Deadly Setup. Annslee Urban

his shoulders. “It’s not an unreasonable request. You’re the detective responsible for her brother’s arrest and she is your ex-girlfriend.”

      Irrelevant from Seth’s perspective. His jaw clenched in exasperation. It was his case, and no one would do a better job investigating Paige’s accident than him. Especially not Brett Ralston. He’d been a friend of Trey’s, but like the rest of local law enforcement, he’d seen the evidence and believed Trey was guilty. Like that wasn’t a conflict of interest for her, too.

      “Seth, I’m sorry.”

      Seth didn’t comment. Didn’t protest. If Paige didn’t want him on her case, fine.

      Mullins studied him, eyes narrowed. “Are you going to be okay with this?”

      Like he had a choice. Seth lifted a shoulder. “Sure. Absolutely.”

      “Good to hear.” Mullins’s face brightened. “Because we’ve been drowning around here since you’ve been gone. Now that you’re back, I have some things I’d like for you to get started—”

      “Hold on, Chief.” Seth waved a staying hand. “You were right when you said I’m still on vacation. And for the next week I plan to stay away from the office and out of sheriff’s department business.” He never should have stopped last night.

      “But—”

      “See you later, Chief.” Seth lifted his hand in a saucy salute and turned to walk out of the office. Now more than ever he needed time off. To unwind, get some work done and hopefully forget about Paige.

      * * *

      Paige walked down the sidewalk toward Boone Auto Body and Wrecker, trying to keep pace with Deputy Detective Brett Ralston of the Watauga County Sheriff’s Department. After a restful night, she was feeling the effects from her accident. Her limbs were stiff, body achy. But she wasn’t complaining. At least she was out of the hospital. A couple ibuprofen and she’d be fine.

      Instinctively, she reached for her shoulder bag, then realized it wasn’t there. Her heart sank, reality settling in. Her purse and other personal things had been left inside her car. She drew in a deep breath and exhaled. Hopefully, her items had been recovered by the wrecker service.

      Boone Auto Body and Wrecker was an older establishment that had been in business for decades. She entered the ancient brick building through a set of dingy glass doors and into a small waiting area. Everything around her was well worn, from the weathered wood reception desk to the cracked orange-vinyl chairs. The smell of grease and oil seasoned the air.

      She blinked as tears bit her eyes. This was the final resting place for her spunky little Jeep, her first purchase after she graduated from college.

      No big deal, she told herself. It was only a car. Still, she couldn’t hold in a weary sigh.

      “Are you okay?” Brett raised his bushy brows beneath his combed-back blond hair.

      Okay was a relative term. She bit her lower lip. Leaning against one of the weathered wood pillars, she managed a nod.

      A short, pudgy woman came around the corner carrying a cardboard box. “Miss Becker, here are the things recovered from your car.”

      Paige riffled through the menagerie of items. She hadn’t realized how much stuff she’d crammed into her handbag, which had obviously erupted like a volcano on impact. Besides her wallet, most items in her purse were trivial—receipts, candy, pens, markers, even a few stray tubes of lip gloss. Several other items from her car were in the box as well—an umbrella, her Bible and a small satchel of paperwork, even her ring of keys. But where was her—

      “Is that everything, Paige?”

      Paige snapped her head up at Brett’s question. “My phone. It’s missing.”

      They both turned to look at the young woman behind the front desk, her name tag reading Lisa.

      “Everything was removed from the car,” Lisa said. “The wrecker brought it in early this morning and everything left of it has been stripped. The seats, carpet, even the dash is gone.”

      “Gone?”

      “Anything that can be salvaged is taken out. Then everything else goes to scrap. You’re fortunate we found what we did.”

      Paige’s heart sank. The one thing she needed was gone.

      “It shouldn’t be too hard to get a replacement phone,” Brett said.

      Except her notes and the numbers for friends and family of Madison’s that she wanted to contact were on that phone.

      “Please sign this form, acknowledging receipt of your belongings,” Lisa said, handing her a clipboard.

      Paige scribbled her name on the line marked with an X, then started gathering her things, stuffing them back in her bag. Memories flashed in her head, errant bits and pieces of the night before—the storm, the truck, her Jeep tumbling down into the ravine. Just as quickly her thoughts switched to her brother, locked behind bars for a crime he’d never commit. Her mind fixed on that reality.

      She wasn’t going to let the loss of her vehicle or a cell phone stop her from uncovering the truth. Lord willing.

      Later that day, sometime after three, she walked out of the phone store, her new cell phone tucked in her purse. She stepped through the arched portals of the Blue Ridge Marketplace, an outdoor shopping area of home-style restaurants and retail shops.

      The anxiety-ridden adrenaline of the last twenty-four hours finally started to subside. Paige drew in a deep breath and let it out as she worked on getting her thoughts in order.

      Ever since she could remember, her brother had been her protector. Their single mom took off when they were young, and although they were left in their grandmother’s care, it was Trey who watched over her. Growing up, he made sure she had what she needed and never wanted her to worry about anything.

      Even now with his freedom hanging in the balance, he wanted to protect her, which was why he’d tried to distance her from his case.

      Paige, I don’t want you to put your life and career on hold for me. Trey’s oft repeated words rang in her head. She was twenty-eight, not a little girl anymore, and a counselor. Caring for others was her job. And who better to care for her brother?

      Despite her brother’s attempt to shield her from his troubles, she refused to sit by any longer. After months of constant badgering, Trey finally broke during her last visit with him and answered questions about Madison, her friends and family.

      Although Trey and Madison had been married nearly a year, Paige never really knew her sister-in-law well. Madison stayed somewhat elusive when it came to Trey’s family and friends. In fact she quickly pulled Trey into her world. A world built around her mother, brother and the family business.

      Paige couldn’t stop the surge in her heartbeat when she thought about how distant her brother had become after he got involved with Madison. If it hadn’t been for Seth’s love and support—

      Whoa! Enough. Paige stomped down those thoughts and hurried along the sidewalk. She had a job to do and no time to waste wallowing in the past. Tomorrow would be here before she knew it, and she had more important things to think about than Seth—like figuring out who’d killed Madison.

      She entered the parking deck and traversed the enclosed flight of switchback stairs that led to the fifth floor, where her rental car was parked. Two years earlier, city officials granted approval for this midtown shopping complex to be built. After months of delays, construction finally began just about the time she was leaving.

      So much had changed in the ten months she’d been gone. Her picturesque little mountain town was moving up in the world.

      Without her.

      A wave of sadness swelled inside her. Paige shook it away and continued up the narrow stairs. As she approached the third-floor landing, her feet faltered, stopped cold