Page 117 of Proof of Guilt

Yes, that was more than possible. Still, he doubted his father would have gone along with a plan if it’d actually endangered either the Beckett children or Jodi and him. That meant there was still the possibility of a real killer out there or someone with a sick obsession about all of this.

Theo’s phone buzzed, and he saw DEA agent Matt Krueger’s name on the screen. He answered the call while he went to the window to have a look outside.

“Please tell me you found something about that militia raid I was asking about,” Theo greeted.

Matt hesitated a moment. “Yes, that. I did go over everything, and I see what you mean about maybe the pieces not fitting. I’m thinking someone could have tipped off the militia about agents having infiltrated them.”

That’s what Theo had considered as well, but it still twisted at him to think that a fellow agent could have done that. “Is there any proof?”

“Maybe. I just went through the surveillance footage we have, and Wesley made a call about thirty minutes before the attack. Since he was using a prepaid cell, there’s no way to trace it. Any idea who

he called?”

“None.” In fact, that was the point in the assignment, when he, Wesley and the agent who’d died—Ross Callahan—should have been keeping watch for an arms shipment that was about to come in.

“I think it’s time for me to ask Wesley about this,” Theo added. “I’ll give him a call—”

“You haven’t heard?” Matt interrupted.

“Heard what?” Theo asked.

“I just got the news a couple of minutes ago. Gabriel apparently took Wesley into custody. Don’t know the details yet, but the sheriff found some kind of evidence to link Wesley to those dead gunmen.”

Everything inside Theo went still. “What kind of evidence?”

“I’m not sure. Gabriel’s holding that close to the vest. But Wesley claims that you set him up, that you’re the one responsible for those gunmen who attacked last night.”

Theo cursed. “And why the hell would I have done something like that?”

Matt hesitated again. “Wesley said you did it to get Ivy out of the way so you could get custody of your son.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

Theo was still cursing under his breath after they got in the cruiser, and even though Ivy hadn’t timed it, it’d been well over an hour since his intense phone conversation with Matt Krueger.

During that time, Wesley had accused Theo of attempted murder.

And that’s why Theo had immediately started making plans to go to the sheriff’s office in Blue River. He did that by arranging for Jameson to come out and stay with Nathan while the deputy, Cameron Doran, drove with Theo as backup into town. Theo and Cameron had been friends since childhood, and Theo trusted him. But Ivy made sure she was in on those plans, too, even though Theo had insisted it wasn’t the right thing to do.

Heck, she wasn’t sure it was the right thing, either, but she did want to be there when Gabriel interrogated Wesley. And Lacey, as well. Gabriel had had to reschedule her interview so that her lawyer would be there with her.

“If Wesley’s the one behind this,” Theo said to her, “then you’re not the target. That means there’s no reason for you to be there.”

Theo had already voiced several variations of that argument to get her to stay at the safe house, and it might be true. The investigation had certainly taken a strange turn, what with Wesley’s accusations. Too bad that it might take them a long time to sort it out.

Time they didn’t have.

Nathan was okay for now at the safe house with Jodi and Jameson, but Ivy hated the thought of him being shut away. Hated more that her little boy was in danger. Maybe they would get some answers, and soon, and put an end to that.

Theo continued to mumble profanity while he read a text. He did that while volleying glances all around them. So did Cameron while he drove them toward town. Thankfully, it was a rural road with no other traffic, so it should be easy to spot someone trying to follow them. Unfortunately, there were plenty of old ranch trails and even some thick woods between the safe house and Blue River. That’s the reason Theo had wanted Cameron to make this drive with him.

“SAPD can’t find a money trail for McKenzie and either of the dead gunmen,” Theo relayed to her once he’d finished reading the text.

It was frustrating but something she’d expected. None of their known suspects would have left that kind of evidence behind.

“What about the phone call McKenzie made to Lacey?” she asked.

Theo shook his head. “SAPD can’t even be sure McKenzie made that call. There were no prints on the phone. It’d been wiped clean.”

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