“Got a meeting with Law. He in yet?”
She nodded. “In his office.” A concerned look passed over her face. “I’m worried about him. I don’t think he’s sleeping much. He needs help.”
I didn’t think so either. Between a rash of tough cases and raising three kids alone, he was up against more than his fair share of a load. “I’ll try to talk to him.”
Wren let out a huff. “Good luck with that. Every time I try, he brushes me off.”
I squeezed her shoulder. “You’re a good sister-in-law.”
Her eyes gentled. “Not yet, but soon.”
I chuckled. “Fair enough.”
Turning from dispatch, I maneuvered through the sea of desks and headed toward Lawson’s office. Nash looked up from his box of donuts. “What are you doing here?” he asked through a mouthful of pastry.
I grimaced. “Don’t speak with your damned mouth full.”
Nash rolled his eyes and swallowed. “Priorities.”
And that would always be food. I moved to take one, and he smacked my hand.
“I’ve only got half a dozen,” he clipped.
“You’re gonna get heart failure at forty.”
Nash leaned back in his chair, patting his stomach. “Never. I’m fit as a fiddle.”
I just shook my head. “I gotta go talk to Law about a case.”
“Let me know if you need the real MVP in there with you. I’ll have it solved in no time.”
I snorted and headed for the chief’s office, knocking on the closed door.
“Come in,” Lawson called.
I opened the door and stepped in, closing it behind me.
“Hey. I’ve been combing through the evidence team’s report on the slain deer. There’s not much, other than a knife definitely made the cuts.”
I lowered myself into a chair opposite him at his desk. “I’ve got the word out with Fish and Wildlife and the Forest Service to be on the lookout for anyone acting out of the ordinary.”
Lawson nodded, and the light caught the circles under his eyes that seemed darker than just a couple of days ago.
“You okay?” I asked.
Surprise lit his features. “Sure. Why?”
“No offense, but you look like shit.”
Lawson grimaced. “Just a lot going on right now.”
“There’s been a lot going on for the past year.”
He sighed. “I know. I’m gonna get some help.”
“Help?”
Lawson wasn’t one to lean on anyone. It was as if he saw asking for help as being a burden, even though he was always ready to give it to others.
“I started looking for a nanny.”
My brows flew up. “Seriously?”
He shrugged. “The kids have a million activities now, and it’s not like I can trust Luke to keep an eye on the other two.”
There was a pain in Lawson’s voice at that admission. Whatever hormones Luke had stumbled into as a teenager had been giving his old man a hell of a time.
“It’s not a bad idea. I guess I’m just surprised you’re willing to do it,” I said.
Lawson shrugged. “Desperate times call for desperate measures.”
“Let me know if I can do anything.”
“I will.”
But I knew he wouldn’t. I guessed all of us Hartley siblings carried baggage and secrets.
I shifted in my seat. “Wanted to run something else by you.”
Lawson leaned back in his chair. “Shoot.”
“Need it to stay between us.”
Lawson instantly went on alert. “Is this about—？”
“No,” I cut him off, knowing what he was going to ask. “It’s about Aspen.”
His eyes flared in surprise. “What about her?”
“For starters, her name wasn’t always Aspen Barlow. It was Tara Monroe.”
It took Lawson a few beats before shock spread across his face. “Holy hell.”
“I know,” I said, voice low. “You remember the case?”
He nodded. “There were some crazy conspiracy theories around it. People who thought she lied about the husband attacking her.”
My jaw went rock-hard. “Idiots.”
Lawson grunted in agreement. “The blood spatter on his clothes clearly showed he was the assailant.”
“But people hated thinking the charming doctor could do something like that.”
Lawson shook his head. “I can’t imagine what she’s been through.” He studied me thoughtfully. “I’ve known her for years, and she’s never said a word. You’ve only known her a matter of days, and she opened up.”