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"Mom would still be alive?" The words came out sharper than she'd intended. She softened her tone. "We can't change the past, Dad. But we can damn well make sure Tommy doesn't get away with what he did."
Gabriel nodded, but his eyes were distant. "When they planted him in your department, I knew. I knew what it meant. That they were watching us again. That they knew you were getting close." He ran a hand through his silver hair. "I thought if I stayed quiet, kept my distance..." He shook his head. "I thought Tommy would realize you didn't know the details, and so they'd leave you alone. I guess I underestimated them—again."
"You were trying to protect me." Sheila's voice was gentle now. "I understand that. But if we don't catch Tommy, we'll spend the rest of our lives looking over our shoulders, wondering when they'll strike next."
"They won't stop," Gabriel agreed quietly. "Not now. Not after what happened with Eddie Mills."
A truck rumbled into the parking lot, its headlights sweeping across them through the window. Both of them tensed until it passed.
Sheila's phone buzzed. She checked it, hoping for news from border patrol, but it was a text from Finn: Star's giving me grief about missing your dad's famous Saturday pancakes. When are you coming home?
Home. The word stirred something in her chest. Finn and Star were waiting for her, worrying about her. And here she was, chasing shadows across state lines.
She typed back quickly: Soon. Keep her busy with those horrible action movies you both love.
"Your deputy?" Gabriel asked.
"He's more than that now." Sheila pocketed her phone. "He and Star... they're family."
Gabriel's expression softened. "You've built something good there. Which is why we need to end this. Make it safe for all of you."
The manager returned, clearing his throat. "Sorry to interrupt, but you might want to see this." He tapped at his computer, pulling up a different camera feed. "This was about twenty minutes after your guy left."
The footage showed a black SUV pulling in, two men in dark suits emerging. They spoke briefly with the overnight cashier showed something that might have been badges.
"Government plates," Gabriel said, leaning closer.
"They asked about the same guy you're looking for," the manager added. "Said they were FBI."
Sheila and Gabriel exchanged glances. Why would the FBI be after Tommy? What did they know? And most importantly… whose side were these agents on?
"Which way did they go?" Sheila asked.
"South. Like your guy." The manager hesitated. "Look, I don't want any trouble. If anyone else comes asking—"
"We were never here," Gabriel assured him.
Outside, the desert wind had picked up, carrying the first hint of dawn. Sheila slid behind the wheel of her rental car while Gabriel checked his phone.
"There's another gas station forty miles south," he said. "Only place to fuel up between here and the border."
Sheila started the engine. "You think Tommy's smart enough to avoid it?"
"I think those federal agents will be watching it." Gabriel buckled his seatbelt. "Which means we need to think like Tommy. Where else would he go?"
Sheila pulled onto the empty highway, her mind racing. "Did you know Tommy?"
Her father was quiet for a long moment, staring out at the dark desert. "Met him once or twice when he was a kid. Hank was showing him around the station."
Sheila absorbed this, thinking of Hank Dawson—the cheerful, affable man who'd stepped in as interim sheriff after Natalie's death. Who'd supported Sheila taking over, claiming he was ready to retire. Who'd gotten his nephew a job in her department.
"Do you think Hank knew?" she asked. "When he brought Tommy in? Or was he being used, too?"
"I don't know." Gabriel stared out at the lightening horizon. "But it's interesting timing, isn't it? He steps down right when things start heating up with Mills."
The implications settled like ice in Sheila's stomach. Had Hank gotten out because he knew what was coming? Or because he couldn't go through with whatever they had planned?
A set of headlights appeared in her rearview mirror. Sheila tensed until they turned off at a side road.