Winter's Malice by Belinda G. Buchanan

Author:Belinda G. Buchanan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Mystery Thriller & Suspense, Crime Fiction, South Dakota Mysteries, Sheriff, Native American Deputy Lakota, Greed, Blackmail, murder mystery books, secrets, police procedurals, Traditional Detectives mysteries, action packed, small town sheriff, small town sheriff mysteries, Native American sheriff deputy, crime fiction novel, murder in a small town, womens fiction, mystery, detective, winter murder mysteries, mysteries by women authors
Publisher: Belinda G. Buchanan
Published: 2019-11-12T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

The cars and buildings flew past Alice in a blurry haze as she stared out the window. Her head was pounding and her neck ached from keeping it locked in the same position, yet she refused to turn from the glass, as Liam Matthews was the last person in the world she wanted to see right now, let alone be confined inside a vehicle with.

“Which way?”

“Right,” she murmured, dragging the tip of her knuckle across her face. Although her tears had long dried, they had left the skin around her eyelids feeling crusty and tight. As Liam slowed to make the turn, she involuntarily stole a sideways glance at him and saw that the knot that had been protruding from his jaw in the corridor of the police station had disappeared. “Thank you for what you did back there.”

“There’s no need to thank me,” he replied, keeping his eyes on the road.

Discerning that he seemed to be making as much of an effort to avoid looking at her as she was at him, Alice shifted in her seat and pointed her knees towards the dash. As she pressed the back of her neck into the contour of the headrest, Michael’s hurtful words and deeds began to swirl in front of her, seeking to take refuge in the irrational part of her brain that still cared for him. Struggling not to let them in, she rolled her eyes towards Liam and latched onto the first thing that popped into her mind. “My mom told me about your mother’s passing.”

Liam’s hands tightened around the steering wheel.

Realizing that probably wasn’t the best statement to have led with, Alice shook her head while rushing to rectify it. “She was always so nice to me. I’m sorry.”

“Thanks,” he replied in a clipped tone.

Clasping her fingers together, she sought out another avenue of conversation. “How long have you been Sheriff?” she asked—yet thanks to her mother already knew the answer.

“A few months.”

“Did your dad retire?” she asked innocently.

A ringing sound filled the cab.

Liam grabbed his phone from the console. “Yeah?”

Alice tried to respect his privacy, but the man speaking on the other end of the phone had a very deep and distinctive voice, making it difficult for her to keep from hearing what was being said.

“I got the cell phone dried out. It’s charged and working.”

“Did you find anything useful on it?”

There was a long pause.

“It’s not the girl’s phone. It’s Hector’s.”

The tops of Liam’s knuckles grew white. “Are you sure?”

“Positive. And there’s something on it you need to see.”

“I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“Is everything all right?” asked Alice, feigning ignorance as he ended the call.

“Which way?” he demanded, wagging his finger at the upcoming intersection.

“Left and then straight.”

Liam cut the wheel hard, causing Alice to have to grab onto the armrest in order to keep from sliding across the seat and landing in his lap. As the truck straightened, the sun came out from behind the clouds and shone through the windshield, drawing her eyes to the wedding band on his finger.

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