“Now I want this scene photographed, and anything bagged, while I write up notes, so get started.”
“I’ll stay and help you.”
“I got this, Tex, you head back now.”
“There’s no doubting this scares me like a sinner in a cyclone, Sheriff, and I’m picking you feel the same way, but I’d like you to accept my help, because an extra pair of eyes never hurt anyone.”
“Is that one of those Texan sayings?”
“Fitted the moment, to my mind.”
“All right, you walk with me and tell me what you see and we’ll get everything down so I can type it up when I get back to town.”
Smothering a yawn, Cubby wondered when he’d find his bed, and didn’t think it would be anytime soon. Last night he’d slept at his desk, and he figured he owed it to Jilly and Melanie to do so again tonight. He needed to find a killer and soon, before anyone else got a bullet between the eyes.
Chapter Thirteen
Katie was sitting with Annabelle and Willow drinking coffee that was strong, black, and gritty when Buster and Ethan walked into the Lair. The rain was still steadily falling, and the air had cooled as the day progressed into evening. They’d cleared the place, sent everyone but Rona, who was still manning the phones, home. No one had said anything to Melanie’s family about the grisly discovery; that would be up to the sheriff, and Katie’s heart ached for what he must still do before he went home today.
She’d done it, knocked on a door and told a family their loved one had died, but Katie had not known the victims, like Cubby did.
“Hey, handsome.” Annabelle got to her feet when her man reached her side. The big Texan looked tired, his face lined with grief over what they had discovered up there on the trails. He didn’t speak, just pulled her into his arms and held her close.
“Buster.” Willow just said his name softly, and he buried his head in her shoulder and stayed there, letting her hold him for long drawn-out seconds while she murmured words of comfort to the man she loved.
Katie’s throat felt dry as she watched the couples. The grief in the room was raw and real, and the need for human contact obvious. She’d had a few times in the last couple of years where she’d craved just this kind of support, this kind of unconditional love, but with time she’d hardened and dealt with it her own way. She wasn’t jealous; it was more a longing to have that connection herself. Her thoughts, of course, went to Cubby. Katie wondered who would comfort him tonight. His mother? Or like her, had he learned to deal with it himself.
“You four head on home now. I’ll see if Rona needs me and if not I’ll do the same. Keep the news about Melanie to yourself, but I’m sure everyone will know the details by morning,” Katie said, when the moment between the couples had passed.
Buster hugged her hard before placing a kiss on her forehead.
“I’m sorry you had to see her, Buster,” Katie said when he’d released her. “You need to go home now, wash, eat, and if you have it, take something to help you sleep, okay?”
“You sound like you’ve been there before, little girl.” His smile was sad.
“A few times.”
“It’s Cubby I feel for. This is the second family he’s had to tell that their daughter was murdered,” Ethan said. “It’s got to play on the man, surely?”
“He’s trained to cope, he knows how to debrief himself and deal with it,” Katie said.
“Maybe with someone you don’t know, but this”—Ethan ran a hand through his damp hair—”it’s got to be harder.”
Katie accepted the hugs and kisses from her friends and then they left, wrapped around each other, and Katie felt a tug of longing to be wrapped around someone too. Contact with a person you cared for when times were tough was hard to beat.
“You head out, Katie; there’s nothing more to do here, and the sheriff just radioed in that he’s going straight to tell Melanie’s folks.”
Rona looked to have aged in the last few days; worry and fear could do that to a person. Katie had firsthand knowledge of that too.
“Okay. You got my number, call if you need me for anything.”
The streets were quiet as she drove out of town, the tires of the car splashing through puddles. The weather was a good measure of how the locals were feeling, Katie thought. After a day spent searching the trails, some households would be settling in for a meal and a quiet night of contemplation about what was happening in their town and who was responsible for Melanie and Jilly’s deaths.
“God, that sucks!” Katie said as loud as she could, letting out some of her anger. She felt the need for a drink build inside her, but battled it down. She turned into her parents’ street and parked in the driveway she’d walked down too many times to count. Running to the front door, her father opened it as she arrived.
“There’s my girl.”
Katie stepped into her father’s arms. This was her contact, she told herself, and more than a lot of people had.
