Page 10 of Lone Star Rescue

The next report Rafe read, also from Ruby, was about the gas line. It had definitely been turned off, and there was no indication it had been turned back on, either legally or by someone hoping to obstruct justice. Rafe didn’t know Ruby’s source for that info, but it’d be reliable. Everything about the woman was.

And it was the reason Rafe worked for her.

According to Ruby, the initial indications were the explosion had indeed had a gas source, but that it’d been a device set up near the grave. No details yet on the type of device, how long it’d been there, and how or why it’d been detonated, but Ruby would no doubt be digging to get those answers.

Bree finished her talk with the CSIs, sighed, and her fingers hovered over her phone screen as if she were about to make another call. She finally muttered something he didn’t catch, set down her phone, and chugged the rest of her own coffee. The grimace she made led him to believe they had the same opinion of the godawful brew.

“The unidentified body is on the way to Ollie,” she stated. “What’s left of the bones from the grave are being gathered. But the county only has part-time use of a forensic anthropologist, and he can’t get to the bones for another month. The town council has approved the budget to contract out.”

She looked at him then, and Rafe knew where this was leading. “Maverick Ops has a forensic anthropologist on staff.”

“Yeah,” she grumbled as if she’d known that would be his response and wasn’t especially pleased about it. “Normally, something like this wouldn’t be funded, but…well, Wade. And Wade didn’t ask for any favors, by the way. But the members of the town council figure that’s because he’s in shock, and they want to get answers for him as to whether or not the bones belong to Tessa.”

Rafe made a sound of agreement and fired off a text to Ruby to give her a heads-up about the request she’d soon be getting. “Wade and Ruby are friends, and Ruby will offer up whatever’s needed,” he concluded.

Bree didn’t actually say anything, but Rafe figured he knew what she was thinking. Wade wasn’t the only one who’d had money. So had Rafe’s parents before they’d both been killed a decade ago in a private plane crash. His folks hadn’t quite been as well off as Wade, but Rafe had heard the “to the manor born” remarks about both Tessa and him.

No manor birth for Bree. Her father had been the sheriff, and her mom, a school teacher. Still, they both carried the faint scar from the blood friends’ bond.

And carried other things, too.

Like the coffee, the timing equally sucked for him to recall that once Bree had had a crush on him. She hadn’t acted on it, of course. No poaching on a blood friend’s guy. But the attraction had been there.

It hadn’t been one sided either.

Rafe had had his own crush on her. Unlike Bree though—he had seen the heat for him in her eyes—but he believed he’d managed to keep his feelings for her a secret.

“My boss is standing by for your request for the forensic anthropologist,” he relayed when he got a response back from Ruby.

She nodded, muttered a thanks, and then groaned while she scrubbed her hand over her face. Bree didn’t say anything until she’d gotten up and closed the door. It wasn’t especially loud in the squad room, but there were some townsfolk there, talking to the deputies, and she obviously wanted to keep what she had to say to him private.

But Rafe believed he already knew.

“The town council didn’t just spring for the bone specialist but also for additional help for you,” he spelled out to her. “They want me to assist and for you to agree to the assistance.”

She wouldn’t be very good at poker, not with her usual tell of a tightening jaw muscle. Bree sighed. Then gave an equally tight nod.

“And, of course, Wade’s friends on the town council want you and are willing to pay you out of pocket.” She paused. “You really earn as much as I’ve heard?”

“I’m not sure what you’ve heard—”

“Ten grand a day plus expenses,” she interrupted.

Now, he sighed. “Yeah. Private consulting and security usually have clients with big budgets.”

“Like Wade’s friends on the town council,” she muttered, making that sound like profanity.

And in her mind, it was. Wade’s friends were tossing around their money and interfering with her investigation. But the way Rafe saw it, she needed an extra hand or two.

“I’ll waive my fee and expenses for this,” Rafe let her know right up front. “You’re short of manpower, and I can help.” But then he stopped.Maybehe could help.

Hell, could he?

Or was he so damn close to this that he’d screw it up?

“Yes,” she said, obviously picking up on his hesitation.

Rafe wished his hesitation about his involvement in this would rein him in and at least make him think twice about consulting. But it wouldn’t. That explosion had dragged him into this, and he was staying. Well, staying if Bree let him. Wade and his friends might have money and influence, but she had the badge.

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