Page 73 of Target Acquired

“Probably both.”

“Yes. Probably.” He sighed. “Tell me this. Do you know anything about Shady Talbot and his role in the accident?”

“I assumed he stole the car and crashed it. I knew who he was from the media surrounding his case.”

Then someone had doctored the results of the alcohol blood level test for the chief and . . .

And what? Who hated him so much to go to all that trouble?

“Then Shady was found dead of a drug overdose while awaiting trial for murder,” Cole muttered. “Which isn’t suspicious because he was definitely an addict, but how in the world did he make bail?”

“I don’t know, but the fact that he did is as shady as his name.”

“Yeah.” His phone buzzed and he glanced at it. Carl Butte, the officer on Kenzie’s home. “Sorry, I need to take this.”

“Of course.”

He swiped and held the phone to his ear. “Hey, Carl, everything all right?”

“That’s what I was trying to find out. I got called off King’s home last night to a fake DV report. Got there and it was an empty lot in a new subdivision. Kenzie called wanting to know where I was. She sounded shook but insisted she was fine. Turns out she reported an assault during the time I was gone.”

“You left and you didn’t let her know?” He almost shouted the words and several patrons looked in his direction. Sherry slid lower in the booth.

“I texted her, man, but I guess she didn’t look at her phone.”

Cole got a grip on his emotions. “Didn’t think to call her?” The question came out between gritted teeth, but at least he’d lowered the volume.

“No time. I was already pulling in by the time the text went. When I realized it wasn’t a legit call, I was about to call her when she called me first. I was gone a whole ten minutes.”

“And we all know it takes a lot less time than that to kill someone.”

“Yeah. All I can do is say sorry and be thankful she’s all right.”

“I know you are. I’m just bent out of shape about what could have happened. Thanks for filling me in.”

He hung up with Carl and looked at Sherry. “I’ve got to go.”

“Sounds like you have a friend in trouble.”

“I do.”

“Is it related to this thing with Cliff?”

“I don’t know. I don’t see how except through the link with Shady, which might just be a coincidence.” He frowned. But was it? “This thing with Cliff is new, but enlightening.” He stood and placed a twenty on the table. “I got this. Thanks for meeting me.”

“Will you let me know what you find out?”

“Of course.”

He left and hurried to his car, then aimed himself toward Kenzie’s home.

EIGHTEEN

Kenzie pulled her fifth box of the morning from the wall, set it on the card table, and removed the top just as the doorbell rang.

She hurried from the room and checked the side window next to the front door.

Cole.