Page 27 of Barbed Wire and Burglary
He’d been shot, nearly asphyxiated, and poisoned. This time, his sister had been caught in the crossfire as well—the only family he had left.
The one person I’m supposed to be protecting.
His only comfort was that he appeared to be the primary target of the attacks. Just to be certain, he inquired, “What’s the forensics timeline of the gas leak?”
Luke described it to him, and it was exactly what Aaron had been hoping to hear. Aurora had been out running errands when the leak had been sprung.
“What about the poisoned vitamins?” he pressed.
Again, the timeline was isolated to his own movements, and the vitamins themselves were unquestionably his.
“I’m the target,” he mused. “And like any police officer, the possibilities for who to blame are endless. Short of going through every case file I’ve ever touched in every state I’ve ever lived in...” He shook his head, knowing it would be like hunting for a needle in a haystack.
The sheriff began to pace the small room. “Yes, I think it’s safe to say that someone has you in their crosshairs. Any idea how we might narrow the possibilities a bit?”
“No one specifically.” The sheriff’s look of disappointment brought on a wallop of guilt. He seemed like a nice guy, but Aaron’s ability to trust anyone outside his innermost circle these days was fading fast.
For no particular reason, Aurora’s words from yesterday replayed themselves inside his head.You should tell him the truth.She’d been referring to A.J. when she’d said it, but it occurred to Aaron that telling the truth might provide an equally unique opportunity in this instance. Since he’d been doubly poisoned, this might be his one chance to come clean about contaminating the pawnshop crime scene while keeping his job.
“My best guess is that it’s tied somehow to my family’s business.” An affiliation he’d previously disclosed on his job application and mentioned during his interview. Minus, of course, his unofficial role in the assignments Uncle Cary was constantly doling out to his sister.
Luke looked intrigued. “Can you be more specific?”
Here goes nothing.“Diamondback Corporation employs a team of security analysts who travel the country, testing the vulnerabilities of security systems and recommending ways to improve their effectiveness.”
Luke strolled to the only window in the room. “I did some reading up on Diamondback after you cited them on your application. They specialize in security systems for jewelry stores, right?”
“Mostly,” Aaron agreed cautiously.
“For JSA-member firms, I believe?”
“Yes,” Aaron repeated, amazed that a small-town sheriff would know something like that. His line of questioning was starting to feel like an interrogation, which couldn’t be a good thing.
Aaron battled the strands of sluggishnessenshrouding him, trying to regain the upper hand in the conversation. “Listen, there’s something I need to tell you. Between the time I was poisoned and the time I was nearly asphyxiated, I contaminated the crime scene at the pawnshop.”
“I am aware.” The sheriff swung back in his direction. “What I’m not aware of is why you’re just now telling me this.”
Aaron ducked his head, feeling trapped. The only way the sheriff could’ve been aware of the contamination was if A.J. had ratted him out. Regardless, Aaron was tired of skirting the truth. “I don’t have an excuse for that.” He sat there, shoulders hunched, waiting for the firing that was sure to come.
“Relax.” Luke walked back over to him. “Only a complete moron would throw a pink slip at a guy in a hospital bed.”
The tight feeling in Aaron’s chest didn’t go away. “I can handle it now. There’s no point in waiting until my discharge.” With or without a job, he was fortunate to be alive. Not that he would be without a job for long. Uncle Cary was more than ready to toss the duties of CEO into his lap.
“Or…” Luke clasped his hands in front of him, “you can just tell me what’s really going on and avoid an ugly breakup between us altogether. Your decision.”
Aaron’s lips twitched at the unexpected lifeline his boss was throwing him. Maybe he was about to catch a break after all. “The before and after photos of my crime scene contamination are on my cell phone.” He glanced around the room, assuming his phone was being stored with the rest of his personal items.
Luke gestured impatiently. “We’ll circle back to thatlater. What I’m more interested in right now is finding out why A.J. Pike is so cock sure you’re a dirty deputy.”
“A what?” A streak of pain shot through Aaron’s right temple and radiated through his skull.
“He thinks you’re either accepting hush money to keep quiet about a string of jewel heists, or you’re involved up to your eyeballs in the heists themselves.”
Aaron reached up to clutch his aching head with both hands. “I’m going to need more pain meds.” This was worse than anything he’d imagined.
Luke reached over to mash the button on the remote control strapped to the side of Aaron’s bed. “That should do it.” He poured a cup of ice water and held it out.
“Thanks.” Aaron sipped it until the ravenous edge of his pain subsided. “I don’t even know where to begin. Man!” No wonder his sister’s boyfriend had been acting so wonky around him. Of all the reasons Aaron could’ve come up with for why the guy might despise him, this hadn’t even made the list.
