.38 Caliber Cover-Up

“You’re still lying. I thought it was time for honesty.”

“Then tell me what evidence you retrieved to incriminate Michael.”

“Nothing. I told you, last night was a setup. Someone wanted me to stop looking for Pike’s information. What I found was this picture in Butthead’s pocket.”

“I don’t understand. Why would he have a photograph of Pike?”

The same question had bothered him to where he’d stopped thinking straight. Jumping in before having a plan. Involving a person who shouldn’t be involved. He was definitely responsible for her, pulling someone totally unqualified into an unauthorized situation.

He decided to tell her what he knew. “First of all, I don’t think Beavis or Butthead were smart enough to ambush Pike. No one at any agency would tell me anything about his accused murderer or the crime scene. Before last night, I thought it was to prevent me from doing something they think I’ll regret.”

There wouldn’t be any regret for his actions. Not from him.

“And now?” She did that cute eyebrow lift again and pulled her hair to the back of her neck. She put her hands back on her hips, and as if it had a mind of its own, her hair fell back to frame her face.

“The photograph was to entice me to the meeting or maybe they planned for it to be found on me after I killed your brother or killed you.” A kissable face. Concentrate. “They would have framed me for the murder. Either way, it was another step to muddy the waters and divert attention from the real killers.”

“How do you know that Michael’s innocent? You certainly sound confident.”

“He has to be one of Pike’s Guys.” He pointed to the wall. “It’s obvious you aren’t and Pike definitely said O’Malley.”

“Michael is an academy washout. He’s been hanging around with losers for the past couple of years. He’s far from one of the good guys.”

“Then why do you think he’s innocent?” He was curious as to her reasons. He was willing to accept that Michael might not be the murderer. At least until he received undeniable truth that he was guilty. If O’Malley had betrayed their organization…Erren would deal with him.

“It’s time you told me the entire truth.”

“Pike was shot with a .38 caliber. Michael wouldn’t be caught dead with a revolver. The fancier the better.” Confident in her deduction, she tilted her chin, almost daring him to contradict her. “Michael’s blood type was found at the scene. They’re waiting on a DNA match. So, again, why are you certain my brother’s not Pike’s killer?”

“Do you see the pictures on the wall?”

“They’re difficult to miss.” She tapped a few with her finger nail. “Didn’t Pike like his picture taken anywhere else around the lake?”

“These are Pike’s Guys.”

“Wait.” She took her time looking at each picture, then took his photo from him and turned on a lamp. “This one is you, a much younger you. Your nose is straight and your hair is short. No wonder I didn’t recognize it was you in the photo.”

He wasn’t that different.

“I was recruited by Pike seven years ago, straight out of the academy.”

“Recruited for what? Who?”

“It’s my understanding that Walter used people in different types of businesses and law enforcement.” They could deal with who he collected the info for later. “When he needed information, we got it for him.”

“Are you saying that Michael worked for Pike? That he’s undercover?” She searched the wall again. “See, you’re wrong. Michael isn’t in any of these pictures.”

“He has to be one of Pike’s men. It’s the only thing that makes sense. Pike wouldn’t have sent me to O’Malley if we weren’t working together.” Or her brother turned on Pike. The possibility Michael was guilty couldn’t be marked off his list just because he liked the guy’s sister.

“It’s not possible. Michael would have told me.”

“The DEA doesn’t know what I do for Pike.” Wow, he’d just taken a huge leap, and from those wide eyes of hers, she had no clue what circle he’d brought her inside. “As far as I know, Walter had never told Marilyn about the men and women on this wall. You’re the first person I’ve ever told, Darby.”

“This doesn’t make sense.” She shook the curls back from her face. “You’re undercover and everything’s cloak-and-dagger to you. For goodness sakes, you even wear one around your neck. But that’s not reality. Michael did not nobly sacrifice everything—his family and future—so he could become a dope dealer for a police academy instructor.”

He caught himself fingering the charm.

“Part of the reason Pike’s system works is because no one ever knows.”

What to say? He was back to that honesty thing again. He expected it from her. He could see in her eyes that she expected it from him. But it had been a long time since he’d done honest. What man in his position did? He might not, but maybe…

A cowboy. A trustworthy cowboy. Could he do a good ol’ Texas boy for Darby like he did the lieutenant for the Sergeant Major?

“Pike was probably meetin’ Michael when they were ambushed. They were fixin’ to send me the map. My instructions were to meet O’Malley—but no where or when was included. More than likely, I was supposed to meet up with your brother, instead of you. Whoever killed Pike snatched the photo with the map from him that night, but didn’t know how important it was.”

“And what is the significance? It’s a picture of you with Pike on a dock.” She turned to the other pictures hanging on the wall. “They’re all of different people with Pike on a dock. Different, but exactly the same.”

“Pike used the pictures to send us messages. We each had a copy. We knew the picture was from him and that he needed to meet with us.”

“Sort of an instant trust-the-messenger confirmation.” She shrugged. “That was a nice old-fashioned touch. There couldn’t be any other reason why these twenty or so pictures are here?”

When did he start caring if someone believed him? And did she? He was telling the truth. Her eyes studied the photos and cut to him, then quickly back. He’d been able to read everything about her, but not this.

“It’s your time to come clean. The scrawl on the back of the picture, what does it say?”

She raised her eyebrow, questioning his right to know. Her serious look changed and she broke into a smile he normally would want on her face all the time. Then she laughed.

Darby laughed, holding her sides and almost doubling over. A laugh deep and…contagious. If it weren’t at his expense he might have joined her.

“Oh, Erren, and just when I was beginning to trust you. Seriously, cut out the John Wayne overkill.” Darby forced herself to stop laughing, but snorted and laughed harder.

Erren stood straight, his palms open to her. A classic pose of entreaty, which seemed a bit too practiced. Darby had a little training in reading body language, too. During the past twenty-four hours she’d been too closely involved with the situation. It was time to use her knowledge and see if Agent Rhodes was continuing to lie.

“Every word I’ve said to you is the truth.” He overstated the words, as if they were uncomfortable, forced.

“You don’t have to change personalities to convince me. What you’re saying makes sense. Oh, don’t try to deny it.” His dropped g’s were so obvious. “The minute you thought I didn’t believe your story, you began a country-boy drawl.”

“I wouldn’t put it that way,” he said.

Was that a flash of hurt? There was an unusual look in his eyes. It couldn’t be. Erren Rhodes—if that was his real name—knew how to manipulate people. He’d gotten by her father easily and the Sergeant Major wasn’t fooled by men who knew the right things to say but had no heart.

Integrity and strength were more than mere words to her family.

“You’re a master at working the situation to your benefit. How are these circumstances any different?” Something she needed to remember. She could only trust him so far.

“I’ve lived this fiction long enough that it’s a natural part of me.” He crossed his arms and gave her a believe-me-if-you-want shrug. “Kind of ironic that this is the first time in seven years I’ve said more than two lines