Brian’s head fell back on the pillow. “I shouldn’t have asked him to cover for me. It was wrong of me to put him in that situation. I should have owned up to my mistake like a man. A few weeks ago, I called Paul and apologized.” His eyes misted. “He accepted without missing a breath. Paul was a great guy.”

Lance couldn’t think of any more questions for Brian. Two off-duty deputies arrived to see him, and Morgan and Lance left.

Lance’s phone vibrated. “It’s the sheriff’s department.”

He answered the call.

“Hey, Lance. Todd Harvey here. I’d like to talk to you, Morgan, and Sharp. Can I drop by the office?”

“We’re at the hospital now,” Lance said. “We can meet you in about twenty minutes.”

When they arrived, Harvey was in Sharp’s office. A small voice recorder sat on the desk.

Harvey stood and shook Lance’s hand. He was gentle with Morgan’s bandaged fingers. “I’ve taken Sharp’s statement. I’d like to get both of yours individually, and then I can fill you all in on what we’ve learned so far.”

Lance and Morgan both kept their statements brief. They might have omitted a few details about Tina’s attempt to take Evan and run. When they had finished, the four of them gathered in Sharp’s office. Morgan took the chair next to Harvey. Lance leaned on the wall behind Sharp’s desk.

Todd consulted his notepad. “We found Aaron Martin’s body at the dam above Scarlet Lake. The ME has already positively identified him from fingerprints. The dark-blue sedan that Brian was locked in was registered to Aaron. In the glove compartment was a Newark police badge stolen from a murdered cop twenty-five years ago. He also had a big map of Randolph County and Paul’s handgun. A 9mm handgun was recovered from the ground below the Scarlet Falls observation deck. Prints on the weapon matched Aaron’s. We are running ballistics tests to confirm that it was the weapon used to kill Paul. Also, Brian positively identified Aaron as the man who kidnapped him.”

“So Aaron was pretending to be a cop,” Lance said as the last pieces of the puzzle fell into place. “I assumed the officer Brian’s neighbors mentioned was a county detective, but I was wrong.”

“Yes,” Harvey agreed. “Brian’s neighbors picked Aaron’s picture out of a photo array. He was definitely impersonating a police officer. Sheriff Colgate never sent anyone to talk to Brian’s neighbors. He wasn’t convinced that Brian’s disappearance was related to Paul’s murder.”

It had likely been Aaron who’d been watching Jake’s farm and who had attacked Lance, but Harvey didn’t need every single detail, especially not the ones that could get Lance’s PI license revoked.

Harvey continued. “Aaron also had a list of locations in the car. Some were checked off. It appears he’d been looking all over the county for the boy. The vacant house where Evan was seen was circled. There was a line drawn to the lake.” He looked up from his notes. “I spoke with Rylee Nelson this morning. She told me that she saw Evan at the lake Wednesday night and that an unmarked police car showed up. The sheriff’s department didn’t have a vehicle in the area at that time. We checked with the SFPD. It wasn’t one of their cars either.”

“Aaron was looking for Evan,” Morgan said.

“That’s what we think.” Harvey clicked his pen closed. “The arrest warrant for Evan has been pulled, and I’ve scheduled a press conference for this evening to make a public announcement. Evan has been completely cleared.”

“Thank you.” Morgan smiled. “Do you know if Joe Martin was involved or was the whole plan concocted by Aaron?”

Harvey shrugged. “The Albany cops interviewed Joe. He denied knowing anything about Paul’s murder, and we haven’t run across any evidence that implicates him. For the moment, we believe Aaron acted alone.” Harvey nodded at Sharp. “Sharp suggested that Aaron might have been unhappy that his father was released and took back control of the company.”

“I doubt you’ll find proof either way,” Morgan said. “Joe must have an army of lawyers to hide his businesses behind shell companies.”

“I’m sure he does.” Harvey stood and stretched. “Thank you for your time.”

Lance walked him to the door. “Are you going to run for sheriff?”

“Hell no. The department is a mess. Colgate’s office and files are complete chaos.” Harvey jammed his hat on his head. “At this point, the county will be hard-pressed to find anyone willing to run for the office in November.” He pointed to Lance. “You could run.”

“Hell no.” Horrified at the thought, Lance echoed Todd’s response. “I do not have the patience for bureaucratic bullshit.”

“I hear you.” Harvey adjusted the brim of his hat and left.

Lance closed the door and returned to Sharp’s office.

“I’m starving.” He rubbed his empty stomach. They’d missed lunch.

“Pizza?” Morgan’s voice lifted in hope. “We can take it home and eat an early dinner with the kids.”

“Sounds good.” Lance had a few missed meals and bedtimes to make up for. He wanted to spend the rest of the day binge-watching cartoons and cuddling with the girls.

“Do you want to come home to eat with us?” she asked Sharp.

“No, but thanks. I promised Olivia I’d drive her down to Albany to pick up her car.”

“You seem happy about that.” Morgan’s smile widened.

Sharp actually blushed. “Yeah. Well, she’s all right.”

Lance thought about teasing him, then reconsidered. Sharp deserved some happiness. His boss had not had a special woman in his life for a very long time, and Olivia seemed perfect for him. Sharp left Morgan and Lance to lock up the office. They were leaving through the front door when Lance’s phone rang. “It’s my mom.”

He answered the call. “Hey, Mom. Morgan and I were going to stop and see you on our way home.”

“Now, that’s silly,” his mom said. “After all you’ve been through, you should both go home and get some rest. I am fine.”

“I haven’t seen you in a week.” As busy as he’d been, Lance missed her.

“You’ve called me every day,” his mom pointed out. “Go home to your family. Spend time with Morgan and the girls. Do something fun. That’s an order.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Lance ended the call and relayed the conversation to Morgan. “Sometimes I forget that under her mental illness is a smart, tough woman. She’s a survivor. I need to remember that.”

Morgan took his hand. “Well, it seems she will be more than happy to remind you.”

Chapter Forty

“After we pick up my car, you have to follow me.”

“Why?” Sharp glanced at Olivia, who sat in the passenger seat of his Prius. She’d covered up the bruise on her cheek like a pro, but its presence still bothered him.

“I’m taking you to dinner.”

“Shouldn’t I be taking you to dinner?” he protested. “I got you into this mess. I almost got you killed.”

“Nothing was your fault,” she shot back. “I’m a big girl. I walked into the situation knowing the score.”

“Neither one of us really knew the score.” He exited the interstate and made his way to the parking lot where her Prius still sat. The night before, they’d spent hours being questioned at the local police station. Neither one of them had been in any shape to drive. A cop had taken them home.

“Thanks for setting up the meeting for Joe and Tina.” Sharp was headed there later that evening. He didn’t trust Joe one bit, and he would not let Morgan and Lance meet him without backup.

“You’re welcome,” Olivia said. “I hope it brings Tina some closure.”

“I suppose I owe you another favor.”

Her smile was just a little wicked. “I’ll add it to the list.”

He dropped her at her car, then followed the white Prius.

She drove through the streets as if she were used to them. Ten minutes later, she drove into a neighborhood of tiny, nearly identical one-story houses. She parked in front of a white house with red shutters. Olivia opened her car door and stepped out of the vehicle.

Sharp met her on the sidewalk.

“This is my parents’ house.”

“Oh.” Surprised, Sharp brushed a hand through his hair. He hadn’t met a woman’s parents in . . . more years than he wanted to count.

“There is no way I can drive to Albany a second time without stopping to see my parents,” she said. “On the bright side, you will love my parents, and there will be food.”

“But your mother won’t be prepared for dinner guests.”

“I have two brothers and a sister. When I was growing up, friends ate at my house all the time. My mother’s cooking is legendary. Even though my parents moved into this senior community a few years ago, my mother has never adjusted to cooking for two. She is always prepared for dinner guests. There will be enough food for at least ten people. Do you have family?” she asked.

He shook his head. “I was an only child, and my parents have been gone for more than ten years.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Thank you, but it’s been a long time.” He followed her up a cracked concrete walkway to cracked concrete steps.

She opened the door and walked inside without knocking, calling, “Mami! Papi!”

“Olivia!” Her mother was short and trim, with a head of curls dyed dark brown. She greeted her daughter with a hug and kiss on the cheek. Releasing her, Mrs. Cruz eyed Sharp. “And who is this?”

“Lincoln Sharp.” Olivia hesitated. “An associate.”

Her mother raised a drawn-on eyebrow at associate.

“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Cruz.” Sharp offered his hand.