Page 60 of Engaging the Deputy

Olivia had laughed, surprised she wasn’t more nervous as the wedding loomed. She couldn’t wait to become Mrs. Olivia Montgomery. She and Jaden had waited until they were both settled in to have the wedding. During those weeks, when he wasn’t working, they’d spent their days looking for a house in the area and making love.

With the wedding only days away, she wanted to pinch herself. She and Jaden had found a cute house that overlooked the stream on the edge of town. It had plenty of room inside and out for the family they were planning. Olivia had spent hours painting and decorating their new home. They’d stayed in the apartment over the sheriff’s department, planning to spend their first night as husband and wife in their new house.

Olivia couldn’t wait to start her future with Jaden—and put the past behind her. Especially Starling. Unfortunately, that part wasn’t that easy. She found herself thinking about all of it.

Jaden had filled in some of the blanks. She now knew why she’d thought she’d seen Elden Rusk the night of the tornado. Emery had put Krystal up to it to scare Rob. Apparently, he owed everyone in town. That he was running away with Angie had come as a surprise.

“He’d been busy keeping his affair with Jenny Lee from her,” Jaden had said. “But I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d suspected more was going on out at the barn than she’d told him.”

Had Dean really not known what his wife was up to? “That reminds me,” she said. “It completely slipped my mind until just now. I saw Dean as I was leaving home. He flagged me down on the road. He said he just wanted to give his best wishes to my engagement to you, but after he drove away, I thought it was strange since he hadn’t seemed that glad to see me.”

“But he flagged you down.”

“Maybe only because it was just the two of us on the road,” she said. “It would have looked strange if he’d just driven by.” Jaden didn’t look convinced. “At first, I thought he was on his way to my house, but wouldn’t he have turned around and gone back to town?”

“Where did he go?”

“On down the road. It seemed odd until I remembered there was a shortcut back to town.”

“Shortcut?”

“It connects to the road to the south.” She saw his expression change.

“The road out to Angie’s barn,” he said.

“Is there any reason he’d want to go out there?” she asked and saw him frown.

She shouldn’t have been surprised the next morning when he announced he was going back down south on deputy business. It was a miserable late-November day, the mountains socked in, a mist of rain and snow peppering the windows.

“This is about Dean, isn’t it?” Livie said. “I thought the case was over?” He didn’t have to answer; she saw the answer on his face. “Jaden, we’re getting married tomorrow,” she cried. “The rehearsal dinner is tonight!”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Jaden stepped to her, taking her in his arms. “This is what it is going to be like married to a deputy. You can still get out of it.”

She sighed and shook her head. “Not this time. I’m in it for the long haul. But please don’t make me have to rehearse my wedding alone.”

He kissed her. “I’ll be back in plenty of time. But it might help if you had the dinner first, then the rehearsal,” he said sheepishly. “This is probably just a wild-goose chase, but I’ve got to check it out.”

She gave him the side-eye. “Just be careful.”

“I always am.”

* * *

All the wayon the drive, he kept trying to put the pieces together. He hadn’t told Livie, but the investigation had felt unfinished, as if he’d missed something important.

When she’d told him about Dean, he’d known at least why he’d been feeling that way. Everything about Dean Marsh’s story had felt off. But then, the entire Halloween night and the days after the tornado had made it hard to pin it down. So many relationships, so many lies.

He kept thinking about the one question that had bothered him. What if they were all lying?

It had begun to snow by the time Jaden reached the barn property. There was no sign of anyone around. The crime scene tape had been removed, except for a small piece that flapped in the wind by the front door.

He reminded himself that this could end up being all for naught. Yet his instincts told him there was something here to find. He parked and pulled on his coat, drawing up the hood and reaching for his bolt cutters as he stepped out into the weather. These kinds of days were the worst. Wet snow hit his jacket and ran in rivulets.

As he walked toward the barn, he felt the hair rise on his neck. Dean wasn’t there, but he’d been here. Not that he’d left tracks in the freezing earth. A new padlock had been placed on the door. It took a little longer to snap this one since it was thicker than the last. It finally gave with a loud snap.

Putting down the bolt cutters, he opened the door. No alarm went off. The crime team had disconnected it so it no longer alerted Cody Ryan of a break-in.

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