Margaret Daley - Lone Star Standoff

On the drive to the courthouse, Aubrey went over the events of the past twenty-four hours. When she arrived home yesterday, she’d been tired and concerned about the Villa trial. Now it was more than concern that pestered her. Was Samuel’s murder tied to what was happening now? His wedding ring must mean it was—which raised the stakes of this trial even more.

Cal escorted her to her office on the second floor. A deputy sheriff who worked at the courthouse stood outside the door. When she entered, both of them stayed in the corridor while she looked at Sean sitting in a chair in front of her desk.

He glanced over his shoulder and attempted a smile that fell short. “Thanks for coming.”

She walked to the other chair beside him and took a seat. “I heard you were hit, and from what I see it must be hurting. Can I get you a bag of ice or something else?”

“I took a couple of aspirin. Really, I’m fine. I’ve had worse. I’m just mad I couldn’t catch him.”

“You ran after him?”

“I tried, but by the time I stood and got my bearings, he was gone. I decided to stay. I didn’t want to leave your office unprotected.”

She surveyed the area. “It doesn’t look like he took anything obvious. I’ll need to go through my desk and files to make sure, though.”

“If something was taken, it might help us determine what’s going on here. I’ll check the video feed later to see if I can tell how he got inside and possibly who he is, but that’s a long shot. The brief glimpse I got was of a man with a ski mask on.”

“I’ll start with my desk. The computer is here, but I’ll check to see if he got on it. I’ll ask maintenance to change my lock immediately.”

“I already have. One that will be harder to pick. The lock you have is an old one, and I think that’s how he got in here. Who has a key to your office right now?”

“An assistant I share with Judge Rodriquez and Maintenance. You think it was one of them?”

“No, there were fresh scratch marks on the lock. But until I find out what’s going on, you should have the only key. I did look at your file cabinets, and I didn’t see any evidence he picked those locks, but you should still check everything in them. He risked breaking into your office for some reason. What was it?”

Aubrey made her way around to the other side of her desk and sat in her black stuffed chair. Sean started to rise, and she quickly said, “You stay there. I can do this. If I need you, I’ll let you know.” She opened the top left drawer and went through the personal items she kept in it. “After I’ve gone through my office, I’ll drive your car and take you to the ER to make sure you’re okay.”

He opened his mouth to reply, but she held up her palm. “No arguments on that. If something is wrong and you didn’t get help, it would be my fault.” She shut the top drawer and reached for the bottom one.

Their gazes clashed. A war of emotions played across his face while Aubrey pulled the second compartment out.

A rattling sound sent shivers down her body as she stared at the coiled rattlesnake, poised to strike.

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