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“Sofía Velasco’s presence suggests that, Sheriff.” All business, Felicity tapped the printed images spread across his desk. “According to the DMV, she’s going by Shirley Voss. During my interaction with Voss, he mentioned a wife. If they’re legally married, it’s under another identity.”
She paused briefly. “Voss is tied to the farm. He’s using either illegal or forced labor, and he’s associating with Velasco.” Her gaze shifted to Chief Deputy Collins, the county’s lead investigator, before settling back on Beau. “I’m hoping that’s enough to bring in State. Maybe even the DEA.”
Collins sat back in his chair. “When did you first notice Voss?”
“Toward the end of last year. At the Iron Horse. We talked for a bit.” She gave a scoffing laugh. “I pegged him as undercover and shoved him to back of my mind. Until I picked him up on surveillance footage from Fitzpatrick’s after Ronan and Mercer’s … altercation.”
Collins frowned. “And what about that made you suspicious?”
“My gut said something was off.” Felicity fiddled with the folder resting on her lap. “I’ve learned to trust my gut.” Leaning back slightly, she surveyed both men. “I went out to the farm one night and put a drone in the air.” She pulled several photos from the folder and spread out the infrared images. “Got these.”
“A drone, Graham?” Incredulity dripped from Collins’s voice.
She shrugged, holding Beau’s inscrutable gaze. His silence set her on edge. “Inadmissible, I know. But it validated my suspicions.”
Beau lifted one of the images, his eyes flicking from it to the others spread across the table before settling on her, a brow arched. “What else you got in that folder of yours?”
“How—?” She shook her head. “Never mind.” She pulled out another image — inside the processing shed — and slid it across the desk.
He glanced at it, then looked up, pinning her with a hard stare. “Do we want to know how you got this?”
She held his gaze. “An anonymous source.”
“The same source that gave you the location of the house you surveilled?” He tapped the photo of Sofía Velasco and Voss.
“Yes.”
Beau’s stare shifted to Collins. “You good with me calling in State?”
Collins sat back in his chair. “There’s enough here to warrant an investigation.” His eyes flicked to Felicity. “Nice work, Deputy.”
He scraped his chair back and stood. “Need me for anything else?”
“Not now,” Beau replied. “Thanks, Collins.”
Felicity started gathering the photos.
“Stay behind, Graham. We need to talk.”
Shit. That tone meant business.
She sank back into her chair.
“Anonymous source.”
The two words hung in the air. She fought the urge to squirm. “I did what I needed to do to gather the information.”
“Can it be traced back to you?”
“No, sir.”
“You sure?”
“Yes.”
She relaxed when his demeanor softened slightly. But that vanished with his next words. “You have a tell when you lie.”
“I do not.”
