Page 64 of Cowboy Heat

With being so closely tied with the leader ofLa Lumiere. A man surrounded by all kinds of questions with no answers, to live free the way he does, to make people tremble in worry when he needs it and then laugh and smile when he needs it too.

A young man who’d risk his life to save two others, only to turn around and use one against the other as leverage.

I don’t like the connection.

I don’t like that I feel no true physical fear from him either. Just anger and resentment.

Detective Fabre is looking for a hard answer, and I’m beating myself up that it’s an easy one.

“No, I don’t think he would want me hurt,” I say.

“But he’d probably want the people who hurt you seen to?”

I nod.

He mirrors me and writes something else. “Would you say, in your opinion, that Everett would also feel protective of Alice Dean?”

That’s another question I’m not expecting. Now I take my anger and let it vent a bit. “I get attacked, and you’re asking me how Everett Guidry feels toward Alice Dean?”

The detective gives me a cool stare. “I’m not assuming the two incidents aren’t connected. Considering you have been present for both. And Mr. Montgomery.”

“I was present for both because I was the target of one of them! Believe me, I wouldn’t have been around for either if I could’ve helped it. Am I being seen as a suspect? Is this an interrogation?”

Detective Fabre holds up his hand. “I’m not accusing you of anything right now, Miss Lawson. I just want to get a better picture of your last two violent encounters, given their similarities. Mrs. Dean is missing some memory, and even if she had it, has already told us she’s not going to talk to us without Everett. Now that he’s missing, that makes you the best candidate to ask an opinion from on the two. So please, what are your thoughts on the relationship between Everett and Alice?”

He’s made some sense, I’ll give it to him, but I’m none too happy for it. Still, I take a quick breath then answer. “Alice is a part of his community, same as Jon, her husband. That means something to Guidry, and unless they’ve done something real bad lately that I don’t know about—which, I wouldn’t know about anyway, since I don’t live here—I don’t think Guidry would lay a hand on her.”

“Is it of your opinion that he might go after someone who hurt her, then?”

“Yes.”

He nods, seemingly satisfied. He closes his notebook. “I think that’s it for now, for me. I might have some follow-up questions in the next few days, but I’ll reach out when that time comes.”

“Then I’m done?”

“Yes, ma’am.” He stands. “Deputy McLennan can give you a ride home. I hope you get to feeling better.”

I stop mid-doorway, remembering myself. “Have y’all found anything out about the man who broke into my house? Do you have a name?”

His smile goes tight. Those laugh lines at the edge of his eyes don’t move much, though. “We’re still investigating. I’ll let you know when we have more information.”

That sounds suspiciously like a brush-off. I’m about to point that out when movement catches my attention. It’s a man coming out of the sheriff’s office.

He looks soured, angry.

And he has the reddest hair I’ve ever seen.

He meets my gaze and holds it long enough that I stumble in my conversation with the detective. He has to repeat himself.

“Take care, Miss Lawson.”

“Take care,” I say back, breaking my gaze with the other man.

It’s only when I’m waiting on a grumbling Deputy McLennan that I realize Detective Fabre didn’t outright say I wasn’t a suspect in Alice Dean’s attack.

He just said I wasn’t a suspect for now.

CHAPTERTWENTY-ONE