Putting steak on a plate takes sweat and sacrifice, and I’ve got nothing but respect for the men and women who do that.
Ranchers don’t just raise beef: they guard the land, protect the water, and keep the environmental and moral balance. In their own way, they’re stewards of the planet.
I straighten, wanting to go home now. I’ve been here for almost an hour.
“You know the problem with the truth, Dr. K?” He unfolds his body, towers over me.
“What?” I meet the challenge in his tone.
“Truths are time bombs.” His smile fades into a serious expression. “You gonna sit on yours and wait for it to explode, or areyougoing to detonate it?”
The sounds of the party blur around me until all I hear is my heart pounding.
“What do you know?” I whisper.
“As much as you do.”
I lick my lips. “Kaz?”
“I know there’s an investigation.”
I suck in a breath. “By journalists?”
“Yes.” He pauses. “And others.”
“Law enforcement?”
He just looks at me, neither confirming nor denying my assumption.
“How are you involved in?—”
He raises a hand to silence me. “I’m just a bystander, Sarah. You need to figure out what you want to do. Like I said, you can let this truth break on you, oryoucan break it.”
“I don’t know what I want to do…yet,” I admit, voice low.
Kaz nods like he expected that answer. “I know, but time’s running out.”
“Time?” I give him a perplexed look.
“Yes. If you want this done right, it needs to start with you. His first victim.”
I put a hand on my stomach because it’s churning now. “First?”
“As far as we know. But not his last.”
I grab his arm. “Kaz, what do you know?” I demand with urgency.
He covers my hand with his. “Darlin’, I’ve already said too much.”
“Say more,” I plead.
“I can’t.” He takes my hand into his and brings it close to his mouth. He kisses my knuckles softly. “You’re brave. You’re full of courage. Remember that.” He smiles indulgently at me. “I know you’ll do the right thing.”
“And what’s that?” I ask huskily.
“You’ll know that, too,” he assures me.
After he leaves me with my questions, I wander aimlessly for a bit.
