Page 31

Cole hadn’t slept last night and was feeling it this morning.

He’d been tortured by Jo’s response to his inability to effectively communicate.

If he was a quitting man, he would just give up.

But letting go now that he was here and had seen her again, kissed her again, would be harder than he could have imagined.

So much for his grand entrance back into her life. Who did he think he was, trying to save her from the demons that had sent her into hiding?

Any minute now, Sheriff Thatcher and Detective Sanders were due to arrive.

At least Sheriff Thatcher had been able to learn more about Naomi Bancroft for Cole.

She remained in critical condition. He wanted to ask about those incoherent words, but she was fighting for her life, and that didn’t seem important or appropriate.

They would keep moving forward with the information on hand.

Cole chugged another cup of black coffee.

He groused that Hawk had arranged the meeting without consulting him first. Hawk had assisted Cole when he’d asked, but he wasn’t running things and should stop acting like he was on the PSD—protection security detail.

But to be fair, Hawk had facilitated a meeting that needed to happen, and Cole was running on fumes.

To say he was grumpy this morning was an understatement.

That was mostly because of his messing things up with Jo.

“I don’t like this,” Cole said.

“I heard you the first ninety-nine times you said it,” Hawk said. “What more do you want from me?”

“I fixed it!” Jo stepped from the hallway, grime on her forehead. The heating system had been malfunctioning all night, leaving them a little too cold. That seemed to underscore Cole’s last words with Jo.

But the unit kicked on.

She appeared chipper and not at all like a woman who hadn’t slept, so he figured their last conversation of the night hadn’t bothered her at all.

She’d been the one to leave without letting him finish.

Well, honestly, he couldn’t finish. He couldn’t tell her what he’d wanted to tell her.

Because he stunk at relationships. He might have pursued her, but sometimes, you just had to let a person fume on their own.

When Jo needed her space, she needed it. End of story.

And now, she appeared to be right as rain, but that was because she’d woken up with a problem to solve.

Cole could probably have managed, but Jo insisted.

He loved seeing how putting her hands to use had set her firmly back in her element.

Though the trauma of the last few days lingered in her gaze, a spark of life—the fight—still remained.

He’d spent the rest of the evening talking to his brother about his talent for ruining relationships. He’d actually asked Hawk for his advice, to which Hawk had replied that Cole was brave and could face bullets head-on, but when it came to love and commitment, he was a big fat chicken.

Thanks a lot , Hawk. I feel so much better.

Jo didn’t look at him. Smiling, she ambled toward the kitchen and tripped on the Persian rug. Stumbling forward, she caught herself. She lifted her chin in a nonchalant air, then shoved hair from her face and set her wrench—Little Jo—on the counter.

Finally, she flicked her gaze to him, and a spark of defiance flashed in her eyes.

This woman. He adored her so much. “Um, Jo. You know the sheriff is coming.”

“I know.”

“You have a smudge on your forehead. Here, let me...” He dampened a paper towel and then dabbed at the smudge.

“Well, how does the rest of me look?”

Good. Better than anyone had a right to look. “Ready to face the world.”

“Lucky for me, I don’t need to face the world. I only need to face the demons of my parents’ past.”

“That’s kind of a tall order for anybody,” Hawk said.

And Jo pulled her attention from Cole to Hawk, just when Cole thought things might be okay. Now he couldn’t be sure.

Looking incredulous, she shrugged. “Who would have thought?”

“I hope the sheriff has some information for us,” Remi said.

The doorbell rang.

“It’s them.” Hawk opened the door and invited the sheriff in.

Sheriff Thatcher introduced Detective Braden Sanders. So this guy had been DSS. Cole flicked a quick look at Hawk before zeroing in on the two law enforcement officers.

“Thanks for coming to see us rather than making us come to you,” Hawk said. “We’re trying to keep a low profile.”

“Jo’s safety is a priority,” the sheriff said. “Here’s your cell phone, Jo.”

He handed it off, and she looked at it like she hadn’t seen it in a month.

The sheriff shifted his attention to the detective. “Detective Sanders has some news as well as questions.”

“Coffee, anyone?” Remi gestured to the mugs and the carafe on the counter in a display suitable for her lodge.

The two county officials declined.

“If it’s more comfortable, why don’t we all have a seat.” Hawk pulled chairs from the table, and everyone sat in the living room.

Gray light from the cloudy day barely lit up the room as the house rattled with the wind.

“Let’s hear it, Detective,” Cole said.

“Is it all right with everyone if I record this discussion?” Detective Sanders asked.

“This isn’t an interrogation.” Cole crossed his arms. He wouldn’t stand for that today. “Or is it?”

“No. But if I ask a question, I want to be able to refer back to the answer.”

Cole wanted to tell the guy no. Then again, a thorough investigator was a good thing. “Fine. Record away.”

Sanders set his iPhone on the coffee table.

“We’re working with bomb specialists from King County, and I’ve contacted the Investigative Assistance Division of Washington State Patrol. They directed me to Detective Hargrove.”

Thorough, indeed. What was this guy doing in a backwater county sheriff’s department?

“Preliminary information tells us it was a cell phone bomb. An IED—improvised explosive device—triggered by a cell phone. We suspect the bomb is tied to this guy.” The detective tossed a photograph on the coffee table.

“Detective Hargrove has ID’d your attacker from the Hood, Line and Sinker.

” He looked at Cole. “Good work getting the security footage out to the authorities. We believe he’s the ferry killer too. ”

Jo shuddered and rubbed her arms.

Cole sat up. Now they were getting somewhere. “How did you link him to the ferry?”

“We caught footage of our suspect. Same man from the Hood, Line and Sinker attack. Devin Merrick exited a skiff at the marina in Seattle. We believe he got off the ferry mere moments after sending the vehicle overboard. He swam his way to a waiting skiff. Either an accomplice or someone he paid to wait for him. We’re still looking for that person.

The FBI has taken an interest in Merrick. ”

“He’s wanted ? How did he board the ferry to begin with?” Cole’s frustration wasn’t directed at the detective.

“So, the FBI is getting involved?” Jo asked.

“I’ve talked to the field agents in the local office. They’re up to their ears in other investigations but are ready to assist if we need help. I said they’re interested in him.”

“What does that mean, exactly?” Cole said.

“It means they could swoop in and take him, but they’ll wait for us to do the dirty work.”

Ouch. Sounded like Sanders had some history there.

“Do you?” Hawk asked.

“Do I what?” Sanders retrieved the photo from the table.

“Do you need help? You said they’re ready to assist if you need help.” Cole would love to get everyone involved if it meant solving this and Jo finally being free from danger.

“Not yet. But I do need answers. Ms. Cattrel, have you ever seen or heard of this man before the ferry incident?”

“What? Of course not,” Jo said.

“As mentioned earlier, we suspect he’s connected to the bomb at your house.” Sanders’s voice rose. “And about that, how would your father have known about the bomb? How is he connected to this man?” Accusation edged his tone as if he suspected she was holding back what she knew.

Cole bristled. This felt more like he was interrogating a suspect. Jo was the victim here.

Jo blew out a frustrated breath. “How would I know?”

Cole stood. He grabbed the cell phone and turned off the recording. “I think that’s just about enough. You said this wasn’t an interrogation.”

The man stood too and snatched his phone back. “It’s not.”

“It’s okay, Cole,” Jo said. She eyed Detective Sanders. “Detective, those are the same questions I have. If you’re looking for answers from me, you’re looking in the wrong place. I want to know the answers too, so I hope you find them.”

“And you have no idea where your father is?” He said it like he didn’t believe her.

Cole wasn’t sure he liked this guy.

She sighed. “If I did, I would be there with him, asking him these questions myself, not here answering yours.”

Jo stood and walked out of the room and left Sanders staring after her. Cole too. Remi went after Jo.

Cole seethed, but he held it back. He needed this guy on their side of this investigation. Still, he said, “That was about as helpful as a spare tire in a sinking boat.”

“It’s a waste of time for me to coddle the victim.”

“The victim? You weren’t treating her like a victim. You were treating her like an accomplice.”

“All right.” Sheriff Thatcher stood. “Everyone just calm down.”

Hawk stood too. Their meeting was coming to an end. At least they’d learned something.

“Look, I won’t apologize for my direct questions,” Sanders said. “Her life is in danger.” He lowered his voice for his next words. “Frankly, she should already be dead.”

Cole clenched his fists, holding back his anger. “How dare you?”

“How dare I lay out the raw truth?” Sanders didn’t act like any detective Cole had ever met. His background and training made him more like a bulldozer.

Hawk stood between them. “We’re on the same team. So how about we work together?”

“I’m good with working together. You keep her safe while I investigate,” Sanders said.

Cole shook his head. “She’s hired me to find her father.

” What was he supposed to do about Naomi’s investigation with her in the hospital?

She was still recovering and hadn’t responded to his texts.

But that investigation was intricately connected to Ransom Driscoll as well as the danger from Michigan, so with or without Naomi’s go-ahead, he was in it.

“How effective can you be when your attention is divided?” Sanders asked.

Cole walked to the window to stare out. This guy was unbelievable. But he wasn’t wrong. “Okay, look. Like Hawk said, we’re on the same team. If you learn anything, please let me know.”

“I do know something.” The detective’s features seemed to soften. So he could be a nice guy. “I’ll let the sheriff tell you. I need to take this call.”

Sanders stepped away from them—as far as he could get in this house. Cole half wondered if he was snooping and was of a mind to follow him, except for what the sheriff said next.

“You ever wonder what a man who leaves does with the assets he leaves behind? Dodge-Driscoll owned the R&D for over twenty-eight years.”

“I don’t know, let someone else run it until he comes back?” Cole couldn’t keep the frustration out of his voice. “Or leave it to his daughter?”

“He sold the business to Evelyn Monroe.”

The eccentric woman who owned the Cedar Trails Lodge and facilitated helping people who wanted to disappear?

“And what is she going to do with it?”

“She’s already done it. On behalf of Jo’s father, Monroe put most of the money from the sale in a trust in Jo’s name. And she set the rest aside for Jo to have cash on hand.” Sheriff Thatcher handed over the paperwork. “I was supposed to deliver this, but I trust you to see to it that she gets it.”

Cole looked at the documents from the Whitlock and Burnham Law Offices out of Olympia and a separate envelope that he suspected held the cash.

“Why didn’t he just give the R&D to Jo?” He dropped his hands.

“She’s a handy person. I think she would have enjoyed working there.

Or at least he could have let her make the decision to sell it or keep it.

” What was he saying? After what her father had done, Jo would probably never go back there.

The sheriff shrugged. “My guess is he believes she is no longer safe here and wanted her to have the money. Maybe to hide again?”

“No. Jo doesn’t want to hide anymore. She wants to know who murdered her mother and why her father is hiding.” And this time, he didn’t take her with him, like he did three years ago, after the funeral.

While he had the sheriff alone, he might as well ask him. He gestured toward Sanders standing in the large formal dining room across the way. “Where’d you find this guy anyway?”

Hawk got closer. “I’d like to hear that too. I heard he was DSS. Is he former military?”

The sheriff arched a brow. He gave them a look that said he wasn’t going to talk about Detective Sanders. “You might not like his direct ways, but you’ll come around.”

That remains to be seen. “So. Jo’s dad has communicated with Evelyn Monroe. Can any of this tell us where the man himself is?”

“No. You’re welcome to talk to Mrs. Monroe, but I doubt you’ll learn anything more.”

“Well, this might all be good and well—like he’s looking out for her—but he needs to know that she has a price on her head, and that’s because of him.”

Sanders returned from his call and apparently heard part of their conversation because he said, “I think he knows. He warned her about the bomb and just seconds before it went off, which means he’s in direct contact with the bomber, who we believe is Merrick.

We find Merrick, we find her father. We find her father, we find Merrick. ”

“How can you be so sure?” Cole asked.

Sanders tilted his head, looking at Cole as if confused about how Cole couldn’t see what he saw.

“I get it,” Cole said. “But there are too many unknowns to be sure about anything. Once we find either Merrick or Driscoll, we can learn who is behind the threats and the danger.”

“Exactly. Someone hired Merrick to kill. Someone threatened Driscoll. I suspect that same person is behind Mason Hyde’s and possibly Mira Cattrel’s deaths.”

All connected.

All leading back to one person.