Page 50 of Fatal Witness

No answer. He eased around the tree again, expecting the assailant to shoot. Instead, total silence. Mark waited for a few minutes before he crept forward. At least he no longer was seeing double. Somewhere to his left an engine fired up.

He got away.

Mark kicked at a mound of dirt.

23

Dani breathed easier once they were in Alex’s SUV, headed toward her grandparents’ house. She hadn’t realized how uptight she’d been about being alone.

She looked over her shoulder to check on Lizi, who’d crawled up on the seat where she could watch her.

Alex turned to Dani. “You okay?”

She shifted her gaze to the chief deputy. “Yeah, but I feel so responsible for what happened to Mark,” Dani said. “If he hadn’t come to my rescue—”

“Mark wouldn’t want you to feel that way.”

“That’s what he said, but it doesn’t change the way I feel. He seems like a good guy.”

“He is,” Alex said. “I don’t know his whole story, but he was a sniper in Afghanistan.”

A sniper? Maybe that’s what was responsible for the wounded spirit she sensed in him. And maybe why she was drawn to him. She was a fixer, whether it was wounded animals or people. Dani tilted her head. “I know you said you aren’t the sheriff, but you act like one.”

“It’s a little confusing. My grandfather, Carson Stone, is the sheriff. I was working in Chattanooga last year when I was shotby an assailant, and I came home to recuperate. My grandfather had a heart attack, and he asked if I’d come on board the Russell County Sheriff’s Department as his chief deputy. Since he’s on sick leave, I’m essentially acting as the sheriff of Russell County.”

“Why doesn’t he just get you appointed sheriff?”

“Because my residence was Chattanooga and not Russell County—there’s a one-year residency requirement to be appointed sheriff, but none if he wants to hire me as chief deputy.”

“I get it. Are you going to run for sheriff?”

“He wants me to, but I haven’t completely made up my mind. At one time, I wanted to be the first woman to head up the Chattanooga Police Department.”

Dani detected a note of uncertainty in Alex’s voice. “You sound like that may no longer be the case.”

“It’s complicated.” Blue lights flashed briefly behind them, and a text chimed on Alex’s phone. She glanced at it. “And the driver behind us is one of the complications.”

She gave a left turn signal and then turned into a circle drive and pulled around to the back. The vehicle on their tail pulled in behind them. Alex killed the ignition. “Sit tight until we can make sure it’s safe.”

“Did anyone follow us?”

“I don’t think so, but I don’t want to take any chances.”

Dani scanned the area as Alex climbed out of the SUV. Trees surrounded the house, but beyond that, it looked as though a road backed up to the property line. Alex tapped on her window before she opened the door.

“It’s clear.” Alex nodded at the man beside her. “This is Nathan Landry.”

“You’ll be safe here,” Nathan said. Then he smiled. “And it’s easy to tell you and Mae are related.”

Dani didn’t quite know how to respond to the comment. Otherthan the hair color, she hadn’t seen a resemblance to herself and the woman in the hospital.

“It’s in the eyes,” Nathan added. “And hair.”

Dani nodded. “Do you know my grandmother well?”

“Not as well as Mark does, but I’m honored to count her as a friend.” He smiled. “I even have a few memories of you from when we were kids.”

“Did you know my parents?”

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