Page 44 of Caught in the Crossfire

“Todd Fitzgerald.”

He dragged a hand down his face.

“He’s lying,” Nicole insisted. “Look at Mason’s hands, Ethan. No bruises or busted knuckles.”

“In this case, it wouldn’t matter. The perp used a hand tool. Missing any tools, Mase?”

He groaned. “I don’t know. I didn’t check when I left the job site at 3:00. I was more interested in taking over the watch at Pet Palace from Linc than counting my equipment. What tool was used?”

“Hammer.”

Mason flinched. “I must have four or five hammers in my collection. Fitzgerald will recover?”

A nod. “He was lucky. A broken arm and a couple fingers. Other than that, bruises over various parts of his body. The perp didn’t use the hammer on his head.”

“He wanted Fitzgerald to live to accuse Mason,” Nicole said, her pulse rocketing. Who was doing this and why? She thought she was the only one with a target on her back. Was the killer trying to hurt her by bringing harm to Mason or setting him up to be arrested? If Mason was out of the way, she would be vulnerable.

“Tell me where you went from the time you left the job site at 3:00,” Ethan said, pulling a notepad and pen from his jacket pocket.

Mason summarized his activities with approximate times for each. “You were a witness yourself to the time I was at Delaney’s.”

“Your altercation with Fitzgerald hit the Otter Creek grapevine the minute you pulled away from the diner.” The police chief’s lips curved. “That grapevine is the most efficient communication system in town.” His smile faded. “We’ve taken fingerprints from the hammer, Mason.” His voice was soft. “We’ll run them to confirm, but my gut says it’s your hammer.”

“He didn’t do it,” Nicole snapped.

“Can you prove it?”

She thought fast, determined that Ethan would not arrest Mason for a crime she knew he hadn’t committed. “I can’t, but Linc might be able to.”

“How?”

“The security system. Rio had cameras mounted all around the house. I know Fortress monitors the feed and the system here records the activity.”

“Mason could have slipped out without detection.”

Mason snorted. “You could have. Not me. I’m not trained in stealth.”

“You’ve been training with Durango and Bravo.”

Nicole’s eyes narrowed. How did the police chief know that information? She hadn’t known until today.

“Self-defense,” Mason said evenly. “I want as much training as I can get to better protect Nicole.”

“Why is Fitzgerald convinced you’re the one who beat him?”

“You know why.”

“Enlighten me.”

“I told him to leave Nicole alone.”

Ethan frowned. “Why?”

“He came to my shop.” Nicole tightened her grip on Mason’s hand. “He warned me to break things off with Mason before I ended up dead like his sister-in-law.”

The police chief refocused on Mason. “You can’t afford to be in trouble with the law, Mason.”

“I didn’t seek him out.”

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