Scene of the Crime: Return to Bachelor Moon by Carla Cassidy

three people all at the same time.”
    “I definitely agree,” Gabriel replied. “Let’s see if Ryan Sherman shows a little more potential.”
    “Ryan Sherman, thirty-four years old,” Andrew said from the backseat, once again on the laptop utilizing FBI access to the most information possible about a person.
    “He spent two years in prison on an assault-and-battery charge. He’s been out of the joint for the past three years and works as a mechanic at Glen’s Garage,” Andrew continued.
    “From what Thompson told us, he and Sam have had several run-ins. Seems Ryan has a real bad attitude when it comes to the law and took a special dislike to former agent Connelly,” Jackson said.
    As the two of them talked about Ryan Sherman and the case, Gabriel’s mind drifted to Marlena and the night before. Would she have managed to make it to shore had he not heard her scream? Somehow he doubted it. Had she been shoved off the path, or merely stumbled and imagined being pushed?
    They certainly did not need another element to the mystery they’d already been handed. And the very last thing he needed was to think about how soft and vulnerable Marlena had looked in her robe with her damp curls framing her lovely face.
    He didn’t want to think about how her body had looked with her wet clothes plastered against her. In truth, he didn’t want to think about her at all.
    Thankfully, they arrived at Glen’s Garage. As Gabriel parked on the side of the building, they were met by a man in coveralls who introduced himself as the owner, Glen Grable. “What can I do for you folks this afternoon?” he asked with an affable smile.
    Gabriel flashed his identification. “We’d like to speak to Ryan Sherman.”
    Glen’s smile transformed into a frown. “He in trouble again? Damn him. I told him, the next time I had to bail him out of jail, he was finished working here.”
    “We’re not here to arrest him, but we do need to talk to him,” Jackson said.
    “Is this about the Connellys?” Glen’s eyes darkened.
    Gabriel took a step toward the older man. “Why would you ask? Do you know something about the Connellys?”
    Glen shook his head. “Just heard that they were missing. That’s all everyone in town has been talking about.”
    “Do you know where Ryan was on Thursday night?” Gabriel asked.
    “He worked here until seven. After that I have no idea. I don’t keep track of my mechanics when they’re off duty. I’ll go get him for you. I’d rather you talk to him out here than inside my shop where I got customers.”
    As they waited in the midafternoon heat, Jackson pulled a handkerchief from his back pocket and mopped his forehead. “Jeez, it’s hot. It would be nice to wrap this up quickly and get back home.”
    Gabriel frowned. “The only way we’re going to wrap this up quickly is if the family suddenly reappears alive and well, and at this point, I don’t see that happening.”
    “I have a bad feeling about this whole thing,” Andrew said softly. “I think the next time we see that family, it’s going to be in a shallow grave someplace.”
    Andrew’s words sent a somber pall over the three of them. But Gabriel knew the stats. He also knew how difficult it would be to hide three people and keep them silent and alive for any length of time.
    He tensed as he watched a big, bald, tattooed man approach them. It was obvious by the sneer on his face that he wasn’t happy to meet them. He was dressed in grimy coveralls and held a red grease-stained rag in his hands.
    “Glen told me there were a couple of Feds out here. Just what this town needs, more Feds.”
    “We’ve heard through the grapevine that you and Sam Connelly didn’t play nice together,” Gabriel said.
    “That sanctimonious bastard thought he was better than everyone else in town,” Ryan said, and it didn’t miss Gabriel’s attention that he’d spoken of Sam in the past tense. “He had plans to run for sheriff after Thompson retires. I