Page 56 of Liar Byrd
He shrugs again. “The diner or gas station, maybe. She spotted him and nearly ran right under the wheels of a car trying to get away from him.”
“And?”
“She fainted. I grabbed her and got her into my truck to bring her back. There was no sign of the guy. That’s all there is to it.”
I frown. “You’re sure the sheriff didn’t see you?”
“Would I be here if he had?”
“Probably not.”
He sits forward in his seat. “We need to talk about this. No, we need todealwith this. Control this situation before we lose control.”
“There’s no way to control it.” I straighten, ready to put an end to this conversation.
Jessica is okay, the sheriff didn’t throw Vonn into a cell, and as far as things go, that’s the best I can hope for.
“So we leave Massey and start over somewhere else.”
I let out a laugh, a mirthless sound. “And how far do you think we’ll get before?—”
Knock. Knock.
I twist my head toward the door. “What?”
Nance sticks her head in. Her apprehension tells me who it is before she says one word. “It’s the sheriff. He wants to talk to you.”
“Of course he does.” I meet her gaze calmly. “Send him in.”
It isn’t often that the sheriff makes the drive up from town, and it’s never for no reason.
She walks back out again, and I hear her invite the sheriff inside. She’ll have opened the gates for him the moment he asked. Keeping him out would only invite more trouble we don’t need.
My eyes settle on Vonn. He’s expressionless. His gun has disappeared from the table. He’d have tucked it back under the waistband of his jeans before Nance could finish opening the door.
“Do you want me to stay?” he asks.
I shake my head. “It’ll just make a messy situation even worse. I’ll speak to him alone.”
He gets to his feet. “Don’t do anything stupid.”
I laugh again, this one tinged with a bit more amusement than the first. “Too late.”
He pats me on the shoulder, gives a slight squeeze, and walks out the door that leads into the garden just as the sheriff steps into the office. They miss each other by seconds.
“The mayor would like to know if you’ve thought about his proposal.” The sheriff’s eyes haven’t stopped raking the room since he walked through the door.
Evidence. That’s always what he comes up here to look for. To hunt for the missing fragments of a murder that everyone in town knows who committed.
“My answer hasn’t changed,” I tell him calmly, walking over to the desk and sitting in what was once my father’s seat. I hate the chair and everything it stands for, but a man like Sheriff Stuart Breckinridge respects power, and that’s what this chair represents.
"Admit what you did. Things will go a lot easier for you. I can help you." His smile is all teeth, a hyena's sneer right before it pounces.
“You’re in my uncle’s pocket. Bought and paid for. What else has he promised you?" I recline in my seat. “A promotion? Deputy Mayor of Massey does have a nice ring to it.”
His smile slides off his face. His eyes are chips of ice, and his spine ramrod stiff before I’ve finished provoking him. He walks over to me, places two large hands flat on the surface of the table, and leans toward me. “There isnofuture where you get away with this,boy. Not one.”
“Get out of my house,” I tell him coolly. “And take your hands off my desk. It belonged to a president. It’s too good for the likes of you.”
