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16
The ambulance careened backward out of the driveway, tires screeching, and took off down the street with its sirens blaring, even though Griffin hadn’t seen a car pass by in the neighborhood.
Sheriff Bodine motioned to his deputies. Both men stepped close, flanking. They were watchful, obviously on edge. The sheriff said, “Time for you two to come to the station and take another stab at talking your way out of attacking my nephew. I’m going to take your statements and Rafer’s, too, once he’s able. If I were you I’d call a lawyer. We have two in town, but one of them is a female and she only does wills and such. Not a real lawyer, like missy here isn’t a real doctor. The other’s a man and he knows what’s what. My dispatcher and 911 operator, Fayreen, can give you their numbers.
“Rafer was in a lot of pain from the blows you gave him, but the gist is he said this was a home invasion, pure and simple.” He eyed Carson. “Rafer’s young, appreciates a pretty young woman, especially a looker like you. He lets you into his house without a qualm. Maybe you intended to scam him, but he realizes you’re not for real and so you called your pretty boyfriend here to pound him? More believable than that tale you tried to sell me. Spiteful, I’d call it.
“As for you, Agent Hammersmith, I’ll be checking out those credentials of yours when we get to the station. I suspect they’re forged and I’ll have the pleasure of sending you to jail. Are the two of you going to come willingly or shall I cuff you?” He shot a look at Deputy Jewel, whose name was embroidered over his left front shirt pocket. Jewel was young, sweating and scared, the hand holding his gun visibly shaking. Settle down, Griffin thought. No need to panic. To his surprise, the young deputy seemed to relax a bit. The other deputy, Brewster, was older, with sparse gray hair, thin lips, and hard eyes. Griffin pegged him for a bully, probably violent when he drank too much. This was the man to watch.
Sheriff Bodine said, “So where’s your cars?”
Carson said, “My car’s back at my rental house.”
“And your car?”
Griffin said, “It’s parked at Jenny Wiley’s house.”
“Now that’s interesting, but not important right this minute. So both of you walked here, didn’t want people to notice a car, right?”
Carson said, “Look in the basement, Sheriff. You’ll find the duct tape Rafer used to tape my wrists and ankles.”
“Every man has duct tape in his basement.” Sheriff Bodine looked at Griffin. “You gonna say he knocked you out, too? Dragged you here to his house to kill you? Duct-taped you, too?”
“Dr. DeSilva was a gymnast, got her hands under her butt, that’s how she got free. Me? I was taking a walk, enjoying the park and the town. I heard her yell for help and came running. I’ve been in Gaffer’s Ridge less than a day, Sheriff, here to visit friends.”
“Yeah? What friends?”
“Like I told you, I’m staying with Jennifer Wiley and Aimée Rose Wallberger, longtime friends from college. They own Jenny’s Café. I told you as well, I left my car at their house.”
He eyed Griffin up and down, gave a loud bray of laughter. “Not that either of those two ladies would give you a second look, no matter if you look like a fricking movie star. Let’s go. Jewel, you and Brewster follow close. Be alert.”
Griffin said, “Sheriff, what about Rafer Bodine? Are you detaining him? Is one of your deputies going to follow the ambulance and guard him?”
The sheriff stared at Griffin, slowly shook his head. “You don’t need to worry about Rafer. Quint’s boy isn’t going anywhere. I told you, Gaffer’s Ridge is his home, our family’s been here for generations. This is where he conducts his business. There’s no place for him to go.” He flicked a look at Carson. “It’s you two who are the strangers who could run, not Rafer, you two accusing my own blood of murder.”
Carson couldn’t help it, she said, louder this time, “Sheriff, I told you, he’s very probably a serial killer, no matter he’s your nephew.”
Sheriff Bodine gave her a disgusted look. “The two of you get in the back seat. Now.” Once he’d pushed them inside, the sheriff shut the door. There was a mesh partition dividing the front from the back. They heard the door locks click. The sheriff eased his bulk into the front seat, pulled out his cell, pressed a number. “Fayreen, I’m bringing in those two strangers.” He listened, then said, “Yep, the one who called you declaring he was an FBI agent. What they’re claiming will make your eyes bug out. Get ahold of Judge Pinder. He’s gotta be the one to decide what to do with these two.” He punched off, slipped the cell back into his pocket.
Carson said to Griffin, “I know what Alice must have felt, but Gaffer’s Ridge isn’t any Wonderland.”
