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“One person ambushed Stephanie at her house, took her to the lake by force, and shot her. The other drove the boat to the meeting place and helped drag the vehicle into the water.” Gavin pictured the scenario in his mind. “You’re right. It makes sense with two people involved. But we don’t have any evidence to support the theory. It’s just supposition.”
“I know. Let’s run with the idea anyway and see where it gets us.”
“I’m game.”
Claire tapped her fingers against her lips. Gavin enjoyed watching her think. Most of their time together had been spent working the case. What would it be like to hang out on the lake with Jacob and fish? Or share a candlelight dinner together before snuggling on the couch with a movie? He wanted to find out.
Had he messed everything up by being honest with Claire about his fears? Gavin didn’t know. And now wasn’t the time to ask. Claire had enough problems on her plate. After the case was over, when she had some time to grieve Faye, then he’d see where they stood.
Claire dropped her hand. “Do you believe Ian is telling the truth about his father?”
“I do. At least…I’m convinced Ian believes his father killed Stephanie. He was extremely drunk when he gave us that information. It could’ve been a ploy to cast suspicion on someone else, but there are much easier ways to accomplish that. And I don’t doubt Ian was going to pull the trigger today. He’d be dead if you hadn’t tackled him.” Gavin pointed to a photograph of the Glock taken from Stephanie’s car. “Then there’s the murder weapon to consider. Patrick’s story about the gun being stolen from his home is possible, but it’s also unlikely.”
“Agreed. Okay, let’s put together what we know. Patrick discovered his son was having a secret relationship with Stephanie. He didn’t approve. He offered Stephanie money to leave Ian alone…what if she refused it?”
“That would infuriate Patrick.” Gavin leaned against the conference table. “But there’s one problem. In the days before Stephanie’s murder, Patrick removed $100,000 from his bank account. We have records proving it.”
Claire lifted her gaze to meet his. “That’s where the accomplice comes in.”
He inhaled sharply. “It was a payoff.”
“Yep. According to her mother, Stephanie was pregnant. She and Ian were planning to elope. The mayor didn’t have time to waste. He had to get rid of Stephanie quickly. He makes a plan to kill her. Patrick files a police report listing his gun as stolen and then pulls money out of his bank account.” Her gaze swept across the board. “He hires someone to help kill Stephanie. The question is, who was he working with?”
“It has to be someone he trusts.”
“What if it’s Heather?”
Gavin’s mouth dropped open. Claire could’ve said Santa Claus was the mayor’s accomplice and he would’ve been less shocked. “What?”
“She lied to us about her relationship with Stephanie. Why would Heather do that if there was nothing to hide? Then it occurred to me…she had as much to lose as Patrick did. Remember the photograph of Ian and Stephanie at the park? Heather was there, in the picture, standing next to the mayor. And she was as angry as he was. Heather may have already been in love with Ian, even back then.”
“But to commit murder over it? That’s a stretch.”
“Not when you think about what Ian told us at the country club. His father pushed him to marry Heather.” Claire ran a hand over her ponytail. “They could’ve made an agreement. Both of them wanted Stephanie gone. People have killed for a lot less.”
Gavin had to admit Claire made a good argument. But they were low on evidence. “Even if that’s true, we don’t have a way to prove it. Not yet.”
A knock at the office door cut off Claire’s response. When she called out for the person to enter, Keith poked his head inside the door. “Randy King is here to see you, ma’am. He says it’s urgent.”
“I bet he did,” she muttered. Claire flipped the whiteboard to the blank side, hiding their notes about the murders. “Show him in.”
Keith disappeared. Gavin arched his brows. “What does Sheriff King want?”
“To lecture me. I’m sure he was the first call Mayor Scott made when he left the hospital this afternoon.” She straightened her shoulders and marched behind her desk. “I’m glad Sheriff King showed up. I have a few things of my own to say.”
Gavin positioned himself near the credenza. He was close enough to make his presence known, but far enough away to allow Claire to lead the conversation. This was her battle. One, as much as Gavin hated to acknowledge, she had to fight on her own. Otherwise, Sheriff King and her subordinates wouldn’t respect the boundary lines she drew.
Randy appeared in the doorway. The former sheriff was dressed like a ranch hand in a fringe leather jacket and scuffed boots. Dark circles hung low under his eyes. He carried a notebook in one hand. Without asking, he entered and shut the door behind him. “We need to talk.”
“We certainly do.” Claire’s tone was polite, but there was a hidden edge of anger lining it. She crossed her arms over her chest. “For starters, I’d like to know why you’ve been keeping relevant information about Stephanie Madden’s case secret. You’re a private citizen now, Sheriff King, but you served this community for decades. I’d hoped that meant something. It clearly doesn’t.”
His shoulders rolled inward, as if her words were poisonousness darts. “It does mean something. I owe you an apology, Claire. I believed Stephanie had left town on her own accord.”
“She didn’t.”
He sank into a visitor’s chair. “My wife and I took a trip to Fort Worth. I accidentally left my cell behind at the house. I only found out you’d discovered Stephanie’s body when I returned late last night. I immediately started looking for this.”
He lifted the notebook in his hand. “It’s my personal diary. I often wrote notes and observations about cases I was working on. You should read it. It’ll help with your investigation.”
