Page 38 of In Pursuit of the Truth

“You too, Nate. It’s a real shame what Bailey is going through. I’m glad that she’s got you in her corner.” Chief Dolman jabbed a thumb behind him. “Mind stopping by my office on your way out?”

“Not at all, sir. I’ll be right there.”

“Great. See you in a bit.” With that, Chief Dolman left again.

Paris fought a smile. “Back for a half hour and already in trouble with the chief. Old habits die hard.”

“Funny, Paris.” Nate acted offended, but really, he enjoyed the teasing. He’d missed these guys and hadn’t realized just how much.

He placed the bags of cigarette butts on Paris’s desk and went on to give an account of what happened from the moment Bailey spotted the red glow until Nate had a chance to investigate the area in the daylight.

“I was hoping we might get some DNA off these cigarette butts. Most may have been out during the rainstorm. But this one should be good.” He pointed out the one he’d found smoldering last night. “I’d definitely have the lab test that one first.”

Paris nodded and seemed impressed. “I’ll be sure they get there myself. With any luck, the DNA profile will match someone in our database, and we’ll have a name in the next few hours.”

“I sure hope so. Bailey’s been through a lot over the last couple of years. She shouldn’t have to deal with this on top of it all.”

“No, she shouldn’t.” Paris’s voice was firm with conviction. “Is there anything we can do to help her?”

“Actually, I do have an idea, and I wanted to run it by you first.”

He explained his plans and was happy when Paris agreed with him and promised to help set everything in motion.

Nate stood. He wanted to get back to the farm, but he still needed to stop in and see the chief on his way out. “There’s one last thing. Has anyone done a check on the property and the last few people who owned it? Specifically, I’d really like to know more about the large barn that’s barely still standing and what happened to the owners who built it.”

“I’ll get someone on that today.” Paris held out a hand. “Keep me updated, and I’ll do the same. Stop by anytime. We’ve missed you around here.”

“Thanks, I’ll have to do that.” The men shook hands, and Nate headed out.

He was waylaid by two other people who wanted to say hello before he made it to the chief’s office. “You wanted to see me, sir?”

“Come on in and close the door.”

Nate did as he was asked and took a seat. He wasn’t sure what the chief wanted to talk about, so he started off with small talk. “How are Chloe and the baby doing?”

Chief Dolman’s face lit up. “They’re great. Thank you.” He picked up a framed photo and handed it to Nate. The baby girl was adorable with hair the same dark blonde as her mom’s. “Etta is five weeks old now and changing every day. Chloe and I are sleep-deprived but elated.” He chuckled.

“That’s great to hear, sir.”

“I’m thankful that you, Durant, and Paris are doing so much to help Bailey. She’s still one of ours, and it upsets me that someone is messing with her like this.”

“Me, too, sir. We’re doing everything we can to catch whoever’s behind all of this.”

“I know you are, which brings me to why I asked you in here. I hear you’re doing great things through Paws with a Cause. They’re lucky to have you.” Chief Dolman paused as he studied Nate. “Now that you’re essentially working a case, have you given any thought to returning to the PD?”

The chief never was one to beat around the bush for long. Then again, that’s partly why it made him so good at his job.

“I’m not going to lie. I’ve missed working with everyone, and I’m feeling the loss even more now that I’ve been backin the building.” Nate tried to choose his words carefully. “But I’m not sure I’m ready to come back. Not yet.”

“I hope that means you might consider it in the future. If thatisthe case, please know you’ll always have a place back here if you want it.”

“I appreciate that. Truly. Thank you, sir.”

“You’re welcome.” Chief Dolman stood and extended a hand. “I’ll let you get back to it. Keep the department updated.”

Nate shook the chief’s hand. “Will do. Please tell Chloe I said hello. Congratulations to you both again.”

By the time he got back out to his truck, he was ready to check on Bailey and the boys. He’d kept his phone handy but never got a call or text from her. Hopefully, that meant she and Rachel were busy working on the store and that everything was going smoothly.

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