Free exposed (Twisted Cedar Mysteries Book 3) by CJ Carmichael

hand on Cory’s back as she made the call. Her eyes fell on the butter she’d removed from the fridge earlier, planning to make cookies with her niece once she was home.
    Was she deluding herself to hope that this clue might be the key? That before the cookies were ready, her nephew might be home?
     

chapter seven
    After being admitted into the inner sanctum of the sheriff’s department, Dougal was heading toward his room at the far back of the building, when he almost collided with Wade. Wade had his hat in one hand, SUV keys in the other.
    “Dougal.” Wade looked pressed, but he paused to talk. “Charlotte just called. Apparently Cory noticed Chester talking to the high school football coach on the way home from school one day—she thinks it was on Monday.”
    Dougal knew Brad Scott. He’d been a senior when Dougal, Kyle and Wade were juniors. He’d played four years of college football, on the same scholarship that had later been offered to—and refused by—Kyle.
    “Where did this happen?”
    “Cory says Scott approached Chester during their walk home from school.”
    “I suppose Brad could have been asking about Kyle.”
    “Cory said they were talking about football. The coach was buttering up Chester, saying he thought he looked like a kid with potential.”
    “You’re right. There’s something off about it.”
    “I’m going to talk to Scott now. Field is getting a statement from Cory and Charlotte.” Wade’s eyes narrowed. “You going another round with the old man?”
    Dougal held up his phone, which had chimed with new email messages about five times on his drive back to town. “I’ve been summoned.”
    “Did he like the first chapter?”
    “God help me, he did.”
    “It’s a video chat?”
    “Yes. A different chat room than the last time.”
    “Can you tell where he’s contacting you from? Anything in the background that might be a clue?”
    “Afraid not. He’s strung up something on the wall behind him. Looks like a white bedsheet.”
    “Not much to go on there. Keep me posted if anything else comes up.”
    “Will do.”
    Dougal carried on down the hall, pausing to grab a slice of pizza from the big conference room. Only Marnie was in there at the moment, logging information into one of the computers. She paused briefly, but when she saw it was him, immediately lowered her gaze and resumed typing.
    The telltale red stain on her cheeks gave her away, though.
    She did have a crush on her boss. Dougal wondered if Wade had guessed. Knowing him, probably not. Wade was pretty astute when it came to running the sheriff’s department. But when it came to romance—especially his own—he didn’t have a clue.
    His replacement laptop was waiting on the table, just as he’d left it. Dougal opened the machine and while he waited for it to warm up, devoured his pizza. He might as well build up his strength now, because for sure, once he started chatting with the old man again, his appetite would be gone.
    As he ate, Dougal re-read the email he’d skimmed earlier on his phone. Librarian Momma sounded so excited, it was nauseating.
    “Yeah! That’s perfect. You’re off to a good start. I’m ready to work on the next chapter as soon as you are.”
    Christ. The sick pervert was totally getting off on this.
    Dougal took a deep breath, then followed the link and signed into the new chat room. He couldn’t help but flinch when his father’s face almost immediately filled the computer screen.
    “You got to admit, son. Makes a damn good story, doesn’t it?”
    Dougal swallowed down his disgust at the word “son.” Though he didn’t remember much about his old man, he knew that if he asked him not to call him that, he’d do it more.
    “Want to pick up where we left off?”
    “That’s the idea.”
    “What’s Chester doing while we work on this?” Dougal slipped the question in, but wasn’t surprised when all Ed Lachlan did was scowl and shake his head.
    And then he started