Page 153 of Valor

I smelled flowers.

Surely not.

My body grows cold as the blood drains from my face. Is that why we’ve always been one step behind? Because the person who took her has been a part of the inner circle since the beginning? “Deputy.” My hand instinctively goes to my belt. Bradyn, Elliot, and Nova all sense the shift. I see it on their faces and the way they change their stances.

“Yeah?” She turns toward me.

“How did you say you found the car?”

Honestly, as much as I want to find Lani, I hope I’m wrong. Because if I’m not, then I let the monster in this time. I let her close enough to get away with taking what matters most.

“I caught a glimpse of it from the road as I was driving by.” She’s about three yards from her car, and if I don’t play this right, she’ll be gone before we can get to our trucks.

“It’s shielded pretty good,” Lance says. “Were you driving slow?”

“I guess.” She looks from him to me. “Why?”

“Just trying to figure out how the person who dumped it got away without being seen,” I reply. “You’re going to head to Lani’s apartment?”

But I see it. The subtle hint of unease in her gaze that tells me she’s unsure of my motives now. And that’s enough to seal the guilt. “That’s where you told me to go.”

“Good. I think you’re right. We really need to start back at the beginning.” I say, keeping my voice calm.

She’s armed. And clearly capable of murder. And if I don’t play this right, I know we’ll never find Lani. Because one of the reasons I hired Deputy Brown is her ability to keep calm under the harshest of pressures. The woman won’t crack.

Not in time to save Lani.

“I think it’ll work. We’ll find her, Sheriff,” she says with a smile, then heads up the embankment. I force myself to turn away so it doesn’t look like I’m following.

I close the distance between me and Elliot, then reach into my pocket and hand him my keys. “I need to borrow your truck. You head back into town and get Deputy Lenson. He’s working the desk. Wait for my call, and I’ll tell you where to go.”

“What’s going on?” he asks as he takes my keys and hands me his.

“I’m going to tail her. Lance, Bradyn, you’re with me.”

“She’s pulling away,” Nova says.

“Good. Let’s go.”

Elliot and Nova head up the embankment, rushing toward my truck. They get in and take off back toward town. They’ll be behind her for a few miles, but when they turn off toward the Sheriff’s office, my hope is she’ll see that and keep on driving past Lani’s apartment to wherever she’s holding her.

I climb behind the wheel of Elliot’s truck. Bradyn hops in the passenger seat and Lance climbs into the back.

“You suspect the deputy?” Lance asks.

“I smelled flowers when she walked by,” I tell him and Bradyn as anger burns through every rational thought I have. “And combine that with the fact that this person has been one step ahead of us at every turn—I’d say it’s as good a lead as any. If it is—” I trail off.

“It won’t make it your fault,” Bradyn tells me.

“She was right there. Right under my nose.” I slam my hand into the steering wheel as I try to remain a good distance back from her patrol car. Far enough that she won’t notice anything off.

“Maybe it’s not,” Bradyn says. But his tone tells me that he’s putting pieces together too.

I hand him my phone. “Call the station and put Jenny on speaker, please.”

He does and after two rings she picks up. “Pine Creek Sheriff’s Department, this is?—”

“It’s Sheriff Lawson,” I tell her.

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