Page 47 of Hold Your Breath

“Don’t get discouraged, Lou,” the sheriff said. “As a rule, most criminals are pretty dumb, and I’m guessing your guy isn’t a rocket scientist. He’s been destructive, but not violent.” He kindly left off the implied “yet.” “He’ll screw up, and we’ll get him. No one messes with one of ours.”

“Thanks, Rob.”

He shifted his truck into drive. “Let me know when he does something else. And stick close to that guy of yours.” With a final lift of his chin in farewell, he eased his squad SUV away from them and headed down the driveway.

Lou was blushing. From the heat she could feel radiating from her cheeks, it was quite a bright blush, too. Although Callum didn’t say anything, she could sense his gaze on her very red profile.

“Shut it,” she growled.

“I didn’t say a word.”

And that just made it worse. “Yeah, well, you were thinking some words.”

“Yeah. I was.” The look he gave her made her cheeks fire even brighter, and she scrambled out of his truck. The sound of his laughter followed her all the way into her cabin.

Chapter 9

Work dragged. Lou tried very hard not to look at each customer as a potential threat, but it was difficult. Plastering on a fake smile, she attempted to keep her suspicious glares to a minimum.

During the mid-afternoon slump, she was cleaning the bathroom when the sleigh bells on the door jangled.

“Be with you in a moment,” she called as she stripped off her rubber gloves and washed her hands. Lifting the hinged portion of the counter, she slipped through to find a deputy waiting. He looked familiar, with a compact frame, reddish-blond hair, and a cropped mustache. She couldn’t remember where she’d met him until she read his nametag.

“Deputy Lawrence,” she greeted him.

Although his nod was a little stiff, he looked pleased to be recognized. Lou wondered if he’d forgotten that he wore his name pinned to his coat. “And you’re…?”

“Lou,” she finished when he paused. “Lou Sparks. Dive team. We met in passing the other day at the…um, reservoir.” She’d discussed the event so much with Callum that she didn’t know how to politely refer to finding HDG when talking to others.

“Right. You were the one who discovered the body.” His face screwed up in a grimace. “That’s created a lot of work for us.”

She blinked, unsure how to respond to the hint of accusation in his tone. “Um…sorry to hear that. Would you like something to drink?”

“Yeah, a large mocha with whipped, please.” His gaze dropped to her chest. “So…you’re on the dive team.”

“Yes.”

“As what? The mascot?”

She choked and almost spilled the steaming milk. “Uh, no. As an actual, real-life diver.”

“Seriously?” His tone told her how very much he disapproved of that.

“Seriously.”Deputy Jackass, she added in her head.

Although she was pretty sure Deputy Lawrence was not going to be one of her favorite people, she kept a pleasant expression on her face as she prepared his drink. “How’s that investigation going?” she couldn’t resist asking as she topped his mocha with whipped cream.

“I can’t talk about the case to civilians,” he said stiffly.

“Of course,” she said, ringing up his order with a mental shrug. So much for sharing information among the search-and-rescue family.

“Although,” he said slowly as he pulled out his wallet, “there have been some interesting developments.”

“Like what?” She accepted his cash and handed back his change. None of the money made it into her tip jar.

After pocketing his wallet, Lawrence leaned closer, resting his elbows on the counter. “There’s a possible connection with a motorcycle gang.”

“Really? The club in Liverton?” Despite the deputy’s rather slimy manner, she couldn’t resist the lure of new information.