evidence in house and will be going through it shortly.”
“Keep me updated.”
“Of course.”
“Thanks, Dylan.”
She hung up. The fact that the evidence was already back at headquarters amazed her although it really shouldn’t. Their unit’s resources by far surpassed anyone else’s. By helicopter, the flight time was probably slightly over an hour. Which meant they should have more information about the evidence by dinnertime.
In the meantime, assuming she had Max’s okay, she needed to see how Riley felt about striking a deal with the FBI.
Riley finished off his sandwich and sweet tea then leaned back to watch Harper get started on hers. She’d settled into her chair and eyed his empty plate. “Guess you were hungry?”
“I know you told me not to wait, but I still feel guilty for finishing before you even sat down. Guess I was starved.”
“I’m glad you went ahead and ate.”
He munched an apple while he waited for her to eat then say whatever was on her mind. Halfway through her sandwich, she finally looked up. “Sorry, looks like I was hungry, too.”
He fell silent, thinking. She got up to refill her drink and when she came back he caught her eye. “Why would you think I was working with Morrow?” he asked.
She sighed. “You were so focused on the money.” A shrug. “I don’t know. I thought maybe you were helping him somehow.”
“What do you think now?”
“I think you need the money for Asher. I’m sorry I was so suspicious and so quick to judge. I guess I so rarely come across someone who isn’t willing to do just about anything for money that I can’t recognize someone who doesn’t have dollar signs in his eyes.”
“The dollar signs are there, just not for personal gain. Unless seeing my nephew walk again falls into that category.” His eyes narrowed on her. “I’m guessing my background check came back clean?”
She huffed out a low laugh. “Yes, it did. It also revealed something interesting about you.”
“That I was a cop?”
“Are you a mind reader, too?”
He shook his head with a small smile. “No, it’s just common sense—and it’s not a secret. A simple background check would reveal it.”
It was. “So, why the career change?”
He sighed and shrugged. “For several reasons. There wasn’t any dramatic thing that happened. No specific incident that compelled me to turn in my resignation, I just...got tired.”
“Of?”
“Recycling the criminals.”
“Oh.”
“I would arrest someone and then see them back on the street a week later. I was like, what’s the point? So I started thinking about what I could do that would really make a real difference.”
“But you were making a difference. Just the very nature of your presence, in your uniform, would be a deterrent to some people thinking of committing a crime.”
He nodded. “I know. I agree. Uniformed officers are important and I’m not knocking them or what they do. I’m just saying for me, personally, I wanted to do something a little different. And being a bounty hunter seemed to fit the bill.”
She took another bite of the sandwich then ate a handful of chips. “Do you miss it?”
“I miss certain aspects of it. You know how it is. When you’re a cop, you’re a part of a team. A whole culture that you can only be a part of if you’re wearing the badge. You know what I mean?”
“Yes, I do,” she murmured.
“I miss that connection with the others. Bounty hunting can be a lonely profession.”
“You think you’ll ever go back?”
Riley paused then nodded. “Maybe. One day.” He stood. “But right now I’ve got to focus on finding my sister’s killer. I hope you find Morrow.”
She held up a hand. “Wait, don’t leave yet. Sit back down, please?”
Curious, he sank back into the chair. “What is it?”
“Do you think we could help each other?”
He lifted a brow. “What do you have in mind?”
“Morrow was last seen by you. No more tips have come in since yours. You know those woods and the mountains out there, don’t you?”
He gave a slow nod. “I’ve been going camping there since I could walk. First with my dad and uncles then with friends. Certain areas of it anyway. Why?”
“I have a feeling Jake’s hiding out there.”
“Well, I know for a fact Blackman is out here somewhere. I had a tip that he’d been spotted in Drum Creek. I’ve made a lot of friends in Drum Creek over the years. The owner of the general store, Paul Nelson, and my dad were good friends. Paul called me yesterday and said he’d seen Blackman in the store and he’d bought camping supplies. Said he was going to be hanging around until his business was finished.”
“What business?”
“Good question. I haven’t really figured that out yet, but...” He shrugged. “Anyway, the national park is the only place around Drum Creek that one would need camping supplies so I’m going to search every last acre if that’s what it takes.”
Harper frowned. “That could take a long time.”
He sighed. “The truth is, there are so many places to hide it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Same thing with your guy. It’s going to take time.”
“I realize that, but we have to do something. Sitting around waiting on leads to come in isn’t an option. Not when we know there’s a good possibility Jake is hiding nearby.” She rubbed her forehead. “My question is why he’s sticking around here when he knows he’s been spotted. What is his purpose in staying unless he doesn’t think he needs to leave? Or doesn’t care that he’s been seen?”
“He cared enough to shoot at me.”
“What if he didn’t believe you were who you said you were? What if he thought you were working with the men who kidnapped him?”
“I suppose that’s a possibility,” he conceded.
“The anonymous person sending the texts seemed to think Jake was looking for Penny.”
He quirked a brow. “Is Penny here in Colorado?”
“Not that we know of. What we do know is that Jake’s not going to come to us, so we’re just going to have to go find him. If you’ll help us comb that area and lead us to where he might find a hiding place, I’ll do my best to make all of our resources available to you to help find your sister’s killer. I’ll have to have my boss okay that, of course, but I don’t see why he wouldn’t.”
He studied her then looked away for a brief moment while he considered the idea. All of her resources at his disposal. That would be a huge help. He nodded and captured her gaze with his. “All right,” he said and held out his hand. “If your boss agrees, I’m willing to go with that.”
She shook his hand and the feel of her soft fingers within his grasp made him wonder if his heart would survive the deal.
Riley looked up from Harper’s pretty blue eyes. If he stared into them for too long, she muddled his thoughts.
His