles toward the bathroom.

When he notices all of us are staring at him, he freezes.

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