Page 106 of Mistletoe and Malice
Wait a second. He read back through the description of the customer. “Blue suit.”
“What’s that?” John asked from the other end of the table, several photos spread out in front of him.
Colton’s head snapped up. “I distinctly remember Riley telling me the florist testified in court she couldn’t remember thecolor of the suit the customer wore. Only that it wasdark.Shane was found with Caitlyn wearing a black suit.”
He popped out of his chair and carried the page over to John. “What do you see here?”
John took the sheet and read over the notes, bringing the page closer to his face. “Blue suit. She says specifically it was a blue suit.”
“She was interviewed the day after the murder. Said it was blue. Then at trial two years later, she can’t remember. I’d give more weight to the interview than the testimony.”
“A hundred percent.”
“And it’s all right here in the case file. We need to have Riley check the file she obtained from the former defense team to see if this was in there. If not?—”
“That’s bad. For the prosecution, that is.”
“Exactly. Looks like Riley could get twisted up with another DA if she files for prosecutorial misconduct.”
John dropped the sheet and put his head in his hands. “This keeps getting worse. I may have to transfer to another department. In another city. Maybe another state.”
Colton grinned. “A bit dramatic, don’t you think?”
John dropped his hands and lifted his head. “I’m pretty much playing for the other team right now. Cops don’t work for the defense. We answer to the prosecution. When this all comes to light, I could be shut out by my own team on any future cases. Nobody will want to work with me. It doesn’t matter what the truth might be. I’ll be the traitor.”
His grin disappearing at his friend’s obvious apprehension, Colton took the chair adjacent to him. “I understand. But what’s your gut telling you to do? If you want to leave this to Riley and her investigator, then we’ll do it. We’ll leave Shane out of it and focus on how we link Warren to Riley’s abduction attempt. We already have a lot to go on. She can tie it back to Shane as amotive, if we can provide her with one. She would never want to compromise your career. I can guarantee you that.”
John stared at him, then shook his head. “My gut is telling me we need to get to the truth. If that makes me a pariah, so be it. I don’t believe God puts us in places if He doesn’t intend good to come of it. Doesn’t mean that good is mine. Could be it’s for Shane.” He waved his hand over the mess across the table. “I couldn’t, in good conscience, leave this now. No, I’m in. Regardless of the stakes.”
Colton patted his arm on the table. “You’re a good guy, Stapleton. I’m sure Riley’s grateful for all your work on this, knowing what it could cost you. She’ll do her best to protect you if you stay with it, but I know she’d understand if you needed to walk away.”
John narrowed his eyes at him. “You sure seem to know a lot about her, the woman whose detail you left because you, how did you say?Blew it?”
Acid churned in Colton’s stomach. “I almost got her killed, John. So, yeah, I blew it.”
“What happened at the ball wasn’t because you were out on the dance floor with her. In fact, if shehadn’tbeen on the floor, he could’ve walked right up to her and had a shot off before you knew what was going on. She wasn’t right next to you the entire evening. I was there, remember? You guys gave her the room to mingle, be with her friends, have a nice night out.
“It was this monster out there hunting her who blew it. Blew it by underestimating her detail. If you hadn’t been on the floor with her, could you imagine if you’d had to try to get to her in all that chaos? Paxton followed his instincts and already had the perp in his sights before he ever got a shot off. Working exactly as a team should.Yourteam. The team you should be with right now, working with her, not me.”
Colton stood and shook his head. “You don’t get it.”
“Oh, but I think I do. You didn’t blow it as lead man on her detail. You think you blew it because you fell for her. So, what happened? You couldn’t follow through? Because of your past experience?” He leaned forward with his arms crossed on the table. “I can’t imagine how tough that would be, losing someone like you did your wife. But would she want you to be alone the rest of your life? Or would she be the first to bop you upside the head for not moving on? Maybe with someone as great as Riley.”
Colton’s heart pounded. He could hear Theresa in his ear, telling him what an idiot he was to close himself off. To not find a wonderful woman to settle down with. Settle in and have babies and make a life and grow old with.
He took the chair again and matched John’s posture, arms crossed on the table. “How do you guys do it? You and Avery?”
“How do we do what?”
“Make it work. You two are on opposite ends of the social spectrum. The girl comes from money. You’re a working-class Joe.”
“Ah, I see.” John grinned. “Something happened between you and Riley, but it threw you. And now you’re using her social position as a reason not to pursue it.”
“I honestly don’t think it could work.”
“So, what happened? Between the two of you?”
Colton released a sigh and pushed his hand through his hair, wishing for three more ibuprofen. “That night, things got … intense. Some things were said … professed … however you want to put it.” He gave his head another shake. “She thinks she’s in love with me.”
