Deadly Setup Page 2

  Frown lines swept across Seth’s forehead, narrowing his eyes. “And you didn’t call the sheriff’s office?”

  His question cut to the core. Sheriff. After living through her brother’s fiasco for the last ten months, Boone law enforcement wasn’t exactly at the top of her list of people she hoped to run into during her return, especially Detective Seth Garrison.

  Paige fought off a sigh and shrugged. “By the time I realized what was happening, I couldn’t get to my cell phone and there was no safe place to pull over.”

  Seth looked as if he was going to say something but stopped. He probably wanted to chastise her for not being more careful. The former navy SEAL lived and breathed extreme caution. Always keep your phone close and don’t wait until something goes wrong. If you feel uncomfortable in a situation, get out of there and call for help. His notorious words rang in her head. But instead of issuing a reminder, Seth straightened his broad shoulders. Full-on cop mode. Reminding her this wasn’t personal. This was business.

  She should have felt relief, but instead her heart slipped a bit.

  “You mentioned the stormy weather conditions at the time of the accident,” Seth said, jolting her back to the present.

  Paige blinked and breathed deep, readjusting her focus to the accident and not the man asking the questions. She lifted her chin slightly. “Yes, the weather was terrible.”

  He raised a curious brow. “Is it safe to assume that you were traveling below the speed limit?”

  “Yes.” She shrugged one shoulder. “That is, until the truck pulled up beside me, then I sped up trying to get away from him.”

  Seth gave a subtle nod and scribbled something on his notepad. Uneasiness prickled the fine hairs on the back of her neck. She could almost see the thoughts churning in his head, and she didn’t like the vibes she was getting.

  “Okay.” Seth stuffed the notepad in his pocket and cast her a look that said, I’ve got this figured out. “It sounds to me like you were a victim to a hit-and-run. Impatient drivers often tailgate slower vehicles, and unfortunately stormy weather doesn’t deter everyone. If the driver of the truck got annoyed and tried to get around you, his tires may have slipped on the wet road, which could have sent him into your lane.”

  Paige bristled at Seth’s presumptuous assessment. He obviously wasn’t listening. “No, that’s not what happened,” she snapped and struggled to sit up straighter. “The driver knew exactly what he was doing. He rammed into the side of my Jeep, and as I futilely fought to get my vehicle under control, he took off, vanishing into the night.”

  Seth looked back at his notes as if to process what she’d just said. The grim silence that followed did nothing to quell the anxiety churning inside her. “Paige—” He looked up at her, keeping his voice low, as if to deescalate the situation. Like it was that easy. “Roughly 10 percent of all traffic accidents are hit-and-runs. And just as you described, they often involve an aggressive driver who causes the accident, then gets scared and takes off without stopping to help. Who knows, maybe this driver was even intoxicated.”

  Seth’s simplistic cop logic sent adrenaline shooting through her veins. Some maniac had tried to kill her. Didn’t he get that? Paige felt her jaw go rock hard as she tried to control the frustration exploding in her chest. “What this driver did was intentional, not an accident.”

  Seth perched a hand on the footboard and studied her, a question mark on his face. “Paige, is there a reason that you’d think someone would want to hurt you?”

  Paige shivered as a montage of memories roared through her head. Spiraling, reeling, flooding her brain with such veracity she felt dizzy again. Madison’s death. Her brother’s arrest. Evidence and more evidence. The bloody knife. The DNA. The upcoming trial...a killer still on the loose.

  She opened her mouth, barely getting the words out. “Yes, I do believe there’s a reason someone would want to hurt me.”

  Seth’s deep brown gaze locked on hers, probing, assessing. “And why is that?”

  Her throat knotted. She lifted her chin. “Because, Detective, I came back to Boone looking for the truth.”

  * * *

  Seth’s brows rose again. Truth? No amount of evidence would ever be enough for this woman.

  And the last thing he needed was Trey Becker’s sister running around Boone, asking questions and stirring up more anger and strife toward her brother.

  Seth felt a tight curl of frustration in his gut. Trey had been charged in the stabbing death of his estranged wife, Madison Cramer Becker. A death that sparked outrage in the community and left Boone residents with a bad taste in their mouths when it came to Trey Becker.

  Even ten months later, that anger was still burning strong.

  The Cramers were well-known, longtime residents in Boone. The family owned the local antique mart, and several generations still lived in the area.

  A tight-knit bunch, but unfortunately not immune to tragedy. Ten years earlier, Frank Cramer, Madison’s father, was killed after being involved in an accident with a drunk driver. His death spurred an outpouring of community support and sympathy for the surviving family members—Madison, her brother and her mother.

  Many of those same residents now counted the days until Trey Becker’s trial. They weren’t going to rest until Madison’s killer was convicted and facing life in prison without parole.

  Paige couldn’t have picked a worse time to come back.

  “Paige, don’t do this to yourself,” Seth urged, knowing he was probably wasting his breath. “Trey has a good legal team on his case. Let them do their job.”

  “Are you kidding?” Paige shot him a look. “For ten months I sat back and let everyone ‘do their job.’” Her fingers made air quotes. “Detectives, police, reporters, attorneys.”

  “And there’s some strong evidence against Trey.” Seth sighed, already growing annoyed by the conversation. “People have been doing their job.”

  “Really?” She let out a heavy sigh. “Then whose job is it to find evidence in support of my brother? Nobody seems to be doing that.”

  Seth took a deep breath, frustration battling with empathy. It wasn’t like he hadn’t given her brother the benefit of the doubt. Trey had been a friend. A fellow SEAL. But from the get-go, things hadn’t looked good. When Seth and other officers arrived at Madison’s home, they’d found Trey, his hands covered in blood. More blood on his clothes.

  Forensics later confirmed Madison had been stabbed multiple times and her throat slit by a government-issue US Navy Ka-Bar, the combat knife presented to SEALs upon graduation. Evidence of Trey’s fingerprints on the weapon and DNA at the scene hammered the final nail in his case.

  Still, part of Seth got what Paige was doing. Trey was the only family she had left. Family was important. She wanted no stone left unturned. But, up to now, every stone they touched produced more evidence against her brother.

  Seth spread his hands. “Paige, you know if new evidence turns up against anyone else, we’d reopen your brother’s investigation. But right now, every shred of evidence we’ve come up with points to Trey.”

  A tousled, silky lock of hair tumbled in front of her face as Paige looked up, her eyes weary and pained, void of the tenacious glint that belonged to the woman he’d once loved. Grief stabbed him in the chest at her pain. And the worst part—there was nothing he could do to help.

  “Come on, Seth.” She gave a hard sigh, tucking the strand behind her ear. “It shouldn’t surprise anyone that Trey’s fingerprints and DNA were at the scene. He found Madison. And, as far as the knife goes, well, we both know evidence can be planted.”

  Seth nodded, absently drumming his fingers against his jeans-clad thigh. She wasn’t saying anything he hadn’t heard before. But it was hard to give much weight to Paige’s deduction that Trey, who had been highly intoxicated the night of the murder, had been framed by the real killer. A theory that she hadn’t budged from since her brother’s arrest. And one that was a bit much for him to sw
allow.

  “The truth is, Seth, Trey got caught in the crosshairs of your investigation and you never looked further.” Paige continued, her eyes wide before she looked away in disgust, “You never even took into account that he tried to revive Madison and called the police.”

  A murder suspect calling police wasn’t that unusual, Seth thought with a mental groan. Especially an intoxicated one. Alcohol, anger and impulsiveness were a lethal combination. He knew that from experience, growing up with an alcoholic father—a calm, sensible man until he was drinking. His family never knew what to expect. Seth had almost breathed relief at fourteen when his father stomped out of the house, suitcase in hand, screaming at the top of his lungs that he’d never be back.

  That was the last time he’d seen his father and the last time he’d prayed. He’d learned how futile it was to pray for someone to change.

  Seth put his hands on his hips. “Paige, I’m sorry for what you’re going through. I know this ordeal has been difficult for you.”

  “Sorry?” Paige whipped her gaze back to him, her eyes sizzling. “The only thing you should be sorry about is that my brother is facing a life sentence in prison while a brutal killer is still running free.”

  “Paige—” When Seth tried to interject, she cut him off.

  “Don’t try to dispute it, Seth.” She crossed her arms. “Trey would never hurt anyone, much less murder his wife. Even if he and Madison never worked out their issues, he still loved her.”

  Crimes of passion were impulsive acts. Add in alcohol or any mind-altering substance, and judgment could become impaired. And when someone was under the influence, it was even easier to lose self-control in the heat of the moment. “Gut feelings aren’t enough, Paige.”

  “Then what about what happened tonight?” Her eyes probed his face as she jutted her thumb back at herself. “Someone tried to kill me.”

  Seth folded his arms, frustration reigning supreme. “Paige, tonight’s accident will be thoroughly investigated, however it’s too early to assume anything.”

  “I know I’m only speculating,” Paige said, her gown rustling as she straightened. “However, if tonight’s accident was intentional, the only person I can think of with a motive to hurt me would be Madison’s killer.”

  Seth started to shake his head, but Paige stopped him again with a staying hand. “Seth, it makes perfect sense. If my brother is convicted, the real killer gets off scot-free. The last thing the creep would want is for me to come back to town and start asking questions.”

  Good hypothesis—that was, if Seth thought Madison’s killer was still out there. But, as the investigator on Paige’s case, he’d hear her out. He tightened his arms over his chest. “Okay, Paige. Who knew you’d be in town today?” He asked the question, even though it struck at his heart that she hadn’t even bothered to contact him.

  “It was a last-minute trip. I only contacted my friend Tessa Riley.” Even as she kept her expression placid, red crept into her cheeks. She’d caught his vibe. And he knew an excuse when he heard one. “I called Tessa yesterday after my boss at the rehab center gave me the time off to come. We’re short staffed, but she knows about Trey’s situation and how difficult it’s been on me. However...” She sat up straighter. “After I arrived and dropped my bags off at Tessa’s, I went out to do some errands and ran into several old friends and acquaintances.”

  Seth scratched his cheek. “Did anyone act suspicious?”

  She thought a moment, then shook her head. “Everyone kept their distance. No one wanted to talk about Madison or discuss her murder. Although that’s probably not unusual. However—” Paige emphasized the word “—the way news travels around here, half of Boone probably knows I’m in town by now.”

  True, but... Seth drew in a deep breath. It still sounded like a TV crime drama to him. Not to mention the theory was difficult to substantiate, given the information they had. “Paige, we’ve exhausted every lead we received on Madison’s case. As much as I’d like to find something that would exonerate your brother, that just hasn’t happened.”

  Paige grabbed the side rail, pulling herself up straighter in the bed. “That, Detective, is what I’m here to do.”

  Like rubbing salt in a wound. “Do what, Paige? Try to convince yourself that Trey just might be guilty?” Seth’s tone was meant to be frank, but his frustration rang clearly.

  One of Paige’s brows soared upward, but she didn’t respond. Just stared back at him, a steady, indignant look in her deep emerald eyes.

  Instant regret knifed through him, not only for his blunt choice of words, but for everything that had gone wrong in their relationship. He’d made a vow early in his career to keep his personal life and detective work separate, but he should have worked harder to support Paige. Maybe then their relationship could have weathered this storm.

  The heavy rock in his gut swelled to a boulder, telling him probably not.

  He’d learned years ago that when someone was ready to bolt, there was no holding on to them. And after Trey’s trial was moved to Durham County because of all the negative pretrial publicity, there was no holding Paige back. She had nothing left in Boone.

  Including him.

  Seth shifted his stance, ignoring the sting of heartache in his chest. “Paige, there’s a lot of pent-up anger around this town. Coming back now and asking questions, especially on the brink of Trey’s trial, isn’t going to be easy on you.”

  Paige’s mouth flattened to a thin line. “Sitting in a six-by-eight jail cell hasn’t been easy on my brother, either.”

  Tension hung in the air, heavy and mounting. They were getting nowhere.

  Scrubbing a hand through his hair, Seth mentally tamped down his feelings, frustrated by the sudden whiplash of emotions and memories. Emotion that had no place on the job.

  Job. The reason he was there. He forced his focus back to the problem at hand—Paige’s accident. He took a deep breath and zipped up his jacket. Time to get out of there. He had everything he needed. “Paige, will you be staying with Tessa while you’re in town?”

  Paige hesitated, her scowl remaining. “I’ll be staying at her condo. She’s out of town on a cruise for the next week.”

  Seth made a mental note and stuffed his hands in his coat pockets. “Get some rest. I’ll touch base with you sometime tomorrow,” he said, then turned and headed out the door, focusing his thoughts on his investigation and stowing all sentimental nonsense that had nothing to do with this case.

  TWO

  The next morning, Seth slumped into the swivel desk chair in his office at the Watauga County Sheriff’s Department and picked up the police report detailing Paige’s accident. He flipped through it, stopping at the picture of her mangled car.

  Broken glass, deployed air bags, twisted metal.

  How could anyone survive something like that? He dropped the report on his desk, rocked back in his chair and scrubbed his face. The thick foliage and spruce trees had cushioned the impact, but still.

  He shook his head.

  If he were a man of faith, he would definitely say someone up there had been looking out for her. For Paige to walk away from a crash like that with only a few bumps and bruises was hard to comprehend.

  One thing he did comprehend, though, was that somebody had run her off the road. And that person hadn’t bothered to stop. Or even call for help. Purposeful or not, that tidbit hit him deep in the gut. And his only clue so far was that somebody was driving a long-bed extended-cab pickup. Which narrowed the suspect list to about two-thirds of Boone’s population.

  Meaning—he had nothing.

  Frustration banged around in his chest. He rocked forward in his chair and stood. He needed coffee.

  In the break room, Seth grabbed the glass pot and poured himself a cup. Strong and black. Something to jump-start his brain. Right now every synapse in his head was seriously misfiring.

  Seth took a sip of the steamy brew as he thought about how many hit-and-run accidents were n
ever solved. A fact he hated to accept.

  “Seth, what are you doing here?” Detective Colton Walsh said, walking into the room. “I thought you were still out of town.”

  In some respects he wished he still was. Seth leaned against the cabinet, sipping his coffee. “I got back yesterday. I had the rest of the week off and had plans to get some things done around my place, but I got pulled into a case last night.”

  “Last night?” Colton picked up the coffeepot, tilting it over an empty mug.

  “The accident on Eagle’s Ridge. I saw the flashing lights at the scene as I was heading home, and I just couldn’t help myself,” he admitted with a tight grin.

  Pausing the pot midway, Colton glanced up, creasing his forehead. “I thought Brett Ralston was on that case. I think he just left to talk to the victim.”

  “What?” Seth snorted, almost choking on the sip he just took. “Ralston?”

  Colton nodded. “The chief assigned him to the case this morning.”

  This day just kept getting worse. Seth pitched his cup and slammed out of the room. He headed down the long corridor to the office at the far end—the office of the Watauga County chief of detectives.

  Seth’s old friend Detective Kevin Mullins looked up as he stalked into the room. “Kevin, could you please explain why you assigned Ralston to my case?”

  Dropping his ink pen, the chief leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers together, as if sizing up Seth’s vehemence. “You’re officially on vacation, Seth. I wasn’t even sure if you’d be in today.”

  “I was up half the night writing up the accident report and the victim’s statement, and it didn’t cross your mind to pick up the phone and call me before you handed my case to someone else?”

  The chief hesitated a moment and then swerved his chair around, getting to his feet. “Seth, I didn’t want to have to tell you this, but Paige requested another detective be put on her case.”

  Seth looked Mullins in the eye. “You’re kidding.”