Page 129 of Proof of Guilt

“I’m sorry,” he said, the frown returning.

Those two words certainly started the cooling-down process. “For what?”

“For not being able to keep you safe.”

That’s where she thought this was leading, and she didn’t like it one bit. “I could be the reason you’re in danger,” she reminded him. Ivy was about to repeat his apology to him, but then she stopped when an idea went through her head. “Has anyone checked to see if my father was maybe investigating Wesley?”

She expected Theo to look surprised at the abrupt change in conversation, but he merely nodded. “I did last night. All your father’s cases aren’t digitized, but Gabriel did a summary of each of them and put the info in a master file and shared it with me.”

Now Ivy was the one who was surprised, and she felt her eyes widen. She hadn’t known about the master file or the sharing part, and Gabriel must have been able to get over the rocky past with Theo for him to give him that info.

“And?” she asked.

“Your father didn’t specifically mention Wesley’s name, but he was working on a case that involved SAPD. Sherman had busted some guys for drugs, and he found some guns on them that had been confiscated in a raid in San Antonio. The weapons had been reported as destroyed, but clearly they weren’t.”

Ivy took a moment to think that through. “So a San Antonio cop sold or gave them the gun?”

Theo lifted his shoulder. “Or it could have been a paperwork error. It happens,” he added. “I’ll keep digging, but so far I haven’t found anything that connects Wesley to the chain of custody of those guns.”

And without that, it would be almost impossible to tie Wesley to it—and to her father’s murder.

Ivy shook her head. “Maybe I’m overthinking this. Your father was convicted of the murders, and he has never denied doing it.” Of course, that was mainly because Travis had been drunk and couldn’t remember. “Anyway, maybe Wesley isn’t dirty at all. Maybe that drug bust my father made is just muddying already muddy waters.”

Theo certainly didn’t argue with that. Which meant they were back to Lacey and August. And speaking of August, Ivy heard the man’s voice in the squad room. A very unhappy voice. It wasn’t a shock that he was riled about being brought back in again for questioning.

“There’d better be a damn good reason you dragged me back here,” August shouted. And yes, it was a shout. “Because I’m sick and tired of being accused of things I didn’t do.”

Gabriel had been at one of the deputies’ desks, but he got to his feet and motioned for August to follow him. Her brother didn’t shout, but he was scowling.

Both Theo and she stepped to the side so that Gabriel could lead August into his office. The watch, envelope and report were no longer there. They’d been couriered to the crime lab.

“First things first,” Gabriel said to August. “Tell me about Belinda Travers.”

“Who?” August made a face. “Never heard of her.”

“Well, she’s heard of you. She says you were supposed to meet her in a bar in San Antonio, but then someone kidnapped her.”

“What?” August howled. “She’s lying.”

Gabriel and Theo exchanged glances, both of them clearly not happy with that denial. Maybe when the woman was able to talk to them, she could prove that August was the liar.

Gabriel dragged in a long breath and turned his computer monitor in August’s direction. “Tell me about this,” Gabriel ordered him. It was a picture of her father’s watch.

Before August’s attention actually landed on the screen, he’d already opened his mouth. No doubt to shout something again about how innocent he was. But he not only closed his mouth, he also moved in closer for a better look.

“Where did you get that?” August demanded.

“I asked you a question first,” Gabriel fired back. He didn’t add more, maybe because he want

ed to see where August would go with this.

It didn’t take long for August to respond. He cursed. It wasn’t exactly angry cursing, though. His shoulders dropped, and while he shook his head, August sank down on the edge of Gabriel’s desk.

“Hell,” August mumbled. That definitely wasn’t a denial, and neither was his body language. “I need to know where you got the watch,” August said, and this time it wasn’t a demand. Even though he didn’t add a please, it was there, unspoken.

“I figured it’d come from you,” Gabriel answered.

Since August was a hothead, his normal response would have been to verbally blast Gabriel for suggesting that. He didn’t. Mercy, did that mean it’d actually come from August? If so, how had he gotten it, and why had he used it to try to set up Lacey?

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