The sheriff shook his head, cutting her off. “I can’t go on feelings, miss. I know exactly what you’re saying. I’m the one who went and found him when his whole family disappeared. Too many awful things have happened on this property. I don’t believe in ghosts or hauntings or whatever else the people might say, but it does seem like something dark hangs over this land.”
She managed a nod.
“I’m sorry to tell you this, but your digging will have tohalt for a little while. Just until we can clear up whatever has happened here.”
From where Eliza was standing, he didn’t look a bit sorry. But maybe she was judging him a bit too harshly. “But—”
“No buts, Miss Mills. At first glance, the doc is pretty sure that these people were poisoned.” His dark eyes darted between Eliza and Devin. Was the man waiting for one ofthemto confess? “He’s not sure how or why, but that means there’s a murderer on the loose.”
“I’ll help her gather her things, Sheriff.” Devin laid a hand on her arm. “Please let us know if there’s anything else we can do to help.”
As he led her away, she had no words. People were poisoned? Is that what happened to the animals as well? A chill raced up her spine. She’d made a grave mistake. “Devin, wait.”
“What is it?”
“There’s something I should have shown you. I think I probably need to show the sheriff.”
His jaw clenched. “What is it?”
She reached into her bag strapped onto the horse and pulled out the note.
As he read it, his face hardened. “We need to show the sheriff right now.” He turned them around and marched over to the man. “Sheriff!”
The lawman faced him.
Devin got there before she did and handed over the note.
The sheriff lowered it and looked at her. “When did you get this?”
“Thursday. I think”—she dared a glance at Devin’s hard face—“I think someone must have put it in our picnic basket while I was out here. This was the only place I was stopped, and it had to have been after lunch.”
“Was anyone else with you?”
“Mrs. Deborah Hawkins has been helping me dig, but she wouldn’t do something like—”
The sheriff folded the note and slipped it in his pants pocket. “Best not to make assumptions, miss. You need to go on back home, and we will handle this.” He rocked back on his heels, his mouth pulled down in a tight frown. “I don’t know what is happening in this town, but people have lost their minds. We’ve got vandalism, theft, dead animals, and now dead people.”
The back of her neck prickled. “With that note ... do you think I’m safe? Thatwe’re safe?” She gestured to Devin. “And what about the Adams’s farm?” The thought of that precious family being in danger made her feel sick.
“Now, Miss Mills, thinking about every wrong and evil thing that could happen helps no one. Mr. Adams isn’t shy to speak up if anything goes wrong. Best thing you can do is go home and let us figure out what in tarnation is going on around here.”
“Yes, sir.”
She walked back to the horse with Devin beside her. Silent. Brooding.
They mounted and rode out of the ranch’s gate.
Once they were a good ways down the road, she got up the nerve to break the silence. “Aren’t you going to say anything?”
He shook his head, his lips pinched in a tight line. “We can talk about the threatening note you neglected to tell me about forfourdays later. Right now, we should get cleaned up and prepared to meet Dr. Masterson.”
“But—”
“No buts, all right? I’m tired, and I need to read through the notes you brought me so I know what I’m talking about.” He shook his head again. “And then we need to talk. It might not be pretty.”
He urged his horse ahead a few feet, and she was forced to stare at his back. Even from this angle, she could see how tense he was.
What a horrible mess. But in her haste to keep him from worrying, she hadn’t thought everything through.
