Page 12 of Ranger Bravery

The photograph was small, but Jackson had it blown up so the image was more clear. He pulled it out to show Piper. Elena, her hair styled in big curls, was kneeling behind Shawn, her arms wrapped around him. She was kissing his cheek. Shawn covered one of Elena’s hands with his own. His smile was wide, and it appeared from the angle of the picture that he’d taken the photograph. Probably with his cell phone. Or maybe with Elena’s, since the picture was inside her locket.

Piper blinked. “Shawn is married.”

“Yes.”

The coffee suddenly tasted sour in his mouth. Shawn also had two kids. Little ones. His social media was full of happy moments and loving family photographs.

This was a complication Jackson couldn’t have anticipated. He and Shawn were childhood friends. Their grandfathers had been close. Jackson had fond memories of playing together during family BBQs, fishing at the lake with Granddad, and riding horses. They’d drifted apart since high school, but still kept in touch for major life events. Jackson had attended Shawn’s wedding and sent presents when his kids were born. Shawn had attended Grandad’s funeral.

Elena had been brutally murdered. It was hard to imagine Shawn was responsible. Yes, he could be arrogant and entitled, reckless and a bit rebellious. But a cold-blooded killer? It didn’t fit with what Jackson knew about his friend. Regardless, he had to follow the evidence.

Jackson set his coffee down and scrubbed a hand over his face. His eyes felt like there was sandpaper trapped behind the lids. “We need to be careful. We can’t assume anything from one photograph. There may be an innocent explanation. Or maybe Shawn and his wife have an understanding. Not everyone has a conventional marriage.”

“I suppose. What about Elena’s cell phone? Or her computer? If she and Shawn were in a relationship, there should be an electronic trail. Phone calls, text messages, and more photos.”

“Her cell phone hasn’t been recovered and she didn’t have a computer. I’ve already provided a warrant to her cell phone provider asking for everything they have, but it’ll take them a day or two to get back to me. In the meantime, it would be helpful to access the data Elena stored in the cloud, but I need a password for that. We don’t have it.”

Piper studied the notes on the whiteboard and then turned to face him. “Do you plan on questioning Shawn?”

“I’ve been mulling that over. Shawn is a criminal defense attorney. If he was having an affair with Elena, once we show him the picture, he’ll likely stop cooperating with the investigation and start doing damage control. That could compromise things.”

The Kingstons were influential members of the community. Townsfolk might be unwilling to provide information to avoid being ostracized.

“On the other hand, I’m not sure how long news of this locket—and the photo—will stay contained.” Jackson leaned against the table and took another sip of his coffee. “Derek runs a tight ship, but gossip runs rampant in Rock Fort. It’s only a matter of time before this information leaks. I’d like to get Shawn’s unfiltered response. What do you think?”

She pondered the question for a moment. “I think we should question him now. Elena worked for the Kingstons. Shawn was her boss. It makes sense to speak to him as a matter of course. He’ll be expecting that. Based on his responses, you can decide whether to confront him about the photograph in the locket.”

Jackson nodded. “That’s a good plan. Is Derek in his office? I’ll run it by him before we head out. If Shawn walks away from our interview worried about what we may uncover, he’ll go on the attack. Derek will be in the first line of fire. I don’t want him to be blindsided.”

“He’s there.”

“Good. I’ve rented a room at the B&B across the street. Give me twenty minutes to talk to Derek, get cleaned up, and shove some breakfast in my mouth. Then we’ll hit the road.”

Her lips curved into a heartbreaking smile. “Thank goodness. I was worried you were going to go like that. Although I do like the cowlick.”

He snorted and self-consciously ran a hand over the back of his hair. “I need a haircut.”

“We can make a stop between interviews to take care of that.” She waved a hand. “Go. I’m clocking you. Twenty minutes.”

He laughed. Piper knew he had something of a competitive streak. He’d do what was necessary to beat the clock.

Jackson headed for the door and then glanced over his shoulder. Piper was leaning over the paperwork, reading. Slinky strands of her hair had fallen over one shoulder. Jackson tried not to notice how the light played across the curve of her cheek.

Movement beyond her caught his attention. A man with long hair and wearing dirty clothing meandered on the sidewalk. He was talking to himself. Muttering. Coming closer to the window. Could he see inside? Jackson wasn’t sure. The windows in most city office buildings were tinted for privacy, but in small rural towns, it wasn’t common to do so.

Suddenly the man’s eyes widened. His focus seemed to be on Piper. Her back was still turned away from the window. She glanced up, and must’ve seen the confusion on Jackson’s face, because her head tilted. “What is it?”

Jackson opened his mouth to respond, but his heart leaped into his throat, stealing the words as the man outside pulled a gun from his pocket.

He pointed it straight at Piper.

EIGHT

“Gun!”

Instinctively, Piper’s body moved before her brain fully registered Jackson’s warning. She hit the floor in a heap as glass shattered behind her. A thud slammed into the back of her chair. She gasped, realizing the bullet would’ve hit her if she’d delayed moving. Shouting from inside the sheriff’s department was followed by more gunfire.

Training and self-preservation took over as Piper belly-crawled away from the shooter. Bullets slammed into the wall on the opposite side of the conference room. Like her, Jackson was on the floor. He held his firearm in one hand, but under a barrage of gunfire, there was no chance to use it. Nor was there any real protection. The tables were too heavy to tilt and the chairs were far too small to hide anyone effectively.

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