Settling an Old Score - Delores Fossen Page 0,29

pleased with the timing than Eli was. He was about to add that maybe they would get Leon to tell them what Oscar and he had discussed during those visits, but there was still way too much fog and heat cluttering his mind.

“Look, I just want to get this off my chest,” he grumbled. “I didn’t kiss you so that you’d stop hating me. Or so you’d stop feeling as if I didn’t do my job the night Marta and you were shot. The kiss just happened.”

He wanted to groan because that sounded about as stupid as the kiss itself had been. The fact that it was true didn’t make it better.

She took in a breath and stared at him as if considering that. “I didn’t think that. It didn’t seem like some kind of ploy or test. It felt like, well, like what it actually was—lust.” She glanced in the direction of his zipper and actually managed a smile.

That didn’t make it better, either, but Eli found himself wanting to smile, too. Thankfully, he was spared from doing that because his phone rang. Not the prison, but it was a call he’d been expecting.

“It’s Marta’s dad,” Eli let her know, and he took the call on speaker so that Ashlyn would be able to hear.

“Sergeant Slater,” Gus greeted. “I didn’t expect to hear from you.”

And he didn’t sound especially happy about it. Eli couldn’t blame the man. Just hearing Eli’s voice likely brought back a slew of bad memories. Eli figured that would only get worse with this call.

“Some questions have come up,” Eli started. There was no easy way to say this so he just put it out there as fast as he could. “The mortician who handled your daughter’s remains has been murdered. Marta’s file was stolen. Her hospital records are missing. All of that doesn’t add up to a solid conclusion, but I have to ask the question. Do you believe Marta’s still alive?”

Silence. For a long time. “Is this some kind of sick joke?” Gus finally snapped.

“No,” Eli assured him. “Do you believe she’s alive?” he repeated.

“Of course not. I buried her. You know that.”

Yes, he thought he did. Eli had gone to the funeral, but it’d been a closed-casket service. “Did you actually see Marta’s body?”

“No, but—” There was another stretch of silence. “Tell me straight what’s going on,” Gus demanded.

Because he figured he would need it, Eli first drew in a long breath. “Like I said, what I have isn’t close to being conclusive. A mortician’s dead, files are missing, and I had a person come forward who claims to have heard rumors that Marta might have faked her death to hide from some drug dealers. I just need to know if you think there’s any chance that happened.”

There was another long silence. “I didn’t ask to see her body. I couldn’t.”

Eli got that, but he wished that Gus had taken a glimpse of his daughter when he’d said goodbye. “I’ve done the paperwork to exhume Marta’s body.” Eli paused long enough to give the man time to object.

Gus didn’t.

“You really think she could be alive?” Gus asked, and Eli hated the hope that he heard in the man’s voice.

“I have to rule it out,” Eli settled for saying.

“Then get it done. In fact, if it’ll speed things along, I’ll pay for it. I want it done immediately.”

Eli wasn’t sure he could make immediately happen, but he could press. “I’ll see what I can do,” he assured Gus, and he ended the call so that he could message Kellan to get him involved.

When he finished the text, Eli saw that Gus wasn’t the only one with some hope. Ashlyn had it, too. Hell, so did he. But if Marta was alive, then it was going to pose a whole new problem for them. Such as—had Marta had any involvement in the attack from the hired guns?

Before Eli could give that any thought, his phone rang again, and this time it was the prison. As he’d done with Gus, he put the call on speaker, and after several transfers, he finally heard the familiar voice.

“Sergeant Slater,” Leon greeted. His voice was low and raspy. “Long time, no see. You’re alive and kicking, I guess?”

“Any reason I wouldn’t be?” Eli countered, and he tried to make the muscles in his chest relax. Hard to do since this was the man who’d orchestrated an ambush that had killed one person and wounded Ashlyn.

Well, wounded Ashlyn, anyway.

With