To Believe Read online

  “Be quiet, Burt!” the woman snapped. “I ain’t bailing you out of jail.”

  Trina paused, keeping her gaze on Burt, waiting for him to make his move. She couldn’t smell any alcohol, but that didn’t mean they hadn’t been drinking. Or using something else.

  “Okay, okay!” Burt threw his hands up into the air. “I’ll shut up.”

  “Smart move,” Trina told him. She didn’t lower the taser as she glanced at the woman. “You both need to calm down, or you’ll be asked to leave. This is a public campground, maintained by the county, and that means I can force you both out of here for any reason. Understand?”

  The couple looked at each other, then reluctantly nodded. “Yeah, fine,” Burt finally said. And the woman added, “We’ll be quiet now.”

  Trina replaced the taser on her belt and turned to leave. She’d barely taken two steps when her radio went off again. “This is unit five. Backup is no longer required at the Pine Cone.”

  “Ten-four, but there’s another call from the Pine Cone Campground,” the dispatcher informed her. “This time from site fifty-one. Something about an accident.”

  She suppressed a sigh. Whatever happened to Sundays being a day of rest? “Ten-four, unit five responding.”

  It wasn’t until she was following the campground site numbers that she realized the significance of campsite fifty-one. It was the same location where she’d glimpsed the yellow, rust-stained trailer.

  And had been conked on the head.

  Adrenaline surged as she approached. Once again, she pulled off to the side of the narrow road, then slid out from behind the wheel.

  Resting her hand on her gun, she approached campsite fifty-one. A young couple was huddled closely together, the man appearing to console the woman who’d been crying. They were near a royal blue tent and a pile of chopped wood, but no fire.

  Sweeping her gaze over the area, she verified there was no evidence of the possible meth trailer. No obvious signs of injury to the young couple either.

  “Did you report an accident?” she asked.

  The man lifted his head, his expression grim. “I did.”

  She didn’t get it. “One of you is hurt?”

  “Not us,” the woman said, her eyes red and puffy from crying. She sniffled loudly, then gestured with a hand. “The man back there.”

  A cold tingle darted down her spine. “What man?”

  “The one we found lying in the clearing behind the brush.” The guy stepped back from his girlfriend. “I’ll show you.”

  Trina nodded and quickly followed the young man to the back of the campsite, which happened to be the exact same spot where she’d been assaulted.

  A skinny male figure was lying on the ground, his eyes staring blankly up at the sky. She instantly recognized him.

  Timothy Eden. The meth addict who’d given her the location of the meth trailer. An old rope was wrapped around his neck, and he was obviously dead.

  Most likely murdered and left in this spot as a dire message to her.

  Stop investigating the meth lab or face the consequences.

  11

  When Trina called to let him know she was running late, Jeremy groaned. The day had gone by incredibly slow with no end in sight.

  Bella and Jonas left before noon to return to Milwaukee, as they were both scheduled to work the following day. He had to laugh at the look of horror on Jake’s face when Bella, much to Jemma’s excitement, picked out a wedding date in early October at the B&B.

  Jake hadn’t gone to the airport. He’d been shocked to see Brianna had shown up and had agreed to stay for a couple of days to show Brianna the sights. He’d thought it was a bit comical that Jake would be playing tour guide but figured it may help the two of them sort out their differences. Jemma had told him they only had the rooms available through Thursday night because she had a wedding scheduled the following weekend.

  By the look on Jake’s face, five nights was more than enough.

  Jeremy took Trey and Goldie, Jazz’s Goldendoodle puppy, into town for an ice cream to give Jemma and Garth some time alone. The kid was a chatterbox and constantly running around to the point he wished he could leash the kid and the dog together since they tended to go separate ways. Jeremy felt exhausted after spending just a couple of hours with the boy.

  He had no idea how Jemma handled juggling her son’s needs with the business on a daily basis.

  He’d returned to the B&B to find things had grown quiet. After removing the decorations from Jemma and Garth’s wedding, he sat under the dome of the gazebo and gazed out at the people enjoying the lake. There were more speedboats and fishing boats than anything else. He wished he could take Trina out on a sailboat, but he knew his time with her was coming to an end.

  And he didn’t like it.

  But what could he do? He’d wracked his brain trying to think of a way they could spend more time together once the weekend was over. There might be the possibility of matching his days off with hers, but the likelihood of that working out on a long-term basis was slim, especially considering his new promotion would likely take up more of his time.

  “Hey, Jeremy.” Garth came into the gazebo and dropped into the deck chair beside him. “I hear you’re staying another day.”

  “Until Tuesday morning,” he confirmed. “Any chance Trina is off tomorrow?”

  “No clue, but I can call in and check,” Garth offered. “I’m working, only because Jemma and I are hoping to take our honeymoon in the winter. I want to take her someplace warm, during a time when closing the B and B for a week won’t hurt the business.”

  “Who’s going to watch Trey?” he asked.

  “You are.”

  His jaw dropped. “What? I am? Since when?”

  Garth laughed. “Oh, the look on your face. Priceless. No, I was just kidding. You’ll be glad to know Jazz and Dalton agreed to watch Trey while we’re gone.”

  The relief was staggering. “I, uh, could try to help them on my days off.”

  Garth grinned and shook his head. “You’re a wimp. Trey isn’t that bad.”

  “No, but his energy level takes some getting used to.” Jeremy hesitated, then asked, “If you could find out about Trina’s schedule without her knowing, I’d appreciate it.”

  “Hmm.” Garth wiggled his eyebrows, his gaze sparkling with interest. “I thought you two looked pretty cozy last night.”

  Figures their kiss on the lakefront hadn’t gone unnoticed. “I really like her,” he admitted. “Not sure she feels the same way, though. I was hoping another day or two might make her change her mind.”

  Garth nodded and pulled out his phone. He spoke to someone named Emily, then disconnected from the call. “Hate to break it to you, but Trina is scheduled again to work day shift on Monday. I’d offer to cover, but I am already scheduled. She’s off on Tuesday, though.”

  “I have to work Tuesday night.” Jeremy inwardly groaned. This was exactly what he’d been afraid of. At this rate, he may never get to see Trina again anytime soon. Other than possibly sharing breakfast in the morning. There was no way to avoid the fact that they’d end up going their separate ways.

  It occurred to him that he’d never felt this anxious about seeing Phoebe. More proof that their relationship was destined to fail, even if he hadn’t been involved in the drunk driving crash. Maybe he should be glad he hadn’t given in to her demands to get married.

  His phone rang and hope flashed when he saw Trina’s number. “Hey, how is it going?”

  “I’m hoping to be out of here by six. Maybe plan on meeting at Gino’s at seven?”

  That was another three hours away, but he’d take what he could get. “Sounds good, but I’d rather pick you up at your place at seven. That way we can walk over.”

  “Okay, that’s fine.” Trina’s voice was strained, as if she were exhausted. “See you then, unless you hear otherwise.”

  “Seven,” he repeated. “I’m looking forward to it.”

 
There was a slight hesitation before she added, “Me, too.”

  He was grinning like a fool, staring at his phone, when Garth let out a low whistle. “Wow, man, you have it bad.”

  There was no point in denying it. “Yep. Now I just have to convince her.”

  “Good luck with that.” Garth patted him on the shoulder. “She’s pretty committed to her mission.”

  His smile faded. “I know. I’d help if I could, but I’m a doctor not an investigator.”

  “Yeah, I get it. But I’ve often thought that our Clark County Medical Examiner had a job that was kind of like being an investigator while being a doctor, too. His goal is to determine how a victim has died. It’s a different type of investigating if you ask me.” Garth shrugged. “But it takes a special kind of person to cut into people after they’ve died. Not many have the stomach for it.”

  “I used to be a surgeon.”

  “I thought Jemma mentioned that.” Garth gestured to his hands. “I noticed the scars, what happened?”

  “Car crash.” He didn’t feel like going into the drunk driving story, especially the role he’d played by having a couple of drinks himself. Deep down, he couldn’t quite let go of the anger he felt toward the driver that crossed the center line, hitting him head-on. And the guilt that his two glasses of wine may have slowed his reaction time.

  “Well, you should probably know our Medical Examiner is looking to retire within the next year or two.”

  “And you’re telling me, why?”

  Garth shrugged. “Just thought you might be interested.”

  “I can’t operate anymore.”

  “Maybe not on live patients, where being off a fraction of an inch could cause irreversible harm, but I’m thinking that dead patients might not be as picky.”

  “I took an oath to save lives not work on dead bodies.”

  “Okay, okay.” Garth lifted his hands. “Just thought I’d mention it. You seemed like you were looking for a way to settle down in McNally Bay. Just offering an option.”

  “Okay, thanks.” Jeremy managed a weak smile. “I appreciate you mentioning it.”

  Long after Garth went back inside, he sat staring out at the lake, thinking about what his new brother-in-law had said.

  All through medical school, he’d been focused on being a surgeon. Trauma surgery had drawn him in from the very start. The not knowing what was coming through the front door, the fast pace, the way everyone worked together as a team.

  He’d loved it.

  Accepting the fact that he couldn’t operate any more had been extremely difficult. He’d loved the challenge of putting trauma patients back together again, fixing all the physical parts that had been broken.

  He’d never once considered the possibility of using his surgeon’s skills to uncover the cause of a patient’s death. The more he thought about it, the more intrigued he was by the idea. Yet it wasn’t like he could just go from being a former trauma surgeon to doing autopsies. Additional training would be required. In Lansing, a doctor needed to graduate from a forensic pathology program to perform autopsies.

  And there was his new promotion to consider. The hospital administration was counting on him to be a leader. Yet despite everything, considering the forensic pathology program gave him a sense of excitement. It was an area of medicine that he could do that would put his surgical skills to good use while offering a badly needed service to the community.

  The more he thought about the idea, the more he couldn’t let it go.

  Was this the very thing that would renew and re-energize his career? And if so, what would Trina think of his plan?

  Trina couldn’t believe Timothy Eden was dead. Her fellow deputy, Doug Carbine, had soon joined her at the Pine Cone Campground and agreed with her theory that Eden had been murdered.

  She’d questioned the young couple with the blue tent again, learning that they’d stumbled upon the body while looking for dried brush to use as kindling for their fire. They were too afraid to get close enough to check his pulse, so they simply called in what they assumed was some sort of suicide or accidental death. Especially considering the large tree branch lying on the ground nearby. Had Eden really tied himself up to the tree?

  Or had someone else tied him up there?

  She couldn’t blame the young couple for their actions. No one went camping expecting to find a murder victim. After encouraging them to move to another campsite, she and Doug stretched yellow tape around the crime scene.

  The coroner arrived, an older gentleman in his early sixties, huffing and puffing as he crossed the campsite to where Timothy Eden’s body waited. He crouched beside the body, then shook his head.

  “Could be a suicide,” Dr. Patton said. “But also could be a homicide.”

  Gee, thanks, Trina thought. That narrowed it down. She tried not to show her irritation. “Despite the broken tree branch, I have reason to believe it’s a homicide, so please make sure you check for any and all forensic evidence. Especially under his fingernails.”

  Dr. Patton grunted as he stood. “I will. Any idea who wanted him dead?”

  “Not exactly.” She glanced at Doug, who’d already asked her the exact same thing.

  But this wasn’t the time or the place to lay out her theory about Nathan Beck being the brains behind the meth lab. Beck’s brother owning a black truck and being off work during the time she’d been attacked wasn’t enough.

  She needed evidence. Hard, cold, irrefutable facts that could be used in a court of law.

  Because she knew the cop wouldn’t go down easy. Oh no. Especially Beck. She knew full well he’d be swinging and kicking all the way.

  The local ambulance company doubled as a coroner’s van. Two EMTs carefully lifted Eden’s body and placed it in the body bag. Then they loaded Eden onto their gurney. Dr. Patton trudged back out to his own car. She hurried after him.

  “Dr. Patton? When do you think you’ll have the autopsy completed?”

  The older man shrugged. “Nothing else waiting in the wings, should have the preliminary work done by Tuesday at the latest.”

  She almost pushed him to put a rush on it but remained silent. Dr. Patton could get feisty when challenged, and one day wouldn’t make a difference. Especially since she knew the full autopsy report, the one containing the microbiology information, including drug screens, would take thirty days or longer.

  Doug stepped up beside her. “You okay? I know he was your collar, but it seems odd to go from being arrested for driving under the influence to being found dead.”

  “Fine.” She felt bad for the role she’d played in Eden’s death but knew the person who’d murdered him, leaving him in the same spot where she’d been attacked, was the one who deserved to be behind bars.

  It was times like this that she really, really wished she had a K-9 partner. One that could track scents.

  “Heading back to headquarters?” Doug asked.

  “Yeah, I need to finish my report.” She moved toward her squad. “Thanks for the backup.”

  “No problem.”

  As she’d expected, she didn’t get home until nearly six p.m. She really wasn’t in the mood to go out with Jeremy, but she hoped she’d feel better after a long, hot shower.

  Thirty minutes later, she was dressed in a pair of black capris and a light blue tank top. She was still exhausted but was also beginning to feel hungry.

  While she waited for Jeremy, she tried to think of a way to find the evidence she needed against Nathan Beck. The deputy preferred to work the graveyard shift for a reason. She thought about offering to switch shifts with Kevin Powell. Everyone knew his marriage was on the rocks, maybe working day shifts for a bit would help him out.

  Although, the idea of working on the graveyard shift alongside Beck was unnerving. She had confidence in her ability to hold her own when it came to keeping peace in town, but facing off against Beck was something else. He was big, mean, and a bully.

  She shivered despite the w
armth.

  Lost in her troubling thoughts, the sound of her buzzer startled her. She pulled herself together and went over to the intercom. “Yes?”

  “It’s Jeremy.”

  She smiled. “I’ll be right down.”

  She found him waiting for her, looking amazing wearing a pair of relaxed jeans and T-shirt. His face brightened with a broad smile when he saw her, and in that moment, she couldn’t remember any other man ever looking at her the way Jeremy did.

  “Hey, beautiful.” He caught her hand with his. “I’m so glad to see you.”

  “We just saw each other last night.” She tried not to look too pleased at the compliment as they walked down Main Street.

  “I was bored silly today without you.” Jeremy’s husky voice sent a shiver of awareness down her spine.

  She told herself to keep things casual since she knew he was heading home the next day. “I can’t say I was bored.”

  “Busy?” Jeremy glanced at her. “Nothing too serious, I hope.”

  She hesitated, knowing that she couldn’t comment on Eden’s murder as it was an active murder investigation. No matter how much she wanted to confide in him, she knew she couldn’t. “Just busy.”

  His hand lightly squeezed hers. “I’m here if you want to talk.”

  “Thanks. What else did you do today aside from taking Jake to the airport and back?”

  “Jake didn’t go to the airport because his old girlfriend, Brianna Murphy, flew here to see him.”

  “She came without telling him? Wow, that took guts.”

  “Yeah.” Jeremy grinned. “And I have to tell you I loved the expression on his face when he saw her.”

  “I bet.” She shook her head, wondering if Brianna’s gamble would pay off or send her crashing and burning. Her gut told her there was something off about how Jake avoided his family.

  Jeremy held the door of Gino’s Pizzeria open for her, and they wedged their way inside. The place was hopping, but from what she could tell, there were more people leaving than waiting to be seated.

  The noise made her head hurt, but the mouth-watering scent of Gino’s pizza was enough to convince her to stay.