She stood up from the same table she'd been at when I left almost an hour ago. Didn't anyone miss me? Why hadn't they sent out a search party?

"Where's your apron?" Lainey asked as I practically pushed her out the front door with a wave goodbye to Anessa.

"I spilled something on it." We were on a timeline. "We've got to go back to my place. I have to vacuum."

"Vacuum?" she closed the passenger side door as I put the car in reverse.

"Yeah, I have to think. And other things." I didn't vacuum often, but when I did, it gave me a splendid chance to think. "Don't worry, I'll turn on the television or something."

My house was boring. The outside world was so full of conflict, so I liked my personal space to be calm and inviting, but only for me. Guests were not normally welcome, at least not for the long term like this, but I'd let Lainey into my sanctuary to save her life.

An hour later, I finished vacuuming the back of the couch to make sure I'd gotten every single cat hair while Lainey sat on the other side reading a book on her cell phone. Every once in a while, she'd watch as I sucked up a sticky hair and smiled in satisfaction watching it get sucked down by the vacuum hose. To be fair, half the hair was NB colored, but only the cat hair made Broadrick sneeze, so I pretended they were all from Spencer. It made the task easier.

The front door opened, and I turned off the vacuum, wielding the hose part in front of me like an award.

"I vacuumed," I said as Broadrick's gazed stopped at me.

"Okay." He smiled and then his lips slowly fell into a straight line. "Why? Are you trying to hide evidence?"

"No." The evidence I had hidden wouldn't fit in the vacuum. "Spencer is gone, and so is his hair."

Broadrick's smile returned, and he stalked over to me, giving Lainey a quick hello. His lips found mine, and he kissed me hard until our teeth clinked together. I laughed and pulled back.

My toes curled as he stared at me. His eyes always had a metric ton of emotion, and right then they said he liked me.

"Babe, that is the ultimate sign of love," he said and gave me another kiss on the temple.

I pulled him toward the kitchen so we had more privacy as Lainey pretended to be engrossed in her book. Times like these were when I needed the sanctuary the most.

When I had Broadrick far enough away, I pulled on his shoulder to get him to lean down a little for me to whisper better at him. "I have the gun from the shooting."

Broadrick's eyes became saucers, and he glanced at Lainey who was facing straight ahead with her head down at her book. "Where?"

"In the freezer." Where else would I put it? I couldn't keep it in the car.

Broadrick opened his mouth, closed it, shook his head, and then opened it again. "Why?"

"It's on ice, duh." Concerning that I had to spell it out for him. NB jumped from the couch where he'd been sleeping and stood between us.

"Vonnie, you have a murder weapon in our freezer?" he almost didn't whisper that part.

"I know!" Wasn't it exciting? Finally, he was getting it. "Now I only need a murderer and I have a matched set."

"What are you going to do?" He glanced at Lainey and flicked his chin in her direction. NB sat on my foot and clawed at it to get my attention.

I patted Broadrick on the shoulder. "Don't worry. I have a plan."

"Why are we whispering?" he asked, lowering his voice even more and scooped up NB, letting him lick his elbow. Such a weird dog.

I jerked my head at Lainey. "She's too new for this."

Broadrick walked NB to the back door and put him out. "Well, at least you've kept her out of it."

NB ran off the deck and jumped into the muddy snow. "We don't want to shock her."

Broadrick closed the door. "Of course not. You have to suck them in fully first before you involve them in major crimes."

"Exactly." Maybe he understood life in Pelican Bay. "You up for a Parks and Rec marathon? Lainey and I were going to get dinner and watch it."

I'd set Katy on trailing the chief. She said Pierce was in New York and wouldn't ask questions when she spent the night in Clearwater. Now I just had to formulate my plan on getting a confession from the chief, but I needed privacy for all that planning. I'd also need to grab some red string for my crime board. And print out little pictures of everyone. Maybe a few sharpies.

**

"You have any good snacks?" I asked the next morning before opening a cabinet in Lainey's kitchen. "Snacks are really important for a good stakeout."

Katy only made it until one o'clock in the morning at the chief's house, but she said nothing happened. I had to finish the job and spend Sunday catching him in the act of... something.

Lainey opened a bottom cupboard beside her sink. Who kept snacks there? "I've got Oreos."

I grabbed the blue package from her. "Great."

Oreos were a staple of stakeout snacks.

"Is it really okay if I come?" Lainey asked as I opened another cabinet to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything in there. Maybe some crackers. Those cheap ones with the cheese in the middle would hit the spot.

I closed the door after finding only bowls and plates. "Totally. We're not doing anything fun, just watching and snapping some pictures."

After four thousand internet searches, I'd finally figured out how to use my big lens on my camera. I needed it to catch the chief in the act. No, I still hadn't figured out what he'd be doing, but I figured I'd know it when I saw it.

Why would the chief kill a drug dealer at the bed-and-breakfast and pretend he wasn't there for the shooting? Why did he have a weapon besides his government issued one? And the most perplexing question of them all, why hadn't the guy currently sitting in police custody ratted out the chief?

I needed a jail house visit to ask the man myself, but the county jail was a known cop hangout.

"Let me brush my teeth really quick," Lainey said before ducking into her bathroom.

She'd spent the last night on my couch, but we'd stopped by her place to let her change clothes and freshen up. If she had to spend hours with me in the car waiting for the chief to fuck up, I wanted her to be comfortable. Anderson said he'd be back by lunch, but that gave me hours to entertain her.

What was more fun than a stakeout?

Lainey's wall shook, and a thunderous sound crashed through the space. It happened again.

"What the hell?" I said, turning toward the sound just in time for her apartment front door to be kicked open.

A blast shot past my ear and I ducked behind her table, just catching a slight glimpse of Tyler as he walked in brandishing a black gun. Why did everyone have a damn gun but me?

Another bullet buzzed past me and embedded into Lainey's wall. I hoped the neighbors weren't home.

"Where the hell is she?" he bellowed. "Come out, come out, wherever you are."

I peeked my head up from the table leg I picked to cower behind. Tyler's hair was a wild mess on top of his head. It shot out in every direction, looking like a flock of birds about to take off.

"I'm going to ask you again. Where is Lainey?" he growled and aimed his gun at the kitchen.

I flinched and sent up a silent prayer he didn't take aim at the Oreos.

"Are you going to shoot me?" I asked and hesitated while standing up.

He waved me on with the gun, which was not a helpful motion. "I won't shoot as long as you tell me where she is."

Like I was going to do that. He obviously didn't understand the bakery woman code.

"If she's smart, she's escaping out of a window right now," I yelled, hoping Lainey heard me.

Tyler shook his head and grimaced at me. "There's going to be hell to pay if she runs."

A second passed and he aimed the gun at me.

"Lainey!" he yelled in the next.

Another beat of silence as my heart fluttered.

The bathroom door opened and Lainey walked out with her hands held in the air. Even I hadn't done that. "I'm right here."

I slapped at my forehead. "Didn't you hear my window idea?"