Guardian Ranger (Shadow Agents 2)

nbsp; She could hear the ticking of the clock on the desk in the lobby.

The lines on Wyatt’s face deepened. Confusion clouded his eyes. “What call?”

That was the answer that she needed, and the one that she dreaded.

Jasper eased closer to her. “Why did you call the sheriff?”

“Because I didn’t know your number.” Her shoulder lifted in a sad shrug. Jimmy. She’d tutored him when he was in high school. Little Jimmy Jones. His dad had been killed in the military, and his mom had always struggled to make ends meet. Struggled...until Jimmy had been eighteen; then his mother had cut out of town and left him behind.

She’d never come back.

Taking a deep breath, Veronica said, “I called Wyatt because I thought he’d believe me about the evidence I’d found.” She nodded toward Sydney’s hand and the small drive that the agent had gripped in her fingers. “I knew the evidence was also on the computer that had been taken from the scene. A file that Reed had. By itself, it’s not that much. I mean, it’s a start, anyway. Bread crumbs that can help lead us to what’s really happening.”

“When did you call?” Sydney wanted to know.

“I... Jimmy didn’t tell me that you called.” Wyatt’s voice was low now. She could see the suspicion in his gaze. When Jimmy had been left alone, Wyatt had stepped in. He tried to help the teen as much as he could. She knew Jimmy was a deputy because of Wyatt. Jimmy had wanted to be just like him.

And like Cale.

Cale had always been there for Jimmy, too. Teaching him to shoot. To hunt.

To...kill?

“When did you call?” Sydney repeated.

Veronica glanced at the clock on the desk. “About two hours ago.”

“Right before the computer was smashed.”

Jimmy? She just never would have suspected him. He still blushed when girls smiled at him. “The car that drove me off the road, it went back down Hawkeye, heading toward my house.”

“Probably because he was going to search for the evidence,” Jasper said, voice rumbling, “and when he couldn’t find it there, he went back to make sure you didn’t get a chance to tell anyone else about what you’d found.”

Logan closed the distance between him and Sydney. “Can you get a GPS track going on his phone?”

She nodded. “As long as the phone’s on.” Then she turned away and headed out of the room.

Wyatt swore. “You’re telling me...my own deputy...is the one who did all these murders? Him, and not Cale?”

Her gaze snapped up to Wyatt.

“Cale hasn’t been cleared on anything yet,” Logan said, eyes and voice both hard. “We’re gonna find Jimmy. We’ll bring him in, and then we’ll see just what the hell is happening in this town.”

For such a sleepy town, Whiskey Ridge sure had a lot of deaths.

Jasper’s fingers curled around Veronica’s wrist. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”

“I’m sure Sydney has some clothes she can borrow,” Logan murmured. “You taking her to the motel?”

Jasper nodded. He tugged on Veronica’s wrist. She didn’t move. She was remembering that car, coming at her. At the time, she’d been so scared, but now... “Wyatt, didn’t Jimmy buy an old car a few years back? One that he wanted to restore?”

“That black ’67?” Wyatt gave a nod. “Yeah, he’s been keeping it in his garage, but I think it’s almost...”

He trailed off as he saw the tension on Jasper’s face.

She thought about Jimmy’s old car. About the long, heavy lines of the ride he’d loved so much. Then she said, sadly, “I’m pretty sure that’s the car that ran me off the road.”

Logan swore. Then he rushed to follow Sydney. “Syd, I need that GPS now.”