Page 25 of Hunting the Truth
“Sounds good,” Josh said, resting a hand for a second on Maya’s shoulder.
Maya fought the urge to lean into him and let him take her mind off the murder of her friend, but if the rumors were already running rampant, she didn’t need to add fuel to the fire.
Chapter Twelve
Maya was up early the next morning after a bad night’s sleep. She was exhausted, after tossing and turning all night long with visions of Kendra’s murder mixing with memories from Afghanistan. She’d also checked her phone several times throughout the night hoping that Lucas would message her. Realistically, Maya knew that he wouldn’t do that, but she couldn’t stop hoping he would receive quick results.
She headed out the door and drove to the sheriff’s station, draining her last sip of coffee as she parked. Juniper started to whine and give small yips in the back.
“I know, girly. You want to work. Let me go in and check on some things and then we can get out on patrol. Maybe we can even get up to Deer Valley Pass today and see what we can find up there as far as booby traps.”
Juniper barked in response and pushed her head against the door that opened between her compartment and the front of the vehicle. All Maya could see was a golden eyeball staring her down.
“I’ll be right back, I promise,” Maya said, getting out of her patrol vehicle and hoping she wasn’t lying to her dog.
She headed inside and found Pops sitting at his desk. She was glad he was still allowed to work. If he went on leave, he would be at home by himself with nothing to do. She didn’t think that would work out well.
“Hey there, Pops.”
“Maya, good to see you.”
“Good to see you too. Any news on your investigation? Has the sheriff’s committee met yet?”
Pops shook his head. “Nothing more than what I already told you. I promise I’ll keep you posted.”
“Okay,” Maya said, leaning up against the doorjamb.
“I’m sorry to hear about your friend,” Pops said. “I don’t think I’ve ever had anyone miss an interview because they were...uh...”
“Murdered?” Maya filled in.
Pops shrugged and said, “Yeah.”
“We’ll work hard to figure out who did that to her. I’m going to say hi to Josh and check with Miranda on the evidence before I head out on patrol.”
“Sounds good. Stay safe.”
“Always,” Maya said with a smile. “You stay safe too.”
“Always,” Pops said back.
Maya headed down the hall toward Josh’s office. She found him sitting at his desk behind a mound of paperwork.
Maya knocked on the door. “Hey there,” she said, thinking she should have brought coffee for him. He looked as tired as she felt.
“Hey,” Josh said, his face brightening. “Come on in.”
She stepped into his office, which for the most part was pretty bare. Other than the desk, there was a beige filing cabinet. On the filing cabinet though was a picture of Maya, Juniper and Josh out on a hike. She’d forgotten that he took a selfie of them.
Josh followed her gaze. “I like that picture,” he said.
“Me too. That was a fun day.”
“It was. Do you want a copy?”
“I’d love one,” Maya said.
“You heading out on patrol?”
