Page 56 of Colton Family Bodyguard (Coltons of Mustang Valley)

“Can you think of anyone who might have a reason to be angry with you?” he asked.

She frowned in confusion. “Callum, I don’t understand why you’re asking me that. You think there is someone else—besides the kidnapper Evie witnessed—who is after me?”

“Yes, and no. Like I said, I’m thinking out loud, making sure I cover every angle.”

After a moment she slowly shook her head. “No.”

She seemed hesitant.

“What about your ex-boss? Carolyn Johnson?” The woman had lost everything after Hazel left her restaurant. People murdered for different reasons and revenge was one of them. Not that he could say for certain that Carolyn would try to kill Hazel. Maybe she stewed over her losses and blamed Hazel, but hadn’t gone over the edge yet.

“Carolyn wouldn’t do that,” Hazel finally said. “She isn’t that kind of person.”

“People respond differently to life situations. What did that restaurant mean to her?”

When Hazel looked away, Callum already had his answer. The restaurant had meant everything to Carolyn.

“That’s why I felt so terrible,” Hazel said.

And Carolyn had seemed gracious and forgiving. Even accepting, maybe overly so. “Let’s talk to her again. Maybe keep an eye on her.”

“You mean...do surveillance on her?”

“Yes.”

After a while she shook her head. “I don’t know. I can’t believe she’d do something like that.”

“Let’s hope not. Let’s hope Carolyn is not somehow associated with the killer.”

“What if whoever you saw out there wasn’t Carolyn and was just waiting for someone else?”

That was possible, but Callum wouldn’t take any chances.

“I need to be sure, okay?” He met her eyes in a silent plea to heed him.

She blinked in concession. “Okay.” Then she gave him a faint smile that told him she appreciated his careful concern.

He heard his phone go off, indicating he had received a text message. It was from Kerry. She was five minutes out from the inn and she asked him to meet her in the parking lot.

After they each changed into normal clothes, he went back into the main room. “You wait here,” he said to Hazel. “There’s another officer outside on guard. I’m going to go down and meet Kerry.”

“All right.” Hazel sounded distracted, possibly weighed down by thoughts of Carolyn retaliating.

Assured that Hazel would stay put and she’d be safe in the suite, Callum rode the elevator down and went outside.

He spotted Kerry getting out of her vehicle. He also searched for the mysterious SUV and didn’t find it. The driver must have given up and gone for the day.

He looked around for any other signs of danger. A man wheeled his luggage toward the inn entrance and a car left the parking lot. Movement drew his attention to a tree off to the side of the front doors, where a man smoked a cigarette and looked back at him. He was about the same build as the man he had seen who’d shoved a body into his trunk. It was hard to say, though, because this man stood and the other had been in the car. Could they be the same man?

“Do you see that?” Kerry asked.

“Sure do.” He looked like a stalker. A few months ago, a creep had stalked Marlowe until he’d been caught.

“Let’s go see if he’ll talk to us.”

Callum started for the man with her by his side. The man continued to smoke and watch them.

Kerry took out her badge and showed it to him. “Detective Kerry Wilder. Are you staying here?”

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