Delores Fossen - Trouble With A Badge

Alexa groaned. “That’d be like looking for a needle in a haystack.”

“But it was your chance to find him. Your chance to redeem yourself.” Lockwood made air quotes around the word redeem.

“How did you even know Alexa was here?” Levi asked the marshal.

Good question, one that Alexa wished she’d already thought to ask. Somehow she had to force her mind to settle down so she could try to think of a way out of this potentially dangerous situation.

Now Lockwood took his time answering. “When I heard Alexa had skipped out of WITSEC I made some calls, and the locals there checked cameras at the traffic lights and saw Alexa driving a green SUV. No one else was in the vehicle, and she took the interstate heading in this direction.”

The cameras hadn’t shown Tasha because Alexa had told her to get on the floor with the baby in the car seat.

Levi made a sound of surprise. “There are plenty of places the interstate goes other than Appaloosa Pass. Why’d you pick here?”

Lockwood frowned. No doubt not very happy about what was beginning to sound like an interrogation. “I figured Alexa would want to get to a lawman she could convince to be on her side, and there aren’t many of those left who are speaking to her. You included. But I figured she’d try to come to one of the other deputies here.”

Alexa did indeed know some of the deputies, but it was a stretch for Lockwood to guess she’d go to Appaloosa Pass. Still, he could have figured that it was just what she would do. Of course, the hired guns who’d chased Tasha and her could have reported back to their boss—Lockwood.

“Besides,” Lockwood went on. “Alexa would have another reason for coming here. To find an ally to continue her investigation into the Moonlight Strangler.”

Again, it wasn’t something she could deny. Well, not fully deny anyway. The Crocketts would indeed do anything to catch the killer, but she doubted they’d want any help from her.

“You should have left the Moonlight Strangler investigation to lawmen who know what they’re doing,” Lockwood said to her like a warning. “You don’t even have your PI creds anymore. And besides, even if by some miracle you were to find him, it wouldn’t undo the death you were partially responsible for.”

At least Lockwood had used the word partially, but there were times, like now, when Alexa felt as if she’d been the one to end Paige’s life. Paige had been her best friend, and the only reason Paige had crossed paths with the killer was because she’d been trying to help Alexa with the investigation.

Something Alexa would never forget, never forgive herself for doing.

And neither would Levi and his family.

The door opened behind Lockwood, sending the marshal, Levi and the deputy all reaching for their guns, but it was just the medic.

The man froze. “Uh, is this a bad time?” he asked, eyeing all three of them and looking ready to bolt. He had a bag of what appeared to be supplies in each hand.

“No,” Levi said.

At the same time, Lockwood answered, “Alexa won’t need your services. I’ll have her checked out when I take her in.”

Alexa was about to continue her argument that she wasn’t going with the marshal, but Levi spoke before she could say anything.

“You can wait in the sheriff’s office,” Levi ordered the medic, and he turned to Alexa once the guy had scurried in that direction. “What exactly have you been doing to find the Moonlight Strangler?”

It took her a moment to gather her thoughts and switch gears. “Everything I could. Contacting criminal informants I used to work with, following up on any lead I could find. But what I didn’t do was compromise my WITSEC identity or any other identities for that matter. Someone else, an insider maybe, is responsible for that.” She aimed a glare right at Lockwood.

If the marshal was concerned about that glare, he didn’t show it. He seemed to smirk. “Alexa is mistaken when it comes to me. She thinks I once worked the same money laundering operation as Marcos Culver.”

“Did you?” Levi came out and asked.

Oh, Lockwood didn’t like that. His eyes narrowed. “Of course not.” If looks could have killed, Lockwood would have already put her six feet under. “There’s not an ounce of proof to connect me to Marcos and those assorted felonies he committed.”

Not proof, exactly, but she’d heard it from a CI that Lockwood had indeed been part of the same illegal operation. A part that Marcos might not even know about since Lockwood could have been using an alias to launder money from the sale of illegal weapons. Now, Lockwood might be concerned that his own criminal activities could be brought to light during Marcos’s trial. And Alexa would be the one to do that if she could link the information she had about Marcos to Lockwood.

If it was true, it would give Lockwood a motive to kill her, but that was still a big if.

“What kind of proof do you have that Alexa is responsible for her identity being compromised?” Levi asked.

She didn’t miss the flicker of surprise that went through Lockwood’s eyes. “Do you care what kind?”

Levi tapped his badge. “Yeah.”

More surprise, followed by some irritation. The marshal obviously wasn’t used to having this authority challenged. “The proof isn’t something I can share with a small-town cop. Too sensitive. Lives are at stake.”

“Yes, including mine,” Alexa verified. “Someone killed a woman tonight. A friend of mine, Tasha McKenna.”

Lockwood stared at her before looking at Levi. “Is that true? Is a woman really dead?”

“Maybe,” Levi answered before she could say anything. “There was an attack and we’re looking for her now.”

“Dead,” Lockwood repeated under his breath. This wasn’t only surprise, but rather what appeared to be shock. “Who killed her?”

“I don’t have names,” Alexa snapped. But Lockwood might know exactly who those men were. “Whoever they are, they also tried to kill Levi and me. What do you know about that?”

Lockwood scowled. “You accusing me of something?”

“Are you guilty of something?” she fired back.

The scowl stayed in place for several more seconds before he chuckled. “Now that’s rich coming from the woman who’d do pretty much anything to make things work for her. That includes making up a story about somebody trying to kill you and your friend if you thought it would get you out of being arrested.”

Levi stepped closer to the marshal. “Someone tried to kill Alexa. I witnessed it, got caught in the crossfire. Since that crossfire happened in this jurisdiction, I will investigate it. That means keeping Alexa in protective custody until I figure out what’s going on.”

That started a staring match between the two lawmen. One that Mack joined in on when he took up position by Levi’s side.

Lockwood finally looked away. “Was a woman really killed?” he asked. “Or is this more of your fairy tale?”

“Someone’s out looking for her body now,” Levi volunteered.

Lockwood cursed. “You shouldn’t have brought anyone else in on this, Deputy.”

Maybe Lockwood was genuinely concerned about the possible security breach in WITSEC files. Or maybe he didn’t want anyone to know that he was a dirty marshal and trying to cover his tracks by committing a murder or two.

“You don’t seem overly concerned that Alexa and the baby could have been hurt or worse,” Levi tossed out there.

“Oh, I’m concerned, all right. Concerned that you’re believing whatever lies Alexa has been telling you. This is an issue for the marshals,” Lockwood argued.

Levi shrugged. “Again, it’s our jurisdiction. If and when we have a body, we’ll let you know and share what we learn with you and the Texas Rangers.”