Terry Odell - Mapleton 01 - Deadly Secrets Read Online Free PDF Page B

innocent reason, but failed. No matter how she tried to spin it, it read like a threat. And judging from the sweat trickling from her neck down her spine, her brain gave it the same interpretation. “You think the they in ‘They’ll talk’ is Rose and Sam. Someone wants to find out something they know.”
    He nodded.
    “And it’s not Rose’s apple cake recipe. I think she’d share that without being threatened.”
    “Agreed.”
    “So,” she said, “what are you doing to protect them?”
    The expression on his face turned the sweat to ice. “I’ve already assigned increased patrol in their neighborhood. However, at the moment, I’m more concerned about you.”
    “Me? Why?”
    “ Use the kid .” He pointed to the words.
    “I’m the kid? You think that’s me?” Of course he did. But she hoped he’d have an alternative suggestion. One her brain couldn’t come up with now.
    He lifted his eyebrows. “Who else?”
    “Nobody, I guess, since there aren’t any other pictures. But what does it mean?”
    “I see a couple of possibilities.” Gordon’s expression was all cop.
    “What do you mean?”
    Megan resisted the urge to squirm as Gordon leaned forward and fixed those not-blue, not-green, not-gray eyes on her. Was she a suspect? How could he possibly think she was involved?
    “Let’s start with the basics.” He raised his thumb. “One. We have someone, ostensibly headed for Rose and Sam’s address.”
    She couldn’t find fault with that logic. “Okay.”
    “Two.” He lifted a forefinger. “He’s got pictures of you, and apparently has connected you to Rose and Sam.”
    “Agreed.”
    “So, the question is, why?”
    Well, duh. “And the answer is?”
    “He’s either already made contact with you—”
    “Which he hasn’t.”
    “I only have your word for that.”
    “Gordon, you’re kidding. Why would I lie?”
    “Megan, I’m thinking like a cop here, not someone who knows you. This is what any cop would do—will do, once they see these papers.” He paused, as if searching for the best way to continue. “Or, they might think he was on his way to meet you. That you’re working together. I was hoping you’d give me something I could use to point them in the right direction.”
    The clouds in her brain parted, and she understood the concern in Gordon’s expression. “You mean…you mean they might suspect me ?” The words squeaked out. She took a breath. “I’ll tell them the truth. I never heard of this guy, nor has anyone tried to coerce me into getting Rose and Sam to say or do anything. I love Rose and Sam. They love me.”
    “People will do a lot to protect loved ones. There’s also the possibility the guy was searching for you.”
    “Here? How could he know I’d be coming here?”
    “When did you plan the trip? Who knew you’d be here?”
    Lord, he was dead serious about this. She tried to remember. “I bought my tickets five days ago. I gave my cell number to my boss and my team. And I told Angie.”
    He jotted notes. “Thanks.”
    “You can’t think one of them is involved.”
    “I doubt it. If it was you he wanted, why not intercept you at the airport? Why drive from Florida?”
    Megan leaned forward. “What if you hadn’t seen those papers? Would I be sitting here getting the third degree?”
    He shook his head. “Without them, the whole thing looks like a simple, unfortunate traffic accident.”
    “And you’re not going to…misplace…those pieces of paper, are you?” As soon as she spoke the words, she regretted the way they’d come out. “I didn’t mean to imply that you’d circumvent the law. I mean, I know you would never—”
    He pulled his fingertips down the length of his nose. “I won’t say I didn’t think of it.” He put the originals in the envelope, then sealed it and wrote his name across the flap. “But I can’t pretend they don’t exist. The accident might not be in my jurisdiction, but Rose and Sam are. I’m going to