Page 46 of Scent of Fear

“No.” She stared down at the article in her hand for another long moment, then pushed open her car door and jumped out. “I’m going to spend some time searching on the computer. You can do whatever you like.” Without waiting for him to answer, she slammed the car door and hurried back inside the library.

The computer she’d been using earlier was still free, so she quickly dropped into the chair. She double-checked the article and verified that Greg Olson was the man who’d died. Harry Stern was the one who’d gone to jail.

She started with Harry first, wondering if the man had recently gotten out of prison. Maybe Harry had spent his time behind bars, stewing over the way Maxwell a.k.a. Marvin had gotten away with the cash. Easy to imagine the guy making it his sole mission to come after her grandfather for his share. She went back to the original search to look for follow-up articles on Harry Stern’s time in jail.

After a few minutes, she found an article mentioning that Harry Stern had been released from prison after serving fifteen years, having gotten out earlier than the original sentence of twenty years for good behavior. She wondered if the authorities had been able to prove Stern hadn’t killed the police officer. Had her grandfather? She hoped and prayed he hadn’t.

Yet it was clear Harry Stern had been out of jail for a long time. Her stomach knotted again as she realized that putting her grandfather’s DNA into the system must have given Harry the clue he’d needed to find him.

Instead of helping her grandpa find his family, she’d led his coconspirator straight to him.

Then she realized that the whole adoption story was probably a lie. A cover to make up for the bank robbery. Tears burned her eyes.How many other lies, Grandpa?she thought wearily.How many?

Libby pulled herself together with an effort. The lies, her grandfather’s past—none of that was important now. She needed to find him. And that meant learning more about Harry Stern.

Unfortunately, Harry didn’t have much of a presence online. Likely because he’d spent such a long time in jail. Which begged the question of how a man who’d lived for years behind bars had figured out how to look for her grandfather using DNA sites?

He probably had help from someone of a younger generation. Much the way she was searching for information right now. Doing the math, she considered Harry must have gone to prison at the age of twenty. Not impossible for him to have kids of his own, but she leaned toward his getting help from a niece or nephew.

When she felt someone come up behind her, she startled. Then she had to smile when she felt Bryce’s wet nose pressing against her arm.

“What can I do to help?” Shane’s voice was quiet.

Stupid tears pricked her eyes again. The fact that he’d come back in to support her was sweet, but she was already hitting brick walls. She glanced up at him over her shoulder. “Nothing much for you to do. I haven’t found much on Harry Stern; he’s the guy who was captured and sent to jail back when the robbery took place. He only served fifteen years, so he’s been out for a while now.”

Shane nodded. “You’re thinking the DNA led Harry and his cohorts to your grandfather.”

It hurt to hear him state the truth so bluntly. “Yes. I’m responsible.”

“You didn’t rob the truck,” Shane said softly.

“I know.” She stared blindly at the computer screen for a long moment. “It’s hard to believe Grandpa was involved in this.”

“I’m sure he has regrets,” Shane murmured. “He may have buried the cash specifically because it was blood money.”

He was just saying that to make her feel better, and it worked. “I hope you’re right about that. Grandpa isn’t a hard or ruthless man. I’m sure he felt terrible after the way things went down all those years ago. Especially after the officer was killed.”

“Forty-eight years is a long time to keep a secret of this magnitude,” Shane said thoughtfully.

She wanted to hug him for being so nice about the fact that the man she loved had committed a terrible crime. Forty-eight years ago, sure, but still a crime.

That thought gave her pause. What was the statute of limitations on a robbery? Probably not forty-eight years.

Then again, one man had died in the robbery along with a police officer. And there was no statute of limitations on murder.

A dull headache settled at the base of her skull, and nausea churned in her stomach. She went back to the article, searching for the answer as to who may have shot Greg Olson or the cop who’d died.

But there was nothing specific.

She dropped her head into her hands, her thoughts whirling. Maybe they did need to turn this over to Deputy Paul Holland. Finding her grandpa alive was worth the risk.

“Hey, it’s okay.” Shane gently cupped her shoulders in his big, strong hands. “Don’t stress. We’ll figure something out.”

She lifted her head and looked up at him. “You were right, Shane. We need to call Paul about this.”

He nodded and released her. “I’m sorry. I know that puts your grandfather’s past in the spotlight.”

“Yes, in a big way. But I don’t want my grandfather to die over this either.” She pushed herself to her feet, nearly tripping over Bryce who’d stretched out on the floor beside her. Maybe the dog had sensed her distress. The German shepherd was big and fierce looking, but he was a softy at heart. “Let’s go call him.”

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