Читать книгу The Sheriff - Angi Morgan - Страница 13

Chapter Four

Pete kept Andrea Allen in sight through the sliver of an opening in the door. There weren’t any windows in the exam room, and he needed to keep an eye on her. Victim or perpetrator. He didn’t know if that was an unsuccessful rescue attempt or an averted abduction.

Whichever, something didn’t sit right and he wanted to know what she was doing. She was the prime suspect or witness in a man’s death.

“I’ve got things under control, Dad. I don’t need backup at the hospital. I’ll be gone before anyone can get here. We’re just waiting on a prescription. There’s nothing you can do. I know you’re already at the office. Just stay there and handle that end of things. When exactly did Peach call you?”

“Now, son, it’s no reflection on your abilities that she called. We’ve been working together for a couple of decades.”

When were any of his instructions going to be followed?

He’d been at the hospital almost three hours waiting on Andrea to be treated and discharged before Suit Man—it was as good a description as any—had shown up. And to get the okay for her to leave was taking a lot longer than he’d anticipated. The murderers seemed to be a lot more organized than the hospital staff, who couldn’t get them out the door.

“Who am I kidding? Peach called the real sheriff as soon as I reported the dead body. Right?” A guy who went missing by the time the ambulance showed up twenty minutes later.

“You are the sheriff now and never mind how long I’ve been here,” his father said, sounding wide-awake and probably on his third cup of coffee. He’d dodged answering like he usually did. “The picture you sent popped a red flag. I’m waiting on a call from the DEA and DHS.”

“You think this guy was working undercover?” His charge was lying on an ER bed, ice bag on her ear.

“Could be, Pete. They’re waking up some top-dog bureaucrat to get instructions. I don’t want the call to drop on my way out to the Viewing Area. But I want to take a look at that car before it disappears, too.”

“So you believe our Sleeping Beauty’s story about the flashing lights?” His dad would take over the crime scene while Pete babysat the witness. This night just kept getting better and better.

“Well, something’s not right. Dead bodies don’t just walk away. The paramedics are sure there was no sign of animal involvement?” his dad asked.

“They actually accused me of yanking their chain when they returned to the hospital.” A quick look into the room confirmed Andrea was still asleep, secure and safe.

“Then whoever was in the chopper chasing our witness didn’t want the body found.”

“Did Peach get anyone at the observatory to verify her ID?”

“Yeah, the director confirmed everything. She’s lucky you got there as soon as you did or she’d be dead twice over now. Don’t let her out of your sight until we get this thing figured out.”

“I hadn’t planned to. I know my job, Dad.” He wasn’t normally a pacer, but he couldn’t lean against the wall much longer. He looked at the nurses’ station, where there was still no sign of activity.

“You’ll make a fine replacement. I’m looking forward to sleeping in,” his dad said.

“That’ll never happen. You’ll just be at the café for breakfast earlier.” He left the replacement statement hanging. He couldn’t get into a conversation they’d been avoiding for almost six weeks while in the middle of what was becoming a major mess. “Listen, you know you’re supposed to take it easy. I’ll stop by the crash site on my way back.”

“I’m not an invalid.”

“You should be after a quadruple bypass.”

Andrea yanked the door open.

“He’s dead?” She was obviously panicked, more upset than she’d been earlier after the Suit had backhanded her jaw. “The man who stumbled out of the desert is dead? Did he die in the crash? Did I kill him?”

“Gotta run, Dad. Get a deputy there to pick you up. You shouldn’t be driving.” He slid the cell into his pocket and faced her. “I’m sorry you had to hear like that. How he died wasn’t clear when I viewed the body, so I don’t have the answer to your question.”

“I need another shirt. Now.”

He witnessed her realization she still wore the man’s blood. Her chest began rising and falling more rapidly, and she was about to completely lose it. Good or bad? He didn’t know. They didn’t get too many cases like this bizarre situation in Jeff Davis County.

One second he was sticking his head out the door calling for clean scrubs and the next he saw Andrea tug the back of her shirt over her head.

“What are you doing?”

She threw the shirt across the room. “I think that’s self-explanatory. What? You’ve never seen a woman in a bra before?”

“Here.” He shifted the pillow from the bed to block the view of her breasts.

“I’m not claiming harassment, if you’re worried—”

“This is a small town and people will talk no matter what you claim.”

“Someone’s trying to kill me. I have no idea why. And you’re worried about seeing me in my bra.” She stared at him, hugging the pillow to her stomach.

She wanted a logical explanation. There wasn’t one. “They’re covering their bases.”

“But I don’t know anything,” she whispered.

“They don’t know that.”

The door swung open, and Ginny held a pair of pink scrubs. She handed them to him without a word and turned to leave.

“Wait.” He stopped the nurse after the disapproving look she shot his way. “I’ll leave and you help Miss Allen get cleaned up and changed. Bag all her clothes, will ya?”

“Sure, Pete.” Ginny smiled, raising an eyebrow to match the questions in her voice.

He stepped outside and pulled the door shut behind him, leaning against the wall and refusing to beat his head against the drywall. He was attracted to Andrea Allen in a major way and needed to set it aside until this mess was cleared up.

It didn’t matter that her belly had been faintly stained with blood. He’d barely been able to think like a sheriff while admiring her other...assets. His red-hot American boy shouted at him to take notice.

The woman he’d been watching closely was completely in shape, sleek muscles in spite of being a scholar. That is, they still needed to verify her identity. They hadn’t found any ID at the scene. Nothing on the viewing platform the way she claimed. And if he hadn’t seen the dead man himself, they’d be questioning her story about that, too.

Maybe that’s what she’d intended? Get him distracted so she could slip out of the hospital. Andrea Allen might just be a legitimate name she acquired so she could pretend to be someone from the university.

She was either the most carefree, speak-her-mind woman he’d ever met or the best con artist he’d ever witnessed. Being a looker helped. Spirited. Easily embarrassed on one hand and then contradicting it by stripping her shirt off without blinking an eye. Dark brown hair, skin that hadn’t seen sun in a while and at least five necklaces, varying in length, drawing his stare to a pair of perfectly shaped breasts.

Ginny closed the door behind her. “She sure is upset that mystery guy is dead. You better watch her, Pete. No tellin’ what you’ve stumbled across now. Guess that’s the breaks when you’re the sheriff.” She dragged a finger across his nameplate. “Give me a call the next time you’re in Alpine.”

That ship had sailed a long time ago. “Thanks. Got an estimate on that prescription?”

“I’ll go check for you.”

He knocked on the door. Andrea sat on the bed, tapping the nails of her right hand on those of her left.

“So they think I’m crazy or lying. What do you think?” She had a pretty pout.

He shrugged and leaned on the wall again. “Maybe the man isn’t dead after all. Maybe he came to and wandered into the desert. Search party will find him or evidence. They’re usually good at that.”

He cleared his throat, shifted his stance and forced his thoughts back to this case. A real case. A case that would prove he could be sheriff on his own merit. Not just because his dad had to step down after his heart attack. A case that would cinch an election.

He could hear questions being asked in the hall and no answers given to Ginny. But as much as the nurse kept her mouth shut here, he knew from firsthand experience she’d be sharing that he hadn’t left the room. It would be all over the county as soon as she got on her social media devices.

So be it. Her gossiping was one of the reasons they’d stopped dating. Among other things.

If the woman he’d found had been caught in the wrong place, she needed protection. She could be a witness to a mysterious crime. Or part of it. He didn’t know, but he would be discovering the truth soon.

Whatever was going on, until he figured it out, Andrea Allen was stuck with him.

* * *

BEING LOOPY IN the same room with a handsome man in uniform was humiliating enough. Then Andrea had taken her shirt off. Oh, my gosh. And he was handsome. She melted a bit when he put his hat on while leaving the hospital. A cowboy? Really? She was a rock ’n’ roll girl all the way. Classic rock and definitely not country. This guy wore boots. Real boots. Still, she wanted to find out what kissing him was like.

She absolutely adored cleft chins. Especially this one. Then there were his eyes—kind and serious, or embarrassed and sweet.

“In case you’re curious, we’re heading down Highway 90 to Marfa instead of directly back 118 to Fort Davis. Just in case Suit Man is waiting with friends. There are plenty of cops on 90 tonight.”

“Thanks.”

She refused to further embarrass herself by making small talk. Her mouth had a habit of saying exactly what she was thinking, and the more time she thought about a subject, the more she’d end up blurting out trivia about herself.

“You warm enough?” he asked.

An innocent question. Small talk. She nodded, refusing to verbalize anything. It would open a floodgate of words that would inspire an entire conversation. And what if she ended up really liking him? How could he think of her as anything but a lunatic after what had happened?

“Sorry, is that an affirmative?”

“Yes.” Keep your cool. Maybe pretend to fall asleep and he won’t ask anything. She closed her eyes and leaned her head against the cool glass of the window, trying to see the stars and constellations.

“It’s okay to talk, you know. Why don’t you tell me about why you’re in West Texas.”

Was he just making conversation? Being polite? Or pumping her for information? Did it really matter? “I don’t think I should say anything. You’re treating me like a suspect.”

“Do you feel like a suspect? I thought I was treating you like someone who needed a lift home. I do that. It’s part of my job.”

“I don’t know why I’m being so paranoid.”

“Maybe it has something to do with a dying man falling into your arms in the middle of nowhere or being chased by unknown assailants?” He scratched between his eyebrows for a brief second. He’d done that several times as he’d dipped his chin. “Or maybe it was the guy posing as Homeland Security who attacked you.”

“Yeah.” She laughed for a second, surprising herself. “That might have something to do with it.”

“Pretty good badge, too. Had me fooled, even down to his shoes. Most of ’em forget the shoes.”

She covered her eyes, sliding her hand over her mouth. Small talk, remember the small talk consequences. She did not want to reveal who her father was or who he worked for. His job title was a red flag, warning off guys too frightened to stand near him. Or others would fall into hero worship when the former astronaut showed up. Either of her father’s personas would make her feel like the background, and she’d lose interest in a potential relationship.

“You can rest if you want. Use the blanket I took from the trunk for a pillow. I promise it’s clean.”

Rolling the dark cotton into a cylinder, her brain jump-started as the road veered directly west again. They were getting close to the Viewing Area. She could see warning lights down the road, still miles away, but bright for a clear night on a flat piece of earth. Not anything like what she’d experienced earlier.

“I probably should just keep my mouth shut, but I don’t want to forget this.” She pointed at the hills to the south. “The lights I saw first appeared back that direction. There was something strange about them.”

“People see lights out here all the time.”

“Don’t dismiss me like a tourist.”

“Pardon me, ma’am. I forgot for a minute you were an astrologer.”

“Astronomer, but you already knew that. Trying to insult me?” From him, it didn’t come across as an insult. “Can we stop to get my things, Pete? I think I’m clearheaded enough to have a discussion with your colleagues about what happened. And I’ll never get to sleep if I don’t have my music.”

He tugged at the front of his shirt, shifting behind the wheel. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

So when Pete didn’t want her to know something or he was holding back, he kept a straight face and couldn’t smile. Interesting. He was definitely holding back. She’d seen a lot of guys in uniform in her lifetime and they all stood a little straighter, forcing the confidence to come through as the truth.

“I don’t really want to see Sharon’s car or have that memory with me forever. But isn’t it better than wondering about it for the rest of my life? Which is worse?”

“I can’t answer that, Miss Allen.” He pulled to the shoulder of the road and put the car in Park. “What I can tell you is that nothing was there except the car.”

“You aren’t taking me back to the observatory. Are you?”

“No, ma’am.”

“So you think I murdered that man and wrecked my friend’s car and made up a story about weird chopper lights to cover everything up? He was shot. Did you find a gun? And really, I came into the desert without anything? No cell, no purse, no shovel, no identification whatsoever to get rid of a dead man?” She’d started talking and couldn’t stop. “Granted, if I were getting rid of a dead man, I probably wouldn’t carry my ID. But alone? Get real. And if you knew me at all, no snacks and no water? Well, that just isn’t going to happen.”

“Wow.” He draped his arm over the steering wheel, turning more of his body toward her and smiling once again. “That’s impressive.”

“I have a vivid imagination and think really fast. My dad rubbed off on me. I don’t understand how you can assume that I’m guilty without any proof. There isn’t any proof. Right? I mean, I’m not being framed, am I? Lots of people knew where I’d be tonight.”

“Just hold on a minute.” He straightened the arm closer to her, reaching out to pat her shoulder. “If you can take a breath and slow down to my speed, I can explain what’s going on. To a certain degree.”

She faced forward and shoved her fingers under her legs. Watching his sincerity was clouding her ability to analyze the situation correctly. She’d allowed him to distract her far too long and should have called her parents immediately. She knew that number by heart. “Okay, I’m breathing.”

“You’ve been in protective custody since I got a phone call from the paramedics that there wasn’t a body in the vehicle. No one’s arresting you.”

“But you saw him? I’m not...” She’d been about to say crazy.

He nodded. “I have pictures of a man at the scene matching the description you gave me earlier. Neither of us imagined it.”

“Thank goodness.” The sigh of relief was more than just verbal, it was liberating, and she physically felt lighter. For a moment, she’d doubted if she was experiencing an actual memory. Part of her imagination could have been distorted from the concussion.

Was that a possibility? She had definitely passed out after the accident. Could she have warped what really happened? Should she throw that scenario into the mix? No. She wasn’t paranoid, just overthinking as usual. It was better to wait on the investigation and not doubt herself.

“Look, Miss Allen. Until we know what’s going on, everyone believes it’s better for me to stick close.”

“I can’t do my work just anywhere. Even under protective custody at the observatory would be difficult. Don’t I have to consent or something? And who’s everyone?”

For once, the man with all the answers seemed at a loss for words. It couldn’t be plainer he was choosing his words carefully.

“I’m not trying to scare you, but being new around here you may not know that we’ve had a lot of drugs and guns crossing the border recently. Strange activity involving a helicopter and a disappearing body seems more than a little suspicious. It’s better to be safe.”

“And better to keep me close while you verify that I don’t have anything to do with it.”

“Hmm, there is that.”

He grinned again, and she realized that there wasn’t anything calculating about it. He seemed to be a good-looking, concerned officer who took his job very seriously to help her feel safe and at ease. Correction, he was absolutely terrific-looking and naturally charming. And off-limits?

Pete Morrison should be off-limits. She was completing her study and then getting a job halfway around the world. No reason to get involved. It wasn’t logical. She didn’t have time for a relationship.

Satisfied he was there to help and she needed to curb her attraction, she slapped her thighs, ready to cooperate. “I have a passport to verify who I am. It’s at the observatory housing where I’m staying until I get my telescope time. I’m only here for three weeks.”

He put the truck in motion. “So it was just coincidence that you were at the Viewing Area looking for the lights? Tourist or PhD work?”

“Filling in for a student. It’s an ongoing study by UT. That’s why I was driving her car. I hope her insurance covers accident by strange helicopter. She’s going to kill me.”

“No comment. I don’t let people borrow my truck.” He put the patrol car in Drive. “Not even my dad.”

The circular building where tourists stopped to watch for the Marfa Lights phenomenon passed by amid several parked vehicles, including another squad car identical to the one she was inside. The radio squawked, and Pete lifted the hand microphone to his lips. It certainly was easy to think of the man by his first name.

“Yeah, Dad?”

“And what if it hadn’t been me?” answered a gruff voice through the static.

“It’s always you.” Pete laughed after he’d released the talk button and couldn’t be heard. “Remember that I have a ride-along.”

“I ain’t that old, buster Pete. Not much new here, but DHS wants you to meet them at the station with the witness.”

“Headed there now. Out.”

He stowed the microphone, and she waited for an explanation, but waiting wasn’t really her thing. She was more of a straight-to-the-point, fixer type of person and yet she really didn’t want to explain right now.

“Real DHS?” she asked, gulping at the potential conversation she’d be forced to have soon.

“The Department of Homeland Security. Looks like our missing body rang some official bells.”

“Dang it.” Are they here for a missing body or because of my involvement? It didn’t take much to come to the conclusion it was about her. “Did they mention why they want to talk to me?”

“They probably need your statement. This is a good thing. They’ll move the investigation forward a lot faster. You should be glad. We’ll be out of your hair that much sooner.”

Her instinct and her luck shouted differently.

“Not likely. Why is this happening now? Oh, I know you mentioned the guns and drugs and border thing. But I’m so close to finishing this dissertation. Shoot.”

They entered Marfa and turned north toward the county jail. Pete let his department dispatch know they were on their way in.

“Did they say who would be coming here?” she asked.

“You know someone at Homeland Security?”

Hopefully, she wouldn’t have to explain herself. She’d give her interview, they’d say everything was a huge mistake, no one’s actually trying to kill you and she could return to finish her short time in the Davis Mountains. “I’d rather not get into it.”

“Andrea, you’re the one who brought it up.”

“And I’m the one who’s not going to talk about it.” Not unless I really, really have to.