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“I’m sorry,” Robash said. “I’ve got an urgent situation with another case. I had to go. But there is nothing else to say until I get the permission to close the case, anyway, which I’m expecting to happen tomorrow afternoon.”

“How can you—?”

“Sorry, I’ve got to go.” Robash ended the call.

“This doesn’t make sense,” his mother said. “Didn’t you tell me that she lied about speaking with the daughter of the accused?”

“Flat-out lied, and Trinity was sitting next to me. She heard the entire thing.”

“I don’t like that, Emmett.” His mother shook her head. “She shouldn’t be that close to this case. Especially when we’re questioning how well a federal agent handled an investigation.”

“Mom, she has a right to know.”

“I’m not disagreeing. And you know I’d tell her. Just not right away.” His mom reached out and tapped her palm against his cheek.

He jerked his head away. He hated it when she did that in the office. It was bad enough that she did it at all. Especially considering that he was a grown man and not a child.

She smiled and let out a slight laugh. “Are you going to see this Trinity now? Are you being a gentleman?”

“Of course, I am.”

“I saw a picture of her. She’s beautiful and very much your type, at least in that department.”

“I have a type?”

“Yeah. The damsels in distress.”

“That’s really not funny,” he said. “But, speaking of that, I put Trinity up at Melinda’s.”

His mother lowered her chin and arched a brow. “How does Melinda feel about that?”

“She doesn’t know who she is, not really, but she’ll figure it out. And she’ll be kind.”

“Of course, she will. Of all the people in this town, she’ll understand. But that’s not the point. She has a business to run. She has a right to know who’s staying at her place. If she has a problem with it, Trinity can stay with Steve and me. Trust me, our place is so huge, she’ll get lost. I know I do. Unless you end up becoming her hero.”

“Seriously, Mom. Stop.” Flashes of Trinity popped into his mind. Of course, they’d been doing that ever since he’d left her last night. He couldn’t deny that his body had reacted the second he laid eyes on her. But so what? There were a lot of attractive women out there, and he didn’t pursue them. “Why are you all of a sudden teasing me about a woman I just met? You haven’t tried to set me up with anyone in months. Why her?”

His mom shrugged. “I don’t know. She’s got kind eyes.”

“You haven’t even met her.”

“You don’t date enough. I think it’s time you get back out there. If she’s single and interested, why not start there?”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Good,” his mom said. “Now, before I forget, are you going to bring Rhett into this?”

“You know I am.”

His mom nodded. “Keep me in the loop.”

“I will.”

“And don’t you dare go and do something I’ll have to take your badge for. I expect Nathan to pull that shit. Not you.”

“Yes, ma’am”

She waggled her finger. “I mean it. I know you, and you have that look in your eye like when you were fifteen and one of the deputies ran over Miles’ bike and lied about it. You’ve always been a rule-follower. Until those who make the rules and are supposed to protect them break them. Remember whose son you are.”

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