Page 90 of Home Town Knight

He sighed. “You’re exhausting.”

“Talking helps me stay calm.”

“The answer is yes. Sykes was with me.”

“Is he—” I cut myself off. I’d been about to mention Stillwater, and my instincts told me that could be dangerous. The sooner I revealed whatIknew, the sooner he didn’t need me anymore. “You and Sykes must have seen the article outing me as the witness. But did you plan to kill me then? Or were you going to grab me and find out what I knew?”

“I didn’t realize you knew anything then. Except my face.”

“So youweregoing to kill me.”

“You were a problem, and I wanted to nip that problem in the bud as quickly as possible.” He spoke about murdering me with no emotion at all. “Sykes failed to tell me Last Refuge would be well guarded. Then the sheriff started keeping you by his side, which made it even more difficult to reach you. On the other hand, the sheriff only grewmoresecretive about his investigation after your identity was revealed. You were helping Douglas with the case in some other way. Giving him information he wanted to keep quiet.”

“Sykes told you that? Or was it someone else?” I hadn’t forgotten my suspicions of District Attorney Grissom, or that other guy giving Owen trouble. Jud Hale.

“Sykes was my eyes and ears inside the police. He kept tabs on the investigation. Or tried. But it was enough that I realized you could know more than just my face.”

“Like what? What could I possibly know?”

“If you truly don’t know anything, then I wouldn’t have much use for you, would I?”

Shit. He had a point. I had to give him something. “The gold coin that Rossiter stole from Tucker’s hotel room. There was a photo of it in the file. I had seen something like it before.”

He nodded. “I figured that was the case. Douglas confronted Sykes about the missing coin. He had to have known it was important. Where had you seen it before? What did it mean to you?”

It was my turn to hesitate, considering my answer. We passed a turn-off, but Duke pointed for me to stay on the same road. It continued to wind through the forest, climbing uphill.

“What did the coin mean to you?” he asked again. “Don’t forget, I know you’re a reporter. You came to Hart County to investigate corruption.”

I thought fast. “I got an anonymous tip. A photo of a coin made of gold with a Roman warship etched on the side. The tip said it had something to do with a criminal organization that operates on the dark web.”

“And you knew it was tied to Hart County? How?”

There was no way I’d tell him about Cerberus and the documents my source had shared with me. “This tipster said there was a corrupt official with ties to Hartley. I thought it was Sheriff Douglas, but I was wrong.” I asked my next question before he could ask one of his own. “Ace Tucker found your hideout, didn’t he? He took money from you. That’s where he found the coins.”

“Mistakes were made. Now it’s my job to clean up this mess. If I don’t, my employer is going to decide thatI’mthe mess, and they’re going to clean me up.”

The paved driveway ended in a clearing, with a walking path leading into the forest. I glimpsed a structure throughthe trees.

“Park over there. Leave the car keys.”

“Why? What’s here?”

“Get out. There’s more I want to know from you, but make no mistake, I’ll shoot you if you try to run.”

He was like a robot. Unforgiving. The truth hit me again, but at a deeper level, a ringing echo of fear—he didn’t care if I lived or died.

What am I going to do?

Duke got out first. His gun was pointed down, but it would take less than a heartbeat for him to aim it. He carried himself like a soldier.

When I rounded the front of the hatchback, he threw a set of handcuffs at my feet. “Put those on your wrists. I’m counting down. Three, two?—”

“Jeez, okay.” I snapped the cuffs on. Not that tight, but he didn’t say anything.

He gestured with his gun. “March.”

We approached a rustic cabin. There was nothing interesting or remarkable about it if anyone had stumbled upon it. My eyes darted around, searching in vain for a means of escape.Talk to him, I thought.It’s what you’re good at.Find something to work with.

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