Page 16 of Silos and Sabotage

Luke frowned. “Are you sure about that?”

“Very sure.” Gage harbored no doubts whatsoever. “Why?”

Luke curled his thumbs through the loops of his jeans and rocked back on the heels of his boots. “The same Ella Lawton who’s been missing for the past five years?”

“The same Ella,” Gage affirmed, wondering where his questions were leading.

“She looks nothing like her,” Luke declared flatly. “Not that I’ve ever met her in person. I’ve only seen pictures of her in the news.”

“That’s what I thought at first, too.” Gage wasn’t sure where to start with her story.

Luke abruptly removed his Stetson and slapped it against his knee. “It’s the cosmetic procedures that changed her appearance, isn’t it?”

“That’s my running theory.” Gage went on to explain the holes in her memories. Holes which included the cosmetic procedures to her face. “I don’t think she’s been on the road for long. Maybe a couple of weeks.”

Luke clapped his hat back on his head. “During her medical exam, they found no sign of sexual assault, so that’s one thing we can rule out.”

Gage was enormously thankful to hear it. He still had more questions than answers, though. “Who in the world would kidnap a woman right after she’d witnessed a gruesome murder, then put her through a bunch of cosmetic procedures?”

“I think it’s safe to say they didn’t want anyone to recognize her.” Luke rubbed a hand over the lower half of his face.

“Why?” Gage didn’t really expect an answer.

“I don’t know, but I’m getting the feeling it may have something to do with the fact that her father was raised at Bolander & Sons Ranch.”

Gage had been thinking the same thing. “Did you know him?”

“Nope.” Luke shook his head. “Everybody around here knows how he died, though. Since he was from this area, his murder made a big splash in the local news.”

“I bet.” Gage had been living in Heart Lake long enough to know that it didn’t take much to make headlines in a town this small. The murder of a hometown boy would’ve been news indeed.

“Mick Lawton was closer to Gil’s age,” Luke noted. “They might’ve gone to school together.”

“Makes sense.” Gage’s brain was still spinning from everything new he’d learned today. It was possible Mick was the same guy Gil Remington had been referring to earlier when Gage had asked him if he personally knew anyone who worked for the Bolanders. If the two men had known each other back in high school, Gil might remember something that would shed light on the case —starting with whether or not Mick had made any enemies in Heart Lake. It was worth asking, anyway.

Luke rubbed his hand over the lower half of his face again. “Now that we know our Jane Doe is Ella Lawton, this changes things.” He gave a low whistle as he mulled it over. “It changes everything. She’s gonna need round-the-clock protective custody until we figure out who poisoned her glass of water. Someone, and I’m not ready to name names yet,” he warned, “made an attempt on her life today. Then there’s the matter of how she went missing from the public eye for the past five years. I’ll reach out to the Corpus Christi police to find out what they?—”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Gage interrupted.

Luke looked taken aback. “Are you trying to tell me how to do my job?”

Maybe.Gage knew that what he was about to say was way out of line. “Listen, they’ve been stonewalling me for five straight years.”

Luke’s eyebrows shot sky high. “Why would they do that?”

“I, er…haven’t been as upfront with you about everything as I should have.” Gage averted his gaze as he confessed, “Mick is the biggest reason I relocated to Heart Lake.” It had never been just about launching a new career or his fascination with investigative techniques. “He was my company commander for a while. Then he became my friend. I also happen to be the executor of his will. Not that I had any hope of finding Ella alive this late in the game.”

“But you did.” Luke glanced down the hallway toward the elevators. “I’m gonna go out on a limb here and guess that you’re wanting justice for both her and her father now.”

“Bingo.” The sheriff was taking his confession better than Gage had expected him to.

“Well, I’m not the one you need to do your biggest explaining to.” Luke looked amused. “Believe me, I donotenvy your next conversation with Gil Remington.” A dry chuckle escaped him. “He’s your boss, isn’t he?”

“Something like that.” Gage wasn’t looking forward to their next conversation, either. “Assuming he doesn’t fire me on the spot.”

Luke was still chuckling as he turned to walk away. “I’ll ask the head nurse to notify me when Ella wakes up, so I can return to take her statement.” He didn’t say anything else about contacting the Corpus Christi police. Gage could only hope that meant he intended to think twice about doing so.

He returned to Ella’s bedside to keep vigil over her. One of the other Lonestar Security guards, a guy by the name of Johnny Cuba, showed up to relieve him at eight o’clock on the dot.

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