Lenora moved, too. She didnt want to lose sight of him, and apparently neither did Harlan, because he latched on to her arm and dragged her into the back of the ambulance with him. He didnt ask them for permission to ride.
The ambulance sped away from the diner, and Harlan and she watched as the medics took Claytons vitals.
You returned fire, Harlan said and held out his hand. Ill need Claytons gun.
For a moment Lenora had forgotten that she was still clutching it. She had to force her hand to open, and she gave the Glock to him.
Not a smart thing to do, Harlan snarled. Discharging a firearm in a crowd.
There werent any bystanders in my line of sight, she blurted out, wishing that she hadnt, because
it brought Harlans attention directly to her.
Why did you come to see Clayton? he demanded.
The truth would only lead to more questions, and she didnt want to be interrogated by this particular marshal. Two months ago, my friend was murdered. I wanted to know if thered been any new developments. I wanted to make sure her killer would stay in jail.
Harlan no doubt knew all about Jill and the investigation. He stared at her, suspicion in his eyes, and Lenora had enough instincts to know that if Harlans foster brother hadnt been just a few feet away and bleeding from a head wound, he would have called her a liar.
She was.
And Harlan would have pushed for a better answer than the one shed just told him.
But there was no reason for her to tell this man about the pregnancy. When Clayton was better, he could break the news to his family. And he could also decide if he wanted to be part of this babys life.
If Clayton survived, that was.
She stared at the father of her unborn child. The man shed slept with because shed been too distraught to make a logical decision.
Sex wasnt always logical, though.
Neither was the attraction shed felt for this lawman. The attraction had been instant. Probably because he had rock-star looks to go along with that cowboy attitude. Or maybe it was because shed felt this, well, connection with him. Connection aside, itd been beyond stupid to sleep with him. She should have just walked away. Should have written Clayton and this attraction right out of her life.
That would have been the safe thing to do.
But she hadnt. And now he was lying on a gurney, maybe dying.
Harlans phone buzzed, and while he took the call, Lenora moved slightly closer so she could get a better look at Clayton. There was blood on his dark brown hair, on the side of his face as well, but the flow was barely a trickle now. She had no idea if that was good or bad. The only experience she had with head wounds was they were usually fatal.
That was Dallas, Harlan said when he finished the call. Marshal Walker, he added, but Lenora already knew who Harlan meant. Another of Claytons foster brothers. Another federal marshal.
In fact, Clayton had five foster brothers, all of whom were U.S. marshals. That would mean five sets of questions, and each of them would deserve answers as to why one of their own had been shot while having a cup of coffee with her.
They found the shooter, Harlan added. He wrecked his truck only about four blocks from the diner.
Lenora certainly hadnt expected that and would have thought the guy would manage to get out of the area. Who is he?
According to the ID in his wallet, his name is Corey Dayton. Ring any bells?
No. And that wasnt a lie. Of course, the ID could be fake, and she might recognize his real name. Does your brother have him in custody?
Harlan shook his head. Hes dead.
Lenora pulled in her breath. From the bullet I put in him?
Maybe. But he wasnt wearing a seat belt, and he crashed into a parked garbage truck.
Part of her was relieved that the man whod shot Clayton was out of the picture, but a dead man couldnt give them answers, and Lenora very much wanted to know why this guy had fired into the diner.
Tell me, Harlan said, is this connected to your friends murder?
Im not sure, she answered honestly. When you can, youll want to question the man who murdered Jill. Adam Riggs, she supplied, though Harlan no doubt knew the name of the man behind bars. And he would absolutely question him.
When his brother was out of the woods.
It was possible that Riggs had hired the shooter, maybe because Riggs was riled that Clayton had arrested him for Jills murder. If so, Harlan and the other marshals would soon find that connection.
So would Lenora.
Shed find it, and if Riggs was responsible, then he was going to pay, and pay hard.
Of course, Riggs could have hired someone to aim that shot at her, too, because he might believe that as Jills friend shed helped catch him. She hadnt. But there was a lot of twisted stuff in a killers mind. Especially this killers.
Are there any loose ends with Jills murder? Harlan asked.
Lenora knew where this was leadingthe marshal was looking for quick answers. But she didnt have them.
Maybe Im the loose end. Lenora had to pause, take a breath and choose her words carefully. Jill worked for Adam Riggs and discovered he was into big-time money laundering. She was about to testify against him when he shot and killed her.