Page 13 of A Curse On Black Lake
Telling my father to stop working is like telling the sun to stop coming up every day. We know his time is limited, and like any cowboy, he want’s to die with his boots on. What kind of sonwould I be if I didn’t make sure he gets what he wants in his final days?
Chapter six
Killian
AsIsaddleDaisy,my phone rings, and I hesitate to answer. I have way too much to do, and whoever is calling it can’t be good, especially because it’s 4:30 in the morning. Cell service is terrible in this town. Most calls don’t even go through, or they’re dropped. It could be about the woman and I want to know the status of her case.
Puffing out a breath, I unzip my jacket pocket and pull it out.Great, it’s Wyatt.
“Wyatt,” I grunt.
“Hey, Killian, do you have a second?” he asks.
“Not really,” I mutter.
“Okay, well, we need you to come to the station,” he says.
I squeeze the leather horn on Daisy’s saddle before responding.
“Is that a request?” I ask him, gritting my teeth so hard my jaw aches.
“Please don’t make me come and get you myself because that’s what I would have to do,” Wyatt says.
“Fine, I’ll be there in a couple hours.”
“Killian,” Wyatt drawls.
“Wyatt, I will be there, but I also have a ranch to run,” I snap and hang up the phone. The animals have been fed, but I need to check on another herd, and that’s going to take a couple of hours. I click my tongue to get Daisy going, and whistle for my dogs.
At 11 this morning, I didn’t bother with a shower and got in the truck to go to the station. The moment I walk in, deputies will see me differently, especially since I used to be one of them. I don’t particularly care what people think about me, but I won’t have my father’s name smeared. The talk in this town spreads like wildfire, and there’s no telling what beast of a rumor will start by the time I walk out the doors.
By now everyone knows a body was found on my property, so the obvious suspect is me. I would be a terrible criminal if I killed someone, posed their body, and then called the cops, allon my property.But I know Wyatt is doing his job, and he has to cross all the t’s and dot all the i’s.
In the past, we’ve found these women in more public areas, the side of the road by the lake, the park, a parking lot. This guy is either getting bolder, or smarter, or both. And I have to admit to myself, I would fit the profile. I’m quiet, keep to myself, and I know how to avoid law enforcement because Iwasthe law. It would explain how I’ve avoided being caught all this time. But I’m not a psychopath, like this guy seems to be.
Then again, psychopaths are chameleons. They can be whoever they need to be to get what they want.
I park my truck and take a deep breath before walking into the station with my head held high. Ignoring all the eyes, I head straight for Sheriff Wyatt’s office. He was finally named Sheriff about a year after I left.
The door is closed, and I force myself to knock, tamping down the desire to throw it open in anger.
I don’t want to be here.
“Come in!” Wyatt yells.
I open it, and he looks up from his computer. “Oh, hey, Killian. Let’s go into the room across the hall.”
I look over my shoulder despite knowing he’s talking about the interrogation room. “You’re kidding,” I grumble.
He forces a smile and leads the way to the room with a file in his hand. I plop down into a seat and lean back. If anything, I’ll be able to get information out of him to see where the case is going. I have a feeling I’m going to need it.
“You couldn’t have showered before coming in, Kill? Damn,” Wyatt grumbles.
I lick my lips, hiding my smile. I don’t know what he expected. “Well Wyatt, you didn’t exactly give me time to get all pretty for you, but I suppose I could freshen up in the bathroom, get some lipstick on to kiss your ass, which I’m sure is what you’re hoping for.”
He glares at me and flips the file open. “You’re an ass. I don’t want you here as much as you don’t want to be. But I know you understand why you have to be.”
I stare at him blankly because I’m starting to wonder if I need a lawyer.
