Cowboy Famous: Book 4 (Cowboy Justice Association) (8 page)

“Look through them. Decide which one you’d like to take ownership of. Remember, whichever one you choose will be your case. We’ll help and guide you, of course, every step of the way but try to pick a case that you find interesting or fits with a particular strength or knowledge base you may have.”

They were all looking at him again as if they were statues. This group had a bad habit of needing to be told things more than once.

That could get you killed when you were a cop.

“Go ahead and get started.”

This time the six of them moved and pulled folders off the stack one by one. There wasn’t much sound in the room except the turning of pages and a few murmurings.

“Sheriff, can I speak with you?”

Tony, the producer and sometime director was standing there with his shadow, Gordon the assistant producer, who seemed to do all of the real work. Tony liked to tell people what to do but didn’t like to get his manicured hands dirty from what Griffin had seen. If Gordon wasn’t around, Tony would be up shit creek without a damn paddle.

“Sure, we can go to my office.”

Griffin led the two men across the hall and waved for them to sit down while he took the chair behind his desk. Tony gave Griffin a smile that was probably meant to be encouraging but came off kind of smarmy.

“We just finished watching the dailies from yesterday’s shoot and I have to say it’s even better than I’d hoped for. The footage of you and Jazz last night was particularly spectacular.”

Griffin didn’t trust Tony as far as he could throw him, and even less at the moment. Just what was this guy trying to say? Did he want Griffin to let the contestants carry guns and wrestle suspects to the ground?

Not going to happen.

“That’s good…I guess,” Griffin said carefully. “Right?”

“It’s excellent,” Gordon enthused, then went silent when Tony gave him a quelling look.

“What we’re trying to say,” Tony said, scowling at Gordon, “is that there seems to be some chemistry between you and Jazz. The screen crackled with it when you were talking. We’d like to keep that going.”

Yep, his instincts had been right. Tony was up to no good.

“And what do you mean by
keep it going
?”

“Viewers love characters they can root for and they love nothing more than to cheer for love.”

“And?” Griffin prompted. He was going to make this son of a bitch say it out loud. “What does that have to do with me and Jazz going on patrol last night?”

“It’s obvious you two are attracted to each other,” Gordon broke in before Tony could speak. “Go with it.”

Tony glared at Gordon but didn’t correct him. Griffin stroked his chin and gazed over their heads as if he was actually entertaining these thoughts.

“Go with it,” he repeated. “What did you have in mind?”

This time Tony was the first to speak. “Take her out on dates. Spend time with each other. If something naked happens, it’s all the better. We wouldn’t film that part, of course,” he added hastily when Griffin sat up in his chair. “Let the audience watch you two fall in love. They eat that shit up.”

There was no fucking way Griffin was going to sex up Jazz for the cameras. No matter how much he was attracted to her.

“What if we don’t fall in love?” Griffin asked. “What if we end up hating each other?”

Tony’s face split into a grin. “That’s almost as good. Tension and animosity make for great television. Besides, I don’t expect you two to really fall in love.” The producer snorted in derision followed by Gordon. “Just ham it up for the cameras a little bit. After all, when this is over Jazz is heading back to L.A. and her career. It would be a bad idea to fall in love for real.”

Nice of Tony to worry about Griffin getting his poor country boy heart broken.

Griffin nodded and the two men looked excited but he quickly dashed their hopes. “No can do, I’m afraid.”

“No?” Tony repeated the word as if he’d never heard it or didn’t know what it meant. “What do you mean
no
? This is a great opportunity, Sheriff.”

Griffin leaned forward in his chair, his gaze affixed to the men. “For whom?”

Tony’s mouth opened and closed a few times, his face turning red. Finally he pulled himself together enough to answer.

“Okay, fair enough. It would be great for the show, therefore great for me. But it’s also great for the town. They get a cut of the profits. It’s a win-win, Sheriff. Think about it.”

Griffin was shaking his head but Tony and Gordon had already stood to leave as if they didn’t want to hear any more objections.

“Don’t say no yet. Just mull it over. We’ll talk later.” Tony said as he and his assistant scurried out of the office. Griffin was left sitting at his desk feeling frustrated and a tiny bit pissed off. He’d known something like this would happen but nobody was fucking listening to him these days. It was enough to make a man head for the nearest fishing hole and drown some worms.

Now there was an idea. A morning on the lake at the back of the house. A couple of beers and peace and quiet. Sheer heaven.

He sighed pulling his thoughts back to the present. Might as well just cowboy up and get his work done. Griffin stood and strode to the office door, sticking his head out.

“Wayne, you’re up!” he bellowed into the quiet hall. He had no doubt they could hear him in Interrogation since the door was open. “Bring the case you’ve selected and let’s discuss it.”

No fishing, no fun. Only work.

Well, at least he’d put the kibosh on pretending to fall in love with Jazz. She really was the perfect woman to get involved with though. She wasn’t sticking around so the relationship would have a definite expiration date. There would be no messy endings, just a mutual
so long, it was fun
when things were done. Two people having some fun for as long as it lasted or until the woman started wanting to smother him.

Perfect, except for the cameras.

That was something Griffin simply couldn’t get past.

*   *   *   *

“So what case have you chosen?” Griffin asked Jazz.

They were sitting in his office and he’d called in the contestants one by one. She was last and she was pretty sure she knew why. Tony and Gordon had pulled her aside earlier to talk. Sure they’d discussed it with the sheriff as well, Jazz wanted to dig a hole and jump in. Embarrassed was too weak a word for how she felt.

Mortified.

That fit better. She could only hope Griffin didn’t think the whole illusion of them pretending something was going on between them was her idea.

She would admit – to herself at least – that she’d barely slept last night. Her head had been full of images of Sheriff Griffin Sawyer and that was the least of her problems. Vividly remembering how good he smelled and how his body emanated a comforting warmth had given those pictures true life. They’d tortured her until the wee hours of the morning when she’d finally dozed off exhausted and confused.

There was something about Griffin that got to her. Maybe it was the aura of command that surrounded him or the calm and controlled way he dealt with issues. Maybe it was the way he filled out his blue jeans and t-shirt. Either way she was in deep shit and she’d only been in town for less than forty-eight hours.

Crap.

“This one.” Jazz watched Griffin’s expression closely but he gave away nothing. If he was upset it didn’t show. “It sounds interesting. The victim especially.”

When Jazz had read the file about Casey Charlock, she’d known this was the case she had to have. Her fingers had gripped the file tighter and tighter as Jazz had read about the neglected daughter that had gone missing. The mother hadn’t bothered to report Casey gone. It had been a friend who had eventually alerted the sheriff. Fast forward a few weeks later and her body was found in a ravine. She’d been beaten and strangled. They’d questioned her boyfriend but he had an alibi and others lacked motive. The case had grown cold and no new leads had been turned up for ages.

Griffin perused the file and his brows pulled together. “Are you sure, Jazz? This is one hell of a case to take on. I pull this file down when I have time and try to make some headway. So far there’s nothing. I’d hate to see you bang your head against a wall.

Jazz wasn’t sure she was ready to talk about her own childhood, but the expression on Griffin’s face made it clear he was unsure about letting her work on this. She needed to make him understand.

“Let’s just say I feel a kinship with Casey, okay? I’d like to work on it.” He was still frowning but more from concern than anything. “Please?”

He rubbed his chin but finally nodded and sighed. “If this is what you really want. I’ll help you all I can. There’s not much here, honestly.”

“I saw that they didn’t have much for forensics although they managed to get DNA from under her fingernails. There were no footprints at the scene, no fingerprints.”

“That was just for starters. It was a cluster from day one. You haven’t learned this yet but the longer a case goes unsolved the less the chances are that it ever will be. The first forty-eight hours after Casey disappeared were of utmost importance and we missed those due to her mother not reporting her missing. It didn’t get any better from there.”

Griffin laid out the grisly crime scene photos on his desk alongside each other. “Did you look at these? Are you sure you can take something like this? It’s not a pretty sight, Jazz. What this monster did to Casey was an ugly thing. She fought to live and it showed.”

Jazz swallowed hard, a lump forming in her throat. She had looked at the pictures and they’d made her sick to her stomach to see what one human could do to another. It had only made her more determined to find Casey’s killer. The girl deserved some closure.

“I have a pretty strong stomach. I didn’t read the autopsy report though. Just the police notes.”

The corners of Griffin’s mouth turned up slightly. “Mine and Dare’s notes. We tried to do right by Casey but in the end it wasn’t enough.”

“I’m sure you did all you could,” she replied, trying to erase the lines in his forehead and the unutterably sad expression on his face. It was clear that this case had made an impression on Griffin, that it still affected him even now.

His lips flattened into a line and his gray eyes were a cold, flinty black. “It wasn’t enough.” He scooped the photos back into the folder and closed it. “I’ll schedule some time for us to go through each piece of evidence. You can also re-interview some of her friends and family. Well, her mother anyway. She didn’t have any other family.”

“Thank you.” She cleared her tight throat knowing she needed to discuss the other subject hanging over their heads. “Um, did Tony and Gordon talk to you today?”

Griffin instantly turned guarded, his shoulders tense. “Yes. Did they talk to you too?”

Jazz chewed on her lip and nodded. “They did. I just wanted you to know it wasn’t my idea.”

Her words came out all at once and she rubbed her damp palms on her blue jeans. She didn’t want this man thinking she was, well, interested in him…that way. Even though she was. Sort of. She just didn’t want him to know that. A little old-fashioned, Jazz preferred the male to make the initial moves. Of course that explained why she didn’t date much.

“I never thought it was.” Griffin was relaxed and smiling now. “Tony doesn’t seem like the type who is looking for a lot of input from others. I’m guessing he likes the ideas to be his own.”

This sheriff could read people well.

“If it isn’t his, he’ll find a way to take credit for it.” Jazz laughed and felt the tension drain away. Griffin Sawyer was a really down to earth guy. “I make it sound bad but he actually is a pretty nice man. He’s just ambitious, that’s all. He’s dating my roommate.”

Griffin’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Is that how you got on the show?”

“It is,” she nodded. “I was having a bad day. A very bad day. I got fired from my crappy waitress job and lost out on the part of a lifetime. I was in debt due to major car repairs and behind on my bills. This opportunity was a godsend, honestly. Tony said it might lead to some job offers, but I know I have to stay on the show long enough to be noticed. Getting kicked off early won’t help my career although I will be debt free. That is a relief.”

Griffin seemed to study her for a long time before speaking. “You need to get noticed to get acting jobs then?”

“It’s really the only way.” Jazz shrugged. “I haven’t had much luck the regular route. I’m starting to get pretty discouraged.”

“And more camera time would help you?” he persisted, his gaze pinning her to the chair. The answer seemed damn important to him. She felt her heart start to pound in her chest at the mere suggestion that he might be willing to pretend to be involved with her.

“Yes, why do you ask?”

Was he really thinking about saying yes to Tony’s proposal? An image of Griffin and herself locked in a passionate, naked embrace flashed in front of her eyes and she had to take a few breaths to keep her pulse under control.

“I told Tony and Gordon no.” His lips twisted into a wry smile. “Not that they listened. I hope you can understand why I can’t do it. It just wouldn’t be—well, ethical. Not to mention it’s not a good idea to get involved with someone that kind of works for me. In a way.”

Jazz exhaled slowly, trying not to show her disappointment. He was right of course, and if she’d learned anything about him in the last thirty six hours or so was that he was as solid and honest as a summer day. Pretending anything wasn’t his style.

“It’s okay. I understand. It wouldn’t be right.”

“I hope you’re not upset.” Griffin had leaned forward in his chair and wore an earnest expression. She wasn’t upset because she’d never really truly believed he would do it. But deep down she was kind of disappointed that she wouldn’t be spending any extra time with him. She was attracted to the sheriff.

A whole hell of a lot.

“I’m fine. Honest. It never occurred to me that you would do it. I was shocked when Tony and Gordon brought it up. Tony will do anything for ratings.”

“It wouldn’t be the right thing to do,” Griffin replied. “What kind of man would I be if I pretended something that wasn’t true?”