You Shouldn't Have Come Here(65)

Joe huffed, throwing his hands up. “Just take me down to the station. I’m drunk, and I started a fire.”

“I’ll deal with you later.” The sheriff scowled at Joe but then returned his gaze to me. “First, I need to check on Grace.”

Joe got to his feet, wobbly. It took him a moment to get his balance, and when he did, he put his hands in front of his stomach. “Just leave her out of this. Go ahead and arrest me. I know you want to.”

“Sit back down,” the deputy commanded, pointing to the stairs. He clenched his jaw and retrieved the pistol from his belt.

“Jesus,” Joe said, putting his hands up and falling back into a sitting position.

I took a step back.

“Deputy, you stay out here with this goon,” Sheriff Almond gestured to Joe. “I’ll go and talk to her.”

The deputy nodded but kept his gun in his hand, carefully watching my dumbass brother.

I opened the screen door and led the way.

Sheriff Almond followed behind. His hand hovered over his pistol. He took a quick look around the living room, surveying the damage from the fire. His eyes were intense. They scanned back and forth between my hands and my head as if he was anticipating a move on my part.

“Keep going,” he said.

I walked down the hallway deliberately, keeping my hands at my sides, so I’d give him no reason to put one of those bullets in me. But sometimes you didn’t need a reason.

In front of Grace’s door, I turned back slowly toward the sheriff. “She’s in there.”

He tapped my shoulder, gesturing me to move aside. He knocked on the door three times.

“Grace, it’s Sheriff Almond with the Dubois Sheriff’s Department.” He kept an eye on me while waiting for Grace to open the door. It was dead quiet and nothing stirred on the other side.

Growing impatient, the sheriff turned the doorknob and pushed open the door. He flicked on the light, revealing Grace lying on the bed with her back facing him.

“Grace,” he said again. There was concern in his voice. He looked at me and then took a couple steps toward the bed so he was standing over her. I waited just outside the room, peering inside.

“Grace.”

She didn’t stir. She lay completely still. He bent down and placed his hand on her shoulder, shaking it. Grace jolted up into a sitting position. Her quick movement startled him, and he nearly leapt back.

She rubbed at her eyes. “What?”

“You called the police, Grace. I’m here to check on you. To make sure you’re all right.”

She pulled the blanket up higher and brought her knees to her chest, hesitating with her response. Her eyes swung back and forth between the sheriff and me like she had something she wanted to say. I was scared, scared she was going to ask for a ride out of town.

“I’m fine,” she finally landed on.

I let out a sigh of relief.

Sheriff Almond tilted his head and then turned back toward me. “Give us a moment.”

I nodded. “I’ll be in the kitchen.”

“Close the door,” he said.

I didn’t want to but I did as he asked. I hoped it wouldn’t be a mistake.





41.

Grace


Sheriff Almond was seated on the end of the bed, taking notes on a small pad of paper. His eyes were shifty like he didn’t believe anyone, and he was right not to. We were all lying.

“And you’re sure he didn’t hurt you?”

“No, he just scared me.” I grabbed the glass of water from the nightstand and sipped. It went down like I was swallowing a potato.

He nodded and scribbled in his notepad. “When do you leave, Grace?”

My hands shook as I placed the glass back on the coaster. “The day after tomorrow.”

“Good.”

“Good?” I questioned.

“It’s just better you leave. I’ve got a sixth sense for trouble, and this ranch reeks of it.” He squinted his eyes, punctuating his warning to me.

“Am I safe here?”

The sheriff sucked on his front teeth, trying to decide on what to say, what the right answer was, if there was a right answer. He couldn’t go around throwing accusations he had no proof of.

“You’ll be all right,” he finally landed on. Sheriff Almond closed up his little notepad and slid it into the front pocket of his shirt. He stood, pulling a card from his belt. “If you need anything, and I mean anything, call me,” he said, handing over his business card.

I flipped it over several times in my hand, deciding if I should tell him anything more. Was what Joe said true? Was Calvin driving the night Lisa was killed? Had he framed his own brother? Joe said he didn’t remember anything, so how would he know? And what had Charlotte told him? Whatever she said could have been a lie. She was so hurt by Calvin rejecting her, she’d probably do just about anything to hurt him back. Then, there was the missing woman. I looked up at the sheriff.

“What about that woman? Have you found her?” I asked.

He furrowed his brow. It was clear he hadn’t, and I could tell it pained him. He looked haunted by the unsolved case.

“Not yet, but we will.” Sheriff Almond twisted a thick strand from his mustache. “Have you noticed anything unusual around here?”