Page 86 of Burning Justice

“Maybe.” Brett nodded. “I just sent out some mud samples that may put David Hawkin at the scene of Nash’s murder. If we go with the approximate TOD the coroner’s investigator gave us, David Hawkin could have killed Nash in the oil field, then driven south, back to New Mexico the same night. The timing is about right. That New Mexico state trooper said he pulled Hawkin over in Raton two nights ago.”

“With oily, muddy boots and an unlicensed 9mm,” Deck added.

“Close to a slam dunk,” Evan said.

Nothing in law enforcement ever was, but that was about as close as it could get.

“You said you already made a run at Michael Hawkin,” Deck said. “Any chance of talking to David Hawkin?”

“That’s the plan,” Brett said. “If ballistics confirms all the shell casings came from the gun the New Mexico State Police seized, I’ll get an arrest warrant. If the mud samples match, that will be the icing on the cake. I have a trooper down there keeping an eye on the guy.”

The first call he’d made yesterday after leaving the oil field was to Trooper Sanchez, who’d been working a midnight tour and hadn’t come on shift yet. Brett had left a message requesting Sanchez to not clean out the back of his patrol car until he’d grabbed a mud sample.

“So”—Deck grinned slyly—“all this came from Gemma approaching you with her evidence and her theories?”

Deck and Evan exchanged looks, Evan’s equally amused. In Brett’s experience, Evan was rarely amused to the point where he actually smiled. His friend was sporting one now.

“She’s quite a woman,” Evan said.

“She’s an outstanding investigator,” Brett said, ignoring Evan’s implication, even though his friend was right. Gemma was quite a woman. Unfortunately, not his woman. Much as he was beginning to wish otherwise. When his friends continued smirking, Brett changed the subject. “Any luck finding Gavin Aldrich’s sister?”

The smirk on Evan’s face disappeared faster than a rainbow. “I’ve got a solid lead. I should have something soon.”

“Thanks, man. I’ll stop by to see Gavin later today. I’ll let him know.”

“Good morning, gentleman.” Lori Olywule came in holding a steaming mug of coffee.

His boss was a hard worker, usually in the office long before the rest of her staff.

Lori blew on her coffee. “I coordinated your subpoena requests with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and HQ. We’re in a holding pattern.”

“Thanks.” Lori’s investigative experience and efficiency were legendary, something Brett appreciated. It allowed him to concentrate his efforts in the field, rather than getting stifled by government red tape.

Brett’s cell phone rang. NMSP lit the screen. “Tanner,” Brett said.

“This is Trooper Sanchez. I got your message, and you’re in luck. I didn’t get around to cleaning my car yet, so I took a sample of the mud. It’s dry, but it’s still there. What do you want me to do with it?”

Hot damn.

“I’ll give you an address to ship it to. It’s the U.S. Coast Guard lab in Connecticut.” Brett forwarded the lab’s contact info to Sanchez, along with his own email address. “Treat this as evidence. Do a chain of custody and send me a copy of the chain and the packing slip.”

“Will do,” Sanchez said. “And I’m not sure where David Hawkin is. No vehicle in the carport for the last twenty-four hours, and his house was dark last night. I’ll keep you posted.”

Did David Hawkin know they were looking for him? That was something he had to consider. In the last few days, they’d interviewed Michael Hawkin and Charles Pilcher. One of those interviews had set something in motion.

“What is it?” Lori asked when Brett had ended the call.

“David Hawkin may be in the wind. I think the second we walked out of Michael Hawkin’s and Charles Pilcher’s offices, one or both of them called David to warn him.”

“That’s a possibility,” Lori agreed. “But you need to wait for the lab results to come back and for the subpoenas. Understood?”

“Understood,” Brett said reluctantly. Every minute that passed was another opportunity for evidence to disappear and for co-conspirators to get their stories straight.

…

Two hours later, Brett left the Pine Springs Mental Health Treatment Center. He’d wanted to make good on his promise to Gavin Aldrich and the court about being a big brother and mentor to the kid.

Aside from petting Blaze and throwing a ball for him in the center’s recreational area, Gavin hadn’t said much. Until Brett had notified him that Evan was making headway on finding his sister. The hesitant smile on Gavin’s face had more than made up for his boss ramming her stand-down order down Brett’s throat again.