Susan Sleeman - Holiday Secrets

“No. He called after dinner, and that’s the soonest I heard about it.”

“And he came back just to give you the envelope that was stolen?”

She shrugged. “The plane was on the ground when I got here, so I don’t know how long he’d been here. He did say he had another appointment, so who knows how many people he talked to before me, or would have after, if he’d lived.” A lump rose to her throat but she swallowed hard. “The shooter mentioned that Dad was going to meet the head of a syndicate.”

“Syndicate, huh?” Walt made a production of closing his notebook and stowing it with his pen, then tipping his hat back even farther and leaning on the car door. “A syndicate doesn’t on the surface suggest illegal activities, and I’m not at all saying your daddy was involved in something illegal, but being killed in relationship to it is a whole other ball game.”

She’d been thinking the same thing—that was, when she could forget the horror of seeing him gunned down and think clearly at all. “All I know is it’s not normal for a man to disappear for a month, and when he does resurface, he’s killed.”

“Agreed. Matt’s already working on tracking down the biker.” He pursed his lips. “We’ve secured the area and I’ve called in the ATF to investigate the explosion.”

“ATF?” Lexie asked.

“Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. They investigate bombs and have resources we don’t begin to possess and can pinpoint the type of explosion.”

“How will that help find Dad’s killer?”

“Forensic evidence from the bomb could lead us to where the suspect purchased or stole his supplies. Finding that could then lead us to the suspect.”

“And what will your role be?”

“My team will work the murder angle and try to locate this syndicate you mentioned. Since we’ve already tried to find a lead as to your father’s disappearance this past month and failed, I’m not sure how successful we’ll be, but I aim to try.” He shifted his duty belt. “I’ll also come up with a plan to make sure you stay safe, sweetheart.”

“I’d appreciate that.” Her gaze drifted to Gavin, who was standing by the horses, his phone to his ear. She couldn’t help but wish he would stay in town and hunt down this killer. Despite their differences, with his FBI experience, she’d feel safest if he was the one to protect her.

How crazy was that? He’d walked out on her—left her heart shattered—and here she was, wanting him to protect her. Or was she simply fooling herself? Trying to believe she needed him to keep her safe when in reality she was simply happy to see him again?

* * *

Gavin kept Lexie in view as he waited for his supervisor to call back. She still sat in the squad car, but his dad had stepped away. The dome light caught the golden strands of her hair, wavy to her shoulders. Her icy-blue eyes, dark with angst, stared across the field, her arms wrapped around a slender waist. She’d always been a beautiful woman, but it was all he could do not to stare at her and let her know how much simply looking at her impacted him.

Was she thinking about her father or about their past? He suspected both. Man, he wanted to help her through this, but that was the last thing she would want. He’d hurt her in the worst possible way. He’d acted just like her father and put her second in his life.

He hadn’t meant for things to end between them, least of all to end so badly. Just like he hadn’t meant to shoot Emily, but he had, and she now had a permanent limp thanks to him.

His phone rang. Assistant Special Agent in Charge Zachary Harrison’s name flashed on the screen. Gavin quickly answered the call, but took a breath to make sure he displayed the confidence needed for lead agent on the investigation. His first lead. Exactly what he’d planned when he’d taken a series of online business classes so he could be assigned to the white-collar crimes unit, a division with great potential for advancement. Sure, Harrison had made Gavin lead agent on this investigation because of his connection to Lost Creek, but he still felt the need to prove himself.

He quickly and succinctly explained the latest developments with Dr. Grant. “A syndicate could mean the doctors on our list are connected.”

“I concur,” Harrison replied.

“I want to remain in Lost Creek and work with County on the murder investigation. I have the feeling it ties in with the other doctors involved in the Medicaid scam.”

“You could be right,” Harrison said. “Your connections could very well pay off for us. Making you lead might just be the smartest move I’ve made all week.”

“If you remember, my dad and I don’t see eye to eye on investigative protocols, so my working with him isn’t as certain as you think.”

“Still, he’s your father and, from what you’ve told me, he’s a good sheriff. He’d be a fool to reject our help.”

“Did I mention he’s stubborn?”

“Then the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” Harrison chuckled.

Gavin wouldn’t discuss the point further. One way or another he’d find a way to get his dad on his side. Since the job was all he had in his life right now, it was imperative that he advance, and that wouldn’t happen if he failed on this investigation. “I’ll need to fill in my dad and his investigator on the Medicaid case.”

“Go ahead. Who knows? Maybe working a joint investigation with your father is just the thing you need to learn how to let go of controlling every little thing around you. It could even improve your teamwork.”

In Gavin’s last evaluation, his skills and abilities received high marks. But being a team player? Not so much. His fault totally. He compensated for shooting Emily by controlling everything and didn’t trust others. If he ever hoped to advance, he needed to change. He’d known it for some time, but hadn’t found a way to do so.

“Anything else?” Harrison asked.

“With Dr. Graves’s death, I think his daughter would be more apt to cooperate if I share her father’s suspected Medicaid fraud.”

“Keep the information superficial, and I’m okay with that.”

Gavin agreed and ended the call by promising to keep Harrison apprised of the situation.

He stowed his phone then grabbed Misty and Lightning’s reins and led the pair across the field.

Lexie flipped up her faux-fur-trimmed hood and started toward him. She wore the same worn red cowboy boots she’d owned for years. Man, he’d loved to tease her about those boots. Her feet were tiny, and she’d had to buy them in the children’s department. Despite the circumstances, he smiled.

She took Misty’s reins. “Looks like you think something’s funny.”

“Your boots.”

She shot him a look, but frustration quickly melted into an impish smile that never failed to tug at his heart. “I know you like to make fun of them, but you wouldn’t laugh so hard if you knew how much less I pay for my boots than the rest of you do. Besides, I look far less comical in my boots than you do getting ready to mount a horse in your city-slicker pants and shiny shoes.”

Gavin grimaced. Right...his shoes. He’d planned to talk to her, take Lightning back to the ranch for a quick brush-down then head for his motel for the night before he ran into his father. Now here he was, looking out of place with all his old wounds raw and on display for Lexie. She’d seen enough of his ongoing issues with his father over the years. Something he wasn’t proud of. He was a grown man. Old enough to be a father himself, for crying out loud. He sure should be old enough not to let his father continue to push his buttons. Not something he could change standing here.

“We should get going,” he said. “Let me give you a leg up.”