AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Cole made a face. “Could have figured that. People wanting my head, no doubt. I know Roy being out leaves us a man short.”
Gaylen held up a hand. “We’ll manage. You’re doing the right thing with Dana.”
“Thanks. Hope the others agree. What else?”
“Everyone’s back from questioning people. They got zip. And in case you’ve missed all the noise, the reporters are dogging it out in the parking lot again.”
Cole looked at his watch. “It’s eleven o’clock. Don’t they ever go home?”
“Not when they smell blood.”
He dropped his feet to the floor and stood up. “Okay. I’ll go talk to them. Are Andi and Mickey back yet?”
“Just came in.”
“Get everyone in the conference room. I’ll be there as soon as I get this over with.”
The reporters were clustered at his front door like vultures at roadkill. John Garrett stood at the back of the crowd and signaled him to go around to the side. John would keep whatever he was told to himself until Cole gave the go ahead to release it. Meanwhile, the editor was at least in a position to write something that would possibly help settle the county down.
He stuck his head back inside to tell Grace to let Garrett in the side door, then stepped out to face the yammering flock.
“I don’t have much to tell you at this moment, but here’s what we’ve got. Shannon Fowler disappeared today on her way home after the bus dropped her off at the head of Hancock Road. Her body was found just a little while ago with the help of the Solize Search and Rescue team. The autopsy hasn’t been completed yet, so I don’t have any details for you. I’m not going to speculate, so you’ll just have to wait until I have something concrete to say.”
“This is the same person who abducted and killed the other girl, right?” a tall, lanky man in front asked.
“I have no confirmation of that at this time.”
“Oh, come on, Sheriff,” someone else shouted. “Two killings in a sparsely populated county like Salado in three days? They have to be related.”
Cole gritted his teeth. “As soon as we have evidence linking them, I’ll be sure to let you know.”
“We saw Dana Moretti here earlier,” the lanky man said. “Then she was out at Hancock Road with you. What’s the story with her?”
Cole held up his hand. “That’s all I can tell you at this time and all the questions I’m going to answer. I’d really appreciate it if you’d move your vans out of my parking lot before I have to have my deputies move them for you. Thanks.”
“We’re only going as far as the High Ridge Motel,” a woman informed him. “If we don’t hear from you soon, we’ll be back with more questions.”
Wonderful. Just what I need.
“Fine. When I have something to share, you’ll know about it.”
Inside at last, he poured himself a cup of Grace’s sludge, figuring he needed it to clear his brain, then headed for the conference room.
On the wall was the sketch Mickey had drawn of the scene where the body was found. Red marker outlined where the body was.
“I tell you, Sheriff,” the deputy said, “that was one bad sight. That poor girl.”
“The only consolation,” Cole told him, “is she was dead before any of that was done to her. At least, I hope she was.” He had a hard time getting the details of the autopsy out of his mind.
“Well, Andi and I covered every single inch of the area under and around where she was lying. Not a thing. Nothing.”
“I’ll say this,” Andi chimed in. “I think whoever brought her there was wearing soft moccasins.”
Cole lifted an eyebrow. “What makes you think that?”
“I went over my notes from where Leanne’s body was found and tried to figure out how someone could have put her there without leaving a trace. Then I remembered my uncle always wears moccasins when hunts. He doesn’t want to leave tracks for anyone to see where he puts his blinds.”
“Maybe your uncle’s getting in a little extra activity,” someone joked.
