Renegade (Tin Star K9 Series Book 1) by Jodi Burnett (literature books to read .txt) 📗

on the radio. She absently tapped her thumb to the rhythm of the music before the morning news break interrupted her. The DJ’s words barked out of the speakers. “We now have more information in the Wendy Gessler case.” She turned up the volume. “As previously reported, authorities found Gessler’s body buried in the mountains on Reed Ranch. Today, we’ve learned the coroner has confirmed that Gessler was pregnant at the time of her death. In a subsequent interview, Gessler’s boyfriend, Jim Hague, stated that he suspects Mr. Dylan Reed of murdering Wendy. This morning, Hague implied Reed might be the father of Wendy’s unborn baby. He stated Reed was the last person seen with Wendy at a local bar. Other witnesses have confirmed Hague’s claim that the two looked upset during an intense conversation at the Tipsy Cow. Authorities are still looking for anyone who may have seen Reed and Gessler leave the bar last Friday night, either together or separately.”

Caitlyn smacked her palm against the steering wheel. Hot coals stoked into a raging fire in her chest and scorched the backside of her eyes. Renegade sat up and cocked his head at her.

“I’m okay, Ren.” She patted the silky spot between his ears. “But the shoddy reporting that’s being allowed in this situation really pisses me off! Not to mention how unprofessional it is of the sheriff, allowing the boyfriend to try this case in the news.” She reached for her cellphone and dialed Logan.

“Hey, what’s up, Catie-did?”

Caitlyn’s neck muscles relaxed a fraction at the sound of her second oldest brother’s warm voice. “Hi, Logan. I have some crazy news for you, and I need your help.” Caitlyn filled Logan in on the details.

“I can’t believe this! I’ll see if I can take some personal time and be on my way up there as soon as possible.”

“There’s nothing you can do right now. I’ll let you know if we need you to come, but for the time being, I was wondering if you knew of a good defense attorney you would recommend? I’m deeply concerned that the sheriff is working under a confirmation bias. I get the sense he’s trying to prove what he wants to be true and doesn’t care about the actual truth at all. I don’t think he’s investigating anyone else.”

“It wouldn’t be the first time a law enforcement officer interpreted case evidence in a manner that confirms their own beliefs or theories. I’ll ask around about a lawyer. Are you sure you don’t need me to come up? I think I should.”

“Right now, I’m just worried about Dylan’s rights. I think the presence of an attorney will force the sheriff to run this investigation by the books. I don’t believe he has enough evidence to hold Dylan. I’ll let you know if we need you.”

Logan was silent for a minute before he quietly asked, “Did he do it, Catie?”

It was Caitlyn’s turn to pause. She sighed. “I don’t know.” This was a question she didn’t want to face. “Dylan has been angry and defensive lately. He hardly talks to me. I’m doing my best to find out all the information I can. Colt promised to keep me up-to-date on any new developments. I’m going to figure this out. But either way, we stand by Dylan, right?”

“Goes without saying.” He cleared his throat. “I’m glad to hear Colt is on the case. He’s a good man and he’ll be fair.

I’ll call you with an attorney’s name and number as soon as I get one.”

Caitlyn promised again to keep Logan posted and signed off. She put her arm around Renegade and leaned into his strong shoulder. “We’re going to do our own investigation on this case, Ren. Together, we’ll find the truth, no matter what the consequences bring.”

12

Caitlyn woke the next day invigorated, bubbling with more drive and energy than she had felt in years. It was as though it was a Monday morning, the first day of the month, the first day of a new year, in a brand-new century. She was eager to go—her purpose finally unveiled to her. She was going to do her own analysis and discover who murdered Wendy Gessler. Sheriff Tackett was supposedly investigating, but she didn’t trust him for one second. All he wanted was a conviction and a feather in his cap. He didn’t care if the man who went to prison for murder actually killed Wendy or not. And in this case, it was her brother whose life was on the line.

“Come on, Ren. It’s time for a fresh start. We need to work on our training if we are going to be any good as a K9 team.”

Renegade peered up at her out of the top of his eye sockets without lifting his chin from his bed. His expression seemed to say, Don’t drag me into your crazy ideas. Caitlyn laughed as she dressed in her workout gear. “Eggs for breakfast, Ren. Breakfast of champions. You in?” Ren scampered after her into the kitchen where she prepared their meal; eggs on toast for her, eggs on kibble for him.

Outside, Caitlyn tightened her shoelaces. She estimated the run to the road and back was a full three miles, and she was raring to go. After some leg stretches and a few warm-ups, she struck out on the dirt road, Ren bounding beside her. She made it about halfway to the paved street before she had to stop. Caitlyn bent over, propping herself on her knees, and gasped for air. “Boy, Ren, am I ever out of shape. This is going to take longer than I thought.” She ruffled his head and laughed as he sprinted ahead of her. For his part, Ren was in great condition. Caitlyn, on the other hand, finally accomplished the distance with a walk-run-panting combo.

Next on the training schedule was practicing Renegade’s sniffing drills. Caitlyn rammed her shoulder against the door to her detached garage to open it. Inside, she searched through