Making It Right (Most Likely To #3)

“When they said it hurts when you’re hit, they weren’t kidding.”


Shauna flanked them, her eyes alert. They limped through the crowd until they rounded the corner of the gym and found an open door. Only once he had Jo’s shirt off and removed her vest was he convinced she wasn’t full of holes.

“Our killer just changed the rules,” Gill said.



Drew’s fifth place finish followed Tim’s third. The two of them nearly knocked each other to the ground as they hugged.

They shook the hands of the winners and those of the kids that came in behind them.

“We made the podium!” Drew pumped his fist in the air.

“What a year, man. What a year.” Tim patted him on the back.

Drew looked up in the stands and found his mom. She stood with a hand in the air, waving with a thumbs-up. He searched for his dad and didn’t see him.

On the other side of the field, he scanned the crowd for Coach Ward. When he came up short, he assumed she’d be at the gate as they exited the field.

She wasn’t.

Tina, however, was. She ran to his arms, congratulating him on his finish. “That was amazing.”

“Not bad.”

“What about me?” Tim asked as if Tina was going to kiss and hug him.

“Dude, I thought you had second. That Portland kid was fast.”

Tim rested his hands on his knees in an attempt to capture his breath. “Goals for next year.”

“In college they’re going to be that much faster,” Tina said.

“Good thing I’m not going to college,” Drew exclaimed.

“Really, dude?”

“It’s not for me.”

Tim shook Drew’s hand. “Then thanks for letting me beat you one last time.”

Tim won fair and square. “I want a rematch.”

“Name the place.”

“River Bend High on our ten-year class reunion.”

Tim pointed at him. “You’re on.”

Tina laughed. “That’s one way to make sure you don’t get fat before you’re thirty.”

Drew scanned the crowd again. “Anyone see Coach Ward?”

Tim and Tina looked around. “No.”





Chapter Thirty-Two




“The X-rays show healing ribs and clavicle.”

Jo relented to a trip to the ER, so long as it wasn’t in the back of an ambulance. The shot to the chest hit dead center. Good thing the shooter wasn’t aiming for her head.

“Great, then I can go.” Jo swung her feet over the edge of the gurney to do just that.

“Not so fast, Sheriff. You took a big punch. In light of the fact you’re still recovering from a collapsed lung—”

“Recovered.”

The ER doctor stood with his hands on his hips, determination in his eyes. “Your sweatshirt says track and field. Do you run, Sheriff?”

Jo looked down at herself. “Don’t I look like I run?”

“How many miles did you run today?”

His point hit home. “I’m okay, Doc. Sitting here pretending to be sick is just going to piss everyone off.” Besides, she had a cop killer to catch.

“Can you give us a few minutes?” Gill said to the doctor.

He closed the door behind him.

“You don’t want to stay in the hospital—”

“I’m not staying in the hospital.”

“Right now the only people that know you’re here are me, you, Shauna, and the shooter.”

Jo paused. “I’m listening.”

“The shooter wants you dead.”

“He’s mucking that up.”

Gill faked a smile. “We have an opportunity here to flush him out.”

“How?”

“We put Shauna in your bed, say it’s you . . . see if we can’t get our killer to reveal himself to finish you off.”

“A decoy.”

“Could work.”

“Why Shauna? Why not me?” Jo knew the answer before she asked.

“She’s trained.”

“So am I. And I’m a much better body double.”

“It’s too dangerous.”

Jo stared. “If you’re about to tell me I can’t handle it, I’ll remind you that I’ve survived two attempts on my life already.” She swallowed a little bile on that statement but kept her gaze steady.

“I can’t let you do it.”

“Let me? I’m sorry . . .” She glanced around the room. “Did I miss the part about you having a say in what I will and won’t do in my life?”

Gill’s jaw tightened, his nose flared. “Let Shauna—”

“Not gonna happen. It’s me, or I walk out of here.” And Jo knew Gill wasn’t going to let her walk out. “I finally get to figure out who has been watching me for over a year, and I’m not gonna let anyone else do that for me!”

Both hands reached for hair Gill didn’t have before he cussed under his breath.



Gill made calls. The bureau swept in and Jo was “transferred” to an isolated ICU bed. With her status listed as critical but stable, if the shooter wanted to make sure she didn’t make it out of the hospital alive, he’d come in and take her out.

Once everything was mobilized, Gill brought in the players. Luke answered the phone on the second ring.

“Hey, Miller.”

“Gill, how’s the track meet? Is someone putting River Bend on the map?”

“I have no idea. I’m at the hospital with Jo.”

“What?” Music in the background turned off, Luke’s voice sharpened. “What happened?”

“Are you alone?” The last thing Gill needed was anyone overhearing what he was about to say.

“Yes, I’m alone. Is she okay?”

“She is. This is what I need you to do.”



The rumor mill in River Bend spread the news like a fire consumed a dead forest after ten years of drought. Luke called Maxine, the woman’s whose car he was working on, and told her there’d be a delay. “Jo’s been shot. I’m on my way to Eugene now.”

“No, God, no.”

“Yeah. Apparently she said something in the hospital about knowing who killed her dad before they had to sedate her.”

Maxine ran the hair salon in town. Gossip central.

“Joseph was killed?”

“Oh, yeah. Jo’s been working on the case for years. I have to run. I wanna be there when she wakes up in the morning.”

“That’s awful, Luke, just awful.”

“I don’t have time to make the calls, be sure and let people know so they can pray for her.”

Maxine was a once a month Christian. Well, that and holidays.

Before he drove home to pick up Zoe, she was running from the front door. “Oh, God, no . . . Luke.”

“Shh, it’s okay. She’s gonna be okay. C’mon inside.”

He hated the stress on Zoe’s face and quickly put her at ease. Although the ease was temporary. “Someone shot her?”

“She was wearing her vest. She’s fine. Gill and the FBI think they can flush this person out.”

“They’re using her as bait?”

“My guess is Jo asked to be put on the hook.”

“This has got to stop.”

Luke agreed. “C’mon, babe. Let’s get in the car and drive to Eugene like we normally would.”

“I need to call Miss Gina, tell her she’s okay.”

“No. No one else. I didn’t even tell my parents.”

“But Miss Gina—”