Jake dropped Debra’s hand and sat back, giving Ronnie a silent minute to speak, but when Ronnie merely gazed mutely at him, Jake cleared his throat.
“I want to thank you both for being willing to talk with me. And I promise, I’ll give every waking hour to this case until—”
“Where’s the state?” Ronnie interrupted. “They were all up in arms when that woman from Landers was killed, where are they now? Why don’t they care about my little girl?”
“It’s not that they don’t care”—Jake stared up at Ronnie—“but once Justin Grimes was put into custody, this became a completely different investigation. Half of those guys got sent up to Wenatchee for an active abduction. They promised me more manpower down here when they can spare it, but they’re not a limitless entity, and I’ve got the responsibility to head things up in the meantime. This happened in my town, on my watch, so for the time being I’m the one going after answers.”
Ronnie lifted the mouth of the bottle to his lips and took a long swig before lowering it again. “You ain’t good enough.” He wiped his mouth on his sleeve.
Jake stiffened. “Watch it, Ronnie,” he said, his voice low with warning.
“Come on, Jacob.” Ronnie’s eyes blazed as he gestured with the bottle, sloshing the liquid inside. “I know you. You ran through my yard in your pull-ups, remember? I picked you up when you flew over the handlebars of your bike out on the road there and called your pa when you hit a baseball through my truck window. I know you, and I’ve seen everything that goes on in this town, and you and I both know you ain’tnever faced nothing like this before. You’re still a kid. Just a kid. And if you think you and Annie Oakley park ranger here can take on a homicidal maniac, then you’re off your gourd.”
Annie bristled at the insult, but kept her mouth shut. This was not a man who would listen to reason. This was a wounded animal backed into a corner, all claws and teeth and blind panic.
A silent half minute passed—Jake and Ronnie staring each other down without blinking. For a moment, eyes brimming with hostility and hands twitching at his sides, Ronnie looked as though he might lash out—might raise the bottle of wine and bring it down on Jake’s head or slap him with his empty palm, but he didn’t.
Annie glanced at Debra, whose eyes were flitting between the two men as though wondering which of them would snap first. Then, one of the cages on the counter rattled as the animal inside stretched, and Jake rose slowly to his feet. He was at least two inches shorter than Ronnie, but far sturdier as he squared his shoulders.
“Frankly, Ronnie, I’m all you’ve got.”
Ronnie’s nostrils flared, but instead of retorting, he lifted the bottle to his lips and took another drink.
“Come on, Annie,” Jake said, turning to her, “let’s go.”
Annie rose quickly, avoiding the stares of husband and wife as she followed Jake across the room.
“That’s right,” Ronnie shouted as they reached the door. “Get out of here! And don’t come back until you’ve got whoever killed my girl behind bars.”
Jake and Annie kept walking, and footsteps thudded behind them as Ronnie followed.
“Do your job, Jacob! And if you can’t, then I will!”
Neither Jake nor Annie looked back to acknowledge Ronnie’s words as they stepped out onto the porch. He slammed the door behind them.
Jake blew out a breath as he shrugged out of his jacket, lifting it high to shield Annie from the falling rain as they walked side by side down the stairs.
Inside the cruiser with the doors closed, rain hammered the metal and glass relentlessly, and Jake’s shoulders sagged as he let out a breath.
“That was rough,” Annie said, heart still racing as she buckled her seat belt.
Jake shook his head. “It’s not his fault. He’s hurting worse right now than I’ve ever hurt in my life. He’s just looking for someone to throw the blame at. And besides that, he’s got a point.”
She turned to meet his eyes. Jake’s gaze was wary, and Annie braced herself for what was coming.
“You know what I mean. About Jamie and Daniel. And if she just dumped him, then you and I both know that puts him at the very top of the suspect list.”
Annie said nothing. The seal had been broken, and there remained only the obvious move forward in the chess game of the investigation. Jake shifted into reverse and backed the cruiser up before pulling into the mouth of the driveway.
Annie prayed that he would turn right, back toward town, but not one bit of her was surprised when he turned left instead, toward Lake Lumin.
Chapter 28ANNIE
The drive to the boathouse had never felt longer.
The twists and turns on the rutted road just kept coming, and Annie’s stomach tightened around each one as they climbed through the rain.
“Cold, hard math,” Jake said from the driver’s seat. “First rule of any female homicide, you always start with the boyfriend or husband. Always. Nine cases out of ten, that’s who did it.”
