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I love that his soul is kind and considerate, the fates knew I would need someone like him in my life.
“I’m fine. I’m not sure what I expected,” I tell him. “There’s something here, though, I can feel it. We can’t hide or we’ll never get Pandora crossed over.”
I swear I heard him mutter something about rednecks under his breath but since we were entering the store, I thought better of questioning him.
A bell chimes, telling the clerk someone has entered, but to my relief, we aren’t cornered yet. Nothing worse than pushy salespeople.
“I think we should split up. The employees may open up a little more if we browse alone,” I say to him. Jayce raises his eyebrows but doesn’t argue.
“If that’s what you want, but don’t go too far. We don’t know these people,” he tells me, giving my hand a little squeeze.
“Of course,” I smile, moving a few racks away.
The chime goes off again but I’m too far away to see. Instead, I pretend to browse the duck calls they have on a cork board when a familiar voice speaks up behind me.
“Color me surprised to see you here, Raven.”
I turn to find the sheriff standing there with a smile.
Pandora’s warning rang in my head. She told me not to trust this man but I wish she could have told me why. Did he even know my cousin?
“Hey there, Sheriff,” I greet him as I lock down any worry or suspicion so he doesn’t realize anything is off.
“How are things out at that old farm? Any problems?” he questions as he sweeps his eyes around the room. He’s tall enough to see over the shelves that are a few inches above my own head.
“No break-ins or anything,” I tell him. “It’s a bit weird being there without Pandora.” I let my sadness creep into my voice and watch him to see if he reacts. The sheriff tenses but gives a slight nod.
“That was a sad situation. I led the search and rescue operation but we had to call it off after a few days without a single lead. Folks had to return back to their own lives, though not one of us wanted to.”
“Did you know her before the disappearance?” I ask out of curiosity. The sheriff runs his hand over his stubble and nods.
“We weren’t far off in age. She and I went to school together as kids. We weren’t friends really, but in a town this small you sort of know everyone,” he said before giving me a sad smile. There was genuine grief in it which only had me more suspicious of what happened between them. “You know, I always had a crush on Pandora. But she was quiet and I don’t think her daddy treated her right.”
“He didn’t,” I agree. “I just don’t think I knew how bad it was. You don’t think…?”
My words trail off and hang between us and he frowns. His eyes widen a bit as he processes it then he shakes his head.
“No, there’s no way. We searched the house, the barn, the property, there was no sign,” he says.
“You also didn’t find the tunnel,” I point out sadly. “I just want to bury my cousin as she deserves.”
“I do, too. If you find any more hidden secrets, definitely call me,” he says before heavy footfalls break up our conversation. The surly man approaching has me taking a step back, thankfully right into Jayce who couldn’t stay away any longer.
“What’s going on?” he demands. The sheriff chuckles and waves him off.
“You need to work on that customer-service smile, Earl,” he teases. “Don’t you recognize your own neighbors?” The sheriff looks at us and winks.
“Oh, you’re the one who stopped me from getting what was rightfully mine,” he scoffs angrily. “Me and your uncle had a deal!”
“If you did then he would have left it to me in his will,” I point out evenly, not letting him intimidate me. Though truthfully, he is scary as hell. From the deep scowl to the scar-mottled skin on his face, to the dark, brooding eyes, everything about him tells me to run.
He takes a step forward but the sheriff stops him with a hand on the old man’s chest. “Now, Earl.”
“She’s callin’ me a liar!” he thunders. “You have no idea what you’re doing with that land. It belongs to me and I’ll get it back, just you wait. No blue-haired punk is going to cheat me out of my property!”
“We should go,” Jayce says as he pulls me away.
“I agree,” the sheriff says quickly. He looks just as confused as we are but the only place this conversation can go at this point is south.
