Love Inspired Suspense April 2021--Box Set 2 of 2 by Laura Scott (free e reader .TXT) 📕

he died, we wanted to bury it along with him. But one of them killed my son. I wonder if I’d said anything years ago if it would have helped.”

“We all made mistakes, Dad.” Amber rubbed his back.

“And everyone deserves grace,” Georgia added.

“I guess you’re right.” He hefted a box that was stacked in Amber’s living room. “I’ll go load this with the others.” He slipped out the front door.

“The church is doing a community yard sale, and I have a lot of things to let go of, including guilt. Thanks for being a friend and not berating me for my idiocy.” She sat on the couch, and Wyatt jumped in her lap.

Gerald entered and rubbed his lower back. “You giving away gold, Amber?”

“Ha! I wish I had enough to give away gold.” She turned to Georgia. “Did you see what was on the SD card?”

“No.” Georgia sat in the recliner and rubbed Doc’s head. “But one of Colt’s agents is getting something so they can look at it. If for some reason Terry or Coach didn’t kill Jared, I’m hoping whatever is on that SD card will lead them to the killer. I imagine it’ll lead to Alice or Wade.”

“You don’t think it was Coach or Terry? We do.”

“I don’t know. Terry copped to fraud knowing he’d lose his job and even do some time. Coach admitted to Dandy and myself and even Harry. Who else is there?” Unless Chance was lying, or Scott. Or even Sunny Wilkerson. “We still don’t know why Alice had her prints on Jared’s watch. Says she didn’t remember seeing him that night when she clearly did. She’s hiding something, and I think it might be Wade’s drug habit at the time.”

“Well, at least you’re safe now,” Amber said.

Colt had Duncan Flanigan in one room writing out his statement and Terry Helms writing his in another room. Cody Weinbeck approached. What a tool. “Nice work, McCoy. Course, our season is shot, and homecoming is next Friday night.”

“Yes, because sports is what’s important over justice being served. You are a deputy, you know.” He refrained from the eye roll.

“Maybe I like the power,” he shot back and laughed. “I’m clocking out. I assume you’re leaving town now that it’s all wrapped up nice with a bow for you.”

Except it wasn’t. He wasn’t technically here to find out who hurt Georgia but who killed Jared, and at this second, he wasn’t sure. No one had come forward. “Depends on the statements.” No point in prolonging his goodbye to Georgia, though. She didn’t need to feel obligated to stick around now that she was finally able to be free of him.

“Seems to me one of those two did it.” Cody shrugged and swaggered down the hall.

Mae rounded the corner with a frown.

“What’s wrong? Couldn’t find a device we can plug that SD into?” Colt asked.

“No, I got a computer. I just don’t like that deputy.”

Mae didn’t like any man, let alone trust one, but she knew how to be a team player, and they worked well together. But the only personal things he knew about her were she liked unsweet tea and black coffee and had a soft spot for female victims. “Well, let’s pop this bad boy in and see what we see.”

She fired up the computer and inserted the SD card.

Rhett and Poppy rounded the corner, each with a paper in hand. “We got statements,” Poppy said, “but you ain’t gonna like it.”

“Why?” Colt took Terry’s statement. The loan fraud and illegal recruiting were admitted, but nothing about Jared. He then read Coach’s and read it again. “He admits to every murder, break-in and attack—even poisoning the dogs—but there’s nothing here about killing Jared or about cutting the brake lines and releasing the steering fluid. And I seriously doubt he’d forget doing that. Georgia shot one off to scare him away, and looking at my face—and hers—ought to do it.”

“I’ll go back in there and jog his memory. His lawyer is here, and of course it’s Reggie Leeway. I do not like him.” Poppy snarled.

No one did. He was making money off all this illegal activity by defending these people, except for Scott Hazer, whom he was representing pro bono to keep quiet about Chance’s drug use—which Colt suspected was still going on presently. Poppy strode from the room while Colt, Mae and Rhett pulled up the photos. Some were photos of Jared’s friends and football practice.

Then he got to the ones Jared had taken of Scott Hazer. There he was, clear as a bell, with Wade Parker—Alice’s son.

“This might be why Alice didn’t mention seeing Jared,” Colt said. “She didn’t want it to come out they’d talked about her son and the drugs.” It would explain the print on his watch—if she’d grabbed him to keep him from leaving without promising to keep silent.

“If you can’t get her to confess, we got nothing but circumstantial evidence.” Mae shook her head.

If Alice was indeed the killer he suspected her to be. “I need to call Georgia. Update her.” Or text her. Hearing her voice was too hard right now, but she needed to know where the case stood.

THIRTEEN

Georgia had gone through the last two boxes of Amber’s clothes, since she had absolutely nothing. She’d grabbed a few T-shirts, jeans and an old pair of tennis shoes. She needed to do some shopping, since she’d only been able to grab a few necessities. She folded the box sides back together so Gerald could haul them out easier. Her phone chirped with a text.

She read it and gaped.

“What is it?” Amber asked.

“They saw the SD card. Scott was dealing to Wade Parker. Colt believes Alice may be Jared’s killer, but she’s not at work or home.” Georgia texted she was at Amber’s.

Colt texted back.

Come to station. There’s more.

“I need to go to the sheriff’s office,” Georgia said. “There’s more, and I’m afraid he didn’t say, so it must be confidential and important.”

“I can give you