Page 24 of Ranger Belief
As the newest member of Company A, Jonah hadn't worked with Tate much, but he'd found him detailed. The two men couldn't be more different. Ryker was all charm and personality, a touch loud, but with determined dedication that made him pursue cases long after others gave up. Tate was reserved and rarely cracked a joke. He wasn't unfriendly…just measured.
“I said you drive like a grandma.” Ryker lightly shoved Tate in greeting. “‘Bout time you showed up. I thought we’d have to send out a few patrols to find you.”
“You’re hilarious.” Tate’s smile said he didn’t mind the joke. But he didn’t poke back at Ryker. That was something Jonah noticed. He could take the ribbing without an issue, but never dished it back.
Jonah had no such reservations. He snorted. “I’d rather ride with Tate than you. Last time I was in a car with Ryker, he changed lanes three times in five seconds while eating a breakfast taco and arguing with Hannah on speakerphone. Nearly took out a semi.”
Everyone laughed. Even Tate's mouth quirked.
“In my defense,” Ryker said, grinning, “Hannah was wrong about which exit we needed, and the taco was delicious.”
“You're a menace,” Laney said, shaking her head. But her smile was fond.
The laughter faded naturally, and Ryker's expression sobered. “So. Two victims, attacked at their campsite. What are we looking at?”
Jonah appreciated the shift. As much as he valued his friendships with these men, they had work to do. “Let’s go inside and I’ll fill you in on where we’re at.”
The group trekked inside. Their boots were loud against the lobby’s tile floor. Jonah noted Brett wasn’t working today. A young brunette was behind the counter. She waved to Laney, but her eyes looked worried as she took in the group of Texas Rangers. Jonah offered her a reassuring smile. They could’ve set up the task force in the sheriff’s department, but it seemed easier to stay on site in the park. It also allowed Jonah to stick close to Laney. He didn’t like the idea of her being alone, even if she was a fellow law enforcement officer. Especially not being followed.
Laney led them to a conference room. “You guys can use this as your headquarters for the time being. There’s a break room across the hall stocked with coffee and snacks. Help yourself.” She took a deep breath. “I really appreciate you guys being here. It means a lot.”
“Don’t think twice about it.” Ryker squeezed her arm as he passed by to grab a seat at the head of the table. He set his backpack down and pulled out a laptop.
Tate followed suit, grabbing a chair and one of the bottled waters in the center while his computer booted up. He slung his messenger bag over the back of the chair. “What can you tell us?”
Jonah ran through everything as succinctly as possible. He pushed the binder he’d been compiling into the center of the table. “The lab reports are here, but I can tell you they haven’t found anything helpful so far. Our primary suspect at the moment is Garrett Wheeler. He was a guest lecturer at the university Ava attended, and according to her roommate, harassed Ava.” He detailed what Kylie had said, along with theirinterview with Garrett. “He claims to have an alibi. Laney and I were just about to check it out when you arrived.”
“What kind of alibi?” Tate asked, looking up from his keyboard. His fingers had been flying while Jonah was talking. Tate always took detailed notes.
“He says he was with friends staying in Cabin 3,” Laney offered. She checked her phone. “According to our records, the cabin was rented by Nolan Carlson for a week. He’s due to check out on Wednesday.”
“If Nolan verifies Garrett’s alibi, then this case goes back to square one,” Jonah added. “Laney and I interviewed everyone working at the park on the day of the murders. The front desk clerk, Brett Morrison, mentioned seeing a man looking at Ava in the lobby, but he couldn’t give a good description of him. And I can’t be certain he wasn’t embellishing the story. But it’s something we should follow up on. We should also run background checks on all the employees. Rangers are done every year, but administrative employees are only every five years.” He pushed a list toward Tate. “Start with these. These people were working on the day of the murder. Then we’ll go backward from there.”
“Got it.” Tate pulled the list closer.
“Why don’t you and Laney go talk to Nolan?” Ryker suggested. “That’ll give me time to go through the crime scene photos and lab reports. We can reconvene back here and discuss the next steps. Our priorities may change depending on what Nolan says.”
He had a point. Jonah nodded. “Sounds like a plan. We’ll be back soon.”
Scout followed them out of the conference room and into the bright sunshine. Jonah scanned the area, looking for any sign of trouble, as he pulled his sunglasses out of the front pocket of his shirt. The shouts of the kids still swimming rose from the lake.Relief uncoiled the knots in his stomach. He felt lighter having his fellow rangers here. Like the weight bearing down on his shoulders wasn’t so heavy.
As they crossed the parking lot to her car, Jonah popped a peppermint in his mouth before offering one to Laney.
She plucked the small, round breath mint out of the tin with a smile. “Every time we hang out, I get hooked on these. Then I always forget to buy some for myself when I’m at the store.”
“I’ll stock your pantry with them.”
She laughed. Laney loaded Scout up, and a few minutes later, they were driving toward Cabin 3. The road was lined with tall pines. A squirrel jumped in front of her vehicle, and she slowed to let the small animal pass. “Have you ever worked a case with Tate before?”
“Once or twice. Why?”
She shrugged. “He’s very…tall, dark, and silent.” Laney shot him a teasing look. “I didn’t think anyone was less talkative than you. Just goes to show, never say never.”
A pinch of jealousy grabbed hold of Jonah. “He’s single, if that’s what you’re getting at.” The words came out clipped and with more of a scowl than he’d intended.
Her nose wrinkled, and she shot him a look that indicated he was being foolish. “I wasn’t.”
Heat crawled up the back of his neck. What was wrong with him? Laney had made an innocent observation about Tate's personality, and he'd jumped to jealousy like some territorial teenager. He needed to get his head straight. “Sorry. It’s been a long day.”
