Page 12 of Sutton and the CEO's Baby

CHAPTER 4

Mark

The last person I expected to see in my office was Sheriff Knox Bridges with his hat in his hands.

“Do you want me to call Sutton in here?” I asked, lifting my hand to call her in.

The sheriff shook his head. “No, I wanted to speak with you first. We have a lead on the murder investigation. We found Father Montgomery’s handprints on the gun. Now, he insisted the only time he touched the gun was in Martha’s home. Which is plausible, except she insists that Father Montgomery was never in her home when she was there. I don’t know what to think. I wouldn’t put it past him to go in when she wasn’t there.”

“You think he took the gun and killed Gabe?”

Knox shrugged. “It’s possible. However, we finally got the tests back on some shot glasses that were sitting on Gabe’s desk. One had Gabe’s prints, the other Mad Max, and the third, Earl.”

I blinked. “Earl? I thought that Reena and April vouched for him being at their place.”

Knox nodded. “Yes, but they both claimed to be asleep from two in the morning on. Earl could have left and gone to the bar.”

“What about Max?” I questioned. “Could have just as easily been him.”

Knox blew out a frustrated sigh. “My gut tells me it isn’t Max, but you can’t convict someone on a gut feeling.”

“What does your gut say about Earl?” I had to ask.

Knox shook his head. “Not a damn thing. I don’t think he’s capable of murder, but I also know that he is a forgetful drunk and he had been there drinking. His marriage was falling apart because he was cheating, and it looked like they may have known about it.”

“How?” I demanded.

“I brought Max back in. He said that Earl was there spouting off about the great pussy he was getting.”

“What time was this?”

Knox answered right away. “One in the morning is what Max claims.”

“Where is Earl now?” I had to ask.

Knox ground his teeth. “That is a question I would like answered as well. I went to Martha, but she says she hasn’t seen him. I know he isn’t in the trailer. He wasn’t when Candice was there, and nothing has changed since she left.”

There was a note of dejectedness when he spoke of Candice. I had noticed that she had lost her sparkle as well since returning to the city.

“What would you like us to do?” I had a feeling I was going to dread asking the question.

“I want to know if Sutton knows where Earl’s hiding, and I want her to testify about the conversation stating that Father Montgomery was Gabe’s dad.”

I didn’t like the sound of that. Sutton was having a difficult time of it and I wasn’t sure flying back to Otterville Falls was the best for her.

“I need to speak with her doctor first.”

Knox stilled. “Is everything alright?”

I nodded. “She’s pregnant, almost out of the first trimester, but she’s been really sick.”

Knox swallowed and nodded thoughtfully. “I can try to do the statements here if necessary.”

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