The New Deputy in Town by B.J. Daniels

Author:B.J. Daniels
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2012-11-23T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

On a hunch the next morning, Nick e-mailed the department that handled births and deaths in Minnesota and inquired about an Oliver “Ollie” Raymond Shaw who had died last summer while on a visit from Montana.

They had no record of Ollie’s death. Nor did Montana.

At the Milk River Examiner, Nick asked Glen Whitaker to see if Geraldine had run an obituary for her husband. Sure enough. The obit said Ollie had died in North Pond, Minnesota, almost a year ago to the day.

Glen made a copy of the obituary for him and asked, “Any leads on Geraldine’s murder or that other case?”

Nick wished he could tell Glen that he’d found the person who’d beaten him up. He doubted Glen wanted to hear that Nick suspected it had been a woman with a baseball bat.

“Not yet,” he said. “But you’ll be the first to know when I do.”

Back at his office, Nick contacted the state department of investigation in Minnesota only to be told there was no town by the name of North Pond. No funeral home by the name of the one Geraldine Shaw had said in the obit had handled the arrangements. No cemetery where Ollie Shaw was said to have been buried.

Oliver “Ollie” Raymond Shaw had been born in Minneapolis, but as far as Minnesota knew, Ollie hadn’t died there. Nor in Montana.

Nick sat for a moment, taking it all in. He’d been around cops long before he’d became one. Maybe that was why he felt as if he’d been a cop for way too long. He’d seen too much. And yet as the pieces started falling together, the picture that started forming made him sick to his stomach. Sometimes he hated this job.

On impulse, he unlocked the bottom desk drawer and took out the cell phone as he’d done each day since he’d arrived in Montana. Only all the other times there’d been no message.

His heart began to pound, fear making his palms sweat as he turned on the phone and retrieved the message. He told himself he was prepared for the worst. A message telling him to get the hell out of Dodge because Keller had found him. But he’d always known that by the time he was sent that message, he’d probably already be dead.

Maybe that was why he’d feared the other message as well. The voice on the other end of the line was flat, official. The message was short and sweet.

“The trial’s been moved up. We’ll need you here by the beginning of next week.”

A blade of ice wedged itself in his heart. He had to go back to California. He recoiled at the thought, but if he didn’t return, he’d have more than Keller to worry about. As if Keller wasn’t enough to cause him sleepless nights.

Next week.

A part of him wanted to run. But there was no place he’d ever be safe. He’d known that when he’d come to Montana. Not even out here in the Big Open would he ever be free of his past.

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