The Sheriff's Secret by Julie Anne Lindsey

Author:Julie Anne Lindsey [Lindsey, Julie Anne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2018-02-09T16:17:29+00:00

Chapter Eleven

West jammed his brakes and skidded to a stop near an elderly woman checking her mailbox at the edge of the winding road. Her eyes went wide at the sight of the sheriff’s cruiser tossing gravel into the trees and over the berm. He crammed the gearshift into Park and turned to Tina. “Wait here.”

The woman stepped back as he approached.

West tapped a finger to the brim of his hat. “Morning, ma’am. I’m West Garrett, Cade County Sheriff, and I have a few questions about the man who lives down the road about a quarter mile. His name’s Carl Morgan. Do you know him?”

She narrowed her milky eyes on West and cocked her head. “I don’t make a habit of gossiping.”

“It’s not gossip. A little girl’s gone missing, and I think Carl Morgan has her, but he’s not home. You’d be assisting in an investigation.”

She shifted her gaze to Tina in the cab. “I don’t know anything.” She cleaned out her mailbox and turned to walk away.

“Wait!” Tina’s door flew open, and she ran for the old woman. “Please,” she pleaded. “My name is Tina Ellet. I was in the parking lot with my patients yesterday when one man was shot and killed. Did you hear about that? Did you see that on the news?”

The woman straightened. A gleam of recognition lit her face. “I remember you. They play that clip every few minutes. Your daughter’s missing. I know because there’s an Amber Alert, and they play that, too.”

Tina seemed to shrink at the sound of her words. “Please help me.”

The woman’s weary expression faded into something kind and motherly. “I’m Celia Hickman.” She extended a hand to Tina, who shook it gratefully. “My husband knows more about Carl than I do. Carl keeps to himself.”

“Thank you,” Tina said, breaking the handshake and stuffing her fingers into her pockets.

Celia motioned for them to follow her up the lane, and Tina matched her pace.

West brought up the rear, keeping watch on the woods around them.

“Celia?” A man in bib overalls rocked in a chair on the porch. He planted his boots on the floor and sat taller at the sight of them.

“That’s my husband, Frank,” she told Tina. “These folks want to know about the neighbor,” she called to her husband.

“Neighbor?” Frank struggled to stand. His gray beard and hair fluttered in the growing breeze. He unhooked a cane from the porch railing and met them in the yard. “Everything okay?”

A small, ratty-looking dog pranced into view. It gave a dismissive bark before retreating, uninterested.

West offered the man a hand. “Sir, I’m Sheriff Garrett.”

“Sure you are,” Frank answered. “I knew your daddy. You look just like him.”

West forced a smile. “We have reason to think your neighbor, Carl Morgan, was involved in a series of crimes yesterday.” He rested a palm on Tina’s shoulder. “We think he has her daughter.”

Frank’s expression fell. “He said he was babysitting.”

“What?” West asked. “When? Did you see the baby?”

The women turned on Frank with wide eyes and slack jaws.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.