Page 132 of Noel Secrets

No time to wait for him to reply. He could meet her there when he’d finished with Chief Dean.

She kenneled the dogs again, apologizing to each of them under her breath, then ran to her van. Maybe it was better that he hadn’t answered her. Clay would want her to wait for him. To stay put.

The camp was an hour’s drive away, and her son was hurt. He needed her now.

She couldn’t wait.

Chapter Six

During the drive to the police precinct, Clay phoned Cooper to tell him about this new wrinkle and that his cover had been blown. Cooper had dived deep into the chief of police, based on Sheriff Malone’s assessment.

“There are no open federal investigations into Dean,” Cooper explained. “But there have been reports of excessive force used in the department, along with wrongful arrests and two civil-rights violation lawsuits, both of which were dropped or settled during his time as chief.”

“So Sheriff Malone’s suspicions were probably right. You don’t think he’s involved in this hit on Darby, do you?”

“I can’t say for sure, but I looked up the case Darby mentioned. The homeowner posted a video on social media, clearly showing the female suspect pocketing jewelry. According to her statement, she removed it after a visit from Dean. He also refused to press charges against the woman, Suzanne Crompton, but the local prosecutor’s office intervened after seeing the video. That’s when the original security feed was taken into evidence and soon vanished. The prosecutor was forced to drop the charges. When Crompton opened her own cleaning business, the homeowner wanted to let people know what had happenedand not to trust Crompton, but her relationship with Chief Dean made her too fearful. She said she was glad to have her belongings returned to her.”

So, at the very least, Dean intimidated witnesses. At worse, he could be a killer.

Clay thanked him then ended the call as he arrived at the police station. He parked then followed Officer Massey through the front doors and down a long hallway. Massey knocked then opened the door.

Chief Dean stood as Clay entered the room, and Massy closed the door behind him. Clay sized up the chief, a man of above average height with broad shoulders, big arms, and a gun on his hip.

“Agent Walker, I’m Jeff Dean, Chief of Sheraton PD.”

Clay shook his hand then took the seat he offered. Dean chose to walk around to the front of the desk and sit on the corner so he towered over Clay. Clay had seen that move used before as intimidation.

Only he wasn’t intimidated. “Your officer said you had questions for me.”

“Yes, I did. After the break-in at the Holmes home, my officers reported that you were in town. I didn’t know of any federal operation happening here in Sheraton. It’s common courtesy for the FBI to alert local law enforcement of their presence.”

“Not always. I’m not in town for work.”

“So your interest in Darby Foster is…”

“Personal. We’ve been dating for two months. When I discovered her life had been threatened, I decided to stick around for a while to make sure she’s safe.” It was the story they’d come up with to explain his presence in town. He didn’t mind spinning a tale to further a case, and having the chief know he was FBI could complicate matters. If Chief Dean wasinvolved in the threats against Darby, knowing a federal agent was involved might cause him to alter his course.

He decided to go on the offense. “I understand you, or rather your girlfriend, has had a recent falling out with Darby.”

Dean folded his arms as the muscles in his jaw tightened. “She accused Suzanne of something she didn’t do.”

“Despite the video of her rummaging through a client’s belongings?”

“That’s a lie. The video was a fake.”

“So neither you nor Suzanne hired someone to abduct and kill Darby?”

Dean scoffed at that idea. “Suzanne would never do that, and I wouldn’t condone that kind of behavior in my town. Besides, Suzanne has her own cleaning company now, and it’s doing quite well. Her beef with Darby Foster is history. But this is still my town and I’m the law here. If Darby’s in danger, keep me in the loop. I’ve already received the incident report and evidence notes from Sheriff Malone. Please assure Darby that the Sheraton PD will make sure she’s protected.”

Satisfied they seemed to have reached an understanding—both cautious of the other—Clay stood and reached out his hand. “I appreciate that, Chief.”

Dean shook his hand then walked back around his desk, signaling an end to the meeting.

Clay opened the door and headed to his pickup. He glanced at his cell phone, noting several missed calls and a text from Darby.

David’s hurt. On my way to the hospital.

His chest tightened. Something had happened during his meeting with Chief Dean. His mind flashed back to not beingthere for Jackie and Olivia. Now, he hadn’t been there when Darby needed him.