Page 12 of Shadow Sabotage
“Special Agent Vance Weston here for Sheriff McGrath.”
Her eyes flicked over me. Then she rose, smoothing her pink sweater. “Of course. I’m Andrea. I’ll take you back to see the sheriff.”
“Thank you.”
Apparently, Andrea wasn’t one for small talk. She was completely silent as she led me down the hallway to Sheriff McGrath’s office. When she poked her head inside, she gave him a much warmer smile than she had given me. “Sheriff? Agent Weston is here.”
He rose, beckoning me inside. “Good deal. Thanks again for coming, Agent Weston. Andrea, close the door on your way out, won’t you?”
Her smile wavered, but she did, leaving us alone.
“Have a seat.” He gestured at the two wooden chairs in front of his desk.
I sat, taking a quick glance around the office. It wasn’t an inviting place. Wood paneling, wood furniture. Old-school metal filing cabinets. A complete absence of decoration. The windows were small, with plastic blinds blocking most of the natural sunlight. The whole room seemed to be dark and dull. Depressing.
The only bit of life in the room was a single photograph of Sheriff McGrath and a lovely woman who I assumed must be his wife. I glanced at it quickly, committing the details to memory. She had shiny blonde hair that looked to be artificially straightened, a thousand-watt smile, and her hand propped on her hip like a cheerleader. She was beautiful.
She also looked at least ten years too young for the sheriff.
“First things first,” he said, drawing my attention back to him. “We set up a private office for you so you don’t have to be in the bullpen with the others. It’s not much, but it has a door.” He retrieved a key and a business card from the top drawer of his desk.
“I appreciate it.”
He slid the key and the card my way. “And here’s Judge Barrington’s personal number. He told me to tell you to call day or night. He’ll sign warrants as quick as you need them.Ifthis turns out to be a homicide.”
“You’re hoping it’s not,” I stated as I pocketed the items.
“Of course I am. Wildwood has always been a safe town, and I’d like to stay optimistic.”
“Understood.”
“I hope we’re jumping the gun here,” he said, sighing. “But considering Wendy’s concern about the bracelet found on scene, I had Laramie send over the file on Katelyn Brown’s missing persons case.” He tossed a file my way. “Looks like they were at a dead end there. I’m not sure whether to hope we found her or not. It’s a terrible thing either way.”
“It is,” I agreed, taking the file.
He took off his hat and brushed his graying hair back, then sank back in his chair like he was exhausted. “If it is her, we’ll have to hold a press conference, break the news. We’ll probably be overrun with reporters.”
“Probably,” I agreed. “Her case didn’t spark a lot of interest when she went missing, but murder draws attention.”
He held up his hands. “Let’s not use the word murder this early. Even if it’s Katelyn, it could have been an accident. A fall, maybe, while she was hiking. Lots of things can go wrong in the wilderness. We’re sticking with an accidental death unless the ME tells us otherwise.”
I shrugged. “If it’s Katelyn Brown, it doesn’t matter—at least as far as the press is concerned. You’ve got a pretty young girl who went missing and whose body was found in a remote area months later. That’s sensational. Regardless of where our investigation leads, it will be reported as suspicious. And you won’t just have reporters here—you’re probably going to get an influx of true crime podcasters, bloggers, and more.”
He paled and let out a long sigh. “You’re kidding. This town hasn’t dealt with anything like this before.”
“Consider yourself lucky.”
Sheriff McGrath drummed his fingers on his desk, thinking. “If it is her, I expect I’m going to be pretty tied up. I’m hoping I can pair you with one of my deputies and let you take point on this while I try to keep things running smoothly.”
My brow rose for a fraction of a second before I smoothed out my expression. Most sheriffs I worked with resented giving up any power, even if they’d called me in because they knew they were in over their heads. They usually wanted to keep their hands in it, to give the appearance to their townspeople that they were in charge and capable of handling anything the job demanded.
“That’s fine,” I agreed.
More than fine.It was ideal from my perspective. Beyond that, it made me respect the sheriff. He’d called me in right away and didn’t seem like the type to play games. He’d only made a perfunctory appearance at the crime scene yesterday before leaving the rest of us to process it, but that didn’t bother me, either—I preferred working without someone looking over my shoulder, and I understood the many daily responsibilities of a local sheriff.
“Alright then.” He smacked his hands down on his desk and stood. “Let’s get you set up in an office and find you a partner.”
Chapter Five
