Page 15 of Home Town Knight

“Oh, crap.”

Then I glanced at my phone and saw the address dispatch had just texted me. “Thefuck,” I muttered.

“What?” Dean asked.

“The homicide was at the Alpine Hotel.” My first thought was,Is Gen okay? If somebody hurt her…

Dean was saying something, but I didn’t waste another moment. I grabbed my keys, fitted my Ariat onto my head, and raced out to my marked SUV.

The hotel was a mile away. The plow had just come through, so it didn’t take long before I was pulling up to the Alpine parking lot. Two CSP vehicles were here, lights flashing against the white sky.

Deputy Keira Marsh, one of mine, waved from her spot on the perimeter. She lifted the police cordon tape so I could drive into the lot. I was glad to see her. She jogged over as I got out. “Hey, Sheriff.”

“How many times, Keira…”

“Owen,” she corrected herself.

She was one of my best, despite her relative lack of experience. But I wasn’t the type to put much stock in seniorityalone. Or formalities, when it came to my team. We’d been through a lot together in the last year. We’d earned the right to call each other by our first names. Same thing with my other deputies and staff. I wanted my department tight-knit, so they could always come to me, and I could do the same. It was a work in progress.

“You’re back early?” she asked. “Thought you were still on vacation.”

“Nope.” I didn’t elaborate on why. The less my mind had to brush up against Genevieve Blake, the better. “What have we got?”

“Homicide victim is on the other end of the parking lot. Eyewitness saw it happen.” Keira was here alone because my deputies didn’t work with partners. We were stretched too thin for that. But dispatch had assured me that our off-duty deputies as well as officers from local police departments were being called in to help.

“Also, Rossiter and Sykes are here,” Keira added under her breath. “First to respond to the scene.”

Just great. They were my two least favorite state troopers. “Did they fuck anything up yet?”

“They’ve got the eyewitness cornered, and they’re grilling her. They wouldn’t let me near. Wouldn’t turn over the scene to me either. Even barred me from going inside the hotel.”

I sighed. There were tons of great people in CSP. Absolute heroes who I’d work with any day. So why had I gotten saddled with these two? Even the shiniest barrel of apples had a few lackluster ones, and Rossiter and Sykes were barely competent jackasses.

“I assume you secured the perimeter?” I shrugged on my fleece-lined coat with the department’s logo, which had been in my backseat.

“Yes. Though it looked like Sykes and Rossiter had been poking around the body before I arrived.”

“Of course they were.” Like I’d said. Jackasses.

“I called CBI to send out their techs. And spoke to the assistant district attorney. She’s on her way.”

“Nice work. I’m surprised you beat me, though. I was staying down the road with a buddy who tends bar here.” I hooked a thumb at the hotel. “Not driving fast on icy roads, were you?” That was the stuff of my nightmares. When the rescuers got stupid and needed rescue themselves.

She smiled. “Nah, I was in this neck of the woods already. Making my loop. I was wondering how you got here so quick.”

“Let’s go get our witness and our scene out of CSP’s grubby hands.” Keira and I walked toward the front of the hotel, where Rossiter and Sykes stood.

Then my step hitched and my throat went dry as I saw the witness they were grilling.

Gen sat on a concrete bench outside the lobby entrance, hugging her arms around a maroon puffy coat. Her loose blond hair was disheveled, like she’d been running her hands through it. The two large CSP troopers loomed over her. She glared up at them with narrowed eyes. Despite her coat, she was shivering.

I quickened my step and clapped a hand on Trooper Rossiter’s arm. “That’s enough,” I said.

Rossiter and Sykes both scowled at me. “Sheriff,” Rossiter said, like the word was a curse. “We’ve been questioning the witness. She’s got an attitude problem.”

“I know my rights, assholes. Especially when I haven’t done anything wrong.”

“She refused to identify herself. Also claims she got the murder on video and won’t turn over her phone into evidence.”

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