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When Cole said nothing more, Jo closed her eyes and listened to the windshield wipers.

She dreaded talking to the sheriff. Why had she so easily trusted Pop?

He was her father, for one thing. She’d wanted to learn who her biological father was and wanted to know him.

He’d been warm and caring and had acted like a father should to his adult child.

She’d been eager and ready to forge a relationship.

He’d been someone who offered stability in the aftermath of her mother’s murder. She’d taken his offer.

Now she was left in a pit of grief and anger.

She tried to hide her tears, but Cole might have heard the sniffles.

She absolutely had to get her act together, but sometimes tears were warranted.

They’d be at the county offices soon, and she needed to talk some things through with Cole before facing the sheriff.

“Something I just don’t get,” she said.

“What’s that?” Cole’s voice was gentle and caring.

“He left because he was afraid that he had brought danger to me. And apparently he did. Then he warned us about the bomb. I mean, why not stay to protect me? Why run away when I’m in danger?”

“I can’t know, of course, but I suspect that he wants the danger to follow him, and in that way, he’ll protect you.”

“But can’t he see that strategy didn’t work? He was gone and yet there was a bomb at my house.”

“That’s a good point, for which I have no answers. But I’m here, Jo. I’m working with you to make sure you stay safe.”

“I know,” she said. “But it doesn’t make me feel better about how Pop left me to face the danger alone.”

“I understand. Part of me wonders if he knew that I was coming. Okay, yeah, that sounded out there.”

She gave an incredulous snort. “He didn’t like you, Cole.”

“What?”

“Sure, he liked you to begin with. But—”

“But I didn’t come back. I hurt you, Jo. I’m so sorry. I had reasons, and I want to talk about this and tell you everything.” He parked at the county offices. “I’m not sure if now is the time.”

“Yeah, it’s not great timing.”

Inside, the county offices were quiet and nearly desolate since it was almost midnight.

Sheriff Thatcher led Cole and Jo to his office instead of an interrogation room. Jo sank into a chair, and the sheriff offered them coffee, water, or soda. Jo took a Coke.

Then Thatcher sat at his desk and drank from a tall mug.

“Normally, I don’t keep these kinds of hours, but I wanted to be the one to talk to you.

I’ve hired a new detective—Braden Sanders—but he’s out of town until tomorrow.

But like I said, I want to talk to you.” He clasped his hands and leaned forward against his desk.

“I’m saying this isn’t an interrogation, so please just relax. ”

Jo appreciated that the sheriff didn’t separate her from Cole or make her sit in a small room at a nondescript table while she waited to be questioned as if she was a criminal. Still, she closed her eyes, willing herself to remain composed.

“The property is destroyed.”

I can’t believe Spruce Hollow is gone.

Considering her father was also gone from her life—by his own choice—losing the tiny house that had been her oasis should be the least of her pain.

“It will take time and probably daylight to sift through the remains. Honestly, we would have suspected a propane leak, except for the bomb warning you received. The WSP bomb squad will be here in the morning. They’re part of the Washington State Patrol Homeland Security division, accredited through the FBI. ”

Oh. “So this is kind of a big deal. Homeland Security. Feds. The big guns, so to speak.” Had she expected anything else?

“The acronyms are intimidating. They’ll probably send an investigator or two who will write up a report. They’ll probably question you and Cole too. I don’t know where things will go from there.” He studied her, his dark eyes piercing. “Take a deep breath and just tell me what happened.”

“I’m sure Cole already told you we were just sitting there and talking when the text came through my cell. Cole grabbed my hand and we ran.”

Sheriff Thatcher sat back, his brows furrowing. “Do you have any idea why someone would blow up your house?”

She toyed with the strap of her sling bag. “How can I know? Factor in that Pop ... well...” Jo told him the rest. That she’d gone in search of her father after the cryptic message.

Pop was one of those friendly guys who got along with everyone. He could fool the best of them, she supposed, because the sheriff had always liked her father.

“And then tonight, I saw him. He left and said I wasn’t supposed to know him.

” The words tumbled out through tears. Jo told him everything, including how she met her father right after her mother’s funeral.

She even shared about Mom’s suspicious death that she believed was a murder.

The floodgate of pent-up emotions and words had opened wide. So much for keeping herself together.

The sheriff swiped his hand over his bald head. “Well, you’ve had a real long day. Of course, we’d love to question Ray about his knowledge of the bomb. In the meantime, I’m going to need your cell phone.”

“My cell?” She cradled it.

“Yeah. It’s part of the evidence in this investigation now. We’ll create a mirror image and extract the data. I’ll get it back to you as soon as I can.”

Jo didn’t want to hand her phone over. What if he calls again? Sheriff Thatcher would try to ping his cell number, but he wouldn’t find her father. “You should know that I’ve hired Cole to look into my father to find out who he really is.”

Cole cleared his throat. “Sheriff, are you aware of another incident yesterday involving Jo on the ferry?”

“I’m aware.” He angled his head but said nothing.

“I wonder if that incident is related.” Cole didn’t look at her when he raised the question.

“What’s your assessment?” the sheriff asked.

Jo shouldn’t be surprised the sheriff would want Cole’s thoughts, given his experience in special forces and now in intelligence and threat assessment.

“I believe it could be related. Jo sensed she had been followed. She was attacked three times after going into Seattle to follow her father.”

The sheriff wrote down a few notes. “There are a lot of questions that need answers. If you learn anything in your search for the truth about Ray, please keep us informed. You’ve already shared that you’d come to ask Jo questions about what happened in Michigan.

Please keep me in the loop on all of it, if you don’t mind.

Let’s work together in hopes we can resolve things in a timely manner. ”

“Agreed,” Cole said.

The sheriff leveled his gaze on Jo. “I’m sorry about this, Jo. I was fond of Ray. I’ve known him for years. It hits me hard. No matter what this is about, I know that he loves you.”

Jo had expected a much different response, though she wasn’t sure what. She struggled, waffling between believing that Pop loved her and thinking the worst.

“Sheriff.” Cole leaned forward. “After the attempts on her life, I need to get her somewhere safe. I have worked numerous security details, so this isn’t anything new to me.”

“You have some ideas.”

“My brother and I have a solution, yes.”

Everyone was talking over her head and around her as if she couldn’t make decisions for herself. She cleared her throat to get their attention.

The sheriff shifted his gaze to her. “If you need me to put you in protective custody, we can do that.”

“I trust Cole and Hawk. I’m in good hands with them. Thank you for your offer.”

Without waiting for the sheriff to dismiss them, she stood from the chair and shoved through the door, practically running down the short hall of the county offices. Then she exited into the cool night air and the expected wind and rain.

God , I want to go home.

But she wasn’t even sure where that was anymore.