Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense March 2021--Box Set 2 of 2 Dana Mentink (e books free to read TXT) 📖

through the front door in time to see Deputy Zach O’Brien park. Henry propped open the door and beckoned for Zach to come inside.

Nora groaned. “Why’d it have to be him?”

“You don’t like him?”

“Is he going to try to tell me Dexter’s death was a suicide?”

“His wife is taking over Frank’s bistro in town. Restaurants are always a risky business, but I’m sure you can understand the deputy’s fear about the tourist season being diminished in some way.”

“Oh.”

Her eyes were downcast, and he wondered if she was thinking about Maya. A few years ago, it had been her sister who was supposed to take over the bistro. “Any, uh, word from your sister?” He told himself he was asking to keep her mind off the intruder.

“No. She said her reputation was ruined here forever.” The steely tone returned to her voice, and he knew she still blamed him for her sister leaving town. “I get a text or email occasionally on holidays,” she added softly.

“That’s good.” The awkwardness between them seemed to heighten. Simply being in the lodge hit Henry over the head with memories. He’d first proposed in this hallway, on impulse, without a ring or a plan, before he’d left for training.

But a couple of years later, after he’d returned, he’d also told Nora, in this same hallway, that he needed to take her to the sheriff’s office for questioning. As a new law enforcement ranger, he might have been a little too eager to prove himself. He’d come to pick Nora up for an early dinner, a few months after moving back. Her door was open, as it often was during the day so guides could find her easily. But that day, he’d found her holding a giant package of white powder, about to hand it over to her sister.

At the time, Henry had suspected Maya had been going down the wrong path for a while. He’d made a knee-jerk decision and taken both Maya and Nora to the sheriff. The white powder had turned out to be lidocaine, an ingredient often used in over-the-counter burn creams. Maya claimed she’d been trying to invent a pain-reliever for sunburned rafting guides. Nora had been in the process of confronting Maya when he’d found them. But, unlike Henry, Nora had believed Maya’s explanation. Henry knew lidocaine was often used to cut drugs, but possession wasn’t enough to make an arrest stick. That night, Maya had grabbed her stuff and left town, despite Nora’s heartbroken pleas.

That night had been the beginning of the end to their relationship, though he still maintained it wasn’t the main reason for their breakup. They’d been drifting apart long before that.

Zach reached the entrance, and Henry’s trip down memory lane halted. Nora walked in front of the two men and gestured at Dexter’s room. Zach put on gloves and opened the door. “Unlocked.”

“It was locked before I went to bed. I checked,” she said.

The door swung open, revealing a flipped-over mattress, emptied-out dresser and desk, and an open trunk at the foot of the bed. Ransacked. Zach glanced at Henry over his shoulder. “Last night, Deputy Alexander interviewed some of the guides about Dexter.” He gave a nod in Nora’s direction. “The guides say he was bragging about having a lot of cash. This could’ve been a break-in for the money.”

“But I heard Dexter say he had something that the gunman wanted.”

Zach raised his eyebrows. “Please wait in the hallway, miss.”

Henry’s ire rose. He didn’t like anyone dismissing Nora, even if they did need to consider all possibilities. Voicing his concern wouldn’t do him any favors. Working with the County Sheriff’s Department and the Forest Service was a constant game of politics and knowing when to keep his mouth shut.

He didn’t want to give anyone any reason to kick him off the case. Especially since late last night the deputy had the audacity to suggest that Nora being shot at was just Dexter trying to warn her off from interfering with his suicide. An unlikely scenario, but Perry Fletcher hadn’t discouraged the theory.

Zach walked forward and fingered through the open chest of clothes, water guns, video games and controllers. He held up a piece of paper. “Looks like we have a suicide note.”

Nora gasped from the hallway. “The intruder probably planted it.”

Zach raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

Henry wasn’t wearing gloves, so he looked over Zach’s shoulder and examined the note. “‘I’ve tried but I can’t take it anymore. Please tell my family I’m sorry,’” he read aloud.

Nora shook her head. “No. Definitely not. That doesn’t sound like him at all.” Her eyes widened. “He wasn’t even done with his training and he was already causing trouble and bragging about his future. I have his handwritten application still in the office. You can compare the handwriting. I’m sure you’ll see it’s a fake.” By her eager tone Henry could tell she was confident it would be the proof they needed to totally dismiss the suicide theory.

She beckoned them to follow.

Zach pulled an evidence bag from his pocket and slipped the notepad-size paper into the bag. Closing the door, he muttered something about fingerprints.

“The intruder wore gloves,” Henry said. “But maybe one of the guides knew Dexter well enough to tell if something was missing from his room.”

The horizon to the east lit the mountains with a dazzling array of orange and pink hues as they hustled across the dirt covered in pine needles to the company office. Once inside, Nora found a key in a drawer and hastily opened a filing cabinet.

She grumbled under her breath as she pulled out numerous manila files until she waved a crumpled form. “Found it.” She studied the paper herself before begrudgingly placing it on the customer counter. Henry and Zach compared the two samples. He wasn’t a handwriting analyst, but unless they were dealing with an excellent forger, the writing seemed to be an exact match.

He felt Nora lean over his shoulder, studying the form alongside.

Zach’s phone rang.