Page 70 of Trace of Doubt
“From the tone of your voice, I’d say she’s more than a friend.”
“Ridiculous.” I shook my head. “She learned her lesson and paid her debt.”
“Has the cute, innocent-looking kid grown into a beautiful woman, or has prison life hardened her?”
“Haven’t paid much attention.”
“Liar.” Mike smirked.
My phone alerted me to a call. “Hold on, this is Shelby.”
“Why am I not surprised?”
I ignored him and answered the call. “Can you talk?” she said.
“Sure. My former partner and I are driving to Sharp’s Creek. What’s up?”
“Two shooters found me and Isaac last evening. One man’s dead. Isaac’s wounded but okay.”
“Mind if I put this on speaker?”
“Go ahead.”
I pressed Speaker and placed the phone on the console. “Where were you when this happened?”
“At the hotel...”
I listened, while my gut seared with the idea of Aaron and Isaac paying a price in this mess. “Have the shooters been identified?”
“Yes, the man in custody is Nick Hanson, and the dead man is Stan Watkins.”
“Okay. And Isaac’s not in the hospital?”
“He’s in the hospital all right. Sitting by Aaron’s bed with a bandage wrapped around his knee. I’m at another hotel.”
“Address?” I jotted down the location. “Check in with me every hour. A text will do.”
“What’s going on in Sharp’s Creek?”
“A conversation with your dad.”
“I’ll keep my word to check in if you’ll tell me later why you and another agent are paying my dad a visit.”
“All right. Will fill you in later.”
“Is the agent Mike Kruse, your old partner?”
I glanced at him and he nodded. “Yes.”
“The past weaves us all back together, doesn’t it? Denton, how’s talking to my dad going to figure out anything?”
“Can’t go into it.”
“Okay for now. I don’t want anyone else hurt because of me. Between the two of you, please figure out who’s behind this and stop them. The last thing I need is to have Edie, Amy-Jo, or Marissa dragged into a firefight.”
“We’re doing everything we can.”
She sighed. “You’re doing far more than I deserve, and I appreciate every painful step.”
