Page 24 of They Say a Girl Died Here

26

She stayed outside, shivering in the heat, as people arrived and the silence gave way to the hum of activity. Sheriff Adams came first with an older deputy, Pete Franks, both men pulling on plastic gloves and masks before going inside. Then came the ambulance and Dr. Burdett, all grave faces and quiet voices as they studied the scene, cameras clicking. None of it seemed to take very long, but by the time Todd Greenbough turned up, they were picking Jamie up from the carpet and the sun had dropped in the sky, so maybe she’d just been in shock.

“Hey, Anna, you okay?” Todd’s eyes crinkled with concern as he took the seat beside her.

“He was getting clean.”

“Trying to get clean and succeeding at it are two different things. Would explain his OD, though. If he was out of practice.”

“Or maybe his story about the man in the clown mask was true. Maybe they came back and finished the job.”

“You think someone murdered Jamie?” The voice, gravelly and warm, came from behind her. She turned to see Dr. Burdett in the doorway, pulling off his gloves. He tugged down his mask. “Oh, Anna, what makes you think it’s that?”

“It’s a possibility, right?”

Leaving her question hanging, the old man stepped out of the way so the paramedics could wheel the gurney out, Jamie’s naked body hidden in the black bag strapped to it. Sheriff Adams, his face dark and thoughtful, followed behind and nodded to the other deputy, Pete, to go with the ambulance. None of them spoke until the body was loaded and the doors closed, the weight of the moment making Anna’s breath catch in her chest all over again. She let it out slowly before speaking. “Maybe someone shot him up and left, then he crawled out of the bath and tried to send a message. Did you see his phone? What he’d typed?”

“A few half words.”

“Or a message. I was right, Anna.” She was calm. Steady. “He was clean. He’s been clean for nearly two weeks. And he told me that if anything happened to him, it would be murder. And now he’s dead.”

Dr. Burdett was gentle, looking at her sympathetically. “He’s OD’d before. A couple of years back. He was found by someone who claimed to be a friend, but I think was his dealer. He only just survived. When he was recovering, he told me he’d wanted to end it all.” He paused to let that sink in. “How long have you known him? A few days? The truth is, Jamie struggled, Anna. That’s the long and short of it. He suffered from delusions and depression and addiction. Life wasn’t easy for him.”

Sheriff Adams put his hat on, protecting himself from the heat of the sinking sun. “Doc, you’re the coroner. I want you to recommend an autopsy.”

Dr. Burdett frowned. “You really think you need one?”

“I want to be sure what happened.” The doctor dismissed, Sheriff Adams turned to Anna. “I’ll drive you home, Anna, then go and break the news to the Carlsons.” He trudged to the car, the weight of the world on his shoulders.

“Can I have Jamie’s scooter?” Anna asked suddenly. “Tell his parents I’ll pay for it. I can’t afford a new one.”

He paused and shrugged. “They’ve probably forgotten they bought it. Doubt they’ll want it. Put it in the trunk for her, Todd.” He looked back at Anna. “Make a fifty-dollar donation to a charity of your choice. We’ll call it quits.”

Todd fetched the scooter from inside for her, and, realizing she had no choice but to sit up front, Anna quickly set her cell phone to video. The back seat of the cruiser would lock her in, so she didn’t want to go there, but neither was she happy being alone with Sheriff Adams in the car. He might be the law, but he was still a man. At least if she was recording, if he tried anything, there’d be evidence. A video that would work in her favor this time.

27

“You know, Todd’s a good guy.” Sheriff Adams glanced across, the sinking sun making ravines in the lines on his face. Craggy. Fatherly. Concerned. God, she was so tired of people being concerned about her. “You shouldn’t take it out on him. He was a kid too when Lila was killed. Whatever anger Jamie had with the police over that, it was nothing to do with Todd.”

“But it was to do with you, right?”

“It was, I’m sorry to say. And Bonnie too. Both on my watch. Not what you expect in a small town like this. But we did our best, you need to know that. This case damn near finished me.”

“Seems it broke a lot of people.” She stared out at the passing countryside, this quiet and alien land she was slowly getting used to.

“Todd says you’re writing something about it?”

“How come you’re so convinced it was that Michael Cairns guy?” She ignored his question. “He was shot and killed, right? So he couldn’t answer any questions.”

“No, he couldn’t, and I sure was pissed about that. As for certainty? Am I a hundred percent sure he was guilty? No one can be. But there was enough evidence, and that along with the snooping pictures we found and the fact that he was in the act of committing a felony to get money to get as far away from Harper’s Creek as he could when he was shot makes me around ninety percent. Most times in this job, the obvious solution is the right one.” He shrugged. “But you didn’t answer my question.”

“I’m writing something,” she said quietly, not elaborating. “But it’s early stages.” What she’d been thinking about writing was changing shape in her mind as she mulled the sheriff’s words. Most times, the obvious solution is the right one. Jamie had said that someone might try to kill him, and now Jamie was dead. Perhaps the obvious was the right solution here too.

Maybe Sheriff Adams could read her thoughts, because he said, “As for Jamie, the autopsy will show what was in that syringe, and obviously we’ll check out if anyone else was seen going into the motel or in the vicinity who shouldn’t have been. Whether he bought any drugs today.” He looked at her again. “I’m going to do my best by him, Anna. And not just because his dad is a royal pain in the ass. But because it’s my job. I love this town. It’s in my blood. I was born and bred here and when my time comes I’ll be buried right over there.” He nodded to the window as the cemetery came into view. “Got a plot picked out right next to my daddy, who was also a sheriff of Harper’s Creek. Small-town life gets under your skin. There’s a whole world here when you look closely.”

Anna gazed out over the barren fields. It was a hard land. Unforgiving. “I’ll take your word for it.”

As they drove past the cemetery, she looked through the chain-link fence to the headstones beyond. Jamie would be in that earth soon, forever underground. A thought struck her. How sweet Jamie had been about Lila. How he’d still loved her.