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Gregory’s work. There was nothing, no one, Gregory would not sacrifice for his noble work. Nothing. He could not forget that. It was time. Phase II had just begun.
34
The manshe’d come to find was sprawled over his desk when Zoey walked into the Garrity sheriff’s office—locked in a stare down with a suspect.
Garrity’s number one nuisance citizen.
Murdoch was telling the suspect exactly what his crimes were. And waving the evidence in front of him.
The suspect was completely unrepentant.
But he confessed his sins the instant he saw Zoey, with a loud meow of greeting. She picked up Peachy and cuddled him close. The owners of the cat were a bit neglectful. Peachy had become the town cat in a lot of ways. She didn’t even think Peachy was his real name, but it fit him. He answered to it, too.
He’d spent most of his nights on her back porch since he’d been “adopted” by his family six months before the shooting. He’d show up other places around town, too. Causing mischief.
Most of the town would just call the sheriff’s office, and she and Murdoch would draw straws to see who would have to go fetch him, or cite the family with a ten-dollar ticket when appropriate. The family always paid.
And Peachy was harmless.
She wouldn’t tell anyone, but some nights, she’d just let the cat come right in her house and stay as long as he wanted. She suspected someone else in the sheriff’s office did the same.
Murdoch had only lived three blocks down, after all.
“First arrest of the day?”
Murdoch hurried to his feet. “Love of my life! You’ve come back to me!”
There was a look in his eyes that had her insides tightening in a way she definitely did not want to think about. She focused on the peach monster in her arms instead. Peachy loved it when she held him like a baby. She’d really missed this cat.
Maybe she’d go to the humane society in Finley Creek when she could. Get herself and Pen a cat of their very own. Well, get Zoey a cat of her very own. Pen was gone more than she was at the new house, after all. A cat would make that big house seem far less empty. “So where did you find this guy this time?”
“Gas station. Eyeing the ice cream freezer again. The dude’s got a serious sweet tooth.” Murdoch crossed his arms over that chest of his. The chest she now knew was seriously toned. And looked at her. “What’s up? You have that look in the Zoey eyes that tells me something has happened.”
“Another call last night. She sounded…terrified.”
Zoey played him the recording, watching his face tighten. Kids in trouble was a hot button issue for both of them. That was something they had in common.
“I can’t find that damned phone, Zo. I’ve tried. Fake name, prepaid credit card. I know it was in Coleson Hollow, and that’s about it. That’s where it pinged the towers. Short of a door-to-door, and that call won’t get us a warrant, even with Collins.”
“There are what? Twenty, twenty-five houses out there?”
“Something like that.”
A door-to-door for a prank call—that wasn’t going to happen. “I’m going to drive around out there.”
“Hoping to find a random little girl who might have made a phone call just waiting out there? That’s a stretch, babe.”
“Don’t call me babe.” She sent him a pointed look. One she’d perfected on that bratty genius twelve-year-old years ago. She’d modified it for this bratty co-sheriff two years ago. But when he just smirked at her this time, it tightened her stomach in a way she wasn’t ready to think about. “I’m here to get some things out of the shed at my old place. I’m combining trips. And I’m going to hit the library. See if there are any leads in some of those old photos on the walls. I really need some names. I have Sydney Beck searching out the identities of a few people now. From some photos.”
She snuggled the cat close for a moment. He just purred in response.
“That cat is seriously spoiled.”
“No kidding. My former co-sheriff spoiled him.” She pulled her phone free and handed it to him, then went back to rocking her furry baby. Yes. She was going to get herself a cat very soon. It would be her first pet. “Code is 0116. Pen’s birthday.”
She told him what file to open. “There are half a dozen photos. Sydney found some faded ink on the back. A trick Brynna told her to try. It was partial. There’s a photo there.”
“Oleson Holl or Hall.”
