Page 16 of Ranger Belief
Brett eyed her warily. “What's wrong with her? Is she okay?”
Laney laid a hand on Scout’s head, rubbing her ears to reassure her. The lab’s posture was stiff. She was normally mild-mannered, but she’d been trained to protect her handler. “My quick movements startled her. I think we’re both a little on edge after last night’s attack.”
To put Brett at ease, Laney patted her leg and moved back around to the front of the desk. Scout and Jonah both joined her.She offered a reassuring smile, ignoring the nerves still twisting her stomach. “Sorry about that.”
Brett breathed out. “It’s okay.” He returned her smile, but none of its warmth was reflected in his dark eyes. “I heard Scout was a hero last night. I’m glad you had her to protect you.” He bent toward the computer. “I wanted to check my browser history for the time period that Ava and Tyler checked in. Yeah, here we go. 2:45. A guy came in and asked me about obtaining a fishing license. I told him that the camping store should have them, and he wanted to know what time it closed. I had to look it up because Mr. Robbins recently changed the operating hours.”
Jonah moved closer to Laney until their shoulders touched. His solid presence was comforting.
“And this guy was here when Ava and Tyler checked in?” Jonah asked.
“Right after. I’m sure he was waiting for me to finish up with Tyler. What made me notice him was how he looked at Ava. It’s hard to describe…” Brett squinted off into the distance as if trying to recall the moment. “He stared at her. It struck me as odd.”
“Can you describe him?”
“Average height and weight. Maybe in his thirties. Dark hair. A scruffy beard. He was wearing a gray T-shirt and blue jeans.”
Jonah asked a few more questions, but Brett couldn’t provide further details. Laney could tell he was trying to remember though. She wondered if he was overemphasizing the man's interest in Ava. Brett has always been eager to please. Maybe he was trying too hard to be useful. It was something to keep in mind.
Laney leaned against the counter. “Do you know which campsite he was staying at?”
“He didn’t say.” Regret pinched his features. “I should’ve paid more attention. Maybe I’d recognize him if I saw him again,but I can’t say for certain. Should I drive around the park after my shift? I’m happy to help in any way I can.”
Laney shook her head. Brett wasn’t in law enforcement. “No. Looking at Ava doesn’t mean he did anything wrong. If the guy comes back into the visitor center or you see him on the park grounds, radio me or Deputy Ranger Dawson. Do not engage with the man yourself.” She didn’t want Brett—or anyone on her staff—getting hurt. “Do you understand?”
He nodded solemnly. “Yes, ma’am.”
Laney held his gaze for a beat, waiting to see if there was any hesitation, but he seemed to take her warning seriously. She relaxed a touch. “Before we go, Brett, we're following standard procedure and checking everyone's whereabouts during the time frame of the murders. Where were you between the hours of seven and midnight yesterday?”
Brett didn't hesitate. “I clocked out at seven and headed into town for the Hill Country Music Festival. Been looking forward to it all week.”
“Can I see the tickets?” Jonah asked.
Brett pulled out his phone and showed them a mobile ticket confirmation. “Paid forty bucks for this. The band didn't go on until nine-thirty, but I wanted to grab dinner first. Stopped at Rusty's Bar and Grill around seven-thirty. Ran into my buddy Jake Whitfield. We had a couple of beers and some wings and watched the game for a bit. Then I headed to the festival around eight-forty-five.”
“And you were at the festival the rest of the night?” Laney asked.
“Yeah, until about eleven-thirty. The place was packed, had to be five thousand people there. Tried to get closer to the stage, but it was wall-to-wall.”
Jonah made notes. “Jake can verify you met him at Rusty’s?”
“Yeah, for sure. We were there for maybe an hour, hour and fifteen minutes.” Brett gave them Jake's number. “Anything else?”
“Not right now,” Jonah said, tucking his phone away. His tone was polite, but Laney heard a thread of distrust running through it. “We'll follow up if we need anything else.”
Brett's gaze flickered to the bruises encircling Laney's neck before lifting to her face. “I really hope you find whoever did this.”
The phone rang before she could respond, and Brett scrambled to answer it. His voice carried across the lobby as Laney and Jonah moved into the hall, heading for her office.
Jonah kept his voice pitched low. “What happened back there?”
She described the flashback. Inside her office, Scout jogged to her bed in the corner and collapsed. Laney popped open the water bottle on her desk and took a long drink. She was still shaken from the memory. “It was intense. And so real…The aftershave isn’t a solid clue. It’s a popular brand. But clearly, there’s more about the assault I remember, even if I can’t recall it right now.”
“You may get more information in bits and pieces.” Jonah placed a hand on her arm. The heat of his touch went straight through the sleeve of her shirt. “Why don’t you take a break? I can interview the rest of the employees who were working yesterday.”
“No.” Laney would not shirk from her responsibility. This was her park. Her staff.
But for how long?The offer to make her position as superintendent, and the decision she faced, hovered in the back of her mind. It was something she didn’t have the mental or emotional energy to think about.
