Chase watched as Rocco led Garrett Watson into the interrogation room. Tall with a wide chest, Zoe’s ex-husband carried himself with an arrogant swagger that grated on Chase’s nerves.
This was the man who’d won Zoe’s heart and then tossed it away.
Rocco stepped out of the interrogation room, shutting Watson inside.
“I thought he was living in Jackson Hole,” Chase commented.
“He is,” Rocco said. “He was halfway to Elk Valley when I reached him by phone. I met him on the outskirts of town and escorted him here.”
Interesting. Suspicious? To be determined. “Why was he coming to Elk Valley?”
“He’d heard about the explosion at his ex-wife’s house,” Rocco said. “Claims he was coming to make sure they were okay.”
Chase wasn’t sure what to think of that information. The man abandoned his family and now rushed to check on them? To make sure they were safe, or to finish what he’d started?
Carrying the file with the information Meadow and Isla had gathered, he opened the door to the interrogation room and stepped inside with Rocco close behind him.
Garrett Watson sat at the table in the same place that Dr. Webb had just vacated.
Chase tried to view Garrett dispassionately, but all he could think about was that this man had deserted his wife and child, leaving them alone and unprotected. Garrett had had the most precious thing in life—a family—and he threw it away. It infuriated Chase to no end.
Corralling his thoughts, he grabbed the chair opposite Garrett and dragged it away from the table, letting the legs scrape along the concrete floor with an unnerving noise that visibly shuddered through Garrett.
Once he had the chair situated at a comfortable distance from the table, Chase sat. “Thank you, Garrett, for coming in. I understand you were headed to Elk Valley to check on Zoe and Kylie.”
“Yes. I’d like to see my wife and daughter,” Garrett said. “I don’t understand why you wanted to see me.”
“Ex-wife,” Chase clarified much the way Zoe had clarified the status of her relationship to Garrett earlier that day. “You’re here because I want to know what type of explosives you used to blow up your ex-wife’s house.”
Chase watched Garrett closely.
The man’s eyes widened. His mouth opened as outrage crossed his expression. “You can’t seriously think I had anything to do with that!”
“Where have you been the last few days?”
“In Jackson Hole. I opened a second Watson Motors garage there. You can ask my employees,” Garrett said.
“Oh, we will,” Chase said. “Tell me about the posts you made on the social media pages of the Elk Valley High reunion.”
Garrett’s face scrunched up in confusion. “Posts? I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Really?” Chase laid the file folder on the table, opened it, and spun the file around so Garrett could read the page. “These posts, which are quite vehemently opposed to the upcoming reunion, all trace back to your ISP address.”
Garrett looked at the page. A frown marred his brow. “I didn’t send those. Ask Zoe.” He looked up at Chase. “She knows I was totally on board with the idea of the reunion.”
Yes, she had said the same. But Garrett could have just been paying her lip service. “If that’s so, who made these posts and sent them from your account?”
Garrett sat back and crossed his arms over his beefy chest. “You’re the experts. Somebody must’ve hacked my computer or my email account. You hear about that happening all the time online.”
Convenient excuse. “We need to see your computer and have access to your accounts,” Chase said.
A smirk crossed his face. “Do you have a warrant?”
Garrett’s smug tone grated on Chase’s nerves.
“I can get a warrant,” Chase told him, barely holding on to his annoyance. “That will take time.” He shrugged. “But if you insist. You can wait here. It might not come through until tomorrow or the next day.”
“You can’t leave me in this room for days on end. That’s illegal,” Garrett said.
“True. But I can put you in a cell on a twenty-four-hour hold until we get that warrant.”
All smugness left Garrett. He splayed his hands on the table. “You’re arresting me?”
“I will if I have to,” Chase told him, knowing full well he wouldn’t go that far. Yet. But holding him as a person of interest wasn’t out of bounds. “This would go a lot smoother if you cooperate.”
For a long moment, Garrett remained silent. “Where’s Zoe and Kylie?”
Chase raised an eyebrow at the change of topic. Did the man really expect anyone to believe he cared? “They’re safe.”
“I want to see them,” Garrett said. “I want to make sure for myself.”
“I think that can be arranged...if you cooperate.” Chase wasn’t above a trade-off. If Zoe agreed. But Chase kept that tidbit to himself.
Anger flashed in Garrett’s eyes. “Fine. My computer is in my truck.”
Chase glanced at Rocco and gave a nod. Rocco dipped out of the room in search of the computer.
“Were you friends with Evan Carr? Or Ryan York?”
Garrett shook his head. “No way. They were too good for the likes of me. Them and that club.”
“You mean the Young Rancher’s Club?” Neither Evan nor Ryan had been members, but Chase didn’t feel the need to reveal that information.
“Yeah, that’s the one,” Garrett said. “I was the son of a mechanic. What did I know of ranching?”
“So you weren’t invited to their shindigs?”
“Nope. Good thing, too, since it seems like all those golden boys have fallen victim to the Rocky Mountain Killer, eh?”
“So it seems.” Chase made a mental note to go back through the Elk Valley high school yearbooks to see if there were pictures or places where Garrett intersected with Evan or Ryan or the other members of the Young Rancher’s Club. Did the man have a knife tattoo on his right forearm? “Roll up your right sleeve.”
“Excuse me?” Garrett scowled. “Why?”
“Is there a reason you won’t?” Chase pressed.
Garrett’s scowl deepened but he complied. He undid the button at his wrist and yanked the sleeve up to his elbow. No tattoo. “Satisfied?”
More like disappointed. Chase gave a nod. “Yes.”
The door to the interrogation room opened and Rocco stepped back inside. “Isla’s taking a look at the computer now.”
Chase was a man of his word. He rose from the chair. “I’ll let Zoe know you’re here. If she wants to see you, then so be it. But it’s her choice.”
Garrett frowned. His hands clenched into fists. “I deserve to see my daughter. After all, I have to pay child support. I don’t care if I see Zoe.”
It took all of Chase’s restraint not to launch himself across the table at Garrett and throttle the man. Instead, he gave him a clenched-jaw nod and left the room, shutting the door with a hard click behind him.
Taking several deep breaths, Chase headed for his office. His gaze went to the bed usually occupied by Dash. He missed his dog. He missed Zoe.
Giving himself a mental head slap, he picked up the phone and dialed the house number.
His father picked up on the second ring. “Rawlston’s.”
“Hey, Dad,” Chase said. “I need to talk to Zoe.”
“Here she is.”
In the background, Chase could hear Liam telling Zoe that Chase was on the line.
A moment later, Zoe’s sweet voice came through to tickle Chase’s ear. “Hi, Chase. Is everything okay?”
“Yes. There’s been a development,” he said carefully. “Garrett is here and wants to see Kylie. Officer Steve can bring you over.”
The silence on the other end of the line reached out and grabbed Chase by the throat. He wished he were there with her right now, letting her know it would be okay.
“We’ll be right there,” Zoe said, her voice devoid of any inflection.
Long after Chase hung up, he stared out the window to the park visible down the street. In the distance, the Laramie Mountains rose like sentinels watching over the valley floor.
The overwhelming need to pray rose within Chase. He tried to fight it. But the more he did, the more agitation swarmed through his system like bees after their nest was disturbed.
Staring at those mountains, he gave over to the swelling in his soul. “Okay, Lord. I’ve ignored You for a long time. You have my attention. Now I want Yours. We need this to wrap up. We need to find the person who wants Zoe dead. We need to find the RMK. I need these wins.”
A check in his internal conscience made him wince. He was making it all about him. With a heavy sigh, he said, “Forgive me, Lord. But please, help me.”
Zoe mechanically went through the process of changing Kylie’s diaper and putting on a fresh cute outfit. Her mind felt numb. Garrett wanted to see Kylie. After all this time. Why? Was he going to fight her for custody? Was he going to blame the explosion on her? Her hands shook as she reached for the donated diaper bag. Liam came up to her and put a soothing hand on her shoulder. Much like she’d seen him do with his son after that awful car tried to run them down.
“Take a breath,” Liam said. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
Zoe clamped her mouth shut. She didn’t want to burden Liam with her problems. But the more she tried to hold in the torment, the more pressure built in her chest. Finally, she just gushed out all the angst gathering inside her, telling Liam about her failed marriage. About Garrett abandoning her and Kylie five days after Kylie was born. Serving her divorce papers one month later. And now he wanted to see Kylie. “I’m afraid I’ll lose her.”
Liam’s face hardened. Anger snapped in his eyes. Eyes like his son’s. “Neither Chase nor I will let that happen. I’ll go with you to the station.”
Dash rose from where he’d sprawled out near the front door. After a good stretch, he came and leaned against Zoe. Comfort radiated off the dog. “Are you sure he’s not a therapy dog?”
“Not technically,” Liam said. “But he was with Chase during the dark days. I think Dash is the only reason Chase didn’t spiral farther down into the abyss after Elsa and Tommy’s death.”
Her heart ached at Chase’s loss. “That makes sense,” Zoe said running her fingers through the fur behind Dash’s ears. “He’s a multipurpose dog. Bomb-sniffing, protection and therapy.”
Liam smiled. “Yes, to all of that.”
Liam leashed up Dash while she strapped Kylie into her stroller. Liam escorted Zoe and Kylie out the door. Liam explained to Officer Steve that they were headed to the police station. The tall officer fell into step with them. Zoe felt like a celebrity with two bodyguards walking on either side of her. Only there was nothing to celebrate in this gauntlet walk to the police station to see her ex-husband.
Zoe spied Garrett’s silver four-by-four truck with the Watson Motors logo on the side door parked in the back lot at the police station. Her stomach cramped. She disliked that truck and everything it represented. When Garrett had insisted on buying the vehicle, he’d used the money they’d put aside to do renovations on the house. The house that, thankfully, Zoe had retained ownership of after the divorce proceedings. Though Garrett had tried to take it from her. He’d wanted to sell the place and split the proceeds. But the judge had sided with Zoe’s lawyer, stating that Kylie needed a stable home. Besides, the house had been in Zoe’s family long before she married Garrett.
More butterflies took flight in her stomach when she and Liam and Kylie entered the police station. Chase met them, giving her a sympathetic smile. She fought the urge to request a hug. Instead, she returned the smile.
“He’s in the conference room,” Chase said. “I thought that would be better than an interrogation room. For you and Kylie.”
Her heart melted that he’d arranged for the meeting to be held in a less traumatic place, not for Garrett’s sake, but for hers and her child’s. She pushed the stroller and followed Chase through the police station. As they drew close to the conference room, she saw Garrett through the windowed wall. He was pacing, wearing jeans and a long-sleeve green shirt that brought out the green of his hazel eyes.
Oh, he was handsome. There was no denying it. He had a nice smile with nice teeth, thanks to orthodontia. He was tall and muscled from working on motors. But how had she ever thought him charming? Once she’d seen past the mask he wore, she’d realized he was the big bad wolf in disguise. And she had been his little red riding hood. She’d trusted him. Never again.
Chase’s hand landed on the small of her back as he pushed open the door. A grab bag of emotions swirled through her. She was so grateful that Chase was by her side and she didn’t have to face Garrett alone. Chase made her feel safe and cared for. An answering affection rose within her, making her aware she was letting her guard down with Chase. She needed to bolster the walls around her heart. She didn’t want to fall for another charming and handsome man. Not when the wounds from her failed marriage were still so raw.
Garrett turned as she rolled the stroller into the room. Something flashed in his eyes, there and gone. But she had seen the anger plainly enough to send a shiver of unease down her spine. Then his gaze dropped to Kylie. She watched him closely. Hoping to see some softening, some sort of paternal emotion. His face was an impassive mask.
“So that’s her,” Garrett said.
Zoe didn’t answer, but instead released Kylie from the stroller, picking her up and putting her on her hip. Stepping around the table, she intended to ask Garrett if he wanted to hold her. He stepped back, putting his hands up as if warding off an oncoming threat. She halted.
“Oh no. I just wanted to see for myself that she was safe.”
Zoe’s heart folded in on itself. The man really had no emotional depth. She could feel the wounds inside scabbing over. Soon they would heal. The failure of her marriage wasn’t hers, it was his.
“As you can see, we are both unharmed,” she said in a steady voice.
He flicked a glance at her. His gaze went back to Kylie. “I’m not going to help you rebuild the house. You got it fair and square in the divorce.”
Really? He had to bring that up? She rolled her eyes and turned her back on him, heading back to the stroller. “Why are you here?”
“Ask him,” Garrett’s voice was rough with suppressed rage, a tone she’d heard plenty during their time together. It usually proceeded some sort of rant. One where he found fault with everything, including her.
She’d shared with Chase how Garrett had hurt her and abandoned them. Why had he summoned Garrett? Her gaze sought Chase’s. “You brought him here?”
“As I told you, we discovered he is the nasty poster on the social media sites for the reunion,” Chase said, in a tone that was both neutral and professional. “He’s here because we needed to question him.” His gaze bore into hers. “About the explosion at your home. Now that he’s brought up said home—”
“Hey, I am not saying I did it!” Garrett practically yelled.
Chase turned his gaze to Garrett. “But you did bring it up, which will give us the impetus to get a warrant to search your residence and both of your businesses for any materials used in the bombing.”
“Just because I discussed something with my wife—”
Zoe whirled on him. “Ex-wife.”
At the same time, Chase said “Ex-wife.”
Garrett waved away their words. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. Ex-wife.” He pointed a finger at Kylie. “She’s still my daughter. I’m not a monster just because I don’t want to be a dad. I wouldn’t do anything to hurt her.”
No, not a monster. Just a jerk with narcissistic tendencies. She lifted a silent prayer to God for patience and understanding, because at the moment, she had little of either. “We’re done here.”
Garrett’s gaze bounced away from her to something over her shoulder outside the conference room. He frowned and his face lost some color. “What’s she doing here?”
Zoe turned at the same time as Chase to see Ashley with Haley Newton in tow. Haley’s eyes widened when she saw the tableau inside the conference room.
“Unless you’re arresting me, I’m leaving,” Garrett said as he made a beeline for the door.
Chase stepped out of the way. “You may go, but stay in Elk Valley until we’ve executed our warrants.”
“If you insist,” Garrett said. “I’ll be at the original Watson Motors,” referring to the local mechanic shop his father started and he’d taken over before expanding.
He stormed out of the conference room, pausing briefly to look down the hallway where Haley had just disappeared, then he did an about-face and hurried out the exit of the police station.
“What was that all about?” Chase asked.
Zoe shook her head. “I don’t know.”
“They both seemed unnerved to see each other,” Chase observed.
“It did seem like that.” Zoe’s blood turned to ice. “I didn’t even know they knew each other.” But apparently, they did. How well?
Chase’s gaze searched hers, and she hoped the awful suspicions rising to poke at her weren’t visible. “Are you and Kylie okay to wait here while I talk to Haley?”
She narrowed her gaze on him. “Why did you bring her here?”
He gave her a pointed look. “That is something I cannot discuss.”
She hated being left in the dark. But he’d asked her to stay. The only way she might learn what was going on with Haley and Garrett was if she complied. “We can wait here.”