Scene of the Crime: Widow Creek. Carla Cassidy

by the arm. “I think it would be best if we don’t mention what I do for a living,” she said. It had been her experience that people didn’t talk freely to an FBI agent, that they would be more likely to talk to a worried sister. Small-town law enforcement was known to be rather hostile to FBI agents. The last thing she wanted was to upset the police chief when she needed his help. “If anybody asks, I do web design for a living.”

      He nodded. “Okay, but you know it’s possible Lauren mentioned to others here in town what you do for a living. I knew.”

      She considered what he said. “Then we’ll just play it by ear, but I don’t intend to volunteer any information about myself unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

      As they walked through the door of the police station Lexie’s fear for her sister spiked nearly out of control. What could have happened to her? Where could she be?

      Filing an official missing persons report suddenly made Lauren’s disappearance more real, far more frightening. For the first time since they’d left the house Lexie was grateful that Nick was beside her. Even though she didn’t know him well, his presence made her feel not quite so all alone.

      “Hey, Carol,” he greeted the woman behind the receptionist desk.

      “Nick!” The pretty blonde looked up from her computer and offered him an inviting smile that definitely spoke of feminine interest. Her gaze slid over Lexie, the calculating look of a woman checking out her competition. She obviously wasn’t concerned by what she saw. She dismissed Lexie with a flick of her false lashes.

      Nick returned the smile and gestured toward the closed office door behind her desk. “Is Gary in?”

      “Should be on his second donut by now,” she replied wryly. “You can go on in.”

      Lexie followed behind Nick as he approached the closed office door and knocked. A deep voice indicated they could come in.

      Chief of Police Gary Wendall sat at the desk, but rose as they entered. He looked to be in his early thirties, with blond military-short hair and a fit physique. “Nick, it’s been a while,” he said, and in his words Lexie thought she heard a touch of tension. The two men shook hands and then Wendall looked at Lexie.

      “Chief Wendall, I’m Lexie Forbes. I’m here about my sister, Lauren Forbes.”

      “Ah, our very own dog whisperer,” Wendall said with a nod. “What about her?”

      “She’s missing.” Sudden emotion filled Lexie’s chest and she had to swallow hard against it.

      Wendall motioned them into the chairs in front of his desk and then sat down. “What do you mean she’s missing?”

      “I spoke to her Tuesday night on the phone, but I couldn’t get hold of her Wednesday or Thursday,” Lexie explained. “Finally yesterday evening I decided to drive out to her place. She’s not there and I don’t think she’s been there since Tuesday. Her dogs were left unattended and that’s not like her. Something has happened. Something is terribly wrong.”

      “Whoa, let’s not jump to conclusions,” Wendall exclaimed, lines cutting into his tanned forehead. “She’s a grown woman. There’s no law that says she can’t take off for a couple of days without checking in with anyone.”

      Lexie shook her head. “She wouldn’t do that, and even if she did she’d answer my phone calls. We talk to each other every day. This is unusual for her…for us. I want to file a missing persons report. She’s been missing more than forty-eight hours. I need you to investigate her disappearance.”

      Wendall’s gaze flickered from Lexie to Nick. “What’s your role in all this?”

      “I’m Lauren’s friend and I’m concerned, and I’m here to support Lexie,” Nick replied. His voice held a coolness that definitely chilled the air in the room.

      “You aren’t stirring things up because of your own history?” Wendall asked with a lift of one of his blond eyebrows.

      Lexie looked at Nick and saw the tightening of his jaw as his eyes went flat. “One thing has nothing to do with the other,” he replied tersely.

      There was obviously some personal history between the two men, but Lexie didn’t care about that right now. All she cared about was finding her sister.

      “Will you look into this?” she asked Wendall. “Start an official investigation?”

      “I’ll see what I can do,” Wendall replied. “Are you staying out at Lauren’s place?”

      Lexie nodded. “I’ll be there until she’s found.” She gave him her cell phone number and then walked toward the door. There was nothing more to be done here. She wanted to get outside and walk the streets, talk to the people in town and see if anyone had seen or spoken to Lauren since Tuesday.

      “I’ll keep in touch,” Chief Wendall said as she and Nick reached the door. “You know your sister always had a bunch of men hanging around her place. Maybe she took off with one of them and didn’t want you knowing about her personal affairs,” Wendall said.

      Lexie stiffened and stared at him. At that moment she decided she didn’t like him very much. He made it sound like Lauren was some kind of a whore. “I’m sure you’re going to question whatever men were hanging out there to see what they know about my sister’s disappearance,” she replied.

      She was surprised when Nick firmly took hold of her elbow, as if to offer support, as they left the office. What equally surprised her was how she responded to his touch—viscerally, like a not-completely-unpleasant punch in the stomach.

      As they left the building he dropped his hand to his side and she drew a breath of relief. She didn’t want some crazy attraction to Nick complicating things. The last thing she wanted in her life was a man. She just wanted to find her sister alive and well, and then get back to her so-called life in Kansas City.

      “I never saw a bunch of men hanging out at Lauren’s,” Nick said when they were back in her car. “And I drove by her place at least once a day going to and from town. But she mentioned to me that she was kind of seeing Bo Richards.”

      “Bo Richards?” Lexie turned in her seat to look at Nick. “Who is he?”

      “He’s a local rancher, a nice guy. He spends a lot of time in the mornings at the café. Maybe we can talk to him there,” Nick replied.

      “And Lauren was seeing him romantically?” Lexie frowned. Her sister hadn’t mentioned anything to her about a romance in her life and they’d always talked about everything, including their love lives.

      “They had just started dating. From what Lauren told me it wasn’t real serious yet. I think they’d met for lunch or dinner a couple of times.”

      Lexie checked her watch and then looked down the street at the café. It was still early. Hopefully they’d find him there. “Then I want to talk to him.” She started the car, but before backing out she turned to look at Nick once again. “There’s some history between you and Wendall?”

      Darkness filled his eyes and his jaw tightened once again. “Yeah, old history.”

      “Want to tell me about it?” she asked.

      “No.” The single word snapped out of him with a finality that brooked no further questions and made Lexie wonder what kind of secrets Nick Walker had in his life.

      IN THE SHORT DISTANCE between the police station and the Cowboy Corral, painful memories cascaded through Nick’s head. His chest tightened with thoughts of the three days that he’d been unable to get in contact with Danielle. His body remembered intimately the alarm it had felt when he’d realized nobody had seen her during that time and the horror of ultimately finding her dead in that motel room.

      His stomach clenched and a slight nausea rose up in him as the memories continued to play in his head. He’d known something was wrong—that something was