Page 73 of Only One More Lie

Gibson’s gaze darkened. “I’ve had that thought as well.”

Andi studied his expression a moment.

He knew something they didn’t, didn’t he?

She waited to hear if he would share.

What wasn’t Gibson telling them? Duke wondered. Because there was clearly something else on his mind.

“Gibson . . . ?” He stared at his friend.

Gibson let out a breath. “Look, I’m not supposed to share information like this. But all of us . . . we’ve been through some things together, haven’t we?”

“That would be an understatement.” Ranger offered a wry expression.

Gibson let out an exhausted chuckle. “Yes, it would be. The truth is, I did an extensive background check on Caleb Brinley.”

“And?” Andi asked.

“Caleb Brinley from Montana died in 1979.”

Duke’s eyebrows shot up. “What?”

Gibson nodded. “Caleb Brinley, as we know him, does not legally exist.”

“Wait . . . so Juniper’s boyfriend found a dead man named Caleb Brinley and took on his identity?” Mariella’s forehead wrinkled.

“That’s how it appears.”

“Was he in witness protection or something?” Simmy asked.

“It’s really hard to find out that information,” Gibson said. “My colleagues with the US Marshals usually don’t like to share it with me. But I did put in a request. I’m waiting to hear back.”

“Did you check Caleb’s place?” Duke asked. “Andi and I saw some of it, but we didn’t go through everything.”

“We did check out his cabin, but we didn’t find anything of note,” Gibson said. “However, Caleb had an office in the garage where the UTVs are stored.”

Duke’s heart thumped in his ears. They’d found something, hadn’t they?

He waited for his friend to continue.

“Under one of the floorboards, we found a box. Inside there was a thousand dollars cash, some fake IDs, a gun, and a knife.”

“A knife? Could it be the one used to . . . ?” Duke couldn’t finish the statement.

Gibson’s expression remained grim. “We’re going to test it for trace evidence.”

Duke rubbed his jaw. “Fake IDs? Wads of cash? It sounds like something Ranger might have had at one time.”

Ranger had worked for the CIA, where fake IDs and go-bags were an everyday part of his life.

“I thought about that, but this Caleb guy doesn’t strike me as the CIA type,” Gibson said. “Could be wrong.”

“It’s something to explore,” Ranger said with a grunt. “But he doesn’t strike me as a spook either.”

“Caleb was definitely hiding something and definitely in some type of trouble.” Gibson paused and let out a slow breath. “However, I don’t think he’s our serial killer.”

Duke wanted to argue. He wanted to believe Caleb was guilty. But he knew the truth.

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