Page 37 of Lawman’s Witness

“Would you pull the trigger if Jack Marshall broke into your house?” he asked.

“In less than a heartbeat.”

Russ thanked her and rose. “I’m going to take this information to the chief, but if I were you, I wouldn’t expect much to happen.”

“Marshall’s alibi, right? Amy Sue told me. There has to be some way to discredit it, right?”

“I’m working on it. But in the meantime, I would suggest you never leave work without someone following you out to your car to make sure you’re safe. You might also want to reconsider staying with a friend for a while and not going back to your house.”

“Thanks for the advice, but I can take care of myself.”

A couple of what looked like regulars came into the bar arguing about fossil fuel versus those damned electric cars as Russ left, but not before he gave Liz his cell phone number. He hoped he didn’t have to tell her again to be careful of the man who’d murdered her friend.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Russ wanted to go straight to the chief with what he had, but he knew it wasn’t enough to get a real investigation going. He would also be jeopardizing his job even further. Better to wait until he had something solid.

He did, however, share what he’d learned with his partner, and wasn’t surprised at Hanson’s reaction.

“What the hell are you doing?” Hanson demanded. “You were told to back off Marshall. I can’t believe you’re still chasing this.”

“I have a missing woman, the same woman Amy Sue saw murdered, and a witness who says the woman’s lover was Jack Marshall. Is that really not enough to make you wonder how the bastard did it?”

His partner shook his head. “You have a missing woman, period. Adding some third party willing to say Jack Marshall was the woman’s lover doesn’t prove anything except the man is a philanderer. You still don’t have any proof that the woman is even dead, let alone murdered by her lover—who we all know was in Great Falls at a conference.”

“Except he was also looking to buy a private jet, which would have gotten him to and from Billings that night in enough time to kill his mistress and still get back to Great Falls before anyone realized he was missing.”

“Have you found someone who flew him? I didn’t think so,” Hanson said.

“What about the eyewitness who saw Marshall murder Whitney Clark?” Russ demanded. “The man is lying. And it isn’t the first time he got someone to lie for him. Years go his ex-girlfriend was attacked. Marshall’s new girlfriend gave him an alibi—and he got away with it. How many more women has he hurt or killed?”

“Are you listening to yourself?” Hanson demanded. “You make it sound as if Jack Marshall is a serial killer!”

“Why not? I’m sure he’s a serial cheater.”

His partner shook his head. “You really need to let this go. If the chief knew how much time you’re putting into this—let alone that you’re digging into Marshall’s past—”

“I’ve been doing it on my own time,” Tate said.

“Like that would make a difference.” His partner swore. “Unless you have a body and can put Marshall in Billings that night, you’re wasting your time. Not to mention, if the chief finds out, I’m going to be looking for a new partner. Is this woman really worth losing your job over?”

“It’s not about a woman. It’s about justice, something Whitney Clark can’t seem to get in Billings, Montana, because of the man she fell in love with—Jack Marshall—and the people who protect him—even the police.”

He sat down and wrote up his report. He wanted this on the record. Eventually the truth would come out, he told himself. He wanted to be on the right side of the law when it did.

Russ had just finished when the report came in about a body being found in a pickup on the rims last night. The victim was Robert Baker.

Liz got the call from Detective Tate later than afternoon. The moment he said, “I have some bad news,” she feared it was going to be about Amy Sue.

“Your ex-husband Robert was found murdered on the rimrocks overlooking the city in the wee hours of the morning. I’m so sorry.”

She’d dropped into a chair as she fought conflicting emotions. There was the usual sorrow and regret when it came to Robert, but also an old ache for the man she’d thought she’d married. The news, while sad and tragic, didn’t come as a shock. “I knew this was going to happen. I tried to stop him.” She spilled the whole blackmail story to the detective.

“Do you still have those voicemails he left you?” Tate asked.

“No, I foolishly deleted them to protect him. Won’t they be on his phone?”

“His phone is missing,” the detective said.