Body of Evidence by Lenora Worth Page A

Jennifer?
    And how could he keep from kissing her again?
    Was it wrong, Lord? Should I ignore these strange, exciting feelings I get every time I look at the woman? Or should I accept that maybe, like my mama’s always said, my tune is changing?
    Was this his time, Anderson wondered while he checked the fence, looked for any signs of activity, and prayed to the Lord to show him the way on this. Being around Jennifer sure felt right. And he could show her she could trust him and trust in the Lord to see her through. Anderson knew he had a purpose here—to get the bad guys. That was his job and he lived and breathed his job. He’d never much thought about settling down. But maybe God had another purpose in mind for him. To get Jennifer back into the Father’s loving arms.
    â€œAnd I wouldn’t mind one bit if she’d fall into my arms now and then,” he said on a whisper. Then he did a mental shakedown. That couldn’t happen until this case was over.
    He reached the new alligator pond. The place was shadowy in spite of the full moon overhead. While the gators were still safe in their old pen, this new one would be better all the way around. The alligators would be contained and so would any humans coming to view them. Jennifer had been smart to rebuild. That is, until she’d gotten in the way of the cartel.
    He edged his way around the chain-link fence, noting the gaping tear. Dismounting, he tethered Chestnut onthe gate and walked the perimeter of the pond, checking for any new footprints. Had the cartel moved things up a notch by trying to attack Jennifer? They kept coming back here for a reason. Hidden drugs, maybe? Or worse?
    Who had been in Jennifer’s barn today? And why?
    He’d sent what little evidence they’d found to the state lab. His fellow Ranger Cade Jarvis would give him an update on that soon. Maybe they’d get a hit from the DNA on that joint.
    Anderson carefully made his way to the campsite, taking in the ashes and burnt pieces of wood. Nothing new there. Would the cartel strike again tonight?
    He stood still, listening to the night sounds. Off in the distance a coyote howled, adding to the eeriness of the moon’s midnight glow. The wind picked up, rattling leaves from the nearby trees. Chestnut snorted, skittish in spite of his bravery.
    Anderson wished he had a good feeling about this. It was too quiet back here. He went over what he knew just to keep from jumping out of his skin. The fence and electrical wiring had been cut, the circuit breaker destroyed. The tack room had been searched and ransacked and an intruder had come into the barn, apparently bent on hurting Jennifer. The man had told her to stop the work back here.
    They had an ornery noncommunicative neighbor fighting against the new alligator pen. That same neighbor had warned Jacob and his friends to stay away from this part of Jennifer’s property. Did the man just want some peace and quiet or did he have a hidden agenda?
    Anderson would have to get to the bottom of that.
    First thing in the morning, he’d finish getting the security measures in place and then he’d go back to talk to Ralph Chason. If he could find the man.
    Since everything seemed quiet, Anderson got his bedroll and settled down, Chestnut standing nearby to keep him company while his Remington shotgun kept him secure. Since he couldn’t sleep, he said a prayer for Jennifer to stay secure, too. He lay still, looking around. Then he sat straight up. The security cameras! They weren’t on, but what if somebody thought they were? And what if that someone thought Jennifer had his face on video?
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    â€œOh, that was such a good movie,” Becky said. Passing the last of the popcorn toward Jennifer, she grinned. “Don’t you love a happy ending?”
    Jennifer didn’t want to burst her ever-positive friend’s bubble but she didn’t believe in happy endings. “It’s easy to