She’d already lost one person in the last year. She wasn’t going to let that happen again.
Joel stormedout of the old mansion. Empty. He’d checked every inch of the place, every fucking corner and crevice, but she wasn’t there.
Where are you, Polly?
Zac, who’d met them shortly after arriving, stepped out after him. “She’s not in there.”
Joel scrubbed a hand over his face, Ward and his deputy stepping out too.
“Feels like a wild goose chase to me,” Ward grunted.
Joel frowned. “This entire time, all the signs have pointed to Jonah. It’s almost been too easy.”
“You think he’s being set up?” Zac asked.
Ward laughed. “Come on now. We saw the photos and notes. It’s him.”
“Or someone planted them there.” Joel frowned.
Ward lifted a brow. “You think someone went in before we got there?”
He scanned the deputies, noticing one person was missing. “Where’s Cox?”
“He got a callout,” Ward said.
Little things started to piece together in Joel’s mind. He looked at Zac. “Cox found the photos. He was alone in the office when he called us in.”
This time, Zac frowned. “So he had opportunity to plant them.”
“He also got to Bloom just after me and Ryan. Told us that a neighbor saw Polly being dragged out by Jonah…but didn’t say which neighbor.”
“He’s also a member of the church,” Zac added.
Fuck, hewasa member of the church. Why hadn’t they considered Cox?
Ward raised his hands. “Whoa now! Cox is a good deputy. He wouldn’t have done this.”
“Call him,” Joel pressed.
Ward shook his head. “I don’t need to?—”
“Call him.”
Ward’s lips thinned, and for a moment, Joel thought he was going to tell them to go to hell. But he lifted his radio. “Deputy Eli Cox, I need you to give me your current location.”
Silence.
Ward hit his radio again. “Cox? You copy?”
Nothing.
“It’s him.” Suddenly, every part of Joel—every fucking fraction—was certain.
“If he’s in his patrol car, it has GPS fleet tracking,” Joel said. He swung his gaze back to Ward. “Find him.”
For the second time, Ward held up his hands. “Just hang on a damn second, I don’t think?—”
“I don’t give a single fuck what you think!” Two steps closed the distance between him and Ward. He barely stopped himself from grabbing the guy. “He has Polly!”
