If I Should Die_ A Novel of Suspense - Allison Brennan [78]
“I’ll watch his back,” Patrick called from where he stood leaning against the hood of the rental truck.
“Take care of each other,” Lucy said. “I expect you both to be in one piece when we get back tonight.”
Sean watched as Noah and Lucy climbed into his plane and Noah started the preflight check. He gave Sean a thumbs-up when he got clearance from air traffic control, and drove the plane toward the small-craft runway.
Sean leaned against the truck next to Patrick, watching until the Cessna disappeared in the sky. Patrick said, “You’re jealous.”
“I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.”
Patrick laughed. Sean didn’t. He strode to the driver’s door and pulled it open, slamming it behind him. Patrick followed. “I’ll admit, I like it.”
“I thought you were my friend.” Sean turned the ignition and drove too quickly from the field.
“I am. But in the three years I’ve known you, and all the women you dated before Lucy, not once did I see you jealous.”
“I’m not jealous of Noah Armstrong.”
But dammit, Patrick was right. He was jealous.
“It’s a good thing.”
“You’re sick. Besides, I thought you wanted Lucy to dump me for someone like that Fed.”
“I did.”
“Asshole.”
Patrick laughed. “You don’t listen. When you called me last night and asked me to bring Noah here this morning to fly your plane to Albany with Lucy, I realized that maybe you have changed. It’s been obvious for months that you don’t like Noah, and I think it has less to do with the fact that he’s a Fed and more to do with the fact that he’s Lucy’s friend. To call him for help shows a rare humility, but more important, tells me that you would do anything to protect my sister, even ask for help from the man you’re afraid is your rival.”
“Well,” Sean said. “I don’t think I’ve heard you talk so much bullshit at one time. Rival? Hardly. That would mean Lucy is undecided, and she’s not.”
“I know. She loves you.”
Just because Patrick said it so matter-of-factly didn’t make Sean feel better. Because she’d never told him, and in fact he did consider Noah a rival. Because whether Patrick, or Lucy, or even Noah knew it, Noah was attracted to her. That Lucy liked and respected Noah contributed to it. And that was bad for all of them, no matter how Sean looked at it.
But if there was any silver lining to this epiphany of Patrick’s, it was that he had finally dropped his opposition to Sean dating his sister.
TWENTY-SEVEN
Sean and Patrick entered the sheriff’s office just after nine a.m. Saturday morning. Sean was supposed to be at the prison for his visit with Paul Swain at one that afternoon. He hadn’t wanted to wait, but the cogs of the prison bureaucracy ran on their own time. Especially since Noah had moved heaven and earth to get Sean, who wasn’t a cop, a private Saturday visit with Swain.
Detective Sergeant Kyle Dillard came out of his office to greet them. After introductions, he escorted them to his office and said, “I left a message for Deputy Weddle to come by, but I haven’t heard from him.”
“Probably skipped town,” Sean mumbled.
He and Patrick sat in the chairs across from Dillard’s tidy desk. On the wall behind the detective were several commendations from both the St. Lawrence County Sheriff and the Philadelphia Police Department. “You’re from Philly?” Sean asked.
“Born and bred. Came here to get away from big city crime. Found out that small town violence can be just as bad.” Dillard poured coffee into a mug from a thermos on his desk. “Did you get the copy of Weddle’s report I emailed last night?”
“He’s either a liar or an idiot,” Sean said. “And I noticed he didn’t report the sniper who shot at us yesterday.”
“Sniper?”
Sean nodded and leaned forward.
“There was a body in the mine. Lucy didn’t make it up; she wasn’t scared and seeing things. She’s identified the body as Special Agent Victoria Sheffield out of the Albany FBI office.”
Dillard leaned back in his chair, but his expression was both grim and suspicious. “Why didn’t you call me?”
“I wanted to talk to you face-to-face. After dealing with Weddle for two days, I