Page 119 of Solid as Steele
“Yeah, well…well…” He sputtered as if he couldn’t come up with an explanation. “He deserved it.”
“No one deserves to be gunned down,” Wheeler said. “No one.”
“I had no choice. None. He was going to ruin my life too.”
“How?” Owen asked.
“I got drunk the night before he died and told him about the chick I killed. That Grace Gale lady. He said if I didn’t turn myself in, he would. Like I said, I wasn’t going to prison so he had to go.”
Owen shook his head in disgust. “So you compounded that mistake by trying to kill me too. Instead, you left me to die a slow death if I didn’t find my way back.”
Leach scoffed. “I actually thought you were dead. Couldn’t find a pulse. So I drove your Jeep to an abandoned property, hiked back, and got my UTV.”
“And it was you who fired on me near Ms. Steele’s rental cabin too.”
“You wouldn’t let it go.” Leach eyed Owen. “Another time I didn’t have a choice.”
“You always have a choice. You just make bad ones.” Owen could hardly look at the guy anymore. He’d gotten every confession he needed and had only one last question. “Where can I find my Jeep?”
Leach described a location near his property. “I tossed the keys somewhere around there.”
Owen made note of the address. “It better be in good condition.”
Leach sneered at Owen. “I didn’t hurt your precious Jeep.”
“No, you just killed your friend and a young woman who did nothing to harm you.” Owen locked gazes, letting his revulsion flow through his expression. “Makes you the lowest of the low.”
27
Owen approached Polly Plummer’s apartment in a sketchy area of John Day. Junky cars, weeds, and peeling paint blowing in the cold wind did not make a good first impression. Mackenzie strode next to him. He should never have brought her into such a neighborhood, but he had no idea what to expect. Maybe he would be more comfortable if the sun wasn’t setting, casting shadows around the building where unsavory characters could hide.
He lifted his hand to knock but couldn’t bring himself to do it. Couldn’t be disappointed one more time by a lead that turned out to be nothing. Nick’s report said the woman behind this door had been using the identification of Cassie’s friend Polly. Owen could simply be looking at a matter of identity theft. That was the most logical explanation. Criminals often took on the identity of deceased individuals.
Then why did his gut tell him it was more than that?
“It’s okay if you can’t do it.” Mackenzie slipped her hand into his. “We can come back when you’re ready.”
“I want to find out if this woman knows something, and yet I don’t.” He clutched Mackenzie’s hand tightly. “It’s been such a rollercoaster. Cassie’s missing. Then we think she’s dead. Now we don’t know again. I don’t know which one is worse—not knowing what’s happened to her or knowing she was dead? I just don’t know.”
Mackenzie laid a hand against his cheek. “You’re strong enough to handle whatever you discover.”
“I’m not so sure of that anymore.” He sucked in a long breath of the crisp night air. “When you fell into the river, I was reminded of how fleeting life can be. One second you were fine, the next you could’ve died. I’m still reeling from that. If this woman tells me Cassie died. I don’t…I just…I don’t know what I might do.”
“But God brought me through, and I’m fine,” she said with conviction. “Which means not everyone dies, goes missing, or suffers a great tragedy.”
“God did take care of you, but will He always?” Owen searched her face for answers he knew she couldn’t give. “We can’t count on that. Not when it might be in His plan to allow someone to die. Was it His plan for Cassie to die?”
“I can’t say it wasn’t, but what we have to do is cling to His promise. If we love Him and are called according to His purpose, He works all things for our good. Not some things. Not the things we want. Butallthings.”
“Yeah,” Owen admitted but didn’t want to. Because God’s idea of what was good for Owen wasn’t necessarily Owen’s idea of what was good for him. But still, God made that promise in the Bible, and Owen believed it. And if he embraced his beliefs, he could move forward now. Accept whatever he learned from this woman.
He gave Mackenzie a gentle kiss on her cheek, released her hand, and knocked as hard as he could on the door. For all he knew, Polly might not be home or she wouldn’t answer the door.
He waited. Let out a long breath and knocked again. Sucked in more air. Held his breath.
He put his ear against the door. Footsteps sounded on the other side. A light in the portico above came on. He took a step back and held his breath.
The door opened. A woman peered at him from the opening. He blinked. Hard. Trying to clear his eyes. To see reality, not what he hoped to see.
