Page 42 of The Harborer
“A packet that had been thrown from a moving vehicle. A beige pickup this time. And lucky for us, this special delivery landed on the side of the road where it was easy to retrieve.”
Shane’s antennae shot up. “Did you apprehend the driver?”
Chesterton shook his head. “This one got away too.”
Shane growled in frustration. Chesterton was a little out of practice at this kind of thing. Was he really the best candidate to check out “shenanigans”? Then again, who else did he have to pick from? Most on-duty deputies were patrolling their own areas far away, and Shane had beenoff-duty, enjoying his time moving Amy into her new place—and kissing the hell out of her.
“Did you have a look at the contents?”
“Not a close one before I double-bagged it and transferred it to the evidence locker. We’ve notified the DEA, and they’ll pick it up in the morning. I’ll tell you this, though. It was in a clear pouch, a little bigger than a sandwich bag, and from the glimpse I had, it looked like a bulk bag of fentanyl pills. I saw the M30 stamp on a few of them. I’m guessing the haul is close to a hundred grams.”
Shane let out a long, low whistle. A hundred grams was enough to kill almost every man, woman, and child in GrandJunction. “Do you think it’s tied to the vehicle I chased earlier today?”
“No way to know for sure, but I’m not a big believer in coincidences.”
Though Holt Gunderson had gone back to the area Shane had marked during his pursuit, he hadn’t turned up the mysterious packet that had sailed from the silver SUV into the ravine. He’d been followed by a cadre of law enforcement personnel, including a narcotics expert, and they hadn’t turned up anything either. The driver had either come back and retrieved it before the good guys got there, someoneelsehad discovered it, or an animal had dragged it off. Shane didn’t like any of those scenarios.
“Any idea where the vehicle was coming from?”
“As a matter of fact”—Chesterton hooked a thumb toward Mountain Coffee—“right out of this parking lot.” Shane’s stomach heaved into his throat. “I was on my way over to Micky Allen’s house to have a talk with Councilwoman Caufield.”
Shit, shit, shit!Chesterton didn’t know she’d moved out, and Shane wasn’t sure how much to tell him.
“Unlessyou’dcare to question her,” Chesterton suggested. “This is your time off, and I don’t want—”
“I’ll do it.”
Chesterton didn’t hide his surprise. “Tonight?”
“Right after I have a look around her place.”
A beat, two beats passed. “It’s possible you might be a little too close to the situation.”
The fine hairs on Shane’s neck stood at attention. “Meaning what, exactly?”
Chesterton leveled him with a long, appraising glare, as if trying to make up his mind about something. Finally, he flapped his hand. “Meaning I’m counting on you to handle the interview with the care and professionalism that comes with your position. Just be sure to write everything up in a report and get it into the system.”
Don’t I always? On both counts?
“And O’Brien?” Shane nodded for the sheriff to go on. “We keep this under wraps. No passing this along when you’re bullshitting with your friends. The last thing I need is for our supporters to find out we might have a powder keg and don’t know how to stamp out the fuse. I don’t want more folks breathing down my neck.”
The sheriff meanthissupporters, of course.
Shane gritted out aYessir, though he wasn’t sure whether his irritation with Chesterton or his growing uncertainty about Amy was making his jaw clench.
When Amy opened thedoor to her new place, her eyes went wide. “Did you forget something?”
Shane removed his hat. “Nope. I’m here in an official capacity.”
“Oh. Well, come in then, I guess.” She opened the door and swept her arm in a welcoming gesture. She was dressed in a pair of snug blue jeans and had swapped her sweatshirt for a cream-colored sweater. Her hair was loose and damp, as if she’d just taken a shower. The strong scent of lavender and vanilla that wreathed her confirmed as much. “Let’s go in the kitchen. It’s the least messy room in the place.”
He followed her, and in a few short steps, they stood near her sink. A square window was centered above it, a little too high for Amy’s eye level but perfect for his. His gaze swept the dimness beyond, but he saw no lights, no movement. Just the inky night.
The kitchen was small but big enough for a table and two wooden chairs, which she’d arranged in a corner. A fabric table runner made up of cheerful summer colors, salt and pepper shakers in mushroom shapes, and a napkin holder that resembled slices of Swiss cheese decorated the table top. Funky and whimsical, like her store. A few empty boxes had been broken down and stood neatly on edge, pinned between the wall and a large cooler. On the counter beneath an open cabinet door,dishes of various shapes and sizes were neatly stacked, ready to be placed on the cupboard shelves.
He motioned around the tidy room. “You’ve been busy. I thought you’d have been passed out by now.”
She shrugged. “I had a lot of pent-up energy, so I opened two boxes.” Her tone was even, giving him no inkling of her state of mind. He tried not to contemplate if the kind of energy she’d pent up was anything like what he’d bottled up after kissing her.
