you were getting frustrated.â
âTrue.â She laughed and the sound wrapped itself around his heart. He tried to ignore the sensation. He was here to protect Kayla and Brianna from harm, and to help her find the path to the Lord. Nothing else.
So why did his thoughts keep heading down a dangerous, more personal path? He turned up the Christmas music on the radio in an attempt to drown out his thoughts.
Unfortunately, the Christmas music only made him think about Angela. And their unborn son. And how his lack of planning had failed them both. He scowled, tempted to change the station, but suspected that seeing as there was only a week until Christmas, it was likely the other stations were also playing Christmas tunes.
Several long minutes passed before Kayla spokeagain. âYou really think itâs possible this man killed Bill Schroeder?â she asked, staring at the sketch.
âYeah. I do.â Keep focused on business, he reminded himself. Distractions would only put Kayla in harmâs way. âIf not him personally, then someone he works for. Either way, heâs the best lead we have at the moment.â
âPoor Bill,â Kayla murmured. âI should really give Jeanine a call. I know she divorced Bill, but this still must be a horrible shock.â
âThey didnât have any children?â he asked, even though he knew from his research they didnât have any, he was curious about the guy. Often the motivations behind the crimes were the toughest to figure out.
âThey tried, but apparently it wasnât meant to be. Jeanine wanted to adopt, but Bill refused. I think in the end their marriage suffered because of it.â
It was a little odd to be thinking of their main suspect as a man whoâd tried to have a family. So why had Bill Schroeder become involved in the criminal smuggling ring? Money? Greed? For thrills? What?
At this point, they might never figure out what his real motives were. And truth be told, he was more interested in shutting the operation down than understanding the why behind the crime.
He pulled into the parking lot of the coast guard substation a few minutes later. Taking the sketch from Kaylaâs hands, he led the way inside. He headed straight to Luke Sandersâ office. His commanding officer saw them coming and rose to meet them halfway.
Rafe raised his hand in a sharp salute. âSir. This is Mrs. Kayla Wilson, owner of Kaylaâs bed-and-breakfast. Kayla, this is my lieutenant commander, Luke Sanders.â
Luke returned Rafeâs salute and then accepted Kaylaâs outstretched hand. âPleasure to meet you, maâam.â
âLikewise,â she murmured shyly.
âHereâs a sketch of our suspect,â Rafe said, getting straight to the point. He handed the sketch to Luke. âHe rented a room at Kaylaâs B and B under the name of Gregory Landrum, giving a Chicago address. But the real Gregory Landrum from Chicago is at least ten to fifteen years older and heavier by almost a hundred pounds.â
âWhy would he rent a room under an assumed name?â Luke asked.
âAs a cover to search through her husbandâs business records,â Rafe explained. âMrs. Wilson stored everything from the charter fishing operation in the attic and we discovered someone has been up there, going through them. Everything had been pulled out of the boxes and tossed on the floor. From what we could determine, all the photographs are missing. We believe this man is the one who keeps trying to break in.â
His commanding officerâs glance cut over to Kayla, as if gauging how much she knew about her husbandâs business dealings. âThe stolen photographs arenât enough?â
âApparently not, sir. We think itâs possible something is still hidden in her home. Or someone thinks thereâs something still hidden in her home. Either way, we need more time to complete a
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