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From his hiding place above the accident scene, he scanned the area with his binoculars, recognizing each deputy at the site. Earlier his heart had almost stopped when there’d been another officer. White short-sleeve shirt, dark slacks—didn’t look like a Russell County deputy. TBI, maybe, but why would Slater’s accident attract the interest of a Bureau investigator? His nerves settled a little when the man left with the chief deputy.

Shifting the binoculars away from the accident scene, he found Jenna and watched as she walked toward the house. She had almost reached where he dropped the castle nut. Don’t miss it. A smile thinned his lips as she knelt beside the road. He zoomed in the field glasses so he could see what she held in her hand.

Yes. She’d found the castle nut. Good girl.

Now that she’d found it, she would look harder for the pin. Earlier she and the other deputy had missed it. He watched as she examined the nut, then started walking toward the house. She knelt to pick up something. Too close to be the pin. She tossed whatever it was to the ground and walked on toward the house. Jenna stopped again right where he’d dropped the pin. After picking it up and examining it, she put it in a small bag.

He’d seen all he needed to see. Time to go.

Last night’s events looped through his mind while he hiked through the woods to his truck. It had been a dumb mistake not picking up the cotter pin, but when Slater came into the garage, it’d startled him. He’d forgotten dropping it ... until he woke this morning. He’d rushed over to search the garage, arriving just in time to see Slater deadbolt the door and set an alarm before they left.

Picking a lock, no big deal, but the alarm was a different matter. Slater hadn’t set it the night before when he got in, and there hadn’t been time to figure it out today. He’d rummaged around in the toolbox on the back of his pickup until he found a cotter pin and then planted it along the road.

Killing someone was the easy part. Manipulating the evidence was another matter.