Colton K-9 Bodyguard. Lara Lacombe
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in charge of the investigation?” He jerked a thumb at Micah, evidently unwilling to even look at him anymore.
“That’s correct,” Finn confirmed. “As the officer who discovered both Bea and the victim in her shop, Micah is the man on point.”
“But...but...” Fenwick sputtered. Then a sly look entered his eyes, and he shot Micah a satisfied glare before turning his attention back to Finn. “It’s inappropriate for Officer Shaw to lead this investigation.” He practically spat the word, making it clear just what he thought about Micah’s job title. “He and my daughter have a history of personal involvement. I doubt he can be impartial about his job since Bea rejected him.” He smiled triumphantly, clearly proud of himself.
Micah opened his mouth to explain that he hadn’t seen Bea in years, but he needn’t have bothered.
“That was ages ago,” Finn said in a tone of long-suffering patience. “I have no doubts about Officer Shaw’s capabilities, and I know he will conduct both himself and this investigation with the utmost professionalism.”
Fenwick’s smile slid off his face and his mouth turned down, giving him the look of a man who had just sucked on a lemon. “I see,” he said, practically choking on the words. “Your superior officer will hear about this.”
Finn nodded, as if he’d expected this reaction. “Let me know if you have trouble contacting him.”
Fenwick walked to the far corner of the waiting room, his body stiff with anger. He was not used to being refused, and Micah could see that the older man did not handle disappointment very well.
“Thank you,” Micah said in a low voice.
Finn nodded. “Anytime.” He watched his uncle for a moment, then turned back to Micah. “Talk to me about what you found. Brayden wasn’t too forthcoming about the details.”
Micah related his actions in the alley and Chunk’s discovery of Bea. “I called for backup, and once Brayden arrived he and Chunk went through the rest of the shop, searching for any signs of the intruder who had attacked Bea.”
“So, Brayden made the initial discovery of the body in the fitting room?”
Micah nodded. “Yes. I went to the scene after the paramedics had arrived and were taking care of Bea.”
“What did you find?”
“At first glance, another victim of the Groom Killer.” Micah ran a hand through his hair. “Looked to me like Joey McBurn. He was slumped in a fitting room chair, and he appeared to have been shot through the heart. There was a black cummerbund stuffed into his mouth like the other two victims.”
Finn digested this bit of information. “Any signs of tampering?” he asked delicately.
Micah frowned. “Not to my eye.” Was the chief suggesting Brayden had altered the scene to throw suspicion off his sister, Demi? Micah supposed it was a possibility, but it hardly seemed likely. Everyone on the force knew Brayden Colton was upset at the thought of Demi as a killer, but he was still a good cop and an honorable man. Besides, any such tampering would be clearly evident once the forensics report came back, and Brayden knew that as well as the rest of the team.
But there was one other piece of information that made Micah confident his friend hadn’t done anything stupid. “Brayden and Chunk weren’t gone very long,” he said. “And after they discovered the body, Brayden didn’t return to the fitting room alone.”
Finn nodded, apparently satisfied by this news. “That’s good to know,” he said. “It’s important the investigation is above reproach.”
“We’re not going to drop the ball on this one,” Micah said confidently.
“I know you won’t,” Finn replied. He angled his head in the direction of Bea’s hospital room. “So, do you think she saw anything?”
“I’m not sure,” Micah admitted. “It’s possible the killer knocked her out before shooting Joey. Or maybe Bea heard the gunshot and went to explore, and that’s when the killer attacked.”
Finn frowned. “If that’s the case, why is she still alive? Surely the perp wouldn’t be so careless as to leave behind an eyewitness?”
“Maybe there wasn’t time to kill her,” Micah suggested. “It’s possible the killer intended to finish her off, but got spooked and ran.” Or maybe, he thought privately, Demi couldn’t stomach the thought of shooting her cousin.
A cold chill skittered through his body at the thought of Bea lying unconscious on the ground, at the mercy of a murderer towering over her helpless body. Whatever the reason, Micah was glad Bea’s life had been spared.
The elevator at the end of the hall let out a faint ding, and the doors opened to reveal Brayden along with Carson Gage, a fellow K-9 officer, and Shane Colton, a PI who worked with the department. The three men wore serious expressions, and Micah’s interest spiked. What was going on?
Carson spoke first. “We’ve got news.”
“Your initial witness, Tucker Frane, who claimed to see Demi Colton shoot someone in the alley?” said Shane. Micah nodded, and he continued. “Dead in his home.”
“What?” That was too coincidental for Micah’s taste.
Carson nodded. “Yep. We went to his house to ask him a few more questions about what he’d seen. He didn’t answer, but the door was ajar so we entered. Man was shot dead in his recliner.”
“No witnesses, I suppose?” Micah asked.
Shane shook his head. “Neighbors didn’t see or hear anything.”
“Of course not,” Micah muttered. They rarely did.
“We put a rush on ballistics,” Carson said. “We need to see if the same gun killed the witness and the man in the fitting room.” He cast a subtle glance at Brayden.
“My sister didn’t do this,” Brayden said quietly. “I know she didn’t.”
“All we can go on is evidence,” Finn said. “Her name written in blood by the body of the first victim. Her necklace found at the scene. She was spotted running in the shadows at the time of death. Now, we have a witness—a dead witness—who says he saw her shoot a man in the alley near Bea’s shop.”
“Two bodies in one night is strange,” Carson put in.
“Two bodies?” The men turned as a group to find Fenwick Colton lurking on the edge of the circle, a cup of coffee in his hand. “Someone else was killed tonight?”
Micah clenched his jaw. He’d been so focused on listening to the other men he hadn’t noticed Fenwick come back. Now the businessman was privy to information he shouldn’t have, and Fenwick didn’t know the meaning of the word discretion.
“Sir,” he began, trying not to choke on the word.
Fenwick ignored him. “Why haven’t you arrested Demi yet?” he demanded. “It’s been clear from the start she’s the Groom Killer, and now she’s gone and murdered someone else. When are you people going to do your jobs?”
Brayden sucked in a breath, and Micah glanced over to see that his friend was on the verge of an explosion. Brayden’s face had turned dark red, and his body was tense with anger. Micah put a restraining hand on Brayden’s forearm, hoping he wouldn’t lose his temper. If he lashed out at his uncle, Fenwick was just spiteful enough to take the matter up the chain of command and Brayden could very well lose his job.
Finn appeared to recognize the gravity of the situation as well, and he moved forward, forcing Fenwick back a step and blocking Brayden’s view of their uncle. “Mister Colton,” he said sharply. “You are interfering in official police business. Unless you want to be brought up on charges, I suggest you walk away and keep your opinions on this matter to yourself.”
Fenwick