Page 46 of Engaging the Deputy

“I think weshould talk,” Jaden said as Emery climbed out of the van with obvious reluctance.

“I’ve had a rotten day, Deputy,” the bike shop owner said. “Can’t we do this in the morning?”

“I’m afraid not. We can talk in your apartment or go for a ride in my patrol car. Up to you.”

Emery raked a hand through his hair. “I guess it’s my apartment, then.” He started in that direction, walking as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. Jaden suspected he did.

Once inside the apartment, Emery headed straight for the refrigerator, opening it and pulling out a beer. “Wanna join me?” When Jaden declined, he popped it open and chugged half of the can. Wiping his mouth, he said, “Let’s get this over with. What do you want?”

“Why did you drive by the barn earlier in your van?”

Emery frowned. “What barn?”

“The one Rob and Angie worked out of.” He saw the man tense.

“Sorry, but I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Are you saying you don’t know what barn I’m talking about or that you didn’t drive past earlier?” Jaden asked.

“Angie’s restored furniture business? Yeah, I know where it is, but I didn’t drive by it today. I didn’t even have my van until an hour ago.”

“Who had it?”

Emery finished the can of beer and, with a loud burp, tossed the can in the direction of the trash. His aim was off. The can hit the wall and clattered to the floor. He ignored it and reached for another beer. He took his time opening it before he looked up. “This is a small town. We’re like family here.”

Jaden saw the pain in his face. “I know it’s a small town. Hell, all of Montana is a small town. I understand local loyalty, but this is more than covering for a friend. This is murder and drugs.”

Emery walked over to the secondhand-looking couch and dropped onto it. He cradled the beer in his large hands, his head down.

“Who had your van earlier? You know I’m going to find out. Are you covering for this person because you’re also involved in the drug business or—”

“I had nothing to do with it. From the get-go, I told them to keep me out of it. I’ve got my bike business. That’s all I need, all I want.” He stared down at the beer for a moment before he said, “Cody borrowed my van. He said he had some things he needed to haul.” He took a drink. When he looked up, there were tears in his eyes.

“I know Angie and Rob were involved in the drug business,” Jaden said. “How is Cody involved?” Emery shook his head. “If you withhold what you know, it makes you an accessory. He just used your van and I suspect it wasn’t the first time.”

Emery dropped his head again. “I told you. I didn’t want to be involved. I didn’t ask. But Cody’s been desperate to get out of that hardware store. He’s worked there since he was a kid. His old man told him that if he left him to run it by himself, he’d sell it and wouldn’t give him a dime. Cody had to stay, but he was at the point that he’d doanythingto get out from under his father’s thumb.”

Jaden wondered how close Cody was getting to breaking free of his father, the hardware store and this town. “You told me that Rob owed a lot of people money,” the deputy said as he took a chair across from Emery. “Did he owe Cody?” He took the man’s silence as a yes. “How desperate was Cody? Was he desperate enough to murder Rob?”

The answer was written all over Emery’s face, even as he refused to believe it. “Cody couldn’t have killed him. He was trapped down in that root cellar. Someone attacked him. It had to be the dangerous people Rob did business with.”

Some of those “dangerous people” appeared to be locals, including Cody, the deputy thought. But Emery had a point. How could Cody kill Rob? He would have had to find a way out of the root-cellar hole, find Rob, kill him and climb back into the hole and get seriously injured so he still had an alibi.

Yet something Livie had said earlier teased at his memory. Something about the root-cellar hole.

* * *

Olivia was halfwaydown the hallway past the office when she heard voices in the alley. It sounded like boxes were being loaded in a vehicle. Cody or his father must have had a late order to fill. She started to turn back, thinking she would just leave the jar of jelly on the desk in the office. She was anxious to see Jaden. Her heart filled at the thought of their earlier kiss.

Before she could reach the office, she heard Cody’s voice. “Olivia?” There was a tension in it that made her turn to look toward the dark alley and the man standing in the doorway. “What are you doing here?”

She held up the jar of jelly. “I was just dropping this off as promised. I was about to leave it on the desk in the office.”

“How long have you been standing there?” he asked as he moved toward her.

“Just a few minutes. I could hear that you were busy. I didn’t want to bother you.” Why was he looking at her like that?

He glanced at the jelly, then at her. He seemed jumpy. “I was going to call you,” he said, still moving toward her. She fought the urge to take a step back. This was Cody, the boy she’d grown up with, her first real boyfriend back in high school.

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