AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Laurence has nothing on his timetable until six. He can leave the paperwork he has planned and assist me with this class. Tomorrow, I’ll help him catch up.” She handed Katrina a sandwich and a bottle of water. “You can eat in the car and thank me later.”
* * *
Spencer Colton pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to relieve the slight headache that was forming behind his eyes. From beneath the desk, a faint rhythmic snoring was evidence that Boris, his two-year-old chocolate Labrador retriever, was sleeping off their strenuous, early morning training session. Not for the first time, he envied his canine partner’s ability to relax in between jobs. As the human half of the team, Spencer had read and reread the file into the shooting of Payne Colton so many times he knew most of the details by heart.
But they still weren’t getting any closer to catching the shooter.
Although Spencer was a distant cousin to Payne, chairman of the board of Colton Oil and owner of the prosperous Rattlesnake Ridge Ranch, the two branches of the family weren’t close. The thought caused Spencer a moment’s distraction. Close? His own upbringing had been a world away from the luxurious lifestyle of that enjoyed by Payne’s family.
Despite his riches, Payne had been going through a rough patch prior to the shooting that had left him in a coma. Back in January, an anonymous email had been sent to the six board members of Colton Oil informing them that the company CEO, and Payne’s oldest son, Asa “Ace” Colton, was not a Colton by blood. Subsequent DNA testing proved that the bombshell claim was true.
Although Spencer didn’t know them well, he felt for the family unit that had been shattered by the email. The news was bad enough, and no one deserved to hear it in such a horrible way. The anonymous sender had clearly intended it to cause maximum devastation. It was his job to investigate, and he would do it with understanding toward any family in the same situation, but the Colton link made him even more sympathetic.
The family, torn apart at the news, had been in the process of investigating what could have happened. A mystery unfolded around the events in the hospital on Christmas Eve forty years ago, when Ace was born. It appeared that there was a nurse who’d quit on Christmas day after giving birth to a baby son, and there was a possibility that she’d switched infants. But there were so many unanswered questions around that scenario. The baby boy of Payne and his then wife, Tessa, had been born sickly. Why would anyone have switched a healthy child with a sick one?
Events took another dramatic turn when Payne was working late at the Colton Oil building one night. A cleaning woman had heard a gunshot, footsteps, then a stairwell door shoved open and banging against the wall, followed by silence. She ran toward where the gunshot originated and found Payne on his back on the floor of his office, bleeding from two wounds in his chest. He was rushed to Mustang Valley General Hospital, but had not regained consciousness. Doctors were uncertain if he ever would.
“Sergeant?” Spencer looked up from his reflections to find Kerry Wilder, the rookie detective who had been involved in the case right from the start, standing close to his desk. “You wanted to talk to me about the Colton shooting?”
He leaned back, glad of a chance to straighten his spine. “Just prior to the attempt on Payne Colton’s life, Ace issued a threat against him, is that right? Please remind me of the circumstances.”
“When it turned out that Ace really wasn’t a Colton, Payne ousted him as CEO of the company. It’s in the bylaws that the CEO must be a Colton by blood. Ace was devastated and told Payne, ‘You’ll regret this, Dad!’ There has been speculation about whether it was intended as a threat. Ace Colton swears it wasn’t.”
“You interviewed Ace soon after the shooting. What was your impression of him?”
“He was very upset about everything that had happened, and being the suspect in an attempted murder added to his emotional turmoil,” Kerry said. “My fiancé, Rafe, is Ace’s adopted brother.”
“Is Chief Barco aware of that potential conflict of interest?” Spencer asked. He knew Kerry would play things by the book, but he needed to double-check.
“Yes, and he’s happy for me to be part of the investigation,” Kerry confirmed. “For what it’s worth, Rafe doesn’t believe Ace is capable of attempting to kill their father.”
Privately, Spencer didn’t think the opinion of a sibling counted for much of a character reference, but he kept
his thoughts to himself.
“In your report, you’ve stated that security camera footage from Colton Oil shows the shooter appears to be of slight build, five-eight or five-nine, in a black ski mask and covered head to toe in black.”
He flicked through the pages of Kerry’s report, refreshing his memory.
“That means there was no way to tell gender or age.”
It also meant they couldn’t rule Ace Colton in or out of the list of suspects. It was frustrating, but typical of this investigation.
“Joanne Bates, the cleaning woman, thinks she heard a man’s voice say ‘Mom,’ followed by the F word. Her vacuum was running, so she can’t be sure. And Dee Walton, Payne Colton’s administrative assistant, found an Arizona State Sun Devils pin in Payne’s office.”
Kerry nodded. “That was weird because Payne had no affiliation with Arizona State, and he wasn’t much into football. There’s speculation in the family that the shooter could have dropped it.”
“Speculation seems to be all we’ve got right now.” Frustration was a tight knot in Spencer’s gut as he placed the pages back in order. “Thank you. This is a detailed account of the investigation so far.”
“It’s not much to work with, I know.” Kerry looked apologetic.
“You can only report on what you’re given. This isn’t a murder case, so we don’t have the same resources. But the shooter obviously meant for Payne to die, and the doctors aren’t hopeful about his chances of recovery.” Spencer took a slug from the hour-old cup of coffee on his desk. “This has the feel of a case that’s going cold.”
The case seemed to be bogged down in uncertainty and doubt. There was nothing which he could grasp and make a proper start. Used to being able to give his team direction, Spencer was irritated by the lack of activity. Determined to take back control, he had decided the forward momentum must come from him.
“Is there anything we can do to change that?” It seemed that Kerry was equally unhappy at the slow progress.
“As I said, the shooter wanted Payne dead. If he hears that his victim is showing signs of recovery, he may make another move.”
