If You Know Her: A Novel of Romantic Suspense

canine head popped up from the back seat, dark, liquid eyes peering at Law. “Hey, Puck.” He bent over and saw Lena sitting in the front passenger seat. Well, that would explain why Ezra wasn’t already back in the car, tearing his way to the Inn. “Lena. Fancy meeting you here.”
    “Hi, Law.” She had her head back against the seat, her shoulders tense and rigid. “Any time somebody wants to fill me and Hope in, we’d be just fine with that.”
    Ezra scowled. “Yeah, that would be nice, darlin’. But I’m afraid I’ve got to figure out how to get a warrant. Iwant you to go back home with Law and Nia. And
stay
there.”
    Law narrowed his eyes as he straightened, glaring at Ezra.
    Ezra stared back. “What do you want me to do? Take you two with me? Just how hard do you want to make it for me to arrest him, huh?
Think
, Reilly.” Then he shifted his gaze to Nia. “You came to me for a reason, Nia. I’m hoping it’s because you trust me to do my job. Now get the hell out of here and let me do it.”
    A heavy, tense silence fell.
    Then, to Law’s surprise, Nia reached up and rested a hand on his shoulder. “He’s right. We’ve done what we can. Besides, he can’t just send them off by themselves. He needs to be
here
 … and he can’t be worrying about Lena and Hope. He needs somebody watching them. And hell, you’d be worrying about them, too.”
    “Shit.” He covered her hand with his. “Why do you got to go and be all reasonable?”
    She gave him a wan smile. “I’m taking a leap of faith.” Then she looked at Ezra. “I hope I don’t regret it.”
    The sheriff scowled and then pointed toward Law’s car. “Go. Now. I’ve got too many calls to make, lawyers to fight with.”
    “You didn’t tell him I saw it on Roz’s desk because I’d stolen it,” Nia said as they drove along behind Hope’s car.
    “Yeah. Illegally obtained evidence wouldn’t help him get a warrant and he’ll need one. Hell, even without illegally obtained evidence, he’s got a fight on his hands.”
    “It’s him,” Nia said quietly. “I know it. In my gut, I know it. Nothing fit—that’s why I had to come back, because nothing about what they said with Joely
fit
. This
fits
.”
    “I know you think it does,” Law said, keeping hisvoice neutral and wondering if she had a gun stashed on her somewhere. Shit. It wouldn’t surprise him. She’d gotten one illegal, unregistered weapon—she could get another. It wasn’t that damn hard, if somebody knew how to look. Obviously, she knew how to look. “Nia, you need to let him do his job. Your cousin wouldn’t want you blowing the rest of your life for her—let him handle this.”
    Nia smiled sadly. “You think I’m going to go after him with guns blazing?”
    His hands tightened on the steering wheel. “Are you?”
    “I want to.” Her voice was husky and soft, shaking. “But I’m terrified right now. When I saw that bracelet, I was so damn sick, I could barely see. All I could think was I’d been sleeping
that
close to him, paying him money … and I was terrified. I keep seeing those pictures you took and I’m terrified. If I see him, could I even pull the damn trigger or would I turn into a wailing, screaming mess?”
    He reached over and caught her hand, squeezed it. Bringing it to his lips, he kissed it and murmured, “Ezra’s a smart guy, and he’s a good cop. Let him do his job, okay?”
    “I’m
trying
to do my job,” Ezra growled.
    “You’re trying to prove you’re nuts.” Beulah Simmons gaped at him. “That’s what you’re doing. Why in the hell should I give you a warrant based on a bracelet that may or may not belong to a woman who was killed in Chicago months ago? What possible connection could Carter Jennings have to some cotton-candy-looking Barbie doll from Chicago?”
    Ezra swore and wished there was some way he could have gone to Remy. But there wasn’t. Remy couldn’t be involved in this, no way, no how. But Beulah was a hard-assof the highest order. Normally, that was a good thing. But she didn’t allow any wiggle room and she wasn’t too impressed with the one piece of evidence he had.
    Hell, even
he
knew it wasn’t much.
    Slamming the report down on her desk, he said, “
Look
at it, damn it. The bracelet matches the description to a T. If it wasn’t for the inscription, I wouldn’t think much of it, but it matches. The sapphire matches. And Carter Jennings
was
out of town that weekend. There was a