I raised my voice so the men at the table could easily hear. “Do you really think your customers want to protect a kidnapper? Probably a rapist?”
The largest man at the table, one who looked vaguely familiar, stood. “This about that girl?”
“It is.” My hand itched and strained, but I forced it to stay loose at my side.
“You find who did this, and we’ll be happy to take care of it for you.”
I gave him an easy smile. “I appreciate that, but I think we’re gonna do this one by the book.”
He shrugged. “Those books don’t work for a lot of folks.”
“You’re not wrong there. But I do my best to make them do their job.”
The man studied me for a moment, seeming to take my measure. “What do you want to know?”
“Looking for a lone man on horseback, around this area or the lake. You guys see anyone?”
A slender man, still sitting, snickered. “I see them all the time. Lots of folks around here prefer horseback to a car or truck.”
He was right. It was far from abnormal for someone to ride to The Post for a few groceries. Or just take off into the national forest for some time alone in nature. I scanned the men’s faces. “What about anyone who seemed off to you?”
The third man, who hadn’t said a word yet, sneered. “You seem pretty damn off to me. Sticking your nose in where it don’t belong.”
My fingers twitched. “Well, that’s a matter of opinion, isn’t it?”
“My opinion is that pigs aren’t wanted here.”
Young stiffened next to me, her hand going to the butt of her gun. The third man’s hand did the same with his. Just as I was afraid things might take a turn we couldn’t come back from, the saloon doors to the kitchen swung open.
A young woman with her blond hair dreaded and wrapped in a scarf appeared with two plates in hand, oblivious to what was going on around her. “I’ve got that breakfast burrito, extra steak, and the special. Who’s winning this morning?”
The appearance of the woman seemed to take the tension down more than a step immediately. The surliest of the men smiled at her. “You know I’m kicking their asses.”
She beamed at him. “It might be nice to let someone else win once in a while.”
“Don’t listen to him, Dahlia. I’m cleaning up,” the skinny man said.
“Let’s get to cleaning up these breakfasts. I’ll be back with yours, Jim.”
The men went back to ignoring me and started shoveling in their breakfasts. Sue snorted a laugh. “Hippies. They save my ass every time. And they grow the best herb.”
I ran a hand through my hair. “I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that.”
Sue leaned back on her stool. “I’m sure they have a license.” She was quiet for a moment. “I didn’t see anyone like you described the day the Sweeney girl was attacked.”
“What about before or after?”
“Too many to count.”
I muttered a curse. “Thanks, Sue.”
“Don’t go spreading around that I answered your questions.”
“Your secret’s safe with me.” I inclined my head towards the door, and Young and I headed out as Dahlia appeared with the last plate.
She smiled at us. “Have a beautifully blessed day.”
Young’s lips pressed together to keep from laughing. She held it together until we made it outside. “What was that?”
“This county is full of interesting characters.”
“I thought for a minute it was going to go bad in there.”
“It could’ve. Don’t place your hand on your weapon in a situation like that unless you’re ready to use it.”
Young flushed. “Sorry.”
“You don’t have to be sorry. Just learn with each callout.” I sent her a grin. “Maybe I should think about hiring Dahlia as a crisis negotiator.”
“Wouldn’t be a bad idea.” She glanced over her shoulder. “I just don’t get guys like that.”
I beeped the locks on the SUV, and we climbed inside. “They don’t think rules and laws apply to them.”
“Think they could have something to do with what happened to Cammie?”
“Honestly, no. But there are bad apples everywhere. We just might have to turn over the whole barrel to find what we’re looking for.”
15
Everly
I shut the door of my SUV with my hip and pressed the button on my key fob to lock it. It was a habit after living so long in the city. But given the latest run-in with my brother, it was probably a good idea to keep it up. I wouldn’t put it past Ian to rig my SUV to blow.
I trudged across the gravel drive, my boots almost dragging through the dirt. The day had been nonstop from beginning to end. A full roster of appointments and then a handful of emergencies. Luckily, all of them had a happy ending.
I pulled my keys from my purse and found the one I was looking for. Shiny new silver for my brand-new lock. It was one of the first things I’d done after moving. You never knew how many old spare keys were floating around.
Sliding the new key into the slot, I listened for a moment before heading inside. As soon as the door shut behind me, Chip skittered out of his hidey-hole, chattering away. I grinned down at the chipmunk. “Good to know you missed me.” He kept right on talking as if I could understand every word. “Or maybe you’re just hungry.”
I hung my purse on a peg I’d put by the door and moved towards the kitchen. Opening a cabinet, I poured a small amount of the nut mix into a little dish. I sat it on the floor, and Chip pounced. I couldn’t help but laugh.
Letting the sound free released some of the tension in my muscles. I rolled my shoulders back and turned the oven on to four hundred. Tonight was a frozen-pizza kind of night. I moved to the window to peek outside.
It looked like Shiloh had been here today. The remaining dilapidated fencing had been taken down and arranged in piles: keep and use for firewood. At least, I wouldn’t have to split logs anytime soon. I really should’ve gone out to get a few hours of work in—the summer light would last until after eight—but I just didn’t have it in me.
Instead, I opted for the hottest shower known to man while my pizza cooked and then climbed into bed with a book it was taking me far too long to work my way through. The long days I’d pulled lately meant I nodded off before I’d read more than a few pages.
I looked around the room before I switched off the light. It was starting to feel more like home. In the last week, I’d made it more mine—a purplish-gray paint on the walls and gauzy white curtains that lifted in the breeze. I took a deep breath as I switched off the light, letting the fresh mountain air soothe me—hoping it would keep the nightmares away.
It certainly helped me fall asleep faster. It seemed like moments after my head hit the pillow, I was slipping under.
A foreign smell tickled my nose. It was the fact that my nose scrunched in repulsion, the scent invading the calm of my pine air, that woke me. I lay in bed for a moment, blinking awake into the darkness. As I inhaled again, I jolted upright. Smoke.