“What? I can.”
I slid out of the SUV, Young following suit, and headed towards the store. I passed a couple of trucks with stickers showing intertwined snakes. One with a makeshift license plate that claimed the vehicle belonged to a Sovereign Citizen. Young’s brows rose. I shook my head. We weren’t after traffic violations today.
I held the door open for Young. She passed, giving me a smirk. “Such a gentleman.”
“What can I say? My mama taught me right.”
The store was a bit rundown but it had character. The aisles were arranged in a way that only made sense to Sue, the owner. A handful of tables were gathered in a corner where folks could sit and eat the food that was prepared in a small kitchen in the back. One of those tables had three grizzled men sitting at it. They eyed us warily as we walked by, one outright glaring as we passed.
I ignored them and headed for the counter. Sue looked up from her book. A woman in her seventies, her long, salt-and-pepper hair was woven into a braid that hung down her back. She wore jeans, a t-shirt, and perfectly worn boots. “Sheriff. Deputy. To what do I owe the pleasure?”
I gave her my most charming smile. “Can’t I just come for a visit? Maybe I missed you, Sue.”
“I wish you missed me.” She gave Young a wink. “This one is nothing but trouble, but he’s pretty to look at, so I don’t mind.”
Young tried in vain to hold back her laugh. “All the most dangerous ones are that way, don’t you think?”
“Truer words have never been spoken.” Sue’s expression sobered a touch as her gaze drifted to the men assembled at the table. “But since you’re both in uniform, I’m guessing you don’t need a quart of milk.”
I leaned a hip against the counter, shifting my body so I had a side-eye view of the men at the table. All three were carrying, and I had a feeling if I asked them for permits, we’d have a problem. “You hear about the young woman who was attacked at the lake?”
“The Sweeney girl, right?”
I nodded.
“She’s okay, isn’t she? I heard she got away.”
The men at the table seemed to shift with the conversation’s focus, stopping their card-playing altogether. I drummed my fingers against my thigh, my hand itching to rest on the butt of my gun. “She’s going to be just fine, thanks to the self-defense class her dad made her take.”
“Smart man. Brave girl.”
“That they are.” I focused in on Sue. “You see anyone come through here on horseback that day? Lone rider. Man. Over six feet.”
Her face carefully blanked. “You know if I start answering questions about who comes through here, I’m going to lose more than half my business.”
I raised my voice so the men at the table could easily hear. “Do you really think your customers want to protect a kidnapper? Probably a rapist?”
The largest man at the table, one who looked vaguely familiar, stood. “This about that girl?”
“It is.” My hand itched and strained, but I forced it to stay loose at my side.
“You find who did this, and we’ll be happy to take care of it for you.”
I gave him an easy smile. “I appreciate that, but I think we’re gonna do this one by the book.”
He shrugged. “Those books don’t work for a lot of folks.”
“You’re not wrong there. But I do my best to make them do their job.”
The man studied me for a moment, seeming to take my measure. “What do you want to know?”
“Looking for a lone man on horseback, around this area or the lake. You guys see anyone?”
A slender man, still sitting, snickered. “I see them all the time. Lots of folks around here prefer horseback to a car or truck.”
He was right. It was far from abnormal for someone to ride to The Post for a few groceries. Or just take off into the national forest for some time alone in nature. I scanned the men’s faces. “What about anyone who seemed off to you?”
The third man, who hadn’t said a word yet, sneered. “You seem pretty damn off to me. Sticking your nose in where it don’t belong.”
My fingers twitched. “Well, that’s a matter of opinion, isn’t it?”
“My opinion is that pigs aren’t wanted here.”
Young stiffened next to me, her hand going to the butt of her gun. The third man’s hand did the same with his. Just as I was afraid things might take a turn we couldn’t come back from, the saloon doors to the kitchen swung open.
A young woman with her blond hair dreaded and wrapped in a scarf appeared with two plates in hand, oblivious to what was going on around her. “I’ve got that breakfast burrito, extra steak, and the special. Who’s winning this morning?”
The appearance of the woman seemed to take the tension down more than a step immediately. The surliest of the men smiled at her. “You know I’m kicking their asses.”
She beamed at him. “It might be nice to let someone else win once in a while.”
“Don’t listen to him, Dahlia. I’m cleaning up,” the skinny man said.
“Let’s get to cleaning up these breakfasts. I’ll be back with yours, Jim.”
The men went back to ignoring me and started shoveling in their breakfasts. Sue snorted a laugh. “Hippies. They save my ass every time. And they grow the best herb.”
I ran a hand through my hair. “I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that.”
Sue leaned back on her stool. “I’m sure they have a license.” She was quiet for a moment. “I didn’t see anyone like you described the day the Sweeney girl was attacked.”
“What about before or after?”
“Too many to count.”
I muttered a curse. “Thanks, Sue.”
“Don’t go spreading around that I answered your questions.”
“Your secret’s safe with me.” I inclined my head towards the door, and Young and I headed out as Dahlia appeared with the last plate.
She smiled at us. “Have a beautifully blessed day.”
Young’s lips pressed together to keep from laughing. She held it together until we made it outside. “What was that?”
“This county is full of interesting characters.”
“I thought for a minute it was going to go bad in there.”
“It could’ve. Don’t place your hand on your weapon in a situation like that unless you’re ready to use it.”
Young flushed. “Sorry.”
“You don’t have to be sorry. Just learn with each callout.” I sent her a grin. “Maybe I should think about hiring Dahlia as a crisis negotiator.”
“Wouldn’t be a bad idea.” She glanced over her shoulder. “I just don’t get guys like that.”
I beeped the locks on the SUV, and we climbed inside. “They don’t think rules and laws apply to them.”
“Think they could have something to do with what happened to Cammie?”
“Honestly, no. But there are bad apples everywhere. We just might have to turn over the whole barrel to find what we’re looking for.”
15
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