Page 15 of Deadly Pride

Liam glanced where she pointed, then ordered for someone to see if her theory was true. A man in scuba gear dove into the river.

“Who found the body?” Harper asked a nearby officer.

“A couple out jogging. Their dog went off the trail and started barking.”

Harper looked over to where a young couple with a Labrador huddled under an oak tree. Planting her hands on her thighs, she pushed to her feet. More questions that wouldn't result in answers to resolve this case. “I'll take their statement if you want to handle things here.”

“Sure.” Liam nodded. “Hopefully, the diver will return with something.”

Harper approached the couple. Tears filled the young woman's eyes. “You found the body?”

They nodded in unison. “It's awful.” The woman buried her face in the man's chest.”

“My wife and I jog here every morning,” he said. “It's a peaceful trail. This is a good town. What's happening here?”

“That's what we're trying to find out, sir.” Harper asked the same type of questions she'd asked the last few days and received basically the same answers. Except for at the restaurant, no one saw anything suspicious. A simple jog that had turned into a nightmare. Harper handed him her business card. “Please call me if you remember seeing anything that might help.”

She returned to Liam's side as the diver emerged from the water pulling a cement block attached to a rope. Harper exhaled sharply. “Old style gangster stuff. I thought our killer was smarter than this.”

“Doesn't seem his MO.” Liam pressed his lips together. “What if the man at the restaurant isn't doing the killings?”

“He was seen ordering the doughnuts.”

“No, I mean the other ones. What if he's hiring someone?”

Her mouth fell open. Could he be right? Multiple killers? Was this man hiring a professional? “The deed at the restaurant seemed as if he'd known what he was doing?”

“Yes, but it was smooth and in the open. These other killings have been committed in secret.” Liam took her arm and led her off to the side. “It's an avenue we need to explore. I'll get a list of hired killers in the state. It's a starting point.”

~

It didn't take long after Liam's request to have a list of killers for hire in Arkansas and neighboring states for it to show up in his inbox. He copied the email to Harper. They could discuss their next step at lunch, which by the way his stomach complained, was way overdue.

He approached Harper who leaned against the bumper of her car. “Ready to eat?”

“Yes, I'm starving. Do you like sushi?” She didn't look up from her notepad.

“No. What's so interesting? Someone have something to tell you?”

“Don't look, but there's a woman who's been tying her shoes for half an hour. She arrived shortly after we did.”

He glanced over his shoulder. A woman in jogging gear messed with her shoes, one foot propped on a bench. “The pretty dark-haired one?”

“I told you not to look. Yes, her. She seems overly interested in what's happening here.” She snapped her notepad closed.

“Want me to go question her?” Why hadn't Harper already done so as soon as she grew suspicious?

The instant he took a step toward the woman, she jogged away from them. Instinct honed over the length of his career alerted him to the fact she wasn't merely a curious onlooker. “Let's try to catch up with her. Get in the car.” He sprinted for the driver's door, Harper getting in the passenger side.

He had the car started and moving before her seat belt clicked into place. “We make a good team, detective.”

“How so?” Her brow furrowed.

“We don't have to explain too much when something needs doing.” He tossed her a wink, enjoyed the subtle pink tinging her cheek, and sped down the road next to the jogging trail. He passed the woman they pursued and stopped the vehicle in her path.

Her eyes widened, and she whirled to race into the trees. Harper shoved open her door and gave chase, Liam right behind her.

The woman dove into thick brush. A second later, a gunshot exploded from her hiding place.

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