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Sara was in the middle and she took the hands of Jack and Kate.
“Chet Dakon was killed in a car wreck.”
They stared at him, blinking.
“I almost saw it. I was on my way to see Charlene and—”
“Charlene?” Sara said.
“I thought I’d talk to her about Tayla. Not that I could say anything good but—”
“Chet?” Kate whispered. “Killed?”
“Yeah. In Pembroke Pines. Eyewitnesses said he lost control and ran into the side of a building. He was doing about seventy. If he’d swerved left he would have hit oncoming traffic, but he went right and...” The sheriff shrugged. “Poor guy. They had to cut him out of that van but it was too late.”
Sara had strong hands from years of boxing and Kate thought her fingers might be breaking. She had to work to disengage her hand from her aunt’s.
“It was an accident?” Jack asked.
“Why wouldn’t it be?” the sheriff asked.
“I need...” Sara said. “I mean... Chet was...”
They looked at Sheriff Flynn. “Right. I know you liked him. I better go. Broward takes the murders but leaves me cleanup for this. I got hold of some people in Atlanta and they’ll be here tomorrow to get the body. They’re going to do a full honors burial for him.” He nodded at Sara. “You might want to go.”
When he saw that she was on the verge of tears, the sheriff heaved himself up off the comfortable couch and went to the front door. He paused. “Is there anything I should know about this?”
“No,” Kate said. “Nothing.”
“Sounds like he was going too fast,” Jack said.
“What I want to know is why he was racing to go down south. To see someone? He was only a few miles from Charlene’s house. I know you saw Tayla yesterday. Did she tell you anything?”
“Just to mind our own business,” Jack said.
“Seems like she’d want your help.”
“I’m getting a lawyer for Tayla,” Sara said. “If you don’t mind, I need some time to...”
“Yeah, sure,” the sheriff said. “I need to go
home and get some sleep. I’ll think more about this tomorrow.” He looked at Jack and Kate in a way that was almost threatening, a warning maybe.
“We’ll be glad to see you.” Jack opened the door and closed it behind the sheriff.
Seventeen
THE NEXT DAY was a Tuesday, a workday, but no one spoke of leaving the house. It was over a week since they’d seen Janet’s poisoned, stabbed, and shot body. Kate’s boss was in jail and a man they’d befriended was now dead. The stacks of boxes of files on an old kidnapping case filled a wall in the dining room. Sara’s eyes were red from a night of crying, while Jack and Kate were so down they could hardly lift their eyelids.
Kate made coffee and Sara managed to brew a pot of tea so strong you could almost stand a spoon in it.
They weren’t talking. But then, there was no need to speak of what they were thinking. It was their fault that Chet had been killed. If they hadn’t stuck their noses into the murder of Janet Beeson, he’d still be alive. If they hadn’t encouraged Everett Gage to keep looking... If they hadn’t...
“We’re going to the gym,” Jack said.
“No, I need to work on—” Sara began.
“You’re not,” Jack said. “Whatever you want to do, you can’t. We’re going to go to the gym and hit the bags.”
