Page 28 of Shadow Sabotage
I almost took it back and told her she could come observe. It would be good for her if she planned on staying in law enforcement.
But I didn’t. I left her behind.
One last case,I reminded myself.No distractions.
I arrivedin Laramie at seven forty-five, beating my own estimate on time. After talking at length with Tony, I grabbed a hotel so I could spend the following day on campus, interviewing Katelyn’s roommate and other students who had known her. Next, I stopped by the police department to chat in person withthe officers who had investigated her disappearance, then wrapped up my quick trip with a final stop at Katelyn’s mother’s house.
By the time I pulled back into Falcon Ridge Ranch, I’d been gone for nearly thirty-six hours and had only slept a few of them. The ranch was quiet and the rest of the cabins were dark, everyone else having settled in for the night hours before.
Fatigue hit hard when I let myself into the cabin. I fell into bed and slept like the dead, finally giving my brain the time it needed to process the information I’d crammed into it.
When the sky began to lighten, brightening the room with the first glimpse of dawn, I woke refreshed and ready to work. Needing fuel, I went to the kitchen and grabbed one of the protein bars I’d brought with me, but then I paused, remembering that the rental came with breakfast.
Anything Naomi Hawkins had cooked would be far better than a cold protein bar.
I locked up and started the walk toward the yard, appreciating the view as the sun rose over the land. It made the vista a rainbow of colors: golden light set against hazy blue mountains, pink clouds with purple shadows, green sagebrush in the pastures. I usually preferred the sunrise over the ocean. But I had to admit, it was hard to imagine a scene prettier than this one.
Claire and one of her brothers came over the hill, galloping toward the stables on horseback. I stopped in my tracks, unable to take my eyes off her. She leaned forward in the saddle, her eyes laser-focused on the stables. Her long blonde hair blew behind her in the wind, and her grin was so wide I could see it from here.
And suddenly I realized that the scene could get prettier after all.
Claire and her horse, a dappled gray mustang with a dark mane, flew over the ground like one. A cloud of dust rose behind them as they pulled ahead of her brother.
I thought they were going to blow right past the stable, but as they approached, she pulled to a sudden stop. Then she turned around, threw her head back, and let out a cheerful riff of laughter that reminded me of nimble fingers flying over piano keys.
Just like my favorite Mozart concerto.
“Sucker,” she called out as her brother—the long-haired one named Rhett, who I’d originally assumed was her boyfriend—came up beside her on his black stallion.
“You cheated,” he announced. “There’s no way your horse should have beat mine.”
“Bigger doesn’t always mean better.” She smirked, shaking her head.
I chuckled. Claire was a force to be reckoned with.
At the sound, she turned and watched me walking toward them. The smile dropped off her face. “Good morning, Agent Weston. I didn’t know you were back.” Her tone changed, the warmth gone.
“Call me Vance,” I said without thinking.
Another surprise. I never let deputies call me by my first name, especially if I was investigating in their county. But I’d said it, and I couldn’t exactly take it back.
Oddly enough, I didn’t want to.
She gave me a tight smile. “Do you need something?”
“No,” I said, tucking my hands into the pockets of my jacket. “I’m heading to grab some breakfast. I’ll see you at the office this morning. Unless—”
“Unless what?” Those deep green eyes stared at me, waiting for an answer.
I’d been about to suggest we carpool. But my whole plan was to distance myself. To stay focused.
Something about seeing her in her element had nearly made me forget it.
“Nothing,” I said. “See you later.” I turned around and walked away before I dug myself in even deeper.
She was pissed. Honestly, I couldn’t blame her. I was being exactly the kind of agent I’d always hated working with during my days at the NYPD—one who had no real interest in partnering with the local agency and just wanted them to get out of his way.
But this was different, I assured myself. Because unlike how I’d been back then, she wasn’t an experienced NYPD detective. She was a sassy cowgirl-turned-deputy who needed to have her hand held in order to work an investigation.
