Mountain Secrets Elizabeth Goddard (life changing books to read .txt) 📖

have you got to suspect Buck? Give me something, anything, and I’ll think about it.”

“A feeling.”

Her eyes blazed. Here it comes.

“Let me get this straight. You want to go off on what amounts to a vacation while we have a murderer out there based on a feeling?”

“No. It’s not like that.” He knew the man from somewhere, and though he couldn’t remember the circumstances, Buck gave him a bad feeling. A very bad feeling.

“Oh, I think it is. You’re infatuated with Jewel. Let me make myself perfectly clear, Chief Winters. You think that you’re under pressure now? Let me assure you that I am under tremendous pressure as this town’s mayor. People want to know why this is happening to our town. And what about Jed’s family? How do you think they are going to see your actions? His wife, his kids and the town want to know why someone—a fine and upstanding officer of the law, no less—has been murdered. Not long ago others were murdered. Businesses burned down. People were scared to come out of their houses or even go to the dentist because maybe a bomb would blow up while they were sitting in the chair. You took far too long to solve those cases, and this one is still open, with a killer still free. So, no, I can’t let you go on a trip with your precious Jewel based on nothing more than a feeling.”

The mayor’s face was red. Though he’d been the object of her complaints before, this was the worst dressing- down he’d ever gotten. He supposed he’d given her reason enough.

“You see, here’s the thing.” He stood to give himself the edge. “The reason I didn’t solve those cases quicker is because I refused to listen to my gut. I refused to go on anything but the facts. But the hard truth of it is that solving an investigation takes a good measure of both gut feeling and facts. Not one or the other but both working together. I have to ask myself what kind of police chief doesn’t listen to his gut instincts? A poor one. And I’m sorry that I didn’t realize that sooner. Now, please, let me follow my instincts on this.” He was so tired of second-guessing himself, and for the first time in a long time, he believed he was doing the right thing. Now if only he could convince the mayor.

She took a seat and sighed. “Give me something. You have to give me something solid, Chief. What are people going to say?”

As if he cared anymore. Colin detested politics, but there was no getting around them. “Even if I give you a reason, a solid lead or evidence, they’re going to talk. They’re going to spin this trip in a negative light.”

“True.” The mayor sagged in her seat and slowly shook her head. “I’m sorry. I can’t let you go. You’re going to have to figure out how to solve this case here in Mountain Cove while working in your capacity as chief of police, not gallivanting around the Inside Passage with the woman everyone knows you love.”

Love? Colin narrowed his eyes. He was about to open his mouth to speak, but she beat him to it.

“I’m sorry, Colin. I shouldn’t have said that. It’s none of my business. If you want to protect her, then get this guy, but you’ll have to do it while remaining in your jurisdiction and functioning in your full capacity as the Mountain Cove chief of police. If you need a presence there with Jewel, send one of your officers, but I can’t let you go yourself.”

There was that image of his fist slamming into the wall again. Wasn’t she listening? The only way to get the bad guy was to go with Jewel. Nobody else could do this. It had to be Colin. He was the one with the gut feeling. He didn’t dare risk another one of his men or send them into danger on instincts alone.

As for gathering evidence against Buck, he’d contacted a friend, the forensic artist from Juneau that Mountain Cove sometimes used, to take some years and pounds off Buck’s photo to help Colin figure out why he recognized him. But it wasn’t under the official umbrella of police business, so it might not come in time. He couldn’t tell her about that—it might be a dead end.

I have no choice.

His next words pained him, weakened his legs, but he had to do it.

“Okay, then, maybe I care about Jewel more than I should, but this isn’t about that. It comes down to the fact that I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to her, especially when I know how to prevent it.”

He’d already experienced losing someone he loved, but he wouldn’t tell the mayor about that. He’d already said too much. He didn’t need to explain himself, but maybe part of him hoped if he showed a little more of himself, she would be more understanding.

It all flooded back and swirled through his mind in a quick second before he could blink and formulate his next words.

He’d planned to propose, but Katelyn had been murdered and all because she had witnessed a crime. He hadn’t been able to arrest the man without her testimony, and afterward the charges brought against the man for her murder had been dismissed because of shoddy DNA and the killer’s airtight alibi. Colin had failed Katelyn miserably. That was why from then on he’d made sure he only worked off the facts. He’d made sure he wasn’t emotionally involved with a woman he needed to protect.

But that couldn’t be helped this time. And he wouldn’t fail Jewel. He wouldn’t let himself get any more involved with her either. He’d keep it professional. Wouldn’t let his heart even dip a toe in the water, but he would protect her if it was the last thing he did.

Another problem drilled through the tension. He hadn’t been invited to