Terri Reed - Guardian

Officer Jenkins withdrew his sidearm. “It could be anything. A bear or an elk.”

Or a killer tracking her movements.

Paranoid much? The killer wouldn’t risk capture by sticking around, would he?

“Let’s hustle,” Officer Reynolds advised as he cupped her elbow and increased their pace.

They broke through the forest onto the gravel lot. With the two officers flanked on either side of her, they made their way to the marina at a fast clip.

The county coroner was already at the boat launch as the boat carrying Leo, True, the diver and the corpse arrived. Alicia and her escorts hung back as the body was loaded into the back of the coroner’s van. Both officers were twitchy, their sharp-eyed gazes returning to the woods as if they expected something or someone to come barreling out of the forest.

Alicia kept the agent’s SUV between her and the edge of the forest as a shield, just in case. She was all Charlie had left. He and her father needed her in one piece and breathing.

Leo shook hands with the diver and then, with True at his heels, he walked toward Alicia. There was a grimness to the set of his mouth and a tension in his wide shoulders that hadn’t been there before he’d gone out on the river.

“Thank you, Ms. Duncan, for your help today,” he said. “Having you point out the victim’s body’s location saved us time. I’m hopeful the forensics will lead us to her killer.”

“I pray so,” she murmured. “That man can’t be allowed to get away with this crime.”

Leo’s green eyes darkened. “He won’t.”

There was a world of determination and conviction in his husky tone that made Alicia suspect Agent Leo Gallagher was the type of man who never quit once he was on a case. For the victim’s sake, she appreciated that trait in the man.

Jenkins caught Leo’s attention. “Sir, can I talk to you a moment?”

Leo nodded and the two men stepped away, but not far enough that she couldn’t hear the officer telling Leo about the scare they’d had in the woods. Alicia wasn’t sure why the officer felt the need to leave her out of the conversation. She’d been there, too. She’d heard the unsettling noise. She just wanted to go back to the police station, grab Charlie and head home to the ranch.

Leo shook hands with Jenkins and Reynolds before they climbed into their cruiser.

“Let’s get you to your son,” Leo said as he held open the passenger door of his SUV.

Grateful to him for understanding her unspoken desire to return to Charlie, she whispered, “Thank you. I worry.”

“Of course you do. That’s what moms are supposed to do, right?”

Something in his tone caught her attention as she climbed into the passenger seat. While Leo and True took their places in the SUV, she struggled to reason out the note of...not sarcasm but resentment, maybe. Hmm. It was subtle but there. She’d learned to hear the subtext in words and voices as a teacher. Doing so had helped her detect a case of child abuse at her last school.

However, she curbed her curiosity about Agent Gallagher. Whatever his issues were, they were his and she had no desire to get roped into any type of relationship with the man, even if only one of sympathy. In less than an hour she’d be on her way home, and Leo would no longer be in her life.

“What did you hear in the woods?” he asked, surprising her.

She shrugged, hoping to come across as nonchalant. “Movement. But it could have been any number of things. The forests are home to many different animals both large and small.”

He slanted her a quick glance then returned his gaze to the road. “You weren’t alarmed?”

Her mouth twisted in a wry smile. “I didn’t say that. After what I witnessed today, being a bit jumpy is understandable.”

“Yes, it is understandable. I have to say you’re handling everything remarkably well.”

“Thanks. My late husband was a cop. I think maybe that has something to do with it.”

“My condolences on your husband’s death. From the sounds of it, he was a hero.”

She arched her eyebrows and ignored the comment about her husband being a hero. For Charlie’s sake, she wouldn’t ever dispute the assumption. She wanted him to be proud of his father. She hoped her son never learned the truth about the kind of man Jeff had truly been. “From the sounds of it? Did you do a background check on me?”

“I wouldn’t be a very good investigator if I didn’t do my homework,” Leo replied evenly.

“Right. Of course.” She shouldn’t be surprised. For all he knew, she could be a nutcase wanting attention by claiming to have witnessed a murder.

Still, it made her feel vulnerable to know he had information about her that she hadn’t shared with him. Was there a file on her? What did it say? Was her and Jeff’s dirty laundry listed in the file? She shuddered as she did anytime she thought about Jeff’s cheating and lying.

They arrived at the police station, and Alicia didn’t wait for Leo and True, but jumped out the second the SUV halted and hurried inside. She found Charlie with the chief’s wife, Lynette Jarrett. The silver-haired woman was reading a book to her son in the chief’s office.

Lynette smiled warmly at her as Alicia stopped in the doorway. “Here’s your mommy,” she said to Charlie.

“Mommy!” He jumped down from the chair to wrap his arms around her legs. “I missed you.”

Love tore through her heart and she scooped him up into her arms. “I missed you, too, bug.” He laid his head on her shoulder. Over his head, Alicia smiled at Lynette. “Thank you. I hope it wasn’t too much trouble for you to come to the station. I’m surprised the chief dragged you over here.”

Lynette rose and touched Charlie’s back. “Dwayne didn’t drag me. I called to see how his day was going, and he said he was watching your little one. I had to come. I haven’t seen my grandbabies in a while, and I was needing some little-boy time.” She picked up a sack from the floor. “I brought books and treats. We were well entertained.”

Grateful to the older woman, Alicia said, “I appreciate you keeping him busy.”

“Of course. How’s your father?”

“He’s doing okay. Ornery and not wanting to do as the doctor tells him to keep his blood pressure under control. His diet is horrible. He’s worse than a three-year-old when it comes to eating his veggies.”

Lynette laughed. “Disguise them. It worked with my kids and grandkids.”

“I will.” Alicia glanced down and realized Charlie had fallen asleep in her arms. She needed to get him home.

Leo stepped into the office with Chief Jarrett.

“Agent Gallagher,” Jarrett said, “this is my wife, Lynette. Lynette, Agent Gallagher is from the FBI and is helping on a case.”

Lynette’s smile widened. “Well, that’s special. I don’t think I’ve heard of the FBI visiting our small slice of life here. I hope you’ll find Settler’s Valley to your liking.”

Leo blinked, clearly not sure how to take the older woman’s words. “I’m only here until this case is solved. The town is quaint, though.” He turned to Alicia. “Are you ready?”

She tucked in her chin. “For?”

“The chief said you live on the outskirts of town. True and I will escort you to make sure you arrive safely.”

“That’s not necessary,” she said. “It’s a twenty-minute ride at best. We’ll be fine.” She could just imagine what her father would think if she brought home a federal agent.

Leo’s jaw visibly tightened. “Yes, you will be fine. I’ll see to it.”

“No. You don’t have to do that.”

Chief Jarrett cleared his throat. “If you’re willing to wait an hour or so, I can have officers escort you, if you’d rather.”