Page 48 of Out of Time (Undaunted Courage #3)

TWENTY-SEVEN

THE DNA MATCHED .

His crazy hunch hadn’t been so crazy after all.

Pulse picking up, Brad used his thumbs to type in a return thank-you email to the lab for their expedited turnaround and saved the attached report. It would contain details that could be necessary in court, but for now he had all he needed.

Namely, confirmation that Steven Boyer had thrown up in very close proximity to Micah’s body.

That didn’t make the man a killer, but it did leave him with a boatload of explaining to do. Face-to-face explaining. Body language and visual cues would be critical as the man told his story.

Their conversation might even merit a trip to St. Louis—unless Steven was coming down tomorrow for the weekend, as seemed to be his pattern.

From his position beside the cruiser, Brad surveyed the crime scene where he and Larry had spent the past fifteen minutes. His chief deputy was taking a statement from the farmer whose equipment had been stolen, but that didn’t require two people.

Nevertheless, his agenda for today was full thanks to the flu wave that continued to decimate the department. While deferring the discussion with Steven for twenty-four hours wasn’t ideal, a drive to St. Louis would take a chunk out of his packed schedule.

Besides, it wasn’t as if the man was hanging around Natalie’s house today and in a position to cause any further disruption. He rarely came down until Friday afternoon.

May as well wait. Deferring their conversation until tomorrow would give him an opportunity to practice his patience.

Brad huffed out a breath.

As if.

The odds of him ever mastering that when it came to solving a case were nil.

At least he could call Natalie and confirm Steven was planning to visit this weekend, using an update on the camera installation delay as an excuse for getting in touch. No sense raising any alarms with the woman until he talked to her cousin.

He also needed to work through the inconsistencies with his theory about the man’s involvement in the incidents on the property.

Like the alibi Steven had provided for the Sunday morning Micah had been killed, complete with the names of patrons and staff who’d been on hand at the gym he frequented.

Given how easy it would be to verify those facts, it was doubtful he’d lied about his presence.

Plus, Natalie had said he’d left Saturday night.

But he hadn’t. Otherwise his vomit wouldn’t have been on Micah’s shirt.

Meaning he must have connected with the groundskeeper at the beginning of the time-of-death window Rod had identified, then driven straight to St. Louis to be at the gym early.

If Micah’s cause of death ended up being homicide, and Steven was responsible, he’d planned the crime in meticulous detail.

How Steven’s financial straits fit into the picture was a mystery, but they did fit. Brad could feel it in his gut. He just had to connect the dots.

He pulled up Natalie’s number on his cell and tapped it in.

After three rings, she picked up.

“Natalie, it’s Brad. I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

“No. Cara and I finished our morning translation session about five minutes ago. How can I help you?”

“I wanted to apologize for the delay in getting the cameras in place. The company I recommended is working through an unusual backlog. They promised to be there bright and early Monday morning.”

Silence.

“Natalie?”

“Yes, I’m here. I was going to call you today about that. I’m going to hold off on the cameras.”

He frowned as he watched a combine harvest soybeans in a field across the road.

What was that odd inflection in her voice all about?

He kept his tone conversational even as his antennas went up.

“Why wait? My encounter with the man may have put a temporary stop to his trespassing, but since Cara’s seen lights in the woods on multiple occasions, I think we can assume he’ll be back.

The cameras may be our best hope of spotting him and getting someone over there to intercept. ”

More silence.

This time he waited her out.

At last a sigh came over the line. “That won’t be necessary, Brad.

I know who the man is. It’s Steven. I wanted to talk with him before I said anything to anyone.

I’m sure there’s a simple explanation for his nighttime trips.

I intend to ask him about those as soon as he gets back from his walk to the lake. ”

An alert began pinging in Brad’s mind.

“He’s there now?”

“Yes. He came down last night for a few days of rest after the blow to his head. I heard him go out last night about ten, and I spotted him through the window, in the yard.”

So he was still roaming around.

Why?

“Can you think of any reason he’d be leaving the house at that hour?”

“No, and I’ve racked my brain trying to come up with a plausible explanation. But cameras won’t be necessary now that I know who’s roaming around the property. I’ll straighten this out with him when he gets back.”

Not the safest plan if homicide was in the picture. The sort of questioning Natalie had in mind should be handled by law enforcement.

Brad pulled out his keys. “May I ask a favor? I have some questions I want to ask him on another subject. If he comes back before I get there, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t say anything about your concerns. I can bring up his nighttime activity during our conversation.”

“I don’t know, Brad.” Worry scored her voice. “He may be upset with me if you broach it. He could think I’ve been telling tales out of school. He’s such a good boy, and he’s been very kind to me. I don’t want him to think I’ve been going behind his back, or that I don’t trust him.”

If Boyer was as guilty as Brad was beginning to believe, he wasn’t worthy of trust—or all the kindness Natalie had shown him.

And if he’d killed Micah, he was also dangerous. Anyone who got in his way or threatened to expose him would be at grave risk.

Including the cousin who doted on him.

Cornered people, like trapped animals, could lash out with little regard for consequences.

He signaled to Larry, tension bunching in his shoulders as he spoke into the phone again.

“Natalie, I understand your concern. Protecting those we care about is admirable. But I have information indicating Steven may also know more about Micah’s death than he’s told us.

I’d like to talk to him about that before you ask him about his evening activities.

I know you want justice served on behalf of Micah as much as I do. ”

“Of course. But what could Steven know about that?” She sounded baffled.

“I’ll explain when I get there.” After he talked to her cousin. “Why don’t you wait for me in your room? That way, if Steven comes back, you won’t have to engage with him until after he and I connect.”

A few beats passed.

“Very well. I’ll trust your judgment on this.”

“Thank you. Expect me in less than twenty minutes. Where’s Cara?”

“She went back to the cottage.”

Good. She should be safe there.

“Sit tight until I arrive.” He ended the call and spoke to Larry, who’d walked over to join him. “How much longer do you think you’ll be here?”

“Half an hour, tops. I want to poke around behind the barn, see if the guilty parties left us anything to work with. There had to be two of them, minimum. Stealing a five-hundred-pound generator worth thousands of dollars isn’t a one-person job.”

“I hear you. I’m going over to Natalie Boyer’s place. I have a lead on the Micah Reeves case and her trespasser. After you’re done here, check in with me. I may want to bring in backup, depending on what I find.”

“Will do.”

Brad pulled out his keys, slid behind the wheel of his cruiser, and pressed hard on the accelerator once he cleared the end of the dirt drive at the farm.

It was possible Natalie was right. There could be a simple explanation for Steven’s actions.

But every instinct he’d honed through thirteen years of police work wasn’t buying that.

In fact, as he barreled down the rural roads that wound among the wooded hillsides, one word kept strobing through his mind.

Guilty.

IT HAD TO BE HERE.

Every other piece of jewelry in his grandfather’s inventory was accounted for except a diamond-and-emerald bracelet, as he’d discovered when he’d cross-checked his bounty against the list this morning.

Cursing the stupid bats, Steven ducked into the passageway where he’d found the man’s stash, flashlight aimed at the floor as he approached the crevice that had held the treasure.

If the flying creatures hadn’t unnerved him last night, he would never have been in such a rush to shove all the jewelry back into the bag, beat a hasty retreat—and apparently drop one precious item as he fled.

Waiting until tonight to come back and search for it may have been more prudent, but the thought of another trip out here in the dark turned his stomach. Besides, a daylight excursion wasn’t risky. He wasn’t likely to run into anyone, and he had a right to walk around his cousin’s property.

His beam picked up a sparkle, and he dropped to one knee.

Yes!

The bracelet was wedged under an overhang of jagged rock, where he must have kicked it as he fled.

He worked his fingers under the ledge and gently extracted the bracelet. Examined it.

It appeared to be fine, but he’d give it a more thorough inspection in the light.

After securing it in his shirt pocket, he retraced his route to the entrance of the cave. Stepped outside and filled his lungs with the fresh air.

Claustrophobia had never been one of his liabilities, but in the future he planned to walk a wide circle around small, enclosed spaces.

He started to reach for the bracelet to give it a once-over. Hesitated.

Maybe it would be smarter to go back down to the main path, find a brighter spot that would better highlight the gems. The dense trees by the cave entrance created deep shadows, and the angry clouds swirling overhead had snuffed out the weak light trying to filter through the branches.

Leaving the bracelet in his pocket, he descended the rocky, sloping trail.

Smiled.

At last his quest to recover the spoils of war his grandfather had claimed long ago in Germany had been completed.

And he didn’t share one iota of the guilt his long-dead relative must have nursed after the theft. Why else would the man have hidden his plunder from the world and decided not to profit from it?

What a fool.

His grandfather had taken these items from the enemy. All soldiers did that, even if it was against the rules of war.

Heck, look at all the artwork the Nazis had stolen. This was small potatoes compared to their pillaging.

Not that he cared about what had happened eighty-plus years ago.

All that mattered was that the stuff was his now.

He emerged from the narrow trail that led up to the cave, onto the main path to the lake.

It was definitely brighter here. A perfect place to examine the merchandise.

And gloat over a job well done.

THERE HE WAS.

As Cara rounded the curve in the path, she spotted Steven just up ahead, angled away from her as he examined an object in his hand.

Could be a buckeye. There were lots of them on the ground.

Beautiful, with their egg-like shape, glossy-wood finish, and distinctive white eye on one end.

She’d collected a few herself, near the perimeter of the yard at the edge of the woods, and put them in a small glass bowl to admire after sun drying them for several days.

Or perhaps he’d stumbled upon a piece of lace agate, like the one she’d found on her wanderings that rested on the windowsill in the cottage, sparkling in the sun.

He appeared to be engrossed in whatever he’d discovered and apparently didn’t hear her approach.

“Hi, Steven.” She called out from several yards away to alert him to her presence so he wouldn’t be startled.

Didn’t help.

He jerked toward her, and the object in his hand flew her direction.

She jolted to a stop as it came to rest a few feet in front of her on top of the bright yellow leaves shed by a tall poplar tree beside the path.

Her jaw dropped as she stared at it.

Was that a diamond-and-emerald bracelet?

Before she could process what she was seeing, Steven swept in, snatched it up, and shoved it into his shirt pocket.

Several silent seconds crawled by as she tried to make sense of the scenario.

“You should see your face.” He smiled, but unless she was misreading him, he was seriously rattled. “Then again, I suppose it’s not every day you see a piece of fine jewelry lying in the woods.”

“So my eyes weren’t deceiving me.”

“Nope. It’s real.” He shifted his weight, his expression growing sheepish as he propped his hands on his hips.

“This is a mite awkward. I guess I should have mentioned that I’m seeing a woman in St. Louis.

The bracelet is for her. She has a birthday coming up.

I hope I didn’t mislead you about my interest.”

“No. Not at all.” Truth be told, it was possible she’d misinterpreted the glint of attraction in his eyes early on.

And once Brad had taken center stage, she hadn’t cared what, if any, romantic signals Steven had been sending.

She certainly hadn’t sent him any, that much she knew.

“She’s a lucky woman. That’s quite a gift. ”

“I hope she agrees.”

She glanced down at his other hand.

Why was he carrying a flashlight in broad daylight?

He lifted it and spoke as if he’d read her mind. “I was thinking about exploring the cave. Spelunking has never been high on my radar, but since I know every inch of this property above ground, I thought I should take a peek into the cave.”

While carrying around an expensive piece of jewelry?

Why would he do that?

And what was the bracelet doing in his pocket, anyway? Shouldn’t it be in the elegant, protective case the jeweler must have provided?

Maybe Steven’s head injury was muddling his thinking.

Whatever was going on, however, it wasn’t giving her a warm and fuzzy feeling. Strange vibes were swirling through the air, and an alert began to beep in her mind.

“Well...” She took a step back. Forced up the corners of her lips. “I’ll let you get to it. I was going to take a walk by the lake, but I think the weather is about to get nasty. I’d rather be inside if a storm is brewing.” She turned and began to walk away.

Fast.

“Cara.”

As he called out to her, she stopped. Looked back.

Sucked in a breath.

What in the world?

Steven was Natalie’s kind, caring cousin. The man who gave up his weekends to keep her company and watch over her. Who’d accompanied the visiting professor on hikes around the property and entertained her with witty banter as they’d laughed and chatted.

So who was this gun-toting stranger putting her heart in his crosshairs?