Page 94 of Coveted Justice

“They usually aren’t what they seem,” Seth said with a nod of agreement. “You do have a point there. Are you going to talk to him tomorrow?”

“I will. I will let Sam know that I’m going. In fact, I should probably call him now and let him know what we know.”

“I’ll leave you to it, then,” Seth said. “I need to get home for supper. If you need any help tomorrow let me know. One of my deputies will be back from medical leave so I’ll be fully staffed for the first time in two months.”

Tanner had vivid memories of covering shifts when he didn’t have enough staff, and he was damn glad those days were over. But it begged the question…

“Can I ask you why you’ve never taken Jared, Jason, and Logan’s offer to work for the consulting firm? The hours would be better, and so would the money.”

Seth gave him a lopsided grin.

“You never took the job either, my friend.”

He had a good point.

“Maddie had her medical practice here,” he said with a shrug. “I didn’t feel like I could uproot her, although they said I wouldn’t have to relocate. We also had a young daughter at the time, and I didn’t want to be away traveling for work, missing out and leaving all the hard work to Maddie. Then when it seemed like I could accept the offer, I won that damn mayor’s race. Nothing’s been the same since.”

Seth slapped Tanner on the back.

“And a political career was born. Actually, your story is a bit like mine. Presley has her coffee shop and it’s a big success. Young kids, although they’re all to the point now they don’t even want people to know they have parents. Lulu was a handful, and I didn’t want to be gone all the time when she needed a father there. Hell, she’s so much like me it’s scary sometimes. I swear half the gray hair I have is because of something that child has done. She has absolutely no fear whatsoever. In a way, I kind of admire it. I lost that when I was seventeen.”

Seth had been in a car accident with his best friend in high school. They’d been doing something stupid and hit an ice patch. The friend hadn’t survived, and Seth had felt guilty. Tanner had a feeling that Seth still felt guilty even though he knew it wasn’t his fault.

“Lulu will calm down eventually.”

Probably. Hopefully.

“I just hope it doesn’t take a tragedy for it to happen.”

Seth’s phone buzzed and he grimaced, checking the screen.

“I need to go. Seriously, call me tomorrow if you need me.”

“I will and thanks again for the early information. I appreciate it.”

“Glad I could help.”

Seth left and Tanner went back into the kitchen to join Maddie. She was placing the last dish into the dishwasher.

“Seth left?”

“Yes, he needed to get home. Did you hear most of the conversation?”

Maddie wiped down the counters and chuckled at his question.

“I love this new house, but the open plan concept means that we all pretty much hear everyone’s conversations. I was trying not to listen in but you both have voices that carry. I couldn’t help it.”

“Nothing we said was a secret. And I want you to know what’s going on with the investigation.”

“It sounds like the ballistics were another dead end,” Maddie remarked. “What happens now?”

“When I’m stuck, I always go back to the beginning. Take a fresh look at the evidence. Sometimes I’ll bring in someone who hasn’t seen it before.”

“A second opinion,” Maddie said with an approving nod. “Very wise. Is that what you’re going to do here?”

“I might. Before that, I’m going to talk to Drew Parnham tomorrow. Ask if he knows why his gun was in the trunk of his dad’s car.”

“That’s just strange. I could understand if it was the actual murder weapon. Then I would assume that someone was trying to frame Abby.”

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