Where Secrets Stay by CherAnn Wright

Author:CherAnn Wright [Wright, CherAnn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sleuthing Sloth Press

Chapter Twenty-Two

Nathan

* * *

Reluctantly, I leave Kevan behind and head straight to town, to the police station. Before I left, our conversation ended with the amount of work the property would need to restore it. I used the opportunity to talk about my professional background, and I told her I could put her in touch with some contractors. It worked, because she gave me her phone number.

I’m still thinking about Kevan as I park in front of the small police station and step inside. As the door opens, an electronic chime signals my entrance. When I was a teenager, a bell hung above the door and served the same purpose. The small office smells of old cardboard, paneling, and tacky air freshener.

Sheriff Kenny sits at a desk behind a tall counter, his glasses resting far down on his nose.

Kenny Woods has been the sheriff for almost as long as I can remember. Every four years, he wins the election by a landslide. Kenny is the kind of person who represents all that is fair. If you screw up, and if you can admit that you did, he’ll let you off lightly. If you give him an attitude, with no sign of regret, then he takes care of the problem.

During his early years as sheriff, crime seemed high for such a small town. Several people were reported missing, most of them female; my sister was one of them. The sheriff made a name for himself with his contributions to those cases. Some disappearances are still a mystery—one being Gracie’s. Her case has grown cold, but the sheriff still searches for answers. I think he does it mainly for my sake. He was only on the job two years when my sister vanished. He’d had a hard time filling the shoes of his predecessor, who was a legend around here. With hard work, he thought, maybe he could make a name for himself too. With my sister’s case, he hoped he could provide a joyous outcome, but it didn’t happen. Still, his years of service have labeled him as the big-hearted, small-town sheriff, and over the years, we’ve become good friends.

“Well, hello, Nathan. How can I help you?” He tosses his glasses on the desk, stands, and holds out his hand to shake mine.

Kenny is a tall man and a large one; his signature suspenders hold his khaki pants just below his potbelly. As he stands tall behind the counter, he hooks his thumbs inside his suspender straps and then interlaces his fingers in front of his chest. I remember him standing the exact same way when I was a teenager, though without the belly. I’m not sure why he wore suspenders then, but I don’t believe I’ve ever seen him without them.

“I wanted to show you something I found today. You know that abandoned property—the one close to where my sister’s backpack was found? I decided to go check it out again.”

He flashes a questioning frown. “Really?”

I pull out a napkin, careful as I unfold it, and show him the braided candy wrappers.

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