Cowboy Famous: Book 4 (Cowboy Justice Association) by Olivia Jaymes Page B

fingers plucked at her strand of pearls, her body turned away from them. “I don’t remember his name, if she ever told me, which is why I never mentioned it before. What’s the point? You can’t find someone without a name. I don’t even know what he looks like.” She finally turned toward them, her expression mutinous. Whatever small cooperation they’d had at the beginning was long gone. “Now I’d like you to leave.”
    Griffin stood, pulling Jazz up with him, his hand under her elbow. She could feel the tension in his frame as they stood side by side. “Thank you, Margaret. We appreciate the help and we’ll call if we have any more questions.”
    “Do that,” she replied, her tone brittle. “But I doubt we have anything more to discuss. Let my daughter rest in peace, Sheriff.”
    “That’s exactly what I aim to do, ma’am.”
    Griffin tipped his hat and guided Jazz to the door so quickly she almost stumbled trying to keep up. The door swung shut behind them and they walked silently to the end of the driveway where a patrol car waited, complete with Deputy Adam as a driver. Griffin hustled her inside the vehicle and it smoothly pulled away from the curb. Once they were away from the house, Griffin turned to her, his expression stormy.
    Uh oh.
    “What in the hell were you doing back there? What were you thinking?”
    Boy, did he sound pissed. Mental note. Don’t upset the sheriff.
    “I was thinking she was a lousy mother. And she was lying. I could tell.”
    “You could tell,” he repeated. “You’re some expert in lying as well as an actress?”
    She ignored his sarcasm.
    “She was being evasive. As an actress I study body language, and when a person does this,” Jazz placed her hand over her throat. “That means they feel the need to protect themselves. They’re worried about something. They could be lying.”
    “She was lying when she said she didn’t know anything,” he admitted but didn’t look all that damn happy about it.
    “Exactly! I helped.”
    Griffin shook his head grimly. “Helped? I’m not sure I’d call it that. You had some dumb luck. It could easily have gone another way, Jazz.”
    “But it didn’t,” she insisted. “I may not have done what you said but it worked. Admit it.”
    “I admit nothing,” Griffin retorted, frustration in his tone. “You better hope that this lead pans out because after what you pulled in there she will never – I repeat – never speak to us again. On or off the record. Shit, Jazz. It’s not just this, can’t you see? What if we’d been in a dangerous situation? You need to listen to me and do what I tell you. Failure could get you killed. As in dead.”
    Shit, now she felt kind of crappy. She’s been too emotional to think logically.
    “So you guys got a lead in the case?” Deputy Adam’s question broke in to the conversation and let Jazz off the hook from responding to Griffin.
    “Kind of. We need to do some more digging.” Apparently Griffin was done chewing her out and was now tapping a note into his phone. He barely spared a glance for his deputy. “We need to talk to Casey’s friends again. If anyone knows the guy’s name it will be one of her girlfriends.”
    “So there was another guy?” Adam persisted. “But you don’t know his name? That’s too bad.”
    Griffin scowled at Adam and then returned his attention to his phone. “A temporary setback. Drop us at the station, okay?”
    “Sure, boss. The station. This sure is exciting. A lead in a cold case.”
    “Can you just drop me at the hotel?” she asked Adam with a smile.
    “No, take us to the station,” Griffin contradicted. “We’re not done yet, Jazz.”
    He wanted to yell at her some more? Delightful.
    “I’m kind of hungry–” she began.
    “Don’t worry, I’ll feed you,” he answered smoothly. “We have a lot to discuss.”
    Shit. Shit. Shit.
    Jazz knew exactly what the sexy sheriff wanted to talk about. She’d revealed just a bit too