Justice Inked (Cowboy Justice Association 7) by Olivia Jaymes

diner. Dozens, if not hundreds. It doesn’t make much sense.”
    Reed hadn’t said anything so far, which wasn’t unusual. The lawman didn’t speak unless he had something to say so everyone paused when he leaned forward, his gaze intent on Dare.
    “They wanted something,” Reed stated. “Something specific. Something worth killing for. Your job is to find out what it is.”
    That thought had been rolling around in the back of Dare’s mind this morning but he hadn’t wanted to entertain it. If it were true then this was a bigger mess than just a dead body.
    “Drugs?” Knox offered. “Is the shop owner doing some side business?”
    Dare coughed in shock at the mere thought. “Rayne? No way. She’s strange, but she’s as honest as the day is long. No, it isn’t that.”
    “Have you checked into her background?” Evan asked. “Not everybody is what they appear to be.”
    “Not Rayne.”
    As crazy as she made Dare, as much as she drove him up a wall, she was as transparent as glass. Her thoughts and feelings were out there for everyone to see and she didn’t care who sat back and played judge and jury.
    He actually admired her more than a little bit.
    “You’ve known her a long time then?” Griffin asked. “She’s a good friend?”
    Well, shit. “Not really. I wouldn’t even say we were all that friendly. I’ve known her less than a year but she’s Misty’s best friend. She was the maid of honor at the wedding.”
    Seth’s brows shot up. “The one with the ear piercings and the blue streaks in her hair? She was cute.”
    “That’s her. If she’s friends with Misty I have no doubt that Jared has checked her out.”
    The conversation lagged and Tanner redirected. “Any other business? No? I have something. Did you hear there was a bank robbery in Springwood last week? Four masked men armed with heavy weaponry killed a teller and the bank manager and made off with two hundred thousand dollars. The four men are still at large and there’s a big reward for them from the company. I’m letting you know in case you see anything suspicious or perhaps someone spending a large amount of cash. You may also want to warn your local bank managers to be extra vigilant and call you if they see anything out of the ordinary.”
    Knox snorted and shook his head. “Do people still rob banks at gunpoint? I can think of ten different ways to steal money and not one of them involves leaving the comfort of my own home and laptop. These guys sound old school to me.”
    “Interesting theory,” observed Reed. “Do you have any leads, Tanner?”
    “Not much,” Tanner sighed. “I have half a dozen witnesses with a half a dozen different stories, none of which are even close. I also have some footage from the bank cameras but there’s not much to work with. They were all dressed identically in black from head to toe. They even wore gloves.”
    “I wouldn’t mind seeing that video,” Reed said. “Maybe I’ll recognize a mannerism of one of the men. It’s a long shot, but you never know.”
    “I can arrange it for anyone who wants to view it. I wouldn’t mind some more eyes on this one. I don’t want this to become a crime spree.”
    Dare didn’t need the complication of a bank robbery to go along with a murder. He had little to go on for his own case and not enough resources to deal with the crime the town already had.
    What he needed was a big break in the case. A good night’s sleep. And maybe a full rack of ribs with steak fries on the side.
    He’d start with lunch just as soon as the meeting was over.

Chapter Eight

    R ayne flipped through the horticulture book until she found the photo she was looking for. Sophie Turner, Dare’s sister, had come into the shop to talk about the ink she wanted and since it was a slow day, she and Rayne were working on the design.
    “What do you think of this?” Rayne asked, pointing to the delicate purple petals of the wild violet. It was small and feminine, and a