* * *
Shane thinks I could have killed Veronica! Standing beneath the bright glare of the flood lamps that illuminated the crime scene in garish detail, Gina curled her fingers into fists and pressed them into the sides of her thighs. She stared at Shane as he stepped away to call another rookie—his roommate, James Harrison—and wanted to scream. How could he think she’d do something so horrible?
But it wasn’t as if he knew her, despite their having spent every day together the past twelve weeks. She knew he took his job very seriously, but really?
She inwardly scoffed. What did it matter anyway? So what if the handsome officer had invaded her daydreams over the past weeks. She couldn’t, wouldn’t, allow herself to develop deep feelings for him. There was too much risk involved. And risky behavior was something she avoided. Besides, now that his training had ended, he’d be moving on. As he should.
Forcing her mind away from what Shane thought of her, she tried to focus on the missing puppy, Marco. But the fear of Tim and where he might be made it difficult. His presence loomed, a dark shadow at the edges of her awareness.
“Maybe Marco got out of the yard,” she said, careful to keep her gaze from where Veronica lay in the dirt. Even though the coroner had covered her body with an opaque plastic sheet, Gina didn’t want to look. The image of Veronica’s lifeless eyes, so like Gina’s father’s after Tim had killed him, would haunt her nightmares for a long time to come.
Instead, out of habit—or out of self-defense, as her therapist would most likely observe—she shifted her gaze to the wooded area behind the training center. “The puppy could be in the woods.”
So could Tim. A shiver chased the thought across her flesh.
She turned to look down the residential street flanking one side of the center. “Or in someone’s backyard. Maybe he ran out and someone took him in?”
“Good thought,” the chief said. “As soon as Harmon arrives I’ll have him start searching for the pup. The woods will have to wait until daybreak since we don’t have the manpower to spare.”
“The puppy has a distinct black circular marking on its head, between its fawn-colored ears,” Gina told them. “He’s a very sweet puppy. They all are.”
“Is there a way to check if Veronica chipped the dogs? That would give us a better time line for when she was...killed.” Ryder nearly dropped the wiggling pup. “Hey, settle down.”
“That’s Ricky,” Gina told him. “Mrs. Foxcroft insisted on naming the puppies. Marco was named after one of her relatives who founded Desert Valley. The other two are Ricky and Lucy. She loves the I Love Lucy show.”
Sophie stroked Lucy’s head. “I can check to see if they’re chipped. It will only take a moment. But we’ll have to go inside.”
The chief asked Ryder, “Did you find the scene of the crime?”
“Yes, sir,” Ryder replied. “The trail of blood leads to the clinic.”
“That’s where Veronica would have done the chipping,” Gina interjected, sick at the thought of Veronica facing down Tim alone.
“Any sign of a struggle?” Sophie nuzzled Lucy. The pup squirmed in her arms, clearly wanting to be set free again.
Ryder shook his head. “Not in the clinic. My guess is she knew the killer. Otherwise, Veronica would have fought. She’s— She was a fighter.”
Gina’s heart thumped. “She didn’t know Tim.”
No one in Desert Valley even knew she had a brother.
She’d been careful to keep her past buried. She hadn’t wanted the attention. She’d tried to keep a low profile. With her brother on the loose, having escaped police custody and out for vengeance after she’d turned him in for killing their father, she’d hoped and prayed he’d never find her. But he had. How? What had led him to Desert Valley?
“But if he came in asking for you and she didn’t think he was a threat...” Shane said, rejoining them and pulling her from her thoughts.
Gina frowned, hating that he was right. Tim could be charming when he wanted to be. He could have surprised Veronica, not given her time to defend herself. Gina’s insides twisted. How had Tim found her? How many more lives would Tim ruin before he was stopped? Cold sweat broke out on her neck.
Ryder eyed Gina’s fellow trainer and friend Sophie with a speculative gleam in his blue eyes. “Where were you tonight?”
Sophie’s gaze hardened. “Home. Alone. As I said, I heard over the police radio that something was going on here.”
“Which means the press will have heard, as well,” the chief interjected. “No doubt a reporter from the Canyon County Gazette is on the way. Let’s secure this crime scene pronto.” He looked to the coroner. “Randolph, what do you think?”
“My preliminary examination supports that the scene of the crime was elsewhere. Rigor hasn’t set in yet, so estimated time of death is within the past hour. There are two visible wounds in the chest, consistent in size and shape to what one would expect to see from a bullet. No exit wounds. Once the...”
He faltered as he straightened. In such a small town as Desert Valley, it was conceivable that Randolph had known Veronica. Since Desert Valley didn’t have a crime lab, everything including the victim’s body would be transported to Flagstaff and processed there. Gina considered that a blessing for the visibly shaken coroner.
Randolph removed his gloves and tossed them into a plastic bag before plucking his thick glasses from his nose. His dark eyes were sad. “Once the autopsy is performed you’ll be provided a conclusive cause of death.”
Ryder gestured to the dark trail of blood. “What I can’t determine is if Veronica was dragged out here or if she crawled out on her own steam before she died. Even with the lamps it’s too dark to see impressions in the dirt. In the morning we’ll have a better idea of what happened.”
“She might’ve been trying to find help,” Gina said. “Though why wouldn’t she use the phone? Either the center’s landline or her cell?”
“Good questions,” the chief said. “Ryder, I want you to take the lead in this investigation.”
Clearly surprised, Ryder nodded. “Yes, sir. I’ll do everything possible to find Veronica’s murderer.”
“What’s the story with your brother, anyway?” Shane asked Gina, drawing everyone’s attention. “Why was he in police custody?”
Gina bit her lip, loathing to air her sordid family history in public. She’d purposely kept her personal information vague when asked, but with everyone staring at her, waiting for an explanation, she had no choice but to explain.
“He suffers from schizoaffective disorder. Our father enrolled him in an experimental program two years ago, but Tim didn’t want to go. He was in one of his manic phases and had a psychotic break. He killed—” Her voice wavered. “He killed our father with Dad’s own service weapon. The police arrested him, but he escaped custody and fled. He blames me for calling the police and turning him in. Now he’s here and has made it very clear he wants to kill me, too.”
“That’s rough,” Ryder said. The puppy in his arms licked his face.
Earl put his hand on her shoulder. “We won’t let anything happen to you.”
Shane’s gaze was skeptical. He didn’t believe her. And that hurt.
Sophie snuggled Lucy closer. “If Tim has Marco, do you think he’d hurt him?”
Gina put a hand over the pain exploding in her heart. “I hope not.” She gave a helpless shrug. “He has killed before, so I’m not certain