As if reading his mind, Lopez frowned. “Are you here now because Abby’s ex-husband was murdered?”
Evan shoved the cookie in his mouth and finished it before answering. “Don’t you think it’s odd that your group provided an alibi for each other?” The second they’d been questioned, the group claimed they’d all been having a pizza party when the murder had occurred. Abby should’ve been the prime suspect.
“No. They were all together. It’s common for people in a group to try and make friends. I find it odd that you’d think that odd, considering they all just met a month ago. Why would any of them lie for near strangers?” She tilted her head.
“Good point,” Evan admitted. Even so, something was weird with this group. With most of the members of the group.
Tabi swept inside, this evening wearing white slacks, a green blouse, and high heels with red bottoms. She whipped off what had to be designer sunglasses. “How did the domestic violence call go last night?”
“Fine.” Evan’s ribs still hurt from the bat, but he’d taken Baker down hard afterward, and that had felt good.
“Good.” She poured herself a cup of coffee and strode over to sit by the shrink. “Good evening. How’s the brain business, Mariana?” She sipped delicately.
The shrink smiled. “That’s a tough question. If I say it’s good, then people have problems. If I say bad, then I don’t have patients, and I can’t buy shoes like you’re wearing. Those are stunning.”
Tabi kicked out her leg and twirled her ankle. “Thanks. They give me four extra inches in height.”
It was amazing she could be so graceful in the deadly things. Movement sounded near the door. Evan turned from staring at the sexy shoes to see Abby and her new friend, Noah Siosal, walk inside the room, holding hands. He wasn’t one to judge, but meeting a guy in an anger management program probably wasn’t the best move for Abby to make. Abby’s ex had been an ass, and this guy was at least six-six and built hard. One punch, and he could kill a woman, without question. Plus, a sense of danger rolled off him.
She smiled at Evan, looking happy, her greenish-brown eyes sparkling.
Ah, damn it. Evan cut a harsh look at Noah, promising retribution if he hurt the brunette. Noah winked at him, his eyes as black as Tabi’s but his hair a darker blond. In fact, they looked oddly alike, but Evan’s background check on them hadn’t pinpointed any relationship or past association at all.
Evan straightened. Besides a recent bar fight that had put Siosal into the group, he was clean. Yet something wasn’t right.
The next person loping into the room set Evan’s teeth even more on edge. Raine Maxwell, another muscled male that seemed out of place in the innocuous old school room. He had sharp green eyes, black hair, and a hoarse voice that was almost a low growl.
Evan knew a predator when he saw one. In fact, he’d once been one. A long time ago in the service.
Raine took a seat next to Tabi.
Fire lanced down Evan’s spine. Why he felt so much for the blonde was a mystery he’d never have enough time to solve. Man, he really was losing it.
Then Johnny Baker walked in with his father, the sheriff, right behind him.
Evan went cold and then full hot. “I put you in a cell.”
Johnny smiled and walked toward the circle. “Not for long.” The punk was twenty years old with thick brown hair and beady brown eyes. He had his father’s stocky build, but unlike the sheriff, he was muscled and his gut hadn’t started to go to fat. Yet. His main hobby seemed to be beating up his bride.
The sheriff reached Evan’s side. “We had an emergency hearing with the judge right after dinner, and Johnny was ordered to complete this anger management course, so the prosecutor agreed to drop all charges.”
Evan’s ears burned. “The judge, his uncle?” The sheriff’s sister had married the local judge decades ago.
Sheriff Baker’s jaw firmed. “There wasn’t anything underhanded. This was a first offense, and it was probably a mistake.”
Even though the entire room was watching, Evan leaned down into the face of his boss, fury deepening his voice. “This was a first offense because once again, the female victim refused to make a report. But this time, your son hit a cop with a fucking bat. Me. That matters.”
Hatred glowed in the sheriff’s dull eyes for a moment before being banked. “I’d watch it, O’Connell. You might be a buddy of the governor, which got you this job, but you work for me.”
Johnny sat next to Dr. Lopez and smiled, his eyes hard. “I can’t have anything like that on my record if I want to be a police officer.”
Evan straightened. “Excuse me?”
Johnny lowered his chin. “I take the police officer entry-level civil service exam in two weeks. Good thing there’s an opening in the department, right? I hope I have a chance of making it.” His chuckle held a shitload of derision.
All the moron needed was a high school degree, and he had that. “You have to pass a drug test and a psych evaluation,” Evan shot back. Although the sheriff would make sure he passed those, probably.
Raine Maxwell cleared his throat. “It appears as if we have a problem.”
