Page 37 of Among the Innocent

The young cop’s eyes narrowed. “Are you always this jumpy?”

He chuckled. “Not usually. I guess it’s being stopped for no reason.”

The cop’s eyes narrowed. “Why are you in this area? And why are you driving a truck that’s registered to a Marissa Pennington?”

He felt the rage rising but kept the smile on his face. “That’s my sister. She lets me borrow her truck whenever she and her husband aren’t using it. I’m on my way to meet up with her now.” He noticed a couple more cars stopping behind his truck and hoped the young cop wouldn’t press the matter.

The officer spotted the vehicles and stepped back. “You be safe now, sir.”

“Thank you, Officer.”

The officer tapped the hood of the truck and waited for him to pull away.

He slowly eased down the road with a knot in his stomach and tried not to call additional attention to himself. As he put some distance between himself and the cop, he looked in the rearview mirror and noticed the officer leaning toward the next vehicle. In the cop’s mind he was already forgotten. All was well. At least for now.

Conversation drifted into the room where Leah had fallen asleep. She sat up quickly, rubbing sleep from her eyes. She reached for her phone and discovered over an hour had passed. Several missed messages from Dalton confirmed John’s car had been stolen from a man living near Cheyenne, Wyoming. The same location as the two previous unsolved murders. The puzzle pieces tied the killer to Wyoming somehow.

Her mind went back to the conversation she’d had with Dalton earlier and the growing closeness she felt toward him. Dalton had occupied her thoughts a lot.

Another message came through. Dalton was outside. She texted him back to let him know she’d be right out.

Marge’s troubled voice could be heard from somewhere within the house. Who was she talking to?

Leah opened the door and stepped out into the hall. In the living room, the TV played softly, but there was no sign of her mom.

“Marge?” Leah called out.

“I’m in the kitchen, baby girl.”

Leah stepped into the room where Marge sat alone at the table.

“Were you talking to someone?” She studied the older woman’s flushed face.

“There’s no one here but me.” Marge picked up her coffee cup and went over to the pot.

“I thought I heard you speaking to someone just now.”

Marge turned and smiled. “Probably just the TV. You want some coffee?”

Was it, or had she been talking to herself and hadn’t realized Leah heard? “No thanks. I’m heading back to the station. Dalton is outside waiting for me. I’ll have a word with Sam before I go.” She kissed Marge’s cheek. “Don’t forget—”

“I know—keep the doors locked. Do you really think that person will come after me?”

Leah had to make her mom understand how serious the danger was. “It’s possible. I believe he’s responsible for Ellis’s murder, and we can’t afford to take any unnecessary risks.”

Tears glistened in Marge’s eyes. “I can’t believe anyone would want to hurt my Ellis. He always did his best for everyone.”

Leah squeezed her shoulder. “I know. We’ll find out who did this, I promise. You just don’t take any chances. If you need anything, call Sam. He’s right outside.”

“Don’t worry about me. You just take care of yourself.”

“I love you.”

“Love you too, baby girl.”

Leah hated leaving her, but she had unfinished business and a killer to bring to justice.

She waited until Marge locked the door before heading over to where Dalton spoke to Sam. Heat rose in her cheeks underDalton’s intense gaze. There was something about him that reminded her that she was still a woman, and despite having written romance out of her life after John, she was attracted to him.

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