Royal Protector. Laura Gordon

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СКАЧАТЬ was just something about the man, a compelling mix of gentleness and strength that affected her in ways she couldn’t begin to explain.

      “Perhaps you remember more than you realize. Was there anything unusual about his clothing? Did he wear a wristwatch? Maybe you noticed a tattoo?”

      “I think he was dressed all in black. There wasn’t anything odd, except for the ski mask.”

      “Did you hear the gunfire?”

      “There was only one shot,” she said.

      “It must have echoed in the canyon.”

      “No,” she said. “There was only a popping noise. He must have used a silencer.”

      When he made a note, Lexie wondered if she was saying too much. Of course, she wanted the killer to be apprehended, but to encourage this investigation was futile.

      “Maybe there was something unusual in the way he talked,” Lucas suggested. “You told Deputy Ferguson he spoke to you.”

      Lexie shook her head. She didn’t want to think about the attack, the physical violation. She didn’t want to remember the hissing sound of her attacker’s voice in her ear.

      “Do you have any idea why someone would want to harm you, Lexie?”

      The sudden change in the direction of his questioning caught her off guard. Darn it! Why hadn’t she called her father when she’d had the chance? If she’d discussed the situation with him or one of his advisors she would have been better prepared to answer loaded questions.

      When she realized he was still waiting for her reply, she pushed a hand through her hair self-consciously and swallowed the panicky feeling she knew would be her undoing. Giving her statement to Deputy Ferguson was one thing. Holding up under Lucas Garrett’s blue-eyed scrutiny was proving to be quite another.

      “You know, on second thought, I’m not really sure I’m up to this, yet.” Her gaze shifted to Mo as she entered the room carrying a coffeepot and mugs on a tray.

      “I promise, this won’t take long,” Lucas said before his sister could come to Lexie’s rescue for the second time today.

      “But I didn’t see anything,” Lexie reiterated. “I told your deputy and now I’m telling you.”

      “But you were there.”

      She shuddered and wrapped her arms around herself, recalling the sight of a stricken Hugh Miller falling from the saddle, remembering the feel of the attacker’s rough touch on her skin.

      “I know it’s difficult. But it’s important. We need your help to catch this guy.”

      Despite her resolve to stall and postpone, Lexie felt drawn to Lucas’s sympathetic coaxing. And once she started talking, it only took a few minutes to recount the events of the attack.

      As she spoke, she relived the attack that had come out of nowhere, the arms grabbing her from behind, the smell of the chemical-soaked rag and her subsequent descent into oblivion. “I barely remember your sister helping me into the Jeep,” she finished.

      “She was out cold when Tucker and I found her,” Mo put in. “And other than poor Mr. Miller, there wasn’t a sign of anyone else around.”

      Lucas’s expression turned grim and Lexie guessed he was imagining how close his sister had come to becoming a third victim. “There must have been something,” he said. “The killer didn’t hike down that trail. He must have had a vehicle or a horse.”

      “Or maybe he planned to use our horses to make his escape,” Lexie said. As soon as she spoke, she realized that she was taking a more active part in this investigation than she’d intended.

      “But he left those horses behind.” Lucas considered for a moment. “Seems to me, Lexie, there was a reason for drugging you and tying your wrists. Can you think of why he might have done that?”

      Abduction. Kidnapping. But that was a line of questioning she knew better than to pursue. “I wouldn’t even try to second-guess a motive.”

      Something else occurred to her. “Your men have been on the trail investigating this afternoon. Surely you’ve found clues indicating whether the killer was on horseback or in a car.”

      His eyebrows raised, acknowledging her intelligent assumption. “We found tire tracks.”

      Her correct deduction pleased her, and she permitted herself another question. “Where?”

      “Just around the bend in the trail. About a hundred yards from where we found Hugh Miller’s body.”

      “I didn’t see a vehicle,” she said. “And I didn’t hear an engine starting up.”

      “Let’s go back to last night, Lexie,” he said. “You spent the night on the mountain. On your way up the trail, did you see anyone else? Another rider? Hikers? Someone in a vehicle, maybe?”

      Lexie shook her head. “No. No one.”

      “What about this morning? Did you see anyone on your way down the trail?”

      “No.”

      “When did you realize Hugh Miller had been shot?”

      Lexie hesitated. “I— I’m not sure.”

      “Was it when you heard gunfire?”

      “Yes.”

      “Let’s talk about that muffled pop,” he said, consulting his notes. “How did you know it was a silenced gunshot?”

      “I’m familiar with firearms,” she said defensively. This interrogation was veering onto potentially dangerous ground. “My older brother owns an extensive weapons collection.”

      She was impressed that Lucas had picked up on that bit of information. Unfortunately, this interview was largely meaningless. Very soon the entire investigation would be removed from the local sheriff’s auspices and taken over by a higher authority. The FBI, probably. Or maybe the Federal Marshal’s office. She didn’t know exactly how these things were handled. But she did know her father, knew he’d demand a full-scale investigation by the country’s top law enforcement officials be launched.

      She also knew he’d insist the local authorities, which in this case meant Sheriff Lucas Garrett, be removed from the case before the ink had a chance to dry on her statement.

      Lexie poured herself a cup of coffee and lifted the mug to her lips. Too bad Lucas Garrett wouldn’t have the chance to finish this investigation. He seemed intelligent, thorough and highly motivated to solve the crime.

      He added sugar to his own coffee before asking, “How many gunshots were there?”

      “I told you before. Only one.”

      “Are you sure about that?”

      Lexie nodded.

      “But you didn’t see a gun or the shooter?”

      “I СКАЧАТЬ