Page 54 of Final Inning

In the pouring rain.

And there was shouting?

Miranda wasn’t going to mess around. She grabbed her phone and hit Dani on speed dial. When the other woman answered, she didn’t mess around. “Get me OHP to this address now. As fast as you can. Something is going down at Lindhour’s home address. I’m going to go check it out.”

“Watch yourself, Randi. I’ll get help there as soon as I can.”

Chapter 43

Valeria ran outside. She’d heard the big truck pull in. And it was probably Uncle Ted. He always came when she called. He’d rescued her from the time she’d been thirteen. Uncle Ted always took care of her. And he always would.

He’d made her that promise long ago, the first time he’d ever told her he loved her.

She had the bat in her hand. He’d want her to give it to him, too. Like she had Ramey’s before. And Harper’s. He always wanted to keep the bats.

But this bat was hers. She’d bought it herself. The Mecklemelon ZX9. She had bought it for herself using her first paycheck after she’d turned eighteen.

She didn’t want to give him this bat now. She just didn’t.

It was special. It was hers.

But…there wasn’t a big truck out there. It was a dark truck. She recognized it. Those FBI people had been driving around in it. She’d seen them in it.

Her heart started pounding. Valeria ran back inside Hagan’s unit and slipped out the back door. There were trees behind the complex. She was going to go back there. And wait.

Uncle Ted would be there soon. He had promised.

He would make it okay. He would.

Valeria would be okay. She had always been before.

Because she had been the one to fix things for herself every time. Uncle Ted had just been the one to clean it up for her. That was all.

But she was twenty-three years old now. It was time she took care of herself.

She waited, until the FBI agent, the woman, until she went up to Hagan’s front porch.

And pushed open the door.

Valeria had forgotten to lock the door.

Why had she forgotten the door?

She had to do something!

Chapter 44

Knight had a damned tag-along. He resisted the urge to snarl. At least it was Sebastian Lorcan and not Malachi. Malachi had offered to ride back with him to Helery County to continue their conversation. Hell, no. Almost two hours in a damned vehicle with Malachi—it would not be a conversation he wanted to have while driving.

Lorcan was going to grab Ward’s rental truck when they met back up in Helery County, and use it to get himself back to Finley Creek before turning the rental in at the branch in Finley Creek. They still had too much to talk about, the truck was a secure, soundproof location for their conversation regarding the internal threat inside PAVAD, and it got Knight back to Miranda.

Because one thing had stuck out from Dani’s report. Sheriff Johnson had brown hair. That girl he was always with was a platinum blond—long platinum blond. She’d been on Kevin’s team. She knew Harper. She was taller and heavier than Miranda—who at five-eleven and one-sixty, was a healthy size. That girl could do some serious damage with a softball bat. Even eleven years ago.

They’d had one hesitant, non-fatal blow to Kevin Adams eleven years ago. Followed by three with more confidence. Two attackers. One adult—one child? It made sense.

“You are thinking something. What?”

“Apprenticeship relationship offenders. I’ve not done a lot of reading in that area yet. Older man, younger woman is my best theory right now. DNA confirms a male and a female in blood samples taken from eleven years ago and from three months ago. My main lead is a narcissistic sexual predator, wearing a damned badge. The sheriff of Helery County has a pattern of sexual harassment. I suspect assault. And child sex abuse acts, I just haven’t found evidence of that yet. Last two victims—signs of partnership. First murder victim twenty-eight years ago was the sheriff’s stepbrother. And there is a dead teenage girl from a fall down the stairs. Stepdaughter of the good sheriff. Sheriff has a problem with the deputy who has been assisting us.”