One Night Standoff - By Delores Fossen Page 0,24
Clayton’s gaze. She looked him straight in the eyes. “Five years ago, I was Quentin’s executive assistant. And I was in love with him. Or I thought I was, anyway. I did whatever he wanted me to do to make his business succeed.”
So, Quentin and she had likely been lovers. Clayton had to push aside the quick jolt of jealousy he felt and remind himself that it’d happened well before he met her. And besides, it wasn’t as if he and Lenora were involved except for the baby. A one-night stand didn’t make a real relationship even when it made a real baby.
“Quentin was the initial target of our investigation,” James continued when she didn’t. “Lenora helped us find evidence against him, without his knowledge, of course. We led Quentin to believe we got the dirt against him from other sources. So that he could avoid jail time, he in turn helped us convict at least a half dozen big-time criminals. Afterward, Lenora stayed on the task force, again without Quentin’s knowledge, and he went into WITSEC.”
Witness Security Program.
Ironically, it was run by the U.S. Marshals Service. Of course, Clayton wouldn’t automatically have been told of anyone entering the program, and even if he had been in this case, the name would have meant nothing to him. He certainly wouldn’t have connected it to Lenora.
“Quentin went missing from WITSEC just a couple of days after Jill was murdered,” James added.
Clayton didn’t like that timing any more than he did the timing of this visit or the attack at the church. “Maybe he’s dead.”
The agent shook his head. “I have three confirmed sightings of him. No, Quentin’s very much alive, and I think he saw or heard something that made him realize Lenora had been working for the justice department.”
She groaned softly. “Quentin could have done those break-ins at my house that happened before your shooting.” Tears sprang to her eyes. “Clayton, I’m so sorry. I should have never visited you that day.”
Lenora still had a grip on the gun she was holding, but her hand dropped limply to her side, and she turned and went back inside the house.
Clayton didn’t want her to be alone, especially after seeing those tears, but he needed just a little more from James. “You consider Quentin dangerous?”
“Oh, yes. He’s in love with Lenora. The only way we convinced him to go into WITSEC and keep his distance from her was because we led him to believe that it’d keep her safe. We convinced him that the cronies he put in prison might try to use her for revenge to get back at him.”
And all of that would have come crashing down if Quentin had learned that Lenora had been the very informant who’d turned him over to the authorities in the first place.
Yeah, that was a big motive for murder, all right.
“If Quentin’s behind this,” James continued, “you could be an innocent bystander in both of the shootings.”
There she is.
That’s what the two gunmen at the church had said, so maybe they were indeed just looking for Lenora. It didn’t change things. It only meant Clayton had to do a better job of protecting her.
“I’ll send you the file I have on Quentin,” James volunteered. “And I’d like to offer Lenora a safe house until we work out this mess.”
“Yes to the file,” Clayton agreed. “No to the safe house. I’ll work out security for her.”
James nodded. “Figured you would. Just know that we’re on the same side here.”
Clayton wasn’t a hundred percent convinced of that. James could be trying to use Quentin to throw suspicion off himself, and that was something Clayton would investigate further.
They both looked at the truck that was practically flying up the road toward the house. It was Wyatt, and even though there didn’t seem to be an eminent threat, Clayton was glad he was here. Wyatt slammed on the brakes and got out the moment the truck stopped.
“One of your marshal brothers, I assume,” James said, clearly not happy about the security measures they were taking for his visit. “I’ll send you that report on Quentin.” And with that, he walked back to his car, passing a hard look at Wyatt along the way.
“He’s the guy who hired someone to take shots at you?” Wyatt asked, and he didn’t wait until James was out of earshot, either.
“Maybe. I need you to make sure he leaves the ranch. I have to talk to Lenora.”
Wyatt pinned his attention to James,