Free Calculated Revenge by Jill Elizabeth Nelson Page A

sheriff, and he’s heard sort of sideways from one of the FBI agents in town that the team is heading back to Minneapolis tomorrow. But they’re leaving an agent to shadow you around in case this guy tries to make another move.”
    “Great!” She rolled her eyes. “I get to keep my shadow.”
    “You don’t find that comforting?”
    “I don’t find comfort in any aspect of this situation.” Her nostrils flared. “I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, but even the efforts to protect me are intrusive.”
    Noah looked away and studied a painting of a pastoral scene on the wall. He wasn’t about to tell her that, in his opinion, Agent Burns wasn’t as concerned about protecting Laney or Briana as he was about adding a major notch in his belt by solving a cold case.
    “You said until school lets out.” She cocked her head. “What did you have in mind then?”
    He smiled. She didn’t miss much. “I’ll escort you to Louisville personally. I’d like a chance to talk to your parents before I visit the scene of the original crime.”
    Laney shifted in her seat. “Maybe while we’re marking time until the end of the school year, you could do a little research on Richard Hodge.”
    “The school custodian?”
    She nodded. “I don’t have any reason to suspect him other than the built-in opportunity he’d have to plant that backpack on the playground, and he doesn’t seem to like me.”
    Noah let out a wry chuckle. “I’ve yet to determine if Richard likes anyone, including himself. But I’ve checked people out on less. Sure, I’ll look into Richard.” He unbent his leg and stretched it out beside the other one. “Maybe you heard that I caught a guy watching the kids on the playground yesterday.”
    “Ellen told me.” She nodded. “Sounds like he was some brokenhearted dad.”
    “I don’t think the story’s that simple. Hank told me Edward Foreman claims he was on the road for his office supply business the day the backpack was left on the playground. But following up his story, the sheriff’s office can’t account for at least two hours of his time. The playground watcher’s not off the hook as far as I’m concerned.” Noah gave her a quick description of the man. “If you see him anywhere near, call the cops pronto.”
    “Don’t worry, I will.” Her brief laugh held a sharp edge. “Anyone else I should know about?”
    Noah planted his elbows on his knees. “Do you know a man by the name of Glen Crocker?”
    “You mean the electrician? Sure. The building super had him up here to fix an outlet problem a few weeks ago.” She gasped. “You mean, he’s a suspect?”
    “He went missing the day before the backpack appeared and hasn’t surfaced since. The timing could be a coincidence, but it’s enough to warrant a little digging.”
    Laney pressed a hand to her cheek. “I’ve never heard a bad word about him, but I thought he seemed a little too full of himself.”
    Noah stiffened. “Did he flirt with you?”
    “Not really. Just had that ‘I’m all it’ strut about him.” Shewrinkled her nose. “Reminded me of Clayton, only I know that Glen’s a family man.”
    Noah’s gaze narrowed. “He didn’t show extra attention to Briana, did he?”
    Her face paled. “Well, he did seem taken with her. Said something about wishing he had a little girl to round out the family.”
    He frowned and rubbed the arms of the easy chair. That didn’t sound good in light of what he’d discovered.
    “What aren’t you telling me?” Her tone was more of a demand than a question.
    “I called in a favor from a friend in a strategic place.” His gaze met hers. She needed to know everything he did about this guy. “Turns out Crocker dodged an indictment for statutory rape sixteen years ago by skipping the country until the statute of limitations ran out. I got the word today and told Hank already. With a history of involvement with a minor, our up-standing electrician just went to the top of the