Page 8 of Katherine's Last Hope
He blew out a breath and shook his head. “Nah. I’m going to check in with Owen then head home to try and catch an hour or two of sleep.”
Frowning, Heath glanced at his watch. “Weren’t you off shift a while ago?”
He nodded and shoved a hand through his hair. “Too much adrenaline to call it quits.”
Heath’s expression twisted into a combination of fury and sympathy. “I heard what happened. I can’t believe there’s been no other sighting of the man who attacked Katherine. Sounds like he disappeared into a cloud of smoke.”
“Which means this wasn’t a random attack.”
“What do you mean?”
Deciding the chocolate bar in vending looked too good to pass up, he slipped a dollar out of his wallet and into the machine.
Heath stepped to the side to give him space to grab his snack.
He peeled back the wrapper and took a bite of the rich dessert before focusing back on Heath’s question. “Looking at the security footage, it was clear the man waited to ambush Katherine. If he got away as quickly as he did, he had a clear idea of where to go and how to cover his tracks. If this was a randomattack of a woman alone in a dark lot, chances are higher we would’ve caught him by now.”
Heath blew into the paper cup in his hand before taking a sip. “Makes sense. He made a plan, executed it, just didn’t claim the prize he wanted. The question is, why Katherine?”
That’s the thought that had plagued him every minute since he’d stumbled across her in a madman’s clutches, frightened for her life.
“Hogan. Got a minute?” Owen marched to his side, bags heavy under his eyes.
“Sure. What’s up?”
“My dad just showed up. He wants to talk to you. I know you’ve put in extra time already, and my dad isn’t anyone to you but your old boss, but it’d mean a lot to all of us if you sat down with him.”
He dipped his chin. “No problem.”
“Thanks. I’ll tell him to make it quick. He’s in my office.”
Taking another quick bite of the candy bar, Cody followed through the maze of halls to the sheriff’s office. At one point, the idea of sitting and speaking with Mike Wells had scared the hell out of him. He’d been young and so consumed with stepping away from the dark cloud of his family’s name, he couldn’t fathom a man like Sheriff Wells seeing him as anything more than a speck of dirt under his boot.
But Sheriff Wells was a fair and honest man. Quick to give him a chance to earn his spot and reputation as a deputy. He’d always be grateful that the Hogan name hadn’t dragged him down the river like it had the rest of his family.
Even if his brother and father had tried their hardest to convince Cody to follow the family way. Especially when they’d hoped having connections on the inside could grease more than a few wheels.
A ridiculous notion he was quick to squash.
Turning into the doorway, he spotted Mike sitting behind Owen’s desk—looking as though he’d never left his position to his son.
Sighing, Owen gave a little shake of his head and closed the door. “Really, Dad? You couldn’t take the visitor’s seat?”
Mike guffawed. “Where we all sit is the least of your worries right now, don’t you think?”
Owen didn’t respond, just dropped down into one of two bucket chairs across the desk.
Cody remained on his feet. He didn’t plan to stay long and wanted a quick exit in case the two men continued to bicker. The Wells men usually got along, but when patience was thin and emotions high, they had a tendency to take it out on one another.
“Hogan, I wanted to personally thank you for saving Katherine. I saw the tape. If you hadn’t shown up, things could have ended very differently.” He coughed, as though hiding the dip in his voice at the thought of an outcome none of them wanted to imagine.
“No need to thank me, sir. I was just doing my job.”
Mike held up a hand. “You have my gratitude whether you want it or not. I spoke with Katherine, actually just left her place after crashing there for the night, and she told me exactly what happened. I’m not here to make you rehash more details, or to throw my weight around when I have no claim to this investigation. But I would like to be involved however possible. I want to help find this bastard, and I want you to know I’m at your disposal.”
He blinked at the turn the conversation had taken. He’d been warned Mike would want a hand in things, which made perfect sense. Having his old boss offer to do Cody’s bidding wasn’t exactly what he saw coming.
“Owen and I’ve spoken and I’m aware this is a high-priority case. Not only is Katherine the target, but a violent anddangerous man is at large. I don’t care who’s in charge or calling the shots as long as we find this guy and put him in a jailcell where he belongs.”
