Page 91 of Obsession

After the sheriff left, Sam helped Emma up from the ground. As he walked toward the paramedics, she dusted her pants off and glanced around at her surroundings. The path between the two houses looked well used. On one side, trees bordered the path, and on the other was a chain-link fence with a vine covering most of it. She caught her breath. The warmer weather a week ago had fooled the vine into blooming, and yellow jasmine peeked out from the green foliage.

Flowers!

“Sam!”

He whirled around. “What’s wrong?”

“Mary Jo received daisies, just like I did.”

He hurried back to her. “What do you mean?”

“After you left, Mr. Selby remembered that a bouquet of daisies was sent to the funeral home. There wasn’t a card.”

“Maybe this is the break we need.” He rubbed his jaw. “When I get back to town, I’ll check the florists and then enter what information I have on Mary Jo’s murder into an information sharing system. If there are any similar cases, they’ll pop up.”

“You think whoever killed Mary Jo killed someone else?”

“It’s possible. I want to talk to the paramedics, and then we’ll leave.”

He walked to where the medics were loading Sandra onto a gurney. Emma couldn’t hear their words, but she imagined he was asking her condition.

How many people would die before they caught this person?

50

Adrenaline pumped through his body as he jogged through the woods, dodging low-hanging limbs. His truck was half a mile away, parked at an abandoned old barn he’d found years ago when he spied on Mary Jo. He heard sirens and looked over his shoulder to make sure no one chased him. He was good, but then a thin limb slapped him and anger spewed out of him.

He hated Sam Ryker. The ranger had forced him to kill. Why couldn’t he leave the investigation like it was? Ryan was dead and that couldn’t be changed, so why not let him take the blame for Mary Jo’s death?

Ryanwasto blame. If it hadn’t been for him, Mary Jo would be with him now.

No. Mary Jo wasn’t right for you. She never would have made the perfect wife.Not like Emma.

Emma. He was doing all this for her. So they could be together.

His truck came into sight, and he slowed to a walk. He had plenty of time to get in and drive away before anyone came looking. Everyone was too busy taking care of the chaos he’d left behind.

He opened the truck door and tossed the black journal on the passenger seat. Sandra Wyatt had been carrying it, presumably to hand over to Ryker, but the ranger would never see it. Withinseconds, he pulled out of the gravel drive and turned toward the highway.

Once he was miles away from the area, he pulled over and opened the journal.Mary Jo Selby. 2011.Good thing he took it. No telling what Mary Jo had written about him.

But his and Mary Jo’s secret was safe now.

51

It was three thirty when Sam escorted Emma to her apartment and walked through to make sure it was safe.

“You want a sandwich?” she asked. “I know you’re not hungry, but ...”

“That sounds good.” Neither of them had eaten lunch, and hungry or not, they needed to eat.

“What are your plans for the rest of the afternoon?” Emma asked as she took meat from the refrigerator.

“I’d like to stay here, but I need to pick up my computer and find a quiet place to upload everything in Mary Jo Selby’s file into the Regional Information Sharing System, including the daisies.” Especially the daisies. “But I don’t want to leave you alone, so while you’re making our sandwiches, I’ll phone Brooke to come and guard the apartment building until I can return.”

“Thanks. I wonder if that’s necessary.” Emma palmed her hand. “Don’t get me wrong. I know we’re dealing with a dangerous person, but he could have killed me at the Selbys, and he didn’t.”

She had a point. “Maybe so, but I’d feel better if you had someone here.”

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