Page 62 of K-9 in Pursuit

“You say you have a good lawyer. You’re innocent and it doesn’t sound like law enforcement has much evidence against you. This is a difficult time, but we’ll keep praying for this to pass. And I think your mother and I should be there with you.”

“Don’t come until after the grand jury meets,” Brian said. Coming to Colorado would mean his father would have to find someone to fill the pulpit at his church and his mother would have to find a substitute for the middle-school class she taught. His folks were comfortable financially, but he was sure they didn’t have a lot of cushion. He hated to put them in a bind.

“All right. But remember, we’ll be praying for you. Stay strong. Do you have friends on your side?”

He thought of Chloe. And Connor and Nina and all of the ski patrol team. They continued to address him as “Dave” in public. Yesterday, he had spent most of his shift rerouting fencing at Top of the Mark. It would have been easier on everyone to send Brian home. Instead, they had rallied around him. “I do.”

“Then lean on them. And don’t be afraid to lean on us. That’s what we’re here for.”

Easy to say, but hard to do. “My attorney says a trial is going to be expensive.”

“Don’t worry about the money. We’ll figure something out.”

“I could get a public defender. I don’t want you putting your future in jeopardy for me.”

“Our children are our future. We’ll do whatever we need to do. We love you.”

“I love you, too, Dad.”

He ended the call and sank into a chair. Daisy shoved her head into his lap, her brow wrinkled in an expression of concern. He fondled her silky ears. Talking with Dad had helped a little. It had reminded him that for every person like the sheriff who thought him capable of murdering a girl, there were others who believed in his innocence.

He punched in Chloe’s number. “How are you doing?” he asked, as soon as she answered.

“I’m okay,” she said. “I feel better now that the locksmith has switched out the locks at my apartment and here at the shop. And I talked to Cameron Douglas again.”

The mention of the man who had filed a restraining order against Sharee had Brian sitting upright. “Did he call you?”

“No. I called him. I wanted to know if his wife hated Sharee enough to kill her. Or to hire someone else to kill her.”

“You actually asked him that?” Chloe might be quiet, but she was definitely not shy. Not when it mattered.

“I guess I was hoping to shock him into being honest with me. But he insisted his wife didn’t have anything to do with Sharee’s murder. She was at their house with their twins and her sister the night Sharee was killed. She’s home right now. And he’s sure she didn’t have the kind of money to hire someone to do the deed. He’s a teacher and she’s a stay-at-home mom.”

“So Bunny isn’t his wife in disguise.”

“I thought she might be after Darinda told me Theresa Douglas auditioned for a role in a local community theater production once. But I don’t see how Bunny and Theresa could really be the same person. I’m beginning to think the killer is some random person who noticed Sharee out alone that night and went after her. Maybe Bunny doesn’t even have anything to do with this.”

“If that’s the case, the murderer is going to be really tough to track down.” The truth of the words chilled Brian.

“We’ll keep working on it,” she said.

“The sheriff’s department doesn’t seem to be doing much in that direction,” Brian said. “My lawyer called earlier to tell me there’s a grand jury convening next week to decide whether or not to indict me for murder. She wanted to warn me I would probably end up being charged.”

“No!”

“I guess they figured they’ve got their killer and they don’t have to look any further,” he said.

“I’m coming over right away,” she said. “We’ll figure this out.”

“Chloe—” He started to tell her she should think twice about hanging out with a man who might soon be arrested for murder, but she had already ended the call. She was still a friend he could count on. He would need other people to hold him up through this ordeal, but how long could he lean before he toppled them, too?

FOCUSING ON BRIAN spurred Chloe into action. As much as she personally wanted to find out who had killed Sharee—and why—Brian’s freedom depended on finding the murderer. She greeted him at the door of his trailer with a hard hug. “How are you holding up?” she asked.

He pulled away and looked her in the eye. “I’m okay. Better, now you’re here. How are you?”

“I’m okay. I stopped by my apartment to pick up a few things. The place is still a mess, but I haven’t had time to deal with that.”

“You know you can stay here as long as you like.”