The electronic tether Finn wore on his ankle actually allowed for a wide separation, which permitted her to do her job properly without him setting off any alarms. She’d been careful to keep the exact details from Finn because she was well aware of how he loved to push boundaries, but she’d had to be briefed so she didn’t inadvertently trigger an armed response.

  As she waited for Meadow and Kyle to park and get their K-9s ready she kept thinking of Finn, of how each moment drew her closer to fully accepting his innocence while also dreading the possibility she was being too gullible.

  “No. He’s innocent,” Selena told herself. “I’d know if he was guilty. My heart would warn me.”

  Like it warned you he was going to dump you? Yes, there had been other tragic events in her life that had equaled or surpassed the night Finn had broken up with her. Nevertheless, only a couple came close. Losing her big sister to an overdose had been one. Estrangement from her parents after Angela’s death had been another because she’d accused them of enabling by funding the dangerous drug habit, and they’d turned the blame on her, on the police force for not arresting the suppliers, rather than accept their own part in the tragedy.

  That had left Selena essentially alone in life, and she thanked God daily for inspiring her to pursue her dreams of a career in law enforcement, specifically with K-9 units. An affinity for animals had given her a base of understanding, and proper training had finished the job. Living and working with an intelligent K-9 wasn’t the same as having a beloved pet. It was better because it brought her the companionship missing from her life as well as allowing her to atone, in part, for the ways she’d felt she’d failed her sister and her now deceased parents. Acting as a civilian wouldn’t have helped back then, but she kept wondering if there was something she’d missed seeing, which is exactly why she’d chosen to make her life’s work correcting injustices and punishing criminals. Good had come out of the bad.

  Kyle West was FBI, so he and coonhound Rocky took point. US Marshall Meadow Ames and her vizsla, a Hungarian hound breed, followed.

  Selena and Scout trailed the other two as they approached the modest house. Its lawn needed mowing, and there was mail sticking out of a box by the porch.

  Signaling a stop, Kyle drew his gun. “Rocky is alerting,” he said. “Approach with caution.”

  In sync with her fellow officers, Selena shortened the leash on Scout and palmed her holster, ready to draw. A brief glance back at her SUV showed that Finn was where he was supposed to be. Good. The last thing they needed was a civilian mucking up their crime scene, assuming the dog was right and there was one here.

  A moment after Kyle made entry to the unkempt home, Selena knew without a doubt that someone or something was dead. She didn’t have to have the extraordinary nose of a hunting dog to tell. It was painfully evident.

  They were too late.

  * * *

  Watching from the car, Finn saw the officers pause. Noting how cautious they were acting and knowing how extensively trained their K-9 partners were, he figured something was up.

  Kyle West, the FBI agent in the lead, followed his black-and-tan hound toward the Randall house. Behind West, another large dog of a lighter tan color was also highly alert.

  Finn saw Selena speaking to the dark-haired female officer he’d been introduced to as Meadow Ames, a federal marshal from Montana. Together, they held back, letting West proceed alone.

  In seconds, he’d rejoined them and was speaking into a radio. If both sides of the conversation had not been broadcast inside the SUV, Finn would have jumped out and run to Selena as soon as he’d noticed how upset everyone was acting.

  “That’s right.” Finn assumed it was West speaking. “We have a deceased victim. Identified tentatively as Luke Randall.”

  Finn listened as local units, a crime scene team and the coroner were dispatched. Yes, he hoped there were clues at the murder scene. No, he wasn’t convinced the right conclusion would be drawn, no matter what CSI discovered. After all, he’d been innocent of killing his birth father, and he’d still been convicted.

  Science was good. Clues were good. It was the interpretation of the evidence that left too much to chance. As long as human beings were involved, there was no telling what would happen.

  Folding his arms across his chest, Finn stayed put. Watching. Waiting. Wondering what was next, in this case as well as in his. Records made available after Zeb’s murder showed that the cops had left big enough loopholes in that investigation to drive a truck through. In retrospect, he could see how the average person could be fooled and mistakenly convict him when the supposed evidence was so strong. He had been there just before Zeb had been poisoned. And he didn’t have an alibi for when his poor dad had been shot later. That left only the testimony of the ranch foreman, Ned Plumber, as proof, so to speak. Therefore, if they could get that man to admit to perjury as hoped, there was a very good chance of a reversal of the conviction.

  After that, somebody needed to prove who had actually done the killing. The ranch connection pointed Finn to his uncle Edward rather than an enemy from prison. Chances were good that Edward or one of the ranch hands who worked for him was limping from a gunshot wound to the leg, compliments of Selena.

  If Finn had thought for a second that his arrival at the ranch would have triggered Zeb’s death, he never would have gone there. He sighed. Like everything else in the past, it was over and done. Finished. There was no going back, no fixing mistakes. Mistakes like he himself had been, he mused, thinking of his conception and birth.

  That notion caused him to recall the Christian faith his single mother, Mary, had imparted as best she could, even as she struggled to put food on the table. She’d trusted God to look after her while she’d raised him. If anybody deserved the happiness, love and support she’d received from James Donovan it was his mom. And now, despite the fact she’d seen one of her sons framed for murder and had watched her beloved husband die, she still clung to her faith, to Jesus.

  Finn hadn’t understood her inner strength before he’d been sent to prison, but now he had a better idea of what she’d been trying to tell him all his life. As bad as being unfairly convicted had been, that experience had forced him to face his faults, admit his real sins, get his heart right with the Lord.

  And now? Shaking his head slowly, pensively, he sighed. The promise of a retrial had lifted his spirits considerably, and nothing that had gone wrong since then had changed that. What had changed was everything else around him.

  Seeing Selena pull out her cell phone and put it to her ear didn’t worry Finn until he saw her frown, then look directly at him. Now what?

  With Scout at heel, she headed for her SUV, picking up the pace as she neared. The obedient K-9 hopped into the back as soon as she gave him the signal, and Finn watched her hurry back to slide behind the wheel.

  “What’s going on?” he asked, concerned.

  “Fasten your seat belt.”

  Finn complied.

  The vehicle was racing toward downtown Sagebrush before she explained. “One of Sheriff Unger’s deputies just arrested a prowler trying to break into my house.”

  “The guy that forced the van off the road?”

  “Nope. Guess again.”

  Something about her manner, her speech, chilled Finn to the bone, and he searched his memory for possibilities. “I’m telling you, I don’t hang out with crooks.”

  “This one isn’t exactly a crook. Not yet, anyway. Unger’s men just picked up a teenager trying to crawl into my house through a window.”

  “A... No.”

  Nodding, Selena put words to his fears. “Oh, yes. It was your brother, Sean.”

  Eight

  As far as Selena was concerned the boy should have simply been cautioned and released, but she understood why the sheriff had chosen to hold him. Unger had a soft heart when it came to wayward kids and often used his office to make a point if he didn’t think it was too late for their redemption. Explaining that to Finn, however, was not easy.

  “Look, you can speak with the sheriff about your brother while I contact my K-9 unit boss. First things first.”

  “Sean comes first with me.”

  “As he should,” Selena said calmly, “but he’s alive and well. Luke Randall is not.”

  “You’re sure it was him you found?”

  “No positive ID yet, but we’ll soon be sure. The deceased matched Randall’s description and was found in his house. That’s plenty of proof for me.”

  “Agreed.”

  Leading Scout and Finn into the station through a back door, Selena spoke to one of the deputies on the side. “Sheriff Unger needs to speak with Mr. Donovan and vice versa. I have a private call to make.” She smiled assurance. “He’s not dangerous, I promise.”

  The theatrical rolling of Finn’s striking blue eyes broadened her grin. At least he wasn’t so upset over his brother’s arrest that he’d lost his sense of humor. That was a good sign. So was the fact that he hadn’t argued about speaking directly to the sheriff. Lots of ex-convicts formed a permanent aversion to law enforcement. It was comforting to see that Finn wasn’t one of them.

  She stepped into an empty office with her K-9 and closed the door behind them before calling Chase Rawlston. He answered immediately.

  “Have you heard from Kyle yet?” Selena began. “We found Randall. Dead.”

  “Yes. You were there?”

  “I was. Rocky alerted before anybody. Kyle entered the residence alone so we didn’t contaminate the crime scene. I didn’t actually view the body. Was there a note?”

  “There was,” Rawlston said.

  “Like the others?” The other recent victims, Henry Mulder and Peter Windham, had each been found with a note stabbed into them. They got what they deserved. More to come across the Rockies. And I’m saving the best for last. The task force believed the final victim was meant to be Trevor Gage—the YRC’s prank victim’s date.

  “Unfortunately,” Chase confirmed, “the killer says he is not done. Not yet.”

  “That’s what I’ve been afraid of.” She paused, thinking of Finn and hoping she wouldn’t be immediately recalled to Wyoming. “Do you want us to stay in Idaho until after the postmortem?”

  “Longer, unless we get another fresh lead,” Rawlston said. “I want you and the others to stay alert for any more sightings of Cowgirl, especially since the last pictures we got of her in the company of a tall blond man. If she’s spotted in Sagebrush again, it’ll be a good sign he’s still hanging around.”

  “Are you saying that man might not have a connection to Randall’s death?”

  “You’re assuming your new victim was Luke Randall. He’s aged since the ID photo we have.” Chase cleared his throat. “At any rate, I agree with the sheriff. Since you’ve gotten yourself mixed up in a local crime, too, you may as well stick around and see if you can solve that.”

  Selena was so grateful she lacked words. “I, um...”

  “Don’t thank me now. Wait and see how it all turns out. If I need you, I’ll call. In the meantime, do what you can to assist Unger and the county force. Sounds like they have their hands full.”

  “I wouldn’t be involved at all if you hadn’t given permission for the sheriff to use me as a prisoner escort.”

  Hearing her boss laugh surprised Selena. “What’s so funny?”

  “You are,” Chase said, continuing to sound highly amused. “I got the details of your valiant actions as well as the personal side of that assignment. I know you won’t want to leave town until your old friend is in the clear.”

  “I never said that.”

  “You didn’t have to. Are you saying it’s untrue?

  “Not exactly, no, but...”

  “Okay. I don’t need to know more right now. Just stay and work on the Sagebrush case while Kyle and Meadow follow up on Randall’s background and look into other possibilities. If the man was as big a bully in Idaho as he was in Elk Valley, he may have made somebody else mad enough to kill him.”

  “Surely the note the killer left proves otherwise.”

  “Logically, yes. We just need to be sure our serial murderer didn’t find him already dead and take advantage of the situation to claim credit.”

  “Ballistics?”

  “If they match, we’ll know.” Chase cleared his throat. “My orders stand. If you can clean up the Donovan matter while you’re in Sagebrush, all the better.” He paused. “Your time there will necessarily be limited, of course. As a sworn federal agent, your primary allegiance is to our K-9 team. While you’re there, I’ll expect you to keep looking into sales of the pink dog collar in the photos of Cowgirl, too. There can’t be that many stores selling jeweled ones that say Killer.”

  “Of course.” Selena intended to give the search for Cowgirl all the attention necessary, yet she was also thankful for the opportunity to officially delve deeper into Finn’s case. Whoever had been trying to eliminate him was probably doing so to cover up the original murder of his birth father. If Finn was out of the picture, there would be no reason for anyone to look beyond his conviction for the real guilty party. Dead, Finn was the perfect scapegoat.

  Alive, however, he posed a continuing threat to whoever had actually killed Zeb. Selena was positive Finn was innocent. Finding out who was guilty was the key to proving that.

  Was she going to have enough time to bring justice? She certainly hoped so, especially since she could see herself playing a providential role in his case. Yes, she had been sent to Sagebrush on a different mission, but that didn’t mean God couldn’t use her in more than one way.

  That was the trouble with the human mind. People tended to be linear thinkers while the God of the universe was not limited by time or space. She could easily be involved for more than one reason, for righting multiple wrongs, for bringing justice in spite of many forces pitted against it.

  Such ethereal thinking was foreign to many people but not to her or to other committed Christians she knew who trusted their Heavenly Father enough. Granted, it was impossible to go through life without doubt. Everybody wondered from time to time, and Selena was no different. This time, however, she was seeing an opportunity to act in a way that seemed destined to right a horrible wrong. How could she not follow through?

  Ending her call to Rawlston and pocketing her phone, she left the small office with Scout at heel and went in search of Finn. He was going to be so thrilled with the good news. She could hardly wait to tell him.

  * * *

  “You’re what?” Finn almost shouted at her. “I thought you’d be leaving after the last guy originally from Wyoming got killed.” He kept looking back and forth between Selena and Unger, hoping the sheriff would express equal surprise and order her to return to Wyoming. Instead, the older man steepled his fingers in front of his face to partially mask a grin.

  “Whether you like it or not,” Selena said flatly, “I’m still in charge of keeping track of you, so get used to it.”

  “What about my brother? What am I going to do with him?” A glance at Unger was far from comforting.

  The sheriff drew his fingers down his cheeks to meet at the point of his chin. “Well, I suppose I could pack him off home to your mama, where he belongs, but I doubt he’d stay put if I do that.”

  “I told you I’d talk some sense to him,” Finn insisted.

  “That you did.”

  Selena interrupted. “How did he find out where you were staying in the first place?”

  “My attorney informed my family in order to warn them to avoid contact. Sean obviously didn’t listen.”

  “Or he listened too well. If he hadn’t been spotted before breaking in to my place, no telling what kind of trouble he’d be in already.”

  “I get that, believe me,” Finn said. “I just think, if I can have a serious talk with him, I can convince him to behave.”

  The snort from Unger expressed a clear opinion. To Finn’s relief, Selena seemed more amenable to the idea, so he concentrated on her. “Please?”

  Unspoken agreement flashed between her and the sheriff. “All right.” She turned to her former boss. “In the cells or in an interview room?”

  “Oh, definitely the cells,” the sheriff said with a grin. He picked up his phone and pressed a button, then gave orders for Selena and Finn to be admitted at the jail.

  Behind bars again. The mere thought made Finn’s stomach turn. As he fell into step behind Selena and her K-9, he kept telling himself, Only for my kid brother.

  * * *

  Although Selena had not seen Sean Donovan since he was nine or ten, she would have known him anywhere. His sparkling blue eyes and light brown hair were the mirror image of Finn’s. The sullen attitude and the way he folded his arms across his chest matched his brother’s, too, except for the red jacket the boy was wearing. Finn had always preferred denim. Contrasting the two brothers helped her recall how far Finn had come and how different he was as a mature man.

  “Open up,” she told the guard, then stepped back to allow Finn access to the cell.

  Instead of the loving embrace she had expected to see, the brothers faced each other like two roosters meeting for the first time in a barnyard. Beside her at heel, Scout bristled at the perceived tension.

  “Breaking into a house? What did you think you were doing?” Finn demanded.

  Sean stood tall, his lanky form nearly as tall as his sibling’s. “I wanted to see you.”

  Finn spread his arms wide. “Well, you see me.”

  As Selena watched, it was as if an icy barrier melted, freeing the youth and propelling him forward. He slammed into Finn’s chest hard enough to stagger him, wrapped both arms around his waist and began to weep quietly.