Dead air by Robin Caroll

Author:Robin Caroll [Robin Caroll]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Religion
ISBN: 9780373443864
Published: 2010-03-16T20:06:18+00:00

TWELVE

The dagger of betrayal Gabby’s eyes had shoved into Clark’s heart twisted as she rushed away. He moved to follow her, but the sheriff laid a hand on his shoulder.

“Best let her cool off a bit.”

Clark slumped into his chair and raked his hand across his face. What must Gabby think of him now? The date had been going so well, too. Disappointment coiled in the pit of his stomach.

“So, you gonna answer my question?”

“What?” He jerked his head up and focused on the arrogant lawman still hovering beside the table.

“Why didn’t you tell me about the threats?”

“The police in Philly found them to be without intent. Nothing ever happened, so the threats must’ve been just that—threats.” Clark shrugged. “But I’m guessing you’ve already talked to the police and already know all this.”

“Uh-huh.” Sheriff McGruder shifted his weight, his battered cowboy boots scuffing the polished floor. “But didn’t you think you should’ve mentioned it?”

“I guess. Honestly, I didn’t see a connection.”

“Even after your brakes were cut? Your house trashed? Don’t make a lick of sense to me.”

“I’m not you,” Clark ground out, then pressed his lips together. No reason to alienate the local authorities, even if the sheriff did reek of small-town inadequacies. “Look, to be honest, I didn’t even think about the threats. They were in reaction to a controversial story my paper covered, trying to scare me off. It didn’t work. Why would the people who threatened me then choose to act now when they didn’t follow through on their threats at the time?”

“Those threats the reason you ran away from the big city?”

Nosy, that’s what the man was. Yet, Clark couldn’t afford to not be open and honest. Already his lack of being forthright had turned Gabby against him. “Not exactly.” How could he explain the betrayal he felt? “After I ran a controversial story, some people turned against me, tried to destroy my credibility. I eventually cleared my name and the reputation of my paper. But some of the people who smeared me were supposedly my friends, my supporters…well, when they jumped on the bandwagon against me, I—”

“Ah.” Sheriff McGruder gave a knowing nod. “Yep, that’ll make you hightail it for parts unknown for sure.” He clapped Clark on the shoulder. “I’ll see you around.”

“Yes.” Great, so the sheriff understood. But how could he explain things to Gabby? His breath hitched.

God, what can I do to make this right?

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