A Billionaire's Redemption - By Cindy Dees Page 0,95
couldn’t figure out where the income was coming from.”
“So we’re not fracking for natural gas and poisoning the locals?” Willa asked.
“There’s no drilling of any kind happening on this property, ma’am,” the man answered.
Well, that was a relief. She would hate to think Merris Oil had made anyone sick.
“We’re going to need you and Mr. Dawson and Mr. McGrath to sign security statements agreeing not to reveal anything you saw here today.”
“What about him?” Willa asked, forcing herself to look toward the covered lump that was James Ward’s remains.
“We’ll turn his body over to the coroner. The ballistics analysis will show Mr. Ward was shot with his own weapon. Mr. Dawson, in fact, rescued you singlehandedly, and your statements to the police never have to reflect that we were here. After you and Mr. Dawson talk to the police, I’m sure they’ll rule that the shooting was a clear case of self-defense.”
The next few minutes were a whirl of activity as she and Gabe and McGrath were hustled out of the hangar and driven to McGrath’s SUV. James Ward’s body was laid in the back of their vehicle. It was creepy riding back to town with a dead man in the back, but true to his word, Gabe kept an arm around her and kept her plastered to his side all the way back to Vengeance. A pair of similarly black and powerful SUVs accompanied them back to Vengeance and the police station. But as McGrath parked in the back of the building, the two SUVs disappeared.
For once, the press wasn’t hovering vulturelike, sniffing for a story. She and Gabe had to be separated to give their statements as to what had happened, and the whole time she felt bereft, like part of her was missing. After she finished that, she had to sign an inch-high stack of papers dealing with not revealing classified information on pretty much pain of death.
The sheriff surprised her by stepping into the little interrogation room in person as she was finishing up. He said quietly, “I thought you might be interested to know what the preliminary examination of Mr. Ward’s body has shown.”
“The coroner’s already done an autopsy?”
“Not yet. He has started it, though. First thing he did was x-ray Mr. Ward’s head. Had to locate the bullet to know where to dig, I mean, do surgery, to remove it.”
She made a face as he continued hastily, “At any rate, it turns out Mr. Ward had a sizable brain tumor. Right in the middle of his head near something called the amygdala or something like that. Doc says it’s the smell center of the brain. Did Ward say anything to you about smelling strange things?”
“No, but now that you mention it, every time he caught a whiff of my gardenia perfume he went crazy.”
“Doc said the right scents might have triggered violent, psychotic episodes in Ward.”
Thunderstruck, she thought back to all the times James had become violent around her, starting with the sexual assault. Every time, she’d been wearing her gardenia perfume, and every time, he’d been plenty close enough to smell it.
The sheriff held her chair as she stood up, stunned. “You were mighty lucky, ma’am. Next time, call the police. Civilians shouldn’t tangle with criminals on their own.”
“Believe me, I never plan to do something so crazy again,” she replied fervently. “And I will most certainly leave it to the police if there is a next time!”
She stepped out of the interrogation room and was immediately swept into Gabe’s arms. “You okay?” he murmured.
“Yes. You?”
“Right as rain. Let’s get out of here.”
Someone had brought Gabe’s SUV over to the police station while they were making their statements, and the sheriff handed Gabe the keys as they stepped out into the main room.
“Ready to face the press?” she asked as they approached the front doors.
“Stick with me, kid. I’ll show you how to scare them off.”
True to his word, he put on a ferocious scowl that dared anyone to get in his way and they swept past the crowd of shouting reporters without incident. He closed her in the Escalade and guided the vehicle away from the curb. She was surprised when he didn’t point the SUV toward anywhere that either of them called home. In fact, he headed out toward the west side of town once more.
“Where are we going?” she asked in alarm. She had no wish to revisit the scene of James’s death.
Gabe merely smiled enigmatically at her. “Relax. You’re