Ackerman was quiet for a long moment. Was she gaining ground? Possibly changing his mind about allowing her to be involved? “Audrey, you’re a very good deputy,” he finally said. “Which is why you need to take a step back from this one as I asked. So, you don’t cross a line that can’t be undone.”
Audrey filled the sheriff in on the visit from Halsey.
“She came to me on her own, boss,” Audrey said. “She trusted me with the information and now I’m telling you.”
“You’re doing the right thing, Audrey.” The sheriff paused. “Still need you to step off this case. Let me do my job.”
“Does that mean you’re opening an investigation?” she pressed, knowing full well she was pushing her luck.
“I’m not discussing my plans with you,” Ackerman said firmly. It was the tone he used when she’d crossed a line, and he was warning her to proceed with caution. “But you have introduced new information and I wouldn’t be good at my job if I didn’t follow up.” Ackerman blew out a frustrated breath. “We’re on the same team here.”
“I know,” she said. “Did you find the cash on him?”
Again, she was met with silence on the other end of the line.
“I’m good at being a deputy because I’m stubborn,” she said, trying to influence his position. “You’ve praised those qualities before.”
“Can’t say that I’m not regretting that choice right now,” he admitted, still with the warning tone.
“You probably are,” she said, easing off the gas pedal a bit. “But I think we both know the department is better off for it. And all I’m looking for here is confirmation about the money. Can you give me at least that much?”
“Did you visit the Napier home?”
She could deny it, but he could easily find out. Plus, she hated lying. “Yes, sir, I did.”
“Did you ask the Napiers to give you access to the suspect’s room?”
“Yes, sir.” She figured Halsey was right about their parents keeping their heads in the sand about what Jenson had become. Especially their mother. Stephanie Napier most definitely had blinders on when it came to her son. Morris did not.
Even if Morris knew something, he wouldn’t say it in front of his wife. He came across as the loyal type. He wasn’t likely to say it behind her back, either, for fear word would get back to her. No, Morris wanted to protect his wife from any potential harm even when he needed to find out what his son was up to, and he would see nothing to gain by exposing his son. In his mind, it was over.
“They lost their son, Audrey,” Ackerman said. “This hasn’t been easy on them.”
“I can’t imagine it would be.” Was that it? Was her boss trying to protect folks he’d known for the better part of his life? Small towns gossiped, and small towns protected their own.
Didn’t she qualify?
“They don’t deserve to have their names dragged through the mud without concrete proof,” he continued.
“Halsey came forward. We have to respect her for that.” She wanted to point out that she clearly wasn’t the only one with a personal interest in the case. But this didn’t seem like the right time for the reminder.
A flurry of activity down the hallway caught her attention. And then Duke came bolting down the hallway toward his grandparents’ room. Had he been standing at the waiting room door or taking a walk after their tense exchange?
“I have to go, sir,” she said to her boss. She got the okay before ending the call and rushing toward a distressed-looking Duke.
Chapter Seventeen
“False alarm.”
Duke heard the words, but they were taking a minute to seed. His heart had dropped as he’d been walking the halls before hearing his grandmother’s room number being called out as in distress.
“What happened in there?” he asked the nurse blocking his entrance to his grandparents’ room.
“The good news is that your grandmother moved,” the nurse said, holding a hand up to stop Duke from charging right through her. She couldn’t stop him if she wanted to, but he didn’t think it was a good idea to get on the wrong side of the nursing staff when it looked like his grandparents might be in here for a while. “She jiggled her IV loose which caused the alarm to sound.”
“Everything okay?” Audrey asked as she came up beside him. Those concern lines were back, creating deep grooves in her forehead.
“Seems like nothing,” he said, his words consoling her. She’d walked out of the waiting area in a huff. “An IV.”
“You’ll do your grandparents the best favor if you go back to the waiting room,” the nurse urged, taking a step forward while her hand was still planted on Duke’s chest. It caused him to take a step back. His first instinct was to charge forward, but experience and getting older was bringing more patience.
Still. He had limits.
“We’ll be in there if anything else happens,” he said to the nurse before turning to Audrey. It dawned on him that she might not be so willing to go back with him after having words a few minutes ago. He dipped down to whisper, “I’d be honored if you’d come back in the waiting room with me.”
Audrey’s muscles were tense. He had to flex and release his fingers for fear they would take on a life of their own and reach to comfort her. She hadn’t invited touch, so he wouldn’t cross the line.
Thankfully, she didn’t head toward the elevator bank. For a second, he thought she might be returning to the waiting room to grab her purse before leaving. When she sat down on the recliner, he knew she planned to stay for a minute at the very least.
“What did Ackerman say?” he asked.
“He didn’t want to tell me much, but I informed him of Halsey’s visit,” she said. “He didn’t come right out and say he was already investigating the case but came close enough.”
“Information being withheld from you is frustrating as hell,” he admitted. “But he might have his reasons.”
Audrey blew out a breath, and her shoulders deflated like a balloon. “I get that he’s trying to protect me and the Napiers, but I still feel like I deserve to know what’s happening, especially if there’s the slightest possibility I could still be in danger.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” In fact, they wouldn’t make progress here in the hospital. They needed to get out of here. “Nash is on his way. He texted when you were in the hall and I stepped out of the waiting room to stretch my legs.”
