Page 88 of Her Rugged Guardian

“Trust me,” she said. “I will do that.”

Bart nodded. “Stay out of trouble. This is the last thing you need.”

“Always.”

“I’m heading inside,” she said. “Don’t be too long.”

There was no doubt she was absorbed in the news, upset with what Bart had told her. After she’d gone inside, I confronted him. “What the hell was that about?”

“I had to let her know what I found. You know it wouldn’t be fair otherwise.”

“You’re not telling me something.” I knew the man far too well. He was definitely holding something back intentionally.

“You know I’ve been trying to secure evidence on Robinson for years. I don’t need any interference.”

“You do think he has something to do with the murders.”

He shook his head. “Let it go.”

I shook my head. “I can’t just let it go, Bart. Whatever the hell is going on, she’s in the middle of it. His threats scared her tonight, which is what he’s trying to do. My guess is that he didn’t expect the daughter to arrive in town, which foiled his easy plan. Right? She won’t say it, but I know her well enough by now. She’s rattled.”

“That’s how he gets people to sell. Just try not to aggravate the situation. Let me do my job. I’m telling you, not asking you.”

“Goddamn you. Let me in on this.”

“You’re right in that Malcolm is dangerous. I’m sorry that Cassandra is in the middle of the ugliness. I don’t trust Malcolm any more than you do, but he has a team of attorneys at his beck and call.”

“Yeah, I know. Slimy attorneys. Don’t underestimate her or me for that matter. She’s tough but I’m a son of a bitch.”

“Damn it, Jake.”

“You’re onto something with Malcolm. Aren’t you?”

“How many times do I need to tell you that I can’t talk about the case?”

“Fine. She’s special and I will not allow anything to happen to her. I’ll handle this my way.”

He hissed. “It’s good to see you happy but if I need to toss your ass in jail to keep you out of it, I will. I’m dead serious.”

I shoved my hands into my pockets. Whatever he was doing was bigger than the both of us. “What about the cigarette butt?”

“Nothing on it yet. I told you the lab is backed up. Even if it has Malcolm’s DNA on it, that’s not a smoking gun.”

“I know. Did you dig into her past?”

“She’s squeaky clean and had an incredible reputation in her industry.”

“Just like I told you. The boyfriend?”

“He’s got a powerful family and a strong constituent list. He’s an attorney with connections and the rumor mill is that he’ll win the Senate election in a landslide. But there’s nothing there with him either, at least that I could find.”

That all but eliminated her ex as a suspect. “Keep digging. What about the murder Malcolm supposedly committed years ago?”

“Stop playing detective. Go take care of her and enjoy. I need to get back to work. No fighting.”

As he walked toward his car, I remained where I was.

“Incidentally,” he said as he opened his door, “I heard you hit the ice.”

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