Page 22

CHAPTER

TWENTY-ONE

After speaking to Ashcroft, Logan stood, needing to stretch his legs.

He wandered back out into the living room, where Duke and Andi sat on the couch with their laptops, phones, and two notebooks in front of them.

Duke looked up. “Everything okay? I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop, but your voice carried out here. Whoever you were talking to . . . it sounded heated.”

Logan’s felt his jaw jump. “Just talking to my captain.”

“You still have colleagues who hate you, don’t you?” Concern etched Andi’s face as she lowered her phone.

Logan’s jaw tightened, but he knew better than to deny her words. Besides, everyone knew that was the truth.

“Things have been rough since we brought Victor Goodman down and Captain Durden was fired.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Andi frowned with what appeared to be regret.

If he had to guess, it wasn’t regret that Victor had been brought down but that Logan had been caught in the crosshairs.

“I know that, in part, we played a role in that when we dragged you into our investigation,” Andi continued.

He rubbed the back of his neck. “You didn’t exactly drag me into it. I did so willingly. And corrupt people should be brought down, no matter the consequences.”

Andi’s look showed she agreed with his statement, even if she did still feel remorse at the backlash he’d faced afterward.

Logan rubbed the skin between his eyes, feeling exhaustion kicking in. “We’re doing everything we can to find Morgan, but it’s not enough. It’s getting us nowhere.”

“So far, no one I’ve talked to from the award ceremony saw anything.

” Andi yawned, clearly tired. “I’m not saying that someone may know something and not be talking.

But my gut is telling me that whoever took Morgan wasn’t necessarily rubbing elbows with us at the award ceremony.

Besides, if he was, don’t you think Morgan would have recognized him and said something? ”

Logan couldn’t argue with that conclusion. “I would think so.”

“One person, however, did tell me that someone from the state police pulled up to the scene shortly after Morgan received her award,” Andi said.

He sat up straighter. “Who?”

“It was actually . . . your captain. Ashcroft.”

Logan blanched. “What?”

Andi nodded. “It’s true. He apparently got out of his vehicle and started toward the door like he was coming inside. Then he stopped and went back to his vehicle.”

“How long did he stay?” Logan asked.

“About ten more minutes,” Andi said. “Then this person went inside. He said he didn’t think much of it. It’s not unusual for the police to come out for events like this as a matter of security if nothing else.”

“True.” Logan’s jaw tightened. “But what if there’s more to it?”

“You should be very careful before asking your captain if he’s somehow involved,” Duke warned.

“Are there any indications that he could be behind this? I mean, that crime scene was pretty extreme. Most police officers, I’d think, would be more likely to kill someone and make sure it’s clean.

The more elaborate, the higher the stakes. ”

Logan thought about it a moment. “You’re right. He doesn’t seem like the type who’d go to these kinds of extremes. I don’t think he has an artistic bone in his body.”

“But maybe you should keep an eye on him, just to be safe,” Andi finished.

“It’s not a bad idea.” He didn’t like the idea that his captain might be responsible.

But until he had more information, he was going to keep an open mind.

Morgan’s life depended on it.

At that thought, he glanced at the front door. Something on the floor there caught his eye.

He stood, curious as to what it could be—though in his gut he thought he knew.

“Where did that come from?” Andi said behind him.

Logan felt Andi and Duke standing and following.

He bent down and, before picking it up, he covered his fingers with his sleeve.

Then he picked up a photo.

His throat went dry.

A photo of Morgan.