The Heartbreak Sheriff

  Looked like she was back to her old self.

  “I expect you to send that woman to the gas chamber,” Valerie spoke up, pure loathing in her voice.

  “I’m not a judge,” Finn answered with a sigh. “I can’t sentence Sarah to death just because you demand it.”

  Those silver eyes fumed. “All I’m demanding is justice,” she snapped. “I’ve been sitting around for a month, waiting for you and your incompetent department to find justice for my sister, and—”

  “And now you have it,” Agent Parsons cut in effortlessly.

  Finn’s hand tingled with the urge to punch the man in the jaw. “Isn’t that a little premature to say, Agent? Sarah hasn’t even been indicted yet.”

  But Valerie’s entire face had lit up from Parsons’s reassurance, and both of them ignored Finn as she stepped closer to the other man. “And who might you be?”

  Finn stifled an incredulous groan. Flirting? She was flirting? During a discussion about her sister’s murder?

  “Special Agent Mark Parsons.” Finn half expected the guy to puff out his chest like a damn peacock. “And you must be Valerie. Your name came up in the case file I read on the plane.”

  “So you’re leading the investigation now?” She held her hand up to her heart. “Thank heavens. You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting for someone to take charge.”

  It irked Finn like no tomorrow how Parsons didn’t correct her, even though he’d “assured” Finn just minutes ago that he had no intention of taking over. It was clear the man hadn’t meant a word of it, and even clearer that along with being a pretentious jackass, Parsons had a thing for trashy women.

  “Don’t you worry,” Parsons drawled. “I’m here to make sure Connelly pays for her crimes.”

  Unable to stand there a second longer without throwing up, Finn stepped toward Valerie and placed a not-so-gentle hand on her arm. “You need to leave now,” he told her. “Agent Parsons and I have a lot of work to do.”

  She spared him a pithy glance, then turned to Parsons and smiled sweetly. “Please keep me informed about the case.”

  “My pleasure.”

  Finn’s jaw was tighter than a drum as he ushered Valerie out the door. Her high heels clicked against the tiled floor and as she disappeared into the corridor off the bull pen, Finn turned on his heel and frowned at the federal agent.

  He’d had enough. The mayor was driving him insane, the D.A.’s smug certainty made him want to kick something, and now those two boneheads had deposited this unprofessional ass on his doorstep. His patience was beginning to wear thin and he feared he was nearing his breaking point. The very thought of Sarah stuck in that cell downstairs brought a hot wave of agony to his gut.

  Powerless wasn’t an emotion he did well. He’d always been tough, capable. Even when he didn’t feel it, he put on the act, daring people to cross him. But right now, he felt out of control. Sarah was in trouble—and he couldn’t seem to do a damn thing about it.

  Well, it was time to change that.

  His frown deepening, he advanced on the agent and snapped, “You shouldn’t be discussing the case with anyone outside this office. Especially not with the victim’s sister.”

  Parsons shrugged. “There’s no harm in keeping the lady informed.” He crossed his arms over the front of his tailored suit jacket. “Now, I’d like to go down to lockup and speak to Connelly.”

  A protective rush seized Finn’s chest like a vise. No freaking way was he allowing this jerk to get within ten feet of Sarah. She was already emotional enough as it was, stuck in jail and separated from her daughter. Even a second with this pompous ass would undoubtedly fuel her anger. And when Sarah was angry, she ranted. And when she ranted, she often said things she shouldn’t, things like, oh, If you don’t leave my daughter and me alone, you’ll regret it.

  His lungs burned as he inhaled. Christ, she didn’t know how bad this was. That one threat, whether she meant it or not, might very well seal her fate.

  Unless Finn did something to help her.

  But what?

  Frustration coiled around his insides like barbed wire. Now that Parsons had entered the picture, saving Sarah would be drastically tougher. Not that he even had a plan. What he did have, though, was determination. Like he’d promised her, he was going to fix this, no matter what she said. He’d move heaven and earth for her. Sacrifice anyone or anything for her.

  And maybe if he did that, maybe if he managed to get her out of this, he could finally, finally earn her forgiveness.

  Chapter 4

  Finn was uncomfortable as he entered Cole Donovan’s kitchen a few hours later, and not just because the room was as big as the entire main floor of the farmhouse he lived in.

  Although the two of them had joined forces to rescue Jamie from the clutches of Cole’s crazed assistant, they weren’t exactly the best of friends. Though Finn had to admit he was warming up to the guy. Donovan might be a multimillionaire, but he wasn’t the arrogant ass Finn had previously believed him to be.

  Parsons, on the other hand, was an arrogant ass, but Finn had made sure the federal agent was occupied for the afternoon. He’d told the man that learning more about the murder weapon was the most important task at hand. Fortunately, Parsons had agreed. He’d promptly forgotten about his intention to interrogate Sarah and was now meeting with the ballistics expert who’d handled the weapon.

  With Parsons out of the way, Finn had left the station shortly after and headed to the lab, determined to make some headway of his own. But the talk with the lab tech had been not only unproductive, but a total spirit killer, as well.

  “Want some coffee?” Cole asked, sounding awkward as they stepped into the kitchen.

  Finn noticed that the other man was moving more slowly than usual—not surprising, seeing as he’d only been released from the hospital this morning and was still recovering from a bullet wound to the abdomen.

  “Coffee would be great,” Finn said, lowering himself onto one of the chairs at the table. He glanced at the doorway. “Jamie’s upstairs with the baby?”

  “Yeah. She’ll be down soon. Lucy just woke up from her nap.” Cole winced as he bumped his hip against the counter. He edged back, then reached for the coffeemaker.

  Silence settled between them, which Finn used to try to come up with something to say. After Cole had been shot, Finn had promised himself that he’d try to be nicer to the guy, especially since Jamie was so obviously crazy about him.

  She’d taken a leave of absence from the Bureau in order to be there for Cole’s recovery, and you needed to be around the newly engaged couple for only ten seconds to see that they were madly in love.

  “Lucy’s a cute kid,” Cole added as he poured hot coffee into two mugs. He turned to frown at Finn. “It’s a damn shame what’s happening to her mother. Did you really have to arrest her, Finnegan?”

  Great, yet another name to add to the list of people who were pissed off at him.

  Frowning right back, Finn took the cup Cole handed him and said, “I didn’t have a choice. The evidence is pretty overwhelming.”

  To his surprise, Cole’s dark eyes shone with sympathy. “But you don’t think she did it.”

  “Hell, no.” His throat clogged. “Sarah isn’t capable of murder.”

  “Then prove it,” came Jamie’s blunt voice.

  She appeared in the doorway, holding a sleepy-eyed Lucy in her arms. With her long auburn hair cascading down her back, her flawless makeup-free features and the yellow cotton dress dancing around her ankles, she made a seriously pretty picture. Finn wasn’t the only one to notice, as Cole’s rough face softened at the sight of her.

  The couple exchanged a tender look that had Finn feeling like a damn Peeping Tom, then Jamie crossed the tiled floor and sat at the table. The baby let out a happy gurgle when she spotted Finn. His heart ached, then officially cracked when Lucy stretched out her chubby arms in his direction.

  “She wants you to hold her,” Jamie sai
d with a grin, already moving the baby onto his lap.

  He instinctively pulled Lucy against his chest, strands of emotion unraveling inside him as she lifted her head and stared at him with big brown eyes.

  “I swear, she has the sunniest disposition,” Jamie remarked, watching as the baby reached up to touch Finn’s chin. “I’m already in love with her and I’ve only had her for a few hours.”

  Finn found himself going motionless as Sarah’s daughter explored his face. She scrunched her tiny nose when her fingers met the stubble coating his jaw. With the curiosity that only a child could possess, she touched the sharp whiskers on his face, then gurgled in delight, as if discovering a new texture she couldn’t believe existed.

  Warmth spread through him. A lump rose in the back of his throat. Lord, this angelic little girl could have been his. If he hadn’t abandoned Sarah, this could have been their future.

  Shame exploded in his gut, making it difficult to breathe. Regrets were a side effect of life, he knew that. Everyone had something they regretted, some mistake they wished they hadn’t made, but his regret…his mistake…it consumed his entire life. It moved like poison through his bloodstream, pricked his skin like tiny needles.

  How could he have thrown away the woman he loved?

  “How’s Sarah doing?” Jamie asked, oblivious to his inner turmoil.

  “Good, considering,” he said. “She’s eager to go home, but the bail hearing won’t be until tomorrow morning.”

  Cole came to the table, handing Jamie a cup of coffee before joining them. “I still don’t get it,” the man said, shaking his head. “How did Sarah’s DNA turn up at the crime scene?” He paused. “Could it have been a mistake? A lab error?”

  “There was no error. I just came from the lab.” His stomach clenched. “I spoke to Tom Hannigan, had him talk me through the results. The fingerprint on the coffee table is a perfect match to Sarah. So is the DNA extracted from the hair sample. She was in the house, according to the evidence.”

  “Evidence which could have been planted,” Jamie pointed out. “If Sarah says she never stepped foot in Teresa’s house, I believe her.”

  “Me, too,” Finn admitted.

  “So that means that someone took it upon themselves to put her hair there.”

  “And the print?”

  Jamie went silent. They both knew how tricky it would be to plant someone’s fingerprint. By no means impossible, but it would take a lot of careful planning to make something like that happen.

  Frustration simmered in his stomach. “I just can’t figure out who would want to frame her, or why. I get why someone would try and frame Cole—”

  “Thanks,” Cole cut in with a grimace.

  “You’re the ex-husband,” Finn said without apologizing. “The most obvious suspect. If the killer wanted to take the heat off himself and put it on someone else, you’re the best bet. Sarah had no connection to Teresa. There’s no reason for someone to frame her.”

  “No reason we know of,” Jamie said. She made an annoyed sound. “What are we missing here? We’ve got a list a mile long of people who didn’t like Teresa. Why can’t we connect anyone to her murder?”

  Finn had no reply. God knows he and his deputies had been working their butts off interviewing people in town, trying to find puzzle pieces that might help them construct the bigger picture, but this case refused to move forward. All they had was an untraceable murder weapon and evidence placing Sarah at the scene.

  “I still think we need to look at Teresa’s lovers,” Jamie added. “Look what she did to Ian Macintosh—she completely messed up his head and turned him into an enraged stalker. It’s not a stretch to think she manipulated someone else.”

  “Well, the only other man we know she was involved with was Parker Smith,” Finn answered. “And he has an airtight alibi for the night Teresa died.” He glanced at Cole. “Did you manage to come up with another name? Anyone else she may have been involved with?”

  Cole slowly shook his head. “No. I have my private investigator on it, but he hasn’t turned anything up, either. I’ll give him a call and see if he’s managed to make headway, but I don’t think—”

  Finn’s foghorn ring tone interrupted. With great reluctance, he handed Lucy back to Jamie and pulled his cell phone from his pocket. The station’s number flashed on the screen.

  “Finnegan,” he said brusquely.

  “Sheriff, it’s me,” came Anna’s voice. “You told me to let you know what’s going on with Sarah, and—”

  “Is she all right?” he interrupted.

  “She’s fine. But she does have a visitor. Dr. Bennett. I figured you’d want to know.”

  Dr. Bennett?

  “Oh. Okay, thanks for letting me know, Anna.” He hung up, wrinkling his forehead.

  “Is something wrong?” Jamie asked instantly.

  “No.” He paused, still confused. “Apparently Sarah has a visitor, though. It’s Travis Bennett.”

  “The doctor who runs the clinic?” When Finn nodded, Jamie tilted her head, pensive. “He’s a nice man. He treated me after the car accident. I didn’t know they were friends, though.”

  “Yeah, me, neither.”

  He was helpless to stop the jolt of jealousy that pounded into his gut. Granted, he had no right feeling jealous. Sarah could be friends with whomever she pleased. He’d given up the right to have a say in her life when he’d walked out that door. But he had been keeping tabs on her all these years, and this was the first he’d heard of a connection between her and Bennett.

  Were they involved?

  Another hot blade of jealousy sliced into him. Travis Bennett was older, late forties at least, but he was still an attractive man, in a bland kind of way. He’d moved to Serenade three years ago from Raleigh, after losing his wife and two sons in a tragic fire. Finn had researched the guy when he had showed up in town—he always made sure to know everything about the people he served—and he’d learned that the doctor had left a booming practice to open his small clinic here. He’d been grief-stricken when he’d first arrived, barely speaking a word to anyone, but he’d eventually opened up, and the folks in town loved him.

  He wondered what Sarah thought of the good doctor, then clamped down the inappropriate rush of anger.

  Abruptly, he scraped his chair back and got to his feet. “I should get going,” he muttered. “Thanks for the coffee.”

  Jamie and Cole both wore knowing expressions. Apparently the reason for his sudden departure was clear to all.

  Ignoring the looks, he glanced at Lucy, the hardness in his body thawing as he reached to stroke the downy black hair atop her small head. “Be good for Jamie, baby girl,” he murmured.

  She rewarded him with a big, toothless smile.

  “I’ll keep you guys posted,” he said to the couple at the table. “Take good care of her, Jamie. Sarah’s counting on you.”

  Her violet eyes softened, but he strode to the door before she could respond. He didn’t need her reassurance—he knew Jamie would love and care for Lucy as if she were her own daughter.

  And in the meantime, he would take care of Lucy’s mother.

  “Are you sure there isn’t anything I can do?” Travis Bennett asked in a voice laced with concern. “I still have contacts in Raleigh, some attorney friends. I can give one of them a call—”

  “It’s fine,” Sarah cut in, forcing a smile. “I already hired a lawyer, and I’m sure he’ll manage to get me out on bail tomorrow morning.”

  Travis didn’t look appeased. His deep-set brown eyes shone with compassion, and she realized that’s what probably made him such an excellent doctor. When he’d first moved to town, she’d thought him cold and unfeeling, until the day she’d caught a nasty chest infection and had been forced to visit his clinic. One minute with Dr. Travis Bennett and she’d realized he truly was a good man. Hadn’t bothered looking for a new doctor, either. He’d been the first person she’d called when Lucy had come down with an ear infectio
n last month, and like the caring person he was, Travis had made a house call and personally delivered Lucy’s antibiotics.

  And now he was here, trying to make everything better.

  But there was nothing he or anyone else could do. Scratch that—the only person who could help her now was Judge Rollins, if he managed to step away from the damn golf course.

  “I don’t understand why the sheriff is keeping you locked up in the first place,” Travis said.

  “He’s just doing his job,” she said darkly.

  “Well, he’s got the wrong person behind bars. I want you to know I don’t think you killed that woman, Sarah. And if you change your mind and need my help, all you have to do is call.”

  Finn’s voice came from behind. “Sorry for interrupting.” He strode down the corridor and stood in front of the cell, eyeing Dr. Bennett with displeasure. “What brings you here, Doc?”

  Travis frowned. “I saw you leaving the lab earlier and asked Tom Hannigan what was going on. He informed me that Sarah is in police custody.”

  “Tom shouldn’t have spoken to you about that,” Finn said coldly.

  “We work in the same building, Sheriff. We speak frequently.” The doctor turned to Sarah. “I should probably go. Let me know if you need anything.”

  “I’ll walk you out,” Finn said, sounding anything but cordial.

  Sighing, Sarah watched as the two men disappeared from sight. She hadn’t missed the glitter of anger in Finn’s blue eyes. It was an expression she was familiar with, yet one she hadn’t seen in years. Finn had always been a possessive man, not in a creepy, violent way, but just a male making his claim. He’d donned that back off look whenever men in town got a little too friendly with her. Back then, she’d found it flattering.

  Right now, it simply annoyed her.

  “So,” Finn said when he returned a few moments later. “Since when are you and Bennett so tight?”

  Her nostrils flared. What right did he have getting angry over her friendship with Travis? Or even asking questions about it? He’d given up his claim on her a long time ago.