He didn’t let himself think about the unless. Not yet. He put that away like he put away the conversation with Franny. He stood stiff and still and listened to the sheriff.
“Ms. Ward has some minor injuries. While they took care of those in Idaho, she requested her own doctor to check her out on arrival, so no one local has had a chance to talk to her yet. The Feds will share theirpublicreports with us, but they’re being closemouthed about the entirety of the case.”
“So you don’t know who did it?” Franny asked. She was the only one sitting. The sheriff had offered her his chair. So it wasan odd tableau—sheriff, deputy, detective standing in front of her like she was the boss.
She was looking a little wide-eyed and concerned to be the boss.Beautiful though.
A very unhelpful thought.
“Idon’t, but the FBI do. I suppose that’s going to have to be good enough.”
“With all due respect, sir, it isn’t.”
The sheriff sent him a sideways glance. Royal should have taken it as censure, but he couldn’t help himself.
“Until we have confirmation that the kidnapper Franny witnessed has been arrested, there is still a chance she’s in danger even if Ms. Ward isn’t.”
“I think that’s highly unlikely, Deputy Campbell.”
“I don’t,” Beckett said. “I think he’s spot-on. Look, we were all operating under the theory the kidnapper was hired muscle. Even if he doesn’t connect to Ms. Ward’s disappearance in a full-blown way, that means Franny being able to identify and implicate him in a crime isstilla risk.”
The sheriff shifted uncomfortably. He looked from Beckett to Royal to Franny. He smiled at her. Thinly. “Ms. Perkins, would you mind waiting outside for a few moments?”
Franny’s gaze moved to his. For a moment that felt too much like that moment in her living room, their gazes just held. Like they could have full-on conversations without speaking.
But theycouldn’t. So Royal gave her a little go-ahead nod. The sheriff would speak more freely if she wasn’t there, and he and Beckett could too.
Because this wasn’t over for Franny just yet. And no matter what she thought of him, no matter what she’d said this morning, he was going to be right there making sure she was safe. He wasn’t failing her, no matter how much it messed with his head.
“Maybe Albennie will tell us,” Franny offered as she got out of the seat. “What’s going on. Who the kidnapper was. Maybe we don’t have to wait for the FBI to.”
The sheriff smiled at her. “Maybe.” But then he waited for her to leave, and he closed the door behind her.
Royal stood feeling pulled in way too many directions. The conversation he’d had with Zeke last night about the identity of the woman weighed on him. Because it wasn’t something he could bring up to the sheriff. It was under the table stuff that could get him fired.
Just like kissing Franny.
He wanted to talk to Simmons about the woman’s identity—a former FBI agent wasdefinitelya problem as Zeke had said. Instead he had to convince the sheriff that Franny wasn’t safe until they had absolutes. And that irritated the hell out of him.
“Sheriff, Franny’s own recount of the kidnapping was that Ms. Ward had a hood secured over her head. It’s possible she never saw her attacker. It’s possible Franny remains the only witness that can pin this on him,especiallyif he was hired muscle and not connected with the group the FBI may or may not have apprehended. With the threats that have been leveled against her, that’s a problem.”
“And a crime,” Beckett tacked on. “Harassment and threats are a crime. One that happened in our county and we have an obligation to solve.”
“That you can continue to investigate, Detective. But we can’t surveil her indefinitely,” the sheriff replied with a kind of calm detachment that grated against Royal’s nerves. “And until there’s another threat on Ms. PerkinsafterMs. Ward’s return, I don’t see how I can justify it. If she still feels unsafe, she can hire her own security. But our responsibility only goes so far.”
“I think it should go at least as far as ascertaining who has been arrested for what.”
The sheriff stared him down, and Royal couldn’t help but have some concerns thatI kissed the witness and have definitely gotten too deepwas written all over his face.
“You know he’s right, Sheriff,” Beckett insisted, and Royal was glad for some backup here, even if it came from a personal attachment of Beckett’s own.
“At the very least, I’d like to request maintaining the Hope Town assignment,” Royal said. “Until we know everything for sure.”
The sheriff looked from him to Beckett. Then sighed. “Ifthe kidnapper is still on the loose, and that’s confirmed by the FBI, I can give you a week to continue the Hope Town assignment, along with Mayfield on nights. But if it goes beyond that, I can’t afford it.”
The sheriff’s assistant poked her head in the door. “Sorry, gentlemen. Sheriff, that FBI agent is waiting for you in the conference room.”
The sheriff’s scowl deepened. “All right. I’m headed that way, Miranda. You two are dismissed,” he said, striding out of the room.
