Colton's Christmas Cop. Karen Whiddon

didn’t get what any of that had to do with him, he knew the chief would fill him in soon enough.

      “I’m putting you on the case.”

      “Me?” Flabbergasted, Hunter rubbed the back of his neck with one hand.

      “Yes. All of the evidence in this is based on electronics—text messages, emails, etc. I think with Goose’s skill set, you might get to the bottom of this fairly quickly. While there apparently was enough evidence to bring charges, I took a look, and it’s on the light side. We need more. There must be hidden data storage drives or something.”

      “I have my doubts,” Hunter confessed. “Remember, I worked at Colton Energy. While I can’t say that I know Layla Colton well, I can tell you she never acted in any way other than professional.”

      “Good to hear,” Chief Colton said. “To be honest, I’m not buying Mark Hatton’s story, either. While I’m not sure of his motive, my gut tells me he’s lying.”

      “I agree.”

      “Pay him a visit and bring Goose. See what she can uncover.”

      Of course after that, there was no way Hunter could go back to bed. After letting Goose out and feeding her, he took a hot shower. Once dressed, he grabbed a pod and made a cup of strong coffee to go with his instant oatmeal. Thus fortified, he checked the weather forecast on his phone and suited up in his uniform.

      The instant he put that on, Goose started her happy, hopeful dance. She loved to work and didn’t understand why she didn’t get to every single day.

      “That’s right, Goose girl,” he told her. “I need your help today.”

      When she heard that, the little basset hound could barely contain her glee. She wiggled her entire body, swinging her head as she twirled and sending her long, floppy ears flying. She let out a low woo-woo-woo sound—her way of expressing her joy.

      As he grabbed his car keys, she stuck so close to him that he almost tripped on her. She kept her liquid brown gaze fixed on him, not letting him out of her sight in case he managed to somehow leave without her.

      Once he opened the door heading into the garage, he scooped her up and loaded her into his squad car. Even though her legs were significantly longer than a typical basset’s, she often had difficulty jumping into the back seat, even with a running start.

      Turning into the police station parking lot, he grinned when Goose let out a low bark—she knew exactly where they were.

      As soon as they entered the squad room, everyone rushed over to make a fuss over Goose. Panting and grinning, she accepted this as her due. While Red Ridge PD had a larger than usual K9 unit, Goose was the smallest dog on the force, and in Hunter’s opinion, the cutest. Of course, he knew he might be biased.

      He glanced around, noting that none of the officers who’d been working graveyard last night were in yet. Hunter could sympathize. He was glad he rarely had to work nights.

      Heading to his cubicle, he whistled for Goose. Immediately, she left her fan club and hurried after him, long ears flying as she ran. She caught up with him and they entered his work area together. Goose headed to the bed he kept for her in the corner, turning several circles before lying down with a contented huff.

      Once he’d logged in to the computer, he accessed all the files they had on Layla Colton’s case. As he read through everything, he shook his head. The chief was right. This was an extremely sensitive case, and he hoped it wouldn’t stand up in court.

      Next, Hunter decided to pay Mark Hatton a visit. He wanted to sound the guy out, see if he’d give anything away.

      Stepping into the lobby at Colton Energy brought back conflicting emotions. Hunter remembered entering this very building the first day of his new job, how excited he’d been, how he’d felt positive that he’d take the world by storm. How he’d make a difference. He’d believed wholeheartedly in the work Colton Energy did. Sustainable, alternative energy. The first step in saving the earth.

      It hadn’t taken long before he’d learned that his job had nothing to do with that. Lofty ideals and hopeful dreams had zero to do with corporate machinations and greed. Fenwick Colton was all about the profit, and he spent it as fast as it came in. Layla’s comment about the company being in trouble didn’t surprise Hunter. If anything, he wondered why it hadn’t happened sooner.

      The receptionist greeted him with a sweet smile. She hadn’t been there during his employment, so she had no idea who he was other than a uniformed police officer with a cute, goofy dog. Very few people outside the K9 unit knew what Goose could do, and Hunter preferred it stay that way.

      “I’d like to see Mark Hatton,” he said, keeping his tone pleasant.

      Instantly, her smile vanished. “One moment, sir. Let me call and tell him you’re here.”

      Since he knew how fast gossip raced through this place, he thought it safe to guess the receptionist was not on Hatton’s side. He wondered if anyone actually believed the junior salesman’s story. While he understood that sexual harassment could go both ways, in this case he doubted any of it had ever happened.

      A moment later, the young woman hung up the phone and told him he could go right up. “Second floor. He’ll send someone to greet you.”

      Thanking her, Hunter headed toward the elevator, Goose close on his heels. When they exited on the second floor, Mark Hatton himself waited.

      “What can I help you with, Officer?” he asked, after shaking Hunter’s hand. “I hate to say, it’s strange seeing you in uniform rather than a suit and tie.”

      “Do you mind if we go to your office?” Hunter asked, resisting the urge to wipe his hand on his pants. The other man’s grip, while firm, had been damp.

      “Of course not.” He eyed Goose. “Cute dog,” he said, though the tight set of his mouth indicated otherwise.

      The office was small, only slightly larger than Hunter’s cubicle. With a pristine, uncluttered desk, a computer monitor on top and a printer/scanner/fax, nothing about the space gave a clue as to the occupant’s personality. Turning slowly, Hunter eyed the modern artwork on the walls. “Did you choose those?” he asked, even though he figured he already knew the answer.

      “Nope.” Mark’s voice sounded completely uninterested. “They were left over from the guy who was here before me.”

      The fact that there were no framed photos of family or friends, no knickknacks or mementos, not even a plant told Hunter that Mark spent as little time as possible in this space. The room completely lacked personality.

      “Did you just move in here?” Hunter asked, genuinely curious. Maybe Hatton simply hadn’t had time to spruce the place up.

      Mark eyed him over the rims of his oversize glasses. “No. I mean, I moved here after my last promotion, which would be after you quit. But it’s been a few months.”

      “Okay.” Deciding he’d wasted enough time dwelling on Mark’s lack of office decorating skills, Hunter eyed the chair across from the desk. “Mind if I sit?”

      “Is this going to take long?”

      “Depends. I’ve been brought in on your case and the chief asked me to bring myself up to snuff. I’ve read the file, of course, but I wanted to come talk to you and get it straight from the horse’s mouth.”

      Just like that, Mark’s uptight posture relaxed. “Oh. You should have said so. Go ahead and take a seat.”

      Amused, Hunter did. He watched as Mark made a show of settling himself into the oversize leather executive chair behind his desk. No doubt if there’d been papers on the desk, he would have squared them up, too.

      Mark then launched into a story about how Layla had started flirting with him long before he’d moved into this office. “When I turned her down the first time, she gave me a bad review,” he said. “She