Luke threw his envelope of evidence on the desk in frustration. “Why the hell won’t they help me?”
Gabe pulled his hat off and sat it on the other guest chair next to him. He ran his fingers through his thick black hair. “Anything I say cannot leave this room.”
Luke sat up straighter. “I swear on my badge, Gabe. What’s going on?”
His former classmate leaned forward, folding his long frame in half to lean his elbows on his knees. Gabe had been intimidating on the football field at six feet tall; he’d definitely had another growth spurt since high school. “We’ve known about the drug ring for a while now. But every time someone comes forward, the evidence magically disappears.”
“What?” Horror dawned when Luke realized what Gabe was insinuating. He leaned forward and dropped his voice to a whisper. “The cops are dirty?”
Gabe waved his hand in a so-so gesture. “I don’t think they’re dirty so much as covering for someone. Our main suspect is Joey MacNeil, but we can’t prove it and the Hawthorn Hills police keep ‘losing’ the evidence.” He added finger quotes around losing to indicate what he really thought was happening.
“How?”
“Chester MacNeil is Chief of Police, and Joey’s uncle.” Gabe sat back in his chair and shrugged his long arms. “Our hands are tied.”
“Shit.” Luke slumped back just as a knock sounded at the door. “Come in!”
“My hands are a bit full, Luke,” came a feminine chuckle. Luke grinned and leaped up from the desk to open the door for her.
“Thanks for doing this, Maggie.”
“Hey, it keeps a table free out there.” Her sass seemed to have returned. She set the plates, silverware, and extra napkins down on the desk. She’d even brought ketchup for his fries. “Just be careful. Can’t have you making a mess of your mom’s office.”
Luke chuckled. “How late are you working?”
“It’s Friday, so probably until we get slow.”
His eyes boggled. “You’re in for a long night.”
She shrugged. “I don’t mind if you’re here.” Maggie gave him a shy wink. Luke thought for sure he’d slipped into a wormhole.
“Have a nice lunch.” She waved as she slipped out the office door, shutting it behind her.
A low chuckle broke him from his reverie. His head snapped to look at Gabe. “What?”
“You’ve got it bad.”
Luke sat down to get started on his turkey club. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Bullshit,” Gabe fake-coughed into his hand. “How long has that been going on?”
Luke wracked his brain, trying to think. “I dunno. I’ve only been in town a couple of weeks. Mom said she just moved here at the beginning of March.”
Gabe raised his eyebrows. “I figured she was new. But then I don’t live in town anymore.”
“No? Where are you living?”
Gabe cut into his grilled chicken. “Bought the Johnson place. And I work for the county, so I spend most of my time on the road.”
Luke bit into his sandwich. “So, the local force won’t do anything because of the Chief’s nephew.”
Gabe looked him up and down, as if he knew Luke was deflecting, but would allow it anyway. “Yes.”
“But the sheriff is law enforcement for the whole county.”
“Yes…” He could hear the unspoken question in Gabe’s tone. Why would he ask that? Luke had grown up in Hawthorn Hills. He knew the score.
Luke grinned. The solution was obvious. “So…youcould take my evidence and investigate.”
