Page 79 of Shadow Sabotage
Pause.
“I’m taking care of itmyway, that’s how.”
Pause.
“I can’t do that.”
Pause.
“I can handle her.”
Pause.
“I’m telling you it’s a bad idea. Better for me to spin it now than to cover it up and risk it coming out later.”
A long pause.
“Fine.” He sounded defeated. “We’ll do it your way. I’ll text you if anything changes.”
He let out a loud breath, like he’d ended the conversation. But he kept pacing.
The conversation could have been about a million different things, I reminded myself. But considering the circumstances, I had to wonder if he was talking about Claire. He was jealous she’d been given this case, and he threw her under the bus every chance he got. Was it possible someone else was pushing him to do it?
And if so, were they sabotaging her personally in order to sabotage the case?
He’d already tried to get her reassigned, then had thrown her under the bus with some serious accusations about her work ethic and attitude. He sneered at her every chance he got, and he likely had no issue with his friends sexually harassing her as long as I wasn’t there to see it. If he was being asked to do something worse, something that even he balked at, that raised concerns about Claire’s safety. The undermining had been bad enough, but if he planned to escalate things?
Unexpected rage coursed through me.
I silently backtracked, slipping into the men’s room while I waited for him to leave. When I heard the door close and the sound of his footsteps fade down the hallway, I waited another two minutes, then headed toward the bullpen.
When I got there, Collins was sitting at his desk, red-faced as he typed furiously on his computer.
“Where is everyone today?” I asked, keeping my tone casual.
He barely glanced up. “In a meeting.” He went back to his typing, then shook himself, like he was remembering who I was. “Sorry. Can I help you with anything, Agent Weston?”
“Nah, I’m good. Everything okay? You seem stressed.”
Annoyance flashed in his eyes. “I’m great. I just have a lot to deal with. You know, helping Sheriff McGrath keep the town under control.” He stood up, grabbing his jacket. “In fact, I was just heading out to do that. So if you’re sure you don’t need anything…”
I shook my head, eyebrows raised. “Nope, not a thing.”
“Great. Have a good day, Agent Weston.”
He snapped his laptop shut, tucked it under his arm, and stormed out, leaving a cloud of anger behind him.
I went backto my desk, leaving the door open so I could catch Claire when she left Sheriff McGrath’s office. The electric chime sounded, alerting that the door to the front lobby had opened. Curious, I stuck my head out to look.
A familiar-looking blonde woman walked inside. It took me a second to place her. She was the woman from the photo on Sheriff McGrath’s desk. His wife, presumably. Despite having aged at least ten years since the time of the photo, she still kept her hair platinum blonde and straight, just like Leslie Evans. And based on the way her forehead stayed frozen in place when she greeted Andrea, I had a feeling she spent a lot of time and money keeping up her appearance.
“Hey, Andrea,” she said, walking up to the front.
“Oh, Serena, it’s great to see you. I love that new coat. You look just like a member of the royal family.”
“Thank you.” Serena beamed, smoothing down the front of the red pea coat with her pink polished nails. “It’s not too much?”
Andrea shook her head. “It’s gorgeous. Wish I could pull off something like that myself. But it’s not practical for what I do.”
