His Honor, Her Family by Tara Randel

Author:Tara Randel
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2018-11-05T16:49:34+00:00

* * *

HE IGNORED GRACE’S sharp intake of air, determined to soldier on with the story. It had been haunting him for weeks now, keeping him awake at night, flashing into his mind at different times during the day. He didn’t want to be the sole owner of the truth any longer.

“Britt died at the hands of a recently acquitted criminal who’d been released when his slick lawyer discovered a technicality. The case where I was the lead forensic investigator.”

“Oh, Deke. I’m so sorry.”

He nodded, his throat too thick for words.

“What happened?”

He took another long drink. Stalled a few more moments. He’d opened the door, might as well keep going.

“We got a call to a murder scene. We were short-staffed and I’d just worked a double shift.” Deke’s hands fisted. He’d been so sure he had all the evidence needed to convict the criminal who had forced his way into a home and brutally killed the occupant. After all, nearly every crime scene he’d been at brought a conviction. Why would this time be different? “My team and I worked the scene like we normally would.”

“But?”

He focused on the sparkling water. “The case was pretty contentious. When we got to court, it came to light that the latent fingerprints extracted from the scene had been mislabeled by a member of my team. It became a technicality that was exploited unfairly.” He ran a hand over his head, his hair damp from the splashing water while they were paddling. “I’ve gone over that night in my head hundreds of times, run through all the standard procedures, positive we did everything by the book.” Yes, he’d been overworked when he caught the case, which was no excuse. The perp practically admitted to wrongdoing, but had Deke thought he was tougher and smarter than everyone else? The possibility taunted him day and night.

“I know that extenuating circumstances come into play during a trial,” Grace said. “Granted, I haven’t known you for long, but you seem like a very competent individual, so I imagine your work as an investigator is solid. Maybe it was just a fluke.”

“I don’t believe in flukes. We messed up. And I accepted responsibility for it.” As he admitted the truth, the weight on his shoulders lifted for the first time in weeks.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. The defense attorney noticed the mistake and jumped all over it.”

“It’s not like your team meant to make a mistake.”

Tone grave, he said, “But we did.”

Anyone else looking at the situation might suggest that Deke had no control over what happened next. He would disagree. “If the murderer hadn’t gone free, he wouldn’t have shown up at the bureau to exact revenge at the same time Britt was leaving work to head home to her family.” He glanced at Grace. “She’s gone because of me.”

“Oh, Deke.”

A speedboat zoomed up, preventing further conversation, which suited Deke just fine. The canoe rolled in the violent wake. Grace yelped, gripping the sides with white knuckles. He used the diversion to blink away the heat welling behind his eyes.

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