Page 65 of Scent of Fear

Libby suddenly returned, her dark eyes flashing. “Don’t say anything more, Grandpa. Not until we get you a lawyer.”

“Ah, Libby. That’s not necessary.” Marvin managed a sad smile. “As the young federal agent has pointed out, I should have come forward a long time ago.”

“Actually, your granddaughter is right,” Griff said. “You have the right to remain silent. And to an attorney.”

“I’m waiving my rights.” Now a hint of steel lined the older man’s tone. “I just showed you the proof of the robbery.”

“Grandpa, please,” Libby begged.

“No, Libby.” Marvin shook his head. “I appreciate your support, but this is my mess.” He frowned, then added, “I always suspected the past would come back to haunt me. Those first few years after Harry Stern was released, I looked over my shoulder all the time. But Louise sending her grandkids to take me out?” He grimaced. “That was a shock.”

“I never should have done that DNA test.” Libby’s brown eyes filled with tears. “If I had just let it go...”

“It’s not your fault, Libby. I believe this happened for a reason.” Marvin reached over to pat her arm. “I feel better knowing Louise and her grandkids will be held accountable for their crimes too.”

Libby wiped at her eyes and managed to nod. “I’ll be there for you, Grandpa. Every step of the way.”

“No need,” Marvin said with a frown. “This is my problem. Not yours.”

Shane put his arm around Libby’s shoulders. “We’ll be here for you, Marvin.”

Libby gratefully leaned against him. “Thank you.”

“Anytime.” He understood there was no way she was going to leave her grandfather hanging in the wind. Yet he admired the older man for owning up to his mistakes.

“Okay, let’s get you, the cash, and the two men in custody out of here,” Griff said.

“Oh, and I left a woman who could be Louise tied up at the Engler home,” Shane added.

“Yeah, that’s my sister, Louise,” Marvin said. “She made it clear she couldn’t wait to get rid of me once her grandkids had the money they deserved. I think Ward Engler was getting irritated with his role in this, though. He wanted them to find the cash, pay him, and get out of there.”

Shane felt Libby shiver beside him. He hugged her again, wordlessly reassuring her that everything would be okay.

“I’m afraid you’ll have to leave the house too,” Griff said as he slung the bag of cash over his shoulder and took Marvin’s arm. “This will need to be processed as a crime scene.”

“Come on, Libby, I’ll drive you home,” Shane offered. He gave the dog the hand signal for come. Then remembering his SUV with four flat tires, he added, “Wait, I’ll have Alexis drive us back to your place in Cody.”

“Okay.” Libby looked completely dejected. He tried to think of a way to cheer her up but couldn’t come up with anything helpful.

Her grandfather was alive, which was great. But if the older man ended up spending what was left of his life in jail, then he had a feeling Libby wouldn’t be able to bounce back to her usual cheerful self.

Their roles had been switched big time.

“Sure, I’ll drive you, Bryce and Libby back to Cody,” Alexis agreed a few minutes later. “Joel has asked Justin to buy four new tires and to head out here so they can fix your vehicle.”

“That would be great, thanks.” The SUV wasn’t his top concern, not with the way Libby looked if she’d lost her best friend. His heart ached for her.

The trip back to Cody was quiet. Libby closed her eyes as if she’d fallen asleep, but Shane didn’t think she was resting the way Bryce was.

More likely, she was replaying the events over the past few days wondering if there was something they could have done differently to prevent the outcome.

Yet he personally agreed with Marvin’s assessment that things had worked out this way for a reason. Libby had clung to her faith over the past thirty-six hours. He didn’t want to see her give up now.

When Alexis finally pulled into Libby’s driveway, the hour was going on five in the evening. Shane’s stomach rumbled with hunger, and he borrowed some dog food and dishes from Alexis so he could feed Bryce.

Once his dog was cared for, he decided to order a pizza delivery rather than rummaging through Libby’s fridge.

“You don’t have to stay,” Libby said with a sigh. Bryce stretched out on the floor, resting his head between his paws. “There’s nothing you can do, Shane.”

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