Betty stepped back. “I’ve said my piece, and I won’t interfere again. I’m leaving it in God’s hands and I know He has big things planned for you both.”

  “Thank you for caring,” Lexie said, wishing she thought the same thing, as she didn’t think God had plans for her at all.

  Betty squeezed Lexie’s hand. “You go find Gavin, and I’ll finish up the cookies.”

  “Are you sure?”

  She nodded. “Might want to bring a plate of cookies to him, though.”

  Lexie filled a plate and went to the office where he was reviewing files to see if he could find any connection between Dr. Lowell and her father.

  He looked up from behind his computer and smiled, looking heart-stoppingly handsome. “Please tell me those are snickerdoodles.”

  Speechless over the return of the good-natured Gavin, she nodded and set the plate next to him.

  He snatched up a cookie, his smile disappearing as he chomped a bite and moaned with joy.

  She loved seeing him as carefree as he’d been before the shooting. Oh, how she wished he could let go of his past to find this kind of contentment again. Not for her. But for him. To find the peace he needed to be whole again.

  He swallowed. “I know these aren’t traditional Christmas cookies, but you’ve gotta love Nana for adding them to her Christmas baking list because she knows I love them.”

  “She spoils all of you so much.” Lexie sat before she did something dumb like lean over the desk and kiss him.

  “She says that’s what nanas are for.” His silly boyish grin that Lexie had seen in many of his family portraits crossed his face.

  Lexie understood his emotions. She’d once been spoiled by Betty, too. Even after she and Gavin had broken up, Betty had dropped by with freshly baked goodies until Lexie told her it was too hard to see her. She wished she’d known her grandparents, but they’d all passed and she could hardly remember them.

  “So are you trying to butter me up for something with these cookies?” He took another one.

  “No. I was on my way to talk to you about Dr. Lowell, and Betty told me to bring them to you.”

  His smile disappeared. “What about Lowell?”

  “If my dad was involved in the Medicaid fraud, might he have escalated to dealing illegal drugs, too?”

  “Seems quite possible.”

  “What if he’d tried to get out from under their control like Dr. Lowell, and they threatened to kill him? Perhaps the very reason he turned the three patients away when he did.”

  “Sounds plausible and could also be the reason he disappeared,” Gavin said. “But there’s a difference in that Lowell didn’t have a family where your dad did.”

  “Family? I don’t see how that would make a difference.”

  “Your dad was worth more alive and peddling their drugs than dead, so it’s likely they’d threaten to kill you and Adam first.”

  “But when Dad took off, wouldn’t they have approached us?”

  “I could be wrong, or maybe when he disappeared they didn’t see any point in threatening you until your dad came back to town.”

  “So maybe Dad didn’t try to get out. Or he might not have been involved in the same syndicate and this is about something else entirely.” She thought for a moment. “One thing is certain... Dad’s killer said he was involved in a syndicate, and he was going to meet with the leader. But what about?”

  “I suppose he could have found a way to collect information on them, and they left him alone because he could turn them in.”

  “And Dad put the information in the envelope. He’d said it was my insurance, so that makes sense.”

  “This all sounds plausible, but they were so careful to avoid giving Lowell any information. Your dad would have had to be crafty to gather anything on them.”

  “Well, Dad was a crafty guy. He could have followed the guy with the phone, or even paid someone to follow him. I could totally see him doing that if these men were putting pressure on him. He had such a big ego, he didn’t back down from anyone, maybe not even these guys.”

  “You could be right, but at this point we have no proof.”

  Lexie’s phone rang but she didn’t recognize the number. Thinking it could have to do with her father’s funeral arrangements, she answered.

  “Ms. Grant, this is Dr. Thomas. Medical examiner.”

  “Yes, Dr. Thomas, how can I help you?” she asked, but wasn’t sure she wanted to hear what he had to report.

  “I’ve completed your father’s autopsy and thought you might be interested in my findings. You likely already know this, but I discovered a mass in his brain. Cancerous and inoperable. If he hadn’t been shot, he would’ve had a month or so left.”

  “Cancer. Dad?” She let the news settle in. “Is it possible that he wouldn’t have known about it?”

  “Not likely. At the cancer’s advanced stage, he couldn’t have explained away the symptoms. Especially with his medical knowledge.”

  Lexie’s heart clenched and she couldn’t think of a single word in response. Even when her father knew he was dying, he hadn’t wanted to spend his last days with her. With Adam. Her heart creased and tears pricked her eyes.

  “Also,” the ME continued, “the body’s been released, and you can now arrange for the funeral home to transport him.”

  “Thank you, Dr. Thomas.” She ended the call.

  “What is it?” Gavin asked.

  She managed to tell him about the call before her tears took her to a place she didn’t want to go.

  Gavin came around the desk and knelt at her feet. He took her hands.

  “How could he not want to be with me in his final days? Am I that horrible? Unlovable?” She didn’t care if Gavin saw her distress, but let her tears fall, her body heaving with the pain. She freed her hands and wrapped her arms around her body to rock in place.

  “Look at me, sugar,” Gavin demanded.

  His sharp tone snapped her from her reverie and she peered at him.

  He gently pried her arms free and held her hands, the warmth of his touch comforting. “You’re an amazing woman, Lex. He was a fool if he didn’t love you enough to spend his last days with you.”

  She thought to mention that Gavin had done the same thing in leaving her, but she couldn’t battle that pain now, too, so she kept her mouth shut.

  “You know,” he said, “maybe he left because he loved you.”

  “How’s that even possible?”

  “What if he feared the syndicate was coming after him, and he left so they’d hunt him down and leave you and Adam alone?”

  Was that possible? “But wouldn’t they still come after us to see if we knew where he was?”

  “I suppose they might have. Maybe he explained all of this in his will, and you should consider reading it.”

  “I’ll think about it,” she said and freed her hands to wipe away her tears.

  Could she honestly handle it if her father didn’t mention her at all? If he hadn’t said goodbye and had left because he just didn’t love her?

  * * *

  Gavin tried to sleep on the lumpy sofa in the cabin, but he couldn’t let go of his conversation with Lexie that afternoon. His heart ached for Lexie. How could she not realize what an amazing woman she was?

  He wished she’d agree to get her father’s will. Even if she was right and her father hadn’t wanted to be with her in his dying days, it was better to know about it so she could move on.

  At least, that was what he’d want to do if it was his dad. Man, thinking about his dad dying was a kick in the teeth. Would he really want to know his father resented him until his last breath? That they hadn’t reconciled. How could Gavin live with that? But this wasn’t about him and how he would feel if he lost his father.

  It wasn’t even about reconciling so he could come back home and be with Lexie. It was about now. Today. About how he and his dad couldn’t talk to one another. Couldn’t comfortably be in the same room together. And it was also about his mom, the whole family, in the middle of their feud, suffering.

  They’d made a bit of progress today, if his dad’s earlier nod when readying Lexie for the meet meant what Gavin had thought it meant. So was it the right time to approach him to try to work this out?

  Gavin just didn’t know. He sighed and turned over. Forced his mind to still and listen to the whistling wind. He fell into an uneasy sleep until a noise woke him.

  Shivering, he lurched forward and discovered the room was freezing cold. Had the noise been in his dreams or had something happened to the heater? He got to his feet and slipped into his boots before grabbing his holster and clipping it on his belt. He took a few steps when the strong smell of propane gas stopped him dead in his tracks.

  Propane powered the stove and heater, which seemed to be out. He raced across the room to the stove, the smell growing stronger as he approached the kitchen.

  The knobs were all turned off, but the smell came from behind the stove.

  No! Oh, no. He’s trying to poison her.

  Gavin bolted for the bedrooms and pounded on the doors. “Get up! Gas! The place could explode!”

  He heard movement behind Lexie’s door but not Adam’s. Gavin shoved the door open and jerked earbuds out of the kid’s ears. “Get up. There’s a propane leak. We have to leave.”

  He stumbled out of bed.

  “Meet me at the door.” Gavin ran back to the living area, where Lexie hurried to the front door and was slipping into her boots. Adam joined them. With one swipe of his hand, Gavin pulled all of their jackets from the hooks and tossed theirs to them.

  “Stay here for a moment while I take a look outside.” He stepped out to check for a trap. He peered around the vicinity while shrugging into his jacket.

  Thinking it was safer outside than in, he turned back to them. “C’mon. Let’s move.”

  The moment Lexie stepped outside he grabbed her hand. “We’re going to run all the way to the main house.” He looked at Adam. “Can you keep up?”

  “Yes.”

  Gavin started running, but kept checking to make sure the boy was in step with them. His free hand on his sidearm, he led them to the house and unlocked the door.

  “What happened, anyway?” Adam asked, his eyes filled with fear.

  “A noise woke me, and I smelled propane. It was coming from the stove area.”

  “But we didn’t use the stove.”

  “Exactly,” Gavin said. “Wake Dad up and tell him what’s going on and to call 9-1-1.”

  “Why can’t you do that?” she asked.

  “I’m going back to the propane tank to turn it off and warn the other guests.”

  “Isn’t it dangerous to go back there?” she asked.

  “The tank is a distance from that cabin, so I’ll be fine.”

  Lexie looked like she might cry, but instead she drew him close for a hug. “Be careful.”

  “Always.”

  He headed for the stairs and heard Adam ask, “So you’re hugging him now? Unbelievable.”

  Gavin’s gut twisted as he ran across the property. He soon reached the large propane tank and turned the lever. He wanted to go into the cabin to confirm the propane source, but he wasn’t foolish.

  He woke the other guests and evacuated them a safe distance away. By the time sirens sounded from the fire trucks, his dad came barreling down the drive.

  “You’re okay.” He sighed out a breath.

  “Fine,” he said, his mind now turning to what could have happened if he hadn’t woken up. He could have lost Lexie. Adam. His own life. Lexie was right. He didn’t have all the time in the world to fix things. Not only with his dad, but with everyone.

  God, please. If You’re there. Listening. I can’t keep hurting my family. Lexie and Adam or myself. This has gone on long enough. Bring it to an end. Please. I’m ready. More than ready.

  Gavin heard the fire truck stop nearby and hurried over to update Lieutenant Frazer. Carrying a device to read propane levels, the lieutenant entered the cabin while his men stood at the ready.

  Frazer soon stepped outside and, after talking to one of his men, joined Gavin. “The propane levels are high, but the place isn’t gonna blow. We’ll add fans to suck out the fumes and I’ll monitor things. Not that a carbon monoxide detector can pick up propane, but you might want to consider installing a propane alarm.”

  “We did install them,” Gavin’s dad said. “In each unit, near the stove.”

  “Then someone removed it.” Frazer frowned. “But your location was spot-on, as the leak came from the stove.”

  “But I checked it,” Gavin insisted. “Everything was turned off.”

  “True,” Frazer replied. “Someone disconnected the main line.”

  “So this was no accident.” Gavin let the deadly implication settle in. “No accident at all.”

  FIFTEEN

  Gavin spent the morning getting agents up to speed and in place for the envelope drop while Lexie met with Aunt Ruth, who’d returned from vacation. Now he sat in the van with his father and watched Lexie on the large monitor. She marched up to the new drop location at the post office, and he could hardly sit still. The past few days told him he wasn’t over her and that she still meant the world to him. How could he possibly rest easy with her in danger?

  “I have to admit this case has me baffled,” his dad said. “If our suspect was expecting Lexie to provide the information today, he wouldn’t have tried to kill her last night.”

  “Unless he found the info between the time he called her and bedtime last night, and he no longer needs her.”

  “But why kill her?”

  Gavin wondered the same thing. “He could think she’d read the files and he had to silence her before she told anyone. Like maybe the second guy we suspect is involved. Or maybe he thinks she’s double-crossing him to try to catch him, and the attempt on her life is all about revenge.”

  “That would make sense, but where could he have found the files?” His father frowned. “If we don’t apprehend the guy on this drop, I’ll head back to Ruth’s house to see if anyone’s been there since Betty and Winnie cleaned up.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” Gavin shifted his attention to the screen where Lexie tossed the envelope in the trash can and walked away. She soon stepped out of camera range. Gavin wished she could talk to him as she walked to the car and assure him of her safety, but that would alert the guy if he was watching.

  Each moment he waited felt like an hour. He counted. Waited. Prayed. Yeah, him. Praying again. Maybe believing a little, too.

  “I’m at the car,” she finally said. “Any action?”

  Gavin sighed heavily, his relief riding on the gust of air. “Not yet. Head back to the office and let me know the second you arrive.”

  His stress level dropped a notch. He didn’t fully relax until the next call from Lexie came in. But just then a man dressed in a parka with the hood up, his head down, moved furtively down the street, grabbing Gavin’s attention. The oversize parka seemed too severe even for the cold snap. It was as if he was wearing it to disappear within the huge hood. He paused near the trash can and took out his cell phone. Acting as if he was simply talking on the phone, he leaned over and grabbed the envelope.

  “Move in,” Gavin instructed his agents.

  “You have him?” Lexie asked.

  “Looks like it.”

  The agents slipped out of the shadows and grabbed the man. He resisted arrest, but the agents soon had him on the ground and in cuffs. They jerked him to his feet and pulled off his hood. He had slicked-back hair and a spotty beard, and was generally well-groomed.

  Roiling emotions ground through Gavin’s gut and he had to restrain himself from leaping out of the truck to tear into the man.

  Matt arrived to take the suspect into custody. He pulled a phone from the guy’s pocket and then tapped the screen a few times. “It’s the phone used to call Lexie,” Matt reported over the comms unit. “I’m bringing this jerk in.”

  “We have him!” Lexie cried out.

  “Don’t get too excited, Lex,” Gavin warned as his father got their van on the road.

  They arrived at the office and Lexie met them in the hallway. A male, cursing at the top of his lungs from the back entrance, declared his innocence in the arrest. Lexie’s eyes widened and then she clapped a hand over her mouth.

  “What’s wrong?” Gavin asked, peering worriedly down at her.

  “If that’s the man you arrested, he’s not the man from the airport. Not the man who killed Dad.”

  “Are you sure?”

  She nodded, her eyes going wide. “So this isn’t over.”

  “Let’s not jump to conclusions,” his father said. “The interview could clear things up.”

  Gavin nodded. “We’ll talk to him right away.”

  “Will you come back to update me when you finish?” She clutched Gavin’s arm.

  “Of course.” He squeezed her hand then followed his father to the interview room.

  “Meet Yancy Vandale,” Matt said as he settled the suspect in a chair. “He’s the pharmacist at Speedy Pharmacy in Willow.”

  Eager to figure out how a pharmacist was involved, Gavin gestured for his dad to sit in the chair across the table from Vandale.

  He shook his head. “It’s all yours, son.”

  Gavin couldn’t hide his surprise, but quickly recovered and took the chair to begin questioning.

  Matt departed, and his dad leaned against the wall. If Gavin read him right, he appeared confident in Gavin’s ability. Maybe his dad had changed, after all.

  Gavin turned his attention to the suspect. “You’re in a lot of trouble, Mr. Vandale.”