Читать книгу Royal Protector - Laura Gordon - Страница 16

In the outer office, Deputy Eli Ferguson reclined in a chair with his long legs stretched out on the desktop in front of him. “Hey, Lucas,” he said and came to his feet.

“Am I glad to see you!”

Lucas was fortunate to have such a competent second-in-command. In spite of Eli’s few annoying affectations, like wearing his sunglasses indoors and sliding into a west Texas drawl that stretched a single sentence into a lengthy monologue, he was smart and a good leader. Lucas asked Lexie to wait in his office while he turned over the loose threads of the investigation to his deputy.

“I want four more men up on that trail, checking for anything we might have missed yesterday. Also, BLM just reported a stolen truck. It’s a long shot, but there could be a connection.”

“Could be our shooter needed the truck for his getaway. I’ll compare the cast we took of the tire prints on the trail with the BLM vehicles.”

“Put out an APB on that truck,” Lucas said.

The next task was more complicated. “Last night, someone ransacked Lexie’s rental cabin. Send two men over there to check for prints and take photos.”

Eli removed his sunglasses and glanced toward the office where Lexie was waiting. “Is she all right?”

“Mo insisted she stay in the guest room at the house.” His sister had been correct in assuming there was still a danger. “I don’t need to tell you that those cabins are within spitting distance of the ranch house. I sure as hell don’t like the idea of something like this happening so near Pop’s front door.”

“I’ll get a full report from the deputy who was supposed to be on patrol last night and have it on your desk by noon.”

Lucas nodded. “From now on until this thing is over, I want you to personally oversee the surveillance at Destiny Canyon Ranch.”

“Consider it done.” Eli slipped the sunglasses back onto the bridge of his nose. “There’ll be someone on the premises round-the-clock from now until we bring in the perpetrator. So, where are you headed, Lucas? Back up to the mountain?”

“Later,” Lucas replied and inclined his head toward Lexie. “Right now, my first priority is finding out how she fits into this thing.” His gut instincts told him that the answers they sought resided somewhere in Lexie Dale’s stubborn little head. If he could find a way around her fears, convince her he was not the enemy, there just might be a way to not only apprehend a murderer but keep Lexie safe, as well. “I need you to follow up on the loose ends, so I can be free to act on whatever information I manage to pry out of our witness.”