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“Yep.” He had his reasons.
She scowled at him. “I thought we just agreed you weren’t going to shut me out.” She whistled to Pink, and the dog obediently followed her up the porch steps.
“What if…” Shep moved around her to place his hand on the door before she could open it. “What if our visit to the Paddocks tonight had nothing to do with trying to make themselves look innocent?” Adriel and his crew had been busting their chops for years — everything from speeding citations to sitting overnight in the slammer for indecent exposure while intoxicated. “They know that we don’t view them as Boy Scouts, which means they had a different reason for bringing us around.”
“Maybe they wanted to get a close-up look at the dogs,” she suggested. “To see them in action.”
He was impressed by her quick thinking. “Yes, but not just the dogs. They were sizing up you and me, too.” His mouth twisted. “They’ve probably had eyes on Adriel, Paco, and Marco for weeks, if not months. It’s what I would do if I was running a criminal operation. They’ve had plenty of time to study the guard shack. They know about the random vehicle checks.” They’d probably even attempted to pin down the work schedules of the members of the rez police department. However, the sheriff was too smart for that. For security purposes, he kept the hours of his deputies scrambled.
Prim squinted thoughtfully at him. “Has Adriel mentioned doing vehicle checks on any of the Paddocks and their friends lately?”
“I haven’t asked, but I’m leaning toward yes.”
She nodded. “If they have, we have to assume that nothing inside their vehicles raised any suspicions.”
“Which means the money is well hidden.” Shep felt like he was grasping at straws.
“Or not kept in the vehicles at all,” Prim countered.
That didn’t fit his theory. “Then why would they be sending ‘em in and out of the rez with such frequency?”
“I can’t answer that.” She gave a rueful chuckle. “I’m only brainstorming.”
So was he. There was, however, a practical way to eliminate at least one of their theories. “I wonder if the sheriff would be amenable to incorporating scent dogs into their inspections at the gate.”
She arched her eyebrows at him. “How about you ask?”
They said their goodbyes to Uncle Caleb and headed to their vehicles.
He ducked his head inside the window of her car to give her one last kiss. “Lock your front door when you get home. Might not hurt to throw a chair under the door handle.”
Her eyes twinkled. “I love you, too.”
“Please, Prim.”
“If it’ll make you sleep better tonight,” she capitulated.
“I will.”
“Consider it done.” She smiled at him. “Anything else?”
“Yeah.” He lightly trailed his fingers over hers before stepping back. “Dream about me.”
“Right back atcha, deputy.”
“Already do. Every night, darling.”
She blew him a kiss before rolling up her window.
Adriel wasn’t alone in the guard shack when Shep cruised up to it. Paco was in the process of taking over. Adriel was handing him a clipboard and pointed out something on it.
His swarthy features were set in grim lines as he tossed Paco the keys to the building and stepped outside. To Shep, he barked, “Let’s head to the grill. Aiyanna said we could use her office.” He jammed a thumb in the direction of his sister’s restaurant.
“Want a ride?” Shep waved at the empty side of his truck. He knew they were being watched. They might as well make it look like a typical coffee and donut break.
“Sure. Why not?” He climbed into the passenger seat and slammed the door shut. “Something tells me I’m not gonna like your new theory.”
“Nope.” Shep waited until they were seated around the small round conference table in Aiyanna’s office before he laid it out. Or tried to. Not sure where to start, he cradled his mug of coffee between his hands.
