He came to a screeching stop on the other side of Bradley and then turned around. "Why are you always at my murder scenes?"

Someone in the crowd yelled for people to get out of the way as an ambulance drove as close to the field as possible. It did not have its lights on.

I shrugged at Anderson's question. "Just lucky, I guess."

He scowled at Bradley. He often forgot that he had me to thank for even being the fake chief. Thanks to me they put the old chief behind bars for shooting a man in the bed-and-breakfast and bringing down another rung in the town's drug problem. Anderson barely even said thanks.

I tried not to hold it against him.

I normally failed.

"Most people consider being involved in a murder unlucky," he said and placed his hands on his hips.

That was his unhappy pose, but I'd done nothing to make him unhappy yet. He really needed to chill and learn to appreciate me more. Not only had I solved the whole old chief murder case, but I hooked Anderson up with the love of his life. Lainey McLeod and he were going strong two months later. He should consider me his best friend. I expected to be the best woman at his wedding.

We should share secrets. Be on each other's speed dial list.

Have pillow fights.

Okay, that was going too far.

I didn't want Anderson near my pillows.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked, bringing me back to reality. Our gazes met, and his face was all scrunched up as he stared at me. It gave him wrinkles on his forehead and made him look old. I would not tell him that, though. He had to learn it on his own.

"Those people are boring," I said, regarding his comment about people finding dead bodies unlucky. "Anyway, now that you're here, we can get started."

I took a step toward the dugouts.

"What?" Anderson asked. "You are not helping me in this investigation."

See what I mean about how he forgets what a help I am? "You're down a man on the force, Anderson. You can use the extra pair of hands. Don't worry. I'm on the job."

Broadrick walked up behind us and stood next to me with his gaze on the scene as it unfolded. He'd have my back against Anderson like a good boyfriend.

"I'm on the case. Right, Broadrick?" I asked, wanting back up.

He shook his head, and his green eyes with their speckled brown flakes glared at me. "You most certainly are not. This is seriously violent stuff."

So not a good boyfriend... my mistake.

I glared right back at him and stuck my hands on my hips so I resembled Anderson. Broadrick and I just recently agreed that I'd start calling him a boyfriend again, and now here he was ticking me off. He couldn't even give us a good six months of in-person relationship time. We'd met online and then dated long distance for two years while he was off doing SEAL stuff.

Right when I thought our relationship was going to hit the next level, he'd written me a dear Vonnie email to break it off. Speed ahead the worst six months of my life and right as I got things back on track, he showed up in Pelican Bay demanding I give him a second chance. Now since he'd taken a job working for Ridge after he finished his service in a few months, I'd finally believed he would not leave again.

Unless he kept being so bossy. Then I might gather the girls and toss him out of town. I stared at his muscular biceps and my shoulders relaxed.

Naw, to be honest, I liked him bossy. I didn't listen to him, anyway.

"Sure, dear," I said, patting him on the arm and watching as the sheriff-they called in the big guys for this one-taped off an area for the crowd. That meant Anderson considered it a murder and planned to bring in the crime scene van.

My insides grew a little giddy, and I tamped them down because it wasn't normal to be excited about a murder. And I needed to at least pretend to be normal.

"Chief Anderson!" a man's voice called from inside the dugout. "You're going to want to see this one."

I started forward. If he wanted to see it, I definitely wanted to see it.

Broadrick grabbed my arm and stopped my forward motion. "I'm serious, Von. This one is bad."

"How do you know?" He hadn't gotten to see the body. I'd been with him the entire time.

"I agree. Stay off this one, kid," Ridge said as he took up the spot Anderson had just vacated. Where'd he come from? Why did I live in a town full of bulky, tough, bossy guys?

"Ugh, why am I always surrounded by testosterone?" I asked rather than a greeting.

You couldn't escape it when you lived in Pelican Bay.

Ridge had on the standard Pelican Bay Security uniform. Black polo with the company logo in the left corner and a pair of well-fitting dark wash jeans. If they didn't have distinct faces and haircuts, all the guys looked like they were ready to pose for a line of jean advertisements.

I had my gaze on the dugouts and kept trying to position my body to get a view, but we were too far away to see anything useful.

Ridge stepped in my line of sight, blocking any chance of catching a glance at the scene. "I need to talk to you, anyway."

"Oh, really?" I asked and diverted my attention to him. Ridge Jefferson wanting to talk to me meant it had to be about something important. "Let's talk then."

We were a good five feet from anyone in the crowd, but Ridge eyed them with suspicion. "Let's step over here."

He led the way a few feet to our left-further from the dugouts and past the foul line of the field. Broadrick came with us, but that didn't stop Ridge from talking.

"I know you're searching for more information on Snowbird after your interactions with him," he said.

What he meant to say was that I'd vowed to find the identity of this so-called Snowbird and shut down his crime ring. I didn't make revenge vows lightly. Snowbird had his cronies kidnap me at gunpoint, and most recently, he'd sent me a dead bird and thrown a rock through my office door. What did I do to piss him off so much? Besides, be amazing.

"Do you know who Snowbird is?" I asked. Ridge wouldn't tell me even if he did, but I wanted to read his face while he answered.

His expression didn't change. "Not yet, but he's on our radar now, so it won't be long. Criminal rings like this have layer after layer, and we keep pulling them back with each person we catch. I believe Snowbird is close to the top. He's been able to hide behind the dirty dealings of the old chief, but not anymore."

"So he's the big guy? Maybe the numero uno?"

Ridge nodded. "Or close to it. Probably has connections out of town, but we're chipping away at the empire, and he'll have to come up for air soon."

I rubbed my hands together. Behind me, the crowd parted as two EMTs wheeled a stretcher through the people and ducked under the police tape. Moving the body already? Interesting.

"Great. If Snowbird gets nervous, he will make a mistake soon. I can help."

Ridge and Broadrick shook their heads in the most annoying way. They had the expression that said they thought they knew more than me. "He's already threatening you. The violence will only get worse once we get closer."

Broadrick nodded at each of Ridge's words. "He's right. You can't risk it, Vonnie. You need to lie low until he's behind bars."

"Or... a better plan. Let me grab him. I can do this."

Ridge held out his hand in the air like a stop sign. "I've got this, Vines. You've been good, and I'm proud. But leave this one to the professionals."

I almost stomped my foot against the dirt, but didn't want to pull a Vivi. "I am a professional."

Almost.

I had less than six hundred hours left before I became eligible to apply for my private investigator's license.

"Vonnie, help!" my sister's scream cut through our conversation, and without hesitating, I took off after the voice.