Her mouth dropped open. “You suspect Brent might be involved?”
“He’s financially struggling because of his mom’s cancer. He has access to the evidence room, and we left him alone with the saddles, which gave him plenty of time to add the trackers.”
With a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, Megan realized he was right.
“I also can’t overlook that he was an investigator on Franny’s case,” Luke continued. “It would’ve been easy for him to manipulate or hide evidence. He’s also warned me about rocking the boat and upsetting Dan.”
“He did? When?”
“When you first arrived in town and then again today when I confronted him about Quentin’s case. Brent claims it's because he’s looking out for me, but with these new developments, I wonder if he’s hiding something.”
“I suppose the financial trouble applies to Cindy as well. She’s also very organized and methodical.” She bit her lip. “Could it be possible two people are working together? Like Brent and Cindy? Or Cindy and the sheriff?”
“I won’t take anything off the table. I’m hoping the audit of the evidence room will give us a better impression of how much is being stolen. The more that’s missing, the more likely it is that many people are involved. There have been cases of entire departments taking a cut.”
Megan took another sip of her hot chocolate, letting the warm liquid soothe her nerves. She didn’t want to imagine the entire Medina County Sheriff’s Department being corrupt. It was too much. She scanned his paper again.
“I don’t know, Luke. Like we said earlier, this perpetrator is methodical. I could buy two people working together, but not a whole crowd. The more people who know, the greater the potential for exposure. It defeats the purpose of having Quentin as your go-between.”
“Good point.” Luke leaned his head back and stared at the ceiling. “I hate this.”
He didn’t need to explain. There was a brotherhood among those that carried the badge and a fierce loyalty that went with it.
“I know.”
“I’m sorry.” He rubbed his face. “Your brother’s in prison and I’m bemoaning about rooting out a crooked cop.”
“Don’t apologize. These people are your friends and our neighbors. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to believe in their goodness.”
His gaze locked on hers. Midnight blue in the firelight, nearly black, Luke’s eyes entranced her. He brushed a lock of hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear, leaving a trail of molten heat in its wake.
Her breath hitched and her chest felt tight. Luke’s fingers scraped across the sensitive skin of her ear, briefly touching the gold hoop earring before reaching out and taking the mug from her hand. He set it on the table and pulled her into his arms.
His lips brushed against hers. The faint taste of hot chocolate lingered on his lips, and Megan’s heart rate skyrocketed. The kisses were tender and sweet. When he pulled back, she traced the faint scar at the corner of his mouth. His hero mark. The one he’d earned defending a woman from her abusive husband in the hall outside a courtroom years ago. The one that reminded her of the day he stole her heart.
He still had it. Her heart. Her love. The truth hit her like a sledgehammer to the head and was as undeniable as the air she breathed.
“Luke, I love you.” The words tumbled out before she could think about them or even second-guess the decision to say them out loud. “I don’t think I ever stopped loving you.”
He let out a breath. “Megs—”
His phone rang, cutting off whatever Luke was about to say. He simultaneously grabbed it from the coffee table and stood from the couch. It was a physical distance that mirrored the emotional one. He’d only said her name, but she had years of experience in reading Luke. There’d been hesitation riding the timbre of his voice.
He cared about her, that much she knew. Maybe he even loved her. But that didn’t translate into forever. And Luke would never make promises or say words he didn’t intend to keep.
“Ranger Tatum.” He put the phone to his ear. “Never mind, Lieutenant, I was awake.”
Megan sat up straighter. Luke’s boss wouldn’t call this late unless she had news. He listened intently, his posture growing rigid. A muscle in his jaw worked.
“Ten tomorrow morning. Yes, ma’am, I’ll be there.” Luke’s gaze shot to her. “May I make one request? Can Megan sit in on the meeting?”
He paused. “Thank you, ma’am. We’ll see you then.”
Luke hung up and shoved his phone in his pocket. “The gun recovered from Quentin’s bedroom is a match to the one reported stolen by the original owner.”
“So it’s official. Someone stole it from the evidence room.”
He nodded. “There’s more, Megs. They did a ballistic analysis of the weapon and came up with a match. It was the gun used to kill Franny.”
Nineteen
Nervous energy pulsed through Luke’s veins the next morning as he paced the conference room in the state police department. He’d arrived early for the meeting, along with Megan, and explained the latest developments in the case to his fellow rangers. Now, they were waiting for Lieutenant Rodriguez to arrive.
“I don’t see anything but a blob.” Weston tilted Grady’s phone one way and then the other. On screen, an ultrasound image turned and resized. “A nice blob, but still…just a blob.”
“Thank goodness you became a ranger and not a doctor.” Grady snatched his phone and turned it long ways. He pointed at the screen. “Right there. That’s the head. See the eyes and the mouth?”
Weston squinted. “Uhhh, sure.”
Grady let out an exasperated sound. “Luke, help me out here.”
He’d already had his viewing session and agreed with Weston. He held up his hands. “There’s a reason I’m not a doctor either.”
“Show me.” Megan scooted closer and took the phone. She smiled. “I see it. It’s obvious. His head is here. There’s
