The doctor shook his head briefly. “I’ll take care of it. I think you’ll find the feds will be more than willing to let me do the autopsy.”
Rafe stepped forward. He felt bad for the doctor. It was hard to give up control. “I’m sorry, but Joe is going to insist on his own guy.” The doctor set his bag down. “I already have the go-ahead.” Cam’s mouth dropped open just a bit. “How did you manage that?”
The doctor shrugged slightly. “I know a few people. I made a call, and now I’m the one doing the autopsy. Don’t worry. I won’t fuck it up. I’ve had a lot of practice doing autopsies lately.” The last bit was said with a ferocious scowl sent Nate Wright’s direction.
“Damn it, Caleb. I did not invite the Russian mob to town. You can’t blame me for that.”
The doctor grunted as though he really, really could blame the sheriff. He walked over to Holly and put a hand on her shoulder. “Get dressed and come with me.”
Holly looked up. “Caleb, I appreciate you spending the night, I really do, but I have to work.”
“No.”
“You have got to stop doing that,” Holly complained. “You can’t just say no.”
Nate stepped in. “Stella closed for the day. We’re all closing up shop so we can stay in. It’s better that way. Consider Bliss closed for a few days. We can all handle it. It should keep the tourists safe.
We’re sending some business to Creede and some to Del Norte.” Holly’s hand curled around Laura’s. “All right, then. But I could just stay home. I promise I won’t answer the door.” Caleb stared at her.
Her mouth turned down in a stubborn pout. “I know—no. Fine.
I’ll get dressed, or should I go to the morgue in my undies?” The doctor’s lips curled up just the slightest bit in a way that told Rafe he would be perfectly fine with that scenario.
“I don’t suppose there’s any way we could get on that crime scene?” Laura asked, wiping her eyes. She straightened up, and Rafe saw the minute she put her tears behind her and pulled her professionalism around her.
“I’m supposed to bring you in for questioning,” Nate admitted.
“What?” Cam practically screamed the question.
Laura put a hand on his chest. “You know they’re going to want to talk to me. The key now is to make sure they don’t take me into protective custody for my own good.”
“I will not allow that to happen, bella,” Rafe promised. He turned to Nate. The sheriff was really his only law enforcement ally. “I am convinced that someone on my former team is responsible for this.”
“Rafe,” Laura breathed as though she couldn’t believe what he’d said.
“You knew it all along,” Rafe replied. “It’s someone very close.
Cam and I are going to run back to our motel and pick up our things.
You have wireless somewhere in this town?” Nate grimaced. “At the station, but I doubt you’re going to be very subtle investigating people who are standing right behind you.
It’s a small station. You’re out at the Movie Motel? Gene has dial-up.”
Now Cam was the one groaning. “I can make it work. We need access to employment files. There has to be something in there. I have three suspects in mind, though you’re not going to like them, Rafe.” Rafe was being realistic. There was no longer any room for friendship beyond Cam’s. “We look into Edward, Brad, and Joe. Even before Brad was on the team, he was always hanging around. And he’s been divorced three times.”
“But his girlfriend from high school was murdered,” Cam added.
That little fact was not lost on Rafe. “It’s why he claims he joined.
They all have something in their pasts. Edward’s never been married, but his mother died in a car accident, and we all remember what happened to Joe’s wife.”
Joe’s wife had committed suicide. He remembered standing beside his friend at her funeral. And Brad had more than once talked about how he couldn’t forget his girlfriend, his first love. Edward had lived with his mother. He’d never been married, and as far as Rafe knew, he’d never even had a real girlfriend.
The Marquis de Sade hated women.
Rafe’s brain was working overtime. “We need to look at those files and dig up everything we can. If we eliminate these three as suspects, we move deeper.”
Cam crossed his arms over his chest and looked supremely confident. “If the information is on a computer, I can find it. I can find files they thought were long buried.” Translation—Cam was a gun. All Rafe needed to do was point and shoot. But he didn’t have to be there while Cam looked. “Cam can take the SUV. I’ll go back with Laura.”
“Yeah,” Cam said. “I would be happier with that scenario.”
“No,” Laura said, her eyes wide, and her voice rising with panic.
“No. You are not going to leave Cam alone.”
“Baby, I can handle myself,” Cam protested.
Tears formed in her eyes. She looked up at Rafe, pleading with him. “Please. I can’t lose either one of you. He killed Jana. He could be anywhere. He could take out one of you. You can’t be alone.
Promise me, you won’t leave Cam alone.”
Rafe’s heart ached at the fear in her eyes. “Bella, I can’t leave you alone.”
“I won’t leave Nate’s side. I won’t let them separate us,” she promised. “I’ll be at the station, surrounded by agents. He won’t come after me there, but he could come after someone I love. If he’s been watching me, then he knows about us. Please.” Rafe hugged her. He couldn’t argue with her logic, and Cam was out of training. He looked over her shoulder and exchanged a glance with Cam. “All right, bella.”
“I should go get dressed,” Laura said.
“I’ll go with you. That way I won’t be alone and Caleb doesn’t have to tell me no. It’s his favorite word.” Holly took Laura by the hand and started to lead her away.
“It’s not,” Caleb said, watching the women as they walked. He didn’t seem to notice Laura was alive, and Rafe was perfectly fine with that scenario. The doctor had a thing for Laura’s best friend. “I don’t actually have a favorite word.” Rafe couldn’t tell if the man was serious or joking. He got the feeling Caleb didn’t joke often.
“Caleb, if you want to go and get started, I’ll bring Holly and Laura with me to the station,” Nate offered.
“No,” Caleb replied. It really did seem like he had a favorite word.
But Rafe was with him on this one. “No.” Cam stood next to Rafe. “We’re not letting Laura out of our sight.”
Nate scrubbed a hand over his face. “If I don’t bring her in with me, it’s going to look suspicious. Your SAC has already asked to talk to her. If they think she’s going to run, they might take her into protective custody.”
“They can’t force that on her,” Rafe said. He had no intention of letting them get their hands on Laura.
“They can hold her for forty-eight hours,” Nate replied. “And I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what they do. If you let her come in and talk, I think they might back off.”
“All right,” Rafe conceded. “I’ll take Cam to the motel and meet you at the station. But I expect you to have eyes on her the whole time she’s with you.”
“Either Logan or I will be with her at all times. And we don’t have to worry about Holly distracting anyone because apparently she gets to go see an autopsy,” Nate said sarcastically.
“Yes,” Caleb replied. Rafe admired the doctor. He wasn’t about to let anyone intimidate him.
Panic threatened to swamp Rafe. Everything was happening too damn fast. Maybe he should rethink. Maybe he should just take off with her.