Page 102 of My One and Only

Cam stood and reached to shake Miller’s hand. “Thanks so much, Detective. I knew there had to be someone else involved. I don’t think Don has the knowledge to put a bomb together.”

“Not sure if Simms is the only other person involved,” Miller said. “So don’t assume you’re safe. We’re still working on this case, and Owens and I are going to question Kincaid today.” His mouth thinned. “We’re also going to get Phil Gwynn in an interrogation room again. With Kincaid out of the picture, we’re hoping that Gwynn’ll be more willing to talk.” He shrugged. “Maybe he won’t, but it’s worth a try.”

“Thanks, Detective,” Cam said. “Let me know if he gives you any new information.”

“Absolutely, Mr.Pierce. I’ll give you a call after we talk to him.”

“Do you have Billy Simms’ address?”Jo asked. She’d pulled a notebook and pen out of her bag.

“Yeah, I do,” Miller said. He recited the address, and Jo wrote it down.”

“Thanks, Detective,” Cam said.

As soon as they got into the car, Jo pulled up her mapping app. Typed in Simms’ address. Smiled when it appeared on the screen.

“Billy Simms lives on the next block from the people whose truck was stolen. I think we can assume he was the driver who hit your truck.”

“When we’re back at the office, I’ll call Miller and let him know.” Cam’s fingers tightened into fists. “Another charge that’ll keep him in prison for a while longer.”

After they’d closed the doors of his office, Jo paced the room. Pulled out her phone and stared at it, then slid it back into her pocket.

“Something wrong, Jo?”Cam asked.

She drew a deep breath. “I know I said I didn’t want to leave Mel in the lurch, but I really, really want to stay in Ogden. I’m thinking about calling Mel. Telling her I don’t want to quit, but that you’ve offered me the job as head of security. See what she says.”

Cam studied her for a moment. Finally said, “Can’t hurt, right?”

“No, I suppose it can’t. As long as I tell her I’m just trying to think through my options.”

She pulled her phone out again and stared at the screen. Took a deep breath. Another. Her fingers whitened on the phone, and she paced over to the window. Back to Cam’s desk. Back to the window.

Finally, she stabbed at her phone. Swallowed and put it to her ear.

“Hey, Jo,” Mel said. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah,” Jo said. “The guy who was involved in the shoddy materials scheme is locked up, and it looks as if there were only two other players, who are both in jail. As soon as I’m sure there’s no one else lurking in the background, I’ll let you know and start my ten day’s leave.”

“Great,” Mel said. She hesitated, then asked, “Then what’s this call about?”

Jo sucked in a breath. “The thing is, Mel, I really want to stay in Ogden. The guy I’m protecting? I’ve known him since high school, and we’re, um, involved. He’s offered me the job of head of security for his company, and I’m very tempted to take it. But I told him I wouldn’t leave you in the lurch. So I was wondering if you have a timeline for getting new agents signed up and trained. So I can stay here with Cam and his daughter Fiona.”

Dead silence on the line. Finally Mel said, “I’ll give you a call back once I check on the people we’ve hired. See how they’re progressing. Is that okay?”

“That’s fine, Mel. I meant what I said about not leaving you in the lurch. You took a chance on me, and I’m not going to abandon you. I’ll be here for my ten days, so you have plenty of time to assess the people you’ve just hired.”

“Thanks, Jo. I’ll get back to you.”

Before Jo could answer, Mel had hung up the phone.

Jo glanced at the now-dark screen and shoved the phone into her pocket. Swallowed and sat down at her desk. “What do you want me to focus on right now?”she asked Cam.

“I think the threat is officially over,” Cam said. “Simms is apparently both the bomb-maker and the guy who rammed into my truck. Gwynn is the guy who broke into the house. Don’s responsible for everything. So I think you’re officially on your ten day leave time.”

“Not until Detective Miller tells you they have everyone involved in this scheme.”

Cam smiled. “Should have known you’d be a hard-ass about this. The good news is, the police got me the warrant for Don’s financials and got a bunch of stuff from his bank. And his brokerage firm. You wanna help me wade through all that?”

“Yeah, happy to do that,” Jo said. “It’ll take my mind of what Mel might be doing.”

---