Sheriff Blair winced and gestured toward the notepad in her hand. I think he loves her. I want to look at his financials. He turned down some folks for loans this year, had to foreclose on a couple of people.
Justin arched a brow. So this could be about money?
Well see if he receives a ransom call, Sheriff Blair said. Maybe someone he angered decided to get their loan money from him after all.
Revenge is a powerful motivator, Justin agreed.
What about the fiancé? she asked.
He seems sincerely distraught, but it could be an act. Apparently a former boyfriend contacted Kelly recently and wanted to see her before the wedding. He or Fisher could have had a jealous streak.
Sheriff Blair nodded. Ill have my deputy pull financials and talk to the folks at the bank. She made the call while he finished his coffee.
I have a list of Fishers friends and the exs name and phone number, he said as she turned back to him. Ill request Kellys phone records and access to her computer as well as Fishers and the exs.
Sounds like a plan, Sheriff Blair said. At least a beginning.
Maybe well find something at Kellys place.
Lets go, Sheriff Blair said. You can make the phone calls in the car.
Justin followed her outside, then climbed in the passenger seat as he removed his phone from the clip on his belt. Sheriff, if were going to work together on this case, lets start by getting on a first-name basis.
An almost panicked look flickered
in her eyes, making him wonder why she was so wary. Was it him personally or his badge that she didnt like?
All right, she said tightly. But just so you know, I dont mix business with pleasure.
He hadnt asked her to.
She shot him a fiery look. I may be a woman, but I can do my job.
I never said you couldnt, Justin said. Although her statement told him far more about her and her past than she probably realized.
Amanda chewed her bottom lip as she started the engine. Good, Im glad we got that out of the way.
He had to admit he was intrigued at her spunk. Obviously shed battled her way up against men in her field who probably thought she was incompetent based on her sex.
Either that or they were sidetracked by her good looks.
He wouldnt make that mistake.
And he certainly couldnt or wouldnt allow her pretty little face to distract him. He was here to find Kelly Lambert and to solve the case of the missing girls.
Nothing else mattered.
Especially the little zing of lightning that had sizzled between them when hed brushed her hand earlier.
* * *
THE DATES FOR the tenth reunion had been posted on the marquis in front of the high school. The members of that graduating class were returning to town to celebrate their accomplishments.
They would be partying and drinking and rehashing their fun times. The pep rallies. The football game wins. The dances. The bonfires by the canyon.
Graduation night.
Theyd all be happy and laughing, bragging about their accomplishments and careers and awards. Showing off their wives and husbands, and their children.
Back together for the first time in years.
Which would make it easier to find the next ones who had to die.
Chapter Four
Amanda silently chided herself. She shouldnt have blurted out that comment about being able to do her job.
But Sergeant ThorpesJustinssuggestion that they use first names felt somehow intimate. Friendly.
Tempting.
Because he was the first man shed met in years that made her want to forget her vow to not get involved with a coworker.
But doing so would mean losing his respect.
And holding on to her respect was all she had. Shed had her heart broken too many times to trust it to someone again.
Her own mother had left her father because shed said he was married to the job.
Amanda was like her fathermarried to the job, too.
Justin phoned his superior to request phone records for Kelly, her father, her fiancé and her ex-boyfriend, then disconnected.
Your father was a Texas Ranger, wasnt he?
His question took her by surprise. How did you know? Had he researched her?
I saw his photo on the wall at the central office. He was a hero.
She focused back on the road to keep her emotions at bay. Hed been gone for five years, but his death had left a hole in her heart. Yeah, he was.
He died saving a little boy?
She nodded, proud of her dad. Yet his death had left her alone.
Still, she had to understand his devotion. She was just as dedicated to the job as he had been. In fact, shed always wanted to be just like him.
But she didnt want to talk about personal things, especially her own life, with Justin. So she remained silent as she turned onto the highway leading to Kelly Lamberts apartment.
She parked in front of the complex and searched the numbers. Then she and Justin walked up to the door together. Fisher had already arrived, and he let them in, his expression guarded.
I dont know what you think youll find here, he said. But go ahead and look around.
Amanda noticed boxes stacked everywhere. You were moving?
Fisher nodded. We bought a house near my new job. The movers were supposed to come tomorrow. His voice cracked. We wanted to get moved in before the wedding. I was supposed to start work the day after we returned from the honeymoon.