Page 118 of Shadow Sabotage
Maybe the second best thing, I thought, eyeing Claire as she traded stories with her team and laughed at SAR jokes. It wasa lot like dinner with the Hawkins family. The SAR team was a family of its own, and I realized how lucky Claire really was.
She wanted more. I understood that. Respected it.
But she had something incredible here, too.
Sheriff McGrath hung backfor a few minutes, giving us time to eat and hydrate. When he finally approached the edge of the group, Claire’s laughter faded. She caught my eye and jerked her head toward the sheriff.
The celebration was over. It was time to work.
He was silent until the three of us had walked to the other side of the parking lot beside the car that held Collins, well out of earshot from the SAR team.
When he spoke, his voice was gruff. Weary. “There’s a hell of a lot I want to say to you two,” he said, removing his hat and brushing back his graying hair. He shook his head and gave Claire a look of reproach. “Serena? Really?”
The betrayal in his eyes mirrored the hurt I’d seen in Claire’s the day he’d talked to her in his office.
Claire’s face fell in devastation. “I’m sorr—”
I cut her off before she could apologize for doing her job. “I’m guessing you found out about our warrant request,” I said, bringing Sheriff McGrath’s attention back to me. He could be pissed if he wanted, but he wasn’t going to make Claire feel like shit over this.
He pulled his eyes away from hers and gave me a short nod.
I crossed my arms and gave him a pointed look. “I’ll be happy to have a conversation with you whenever you’re ready about why our investigation pointed in her direction. Clearly, you had some responsibility in that. But right now, we have more important things to talk about.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing. “Right. When Hank called me, he said Trey had attacked the two of you. Fill me in. What the hell happened out there?”
“He didn’t just attack us,” Claire said, the strength returning to her voice. “He tried to kill us. Took shots at us with a rifle and tried to start a rockslide. Pulled a knife on Vance.”
Shock rippled on Sheriff McGrath’s face. “Why would he…”
“He’s involved in Katelyn Brown’s homicide,” I said flatly. “He helped cover it up, at the very least. Maybe more.”
“What?” It was clear this was news to Sheriff McGrath.
“Our SAR victim, Robin, was a close friend of Katelyn’s with valuable information concerning her relationships here in Wildwood. When the identification was made public, Robin came here and reported that information—to Sergeant Collins.”
“He’s been sabotaging the case from the beginning,” Claire added, fury in her eyes. “He withheld Robin’s information from us because he’s in Judge Barrington’s pocket.” Claire’s disgust was evident. “And Robin can prove that Katelyn and Judge Barrington were having an affair.”
Sheriff McGrath’s mouth tightened. “I see.”
“You don’t seem surprised by that,” I said, arms still crossed.
“Serena’s told me that the Barringtons have a unique arrangement,” he explained. The look on his face changed to disgust. “But I had no idea he’d hooked up with Katelyn. Good grief, he’s old enough to be her grandfather. Judge Barrington. Well, that’s going to be complicated.” He shook his head, crossing his arms tightly.
“Maybe not as complicated as you think,” I said thoughtfully.
“You figured something out,” Claire stated, the brightness sparking in her eyes.
I grinned. “Just a theory. But if it proves true…”
“Well?” Sheriff McGrath prodded. “What is it?”
“I don’t think Judge Barrington killed Katelyn.”
“You think Collins did it?” Sheriff McGrath glanced at the car behind us. Trey’s sullen face stared straight ahead, refusing to make eye contact.
“No. I think we were right about Katelyn being killed by the wife of her affair partner. We just had the wrong wife.” I shrugged.
“Darla.” Claire inhaled sharply.
