“I don’t either,” I said, which wasn’t something I liked to admit. “But I promise you, sunny, I’m going to get to the bottom of this.”
She tilted her head to look up at me. “You believe me, right? That I didn’t do this?”
My fucking heart cracked right down the middle with the realization that she was even concerned about that. Was I not giving her enough daily reassurance? Didshenot trustme?
No, of course that wasn’t the case. She was just…emotionally wrung out and afraid. Any normal person would be.
“I know with every fiber of my being that you didn’t do this, Sutton. You’re not capable of it.”
Unlike me whowascapable of walking into the shadows if need be, Sutton was pure sunshine. She was the light to my darkness, guiding me when I lost my way.
I would do anything to protect that.
Anything.
I wason a fucking warpath when I walked into the station the next morning, and our esteemed mayor must’ve apprised of the situation last night after Johns came by my house, because I’d no sooner settled at my desk than my phone rang.
“Good morning, Sheriff.”
“Mr. Mayor,” I replied, attempting and failing to sound chipper. “What can I do for you?”
“I spoke with Undersheriff Johns last night,” he began. “He’s made me aware of this nastiness with your…with Miss Rausch.”
“She’s my girlfriend,” I provided. There wasn’t any sense in dancing around the issue.
“Yes, your girlfriend. I expect you to do your job without interruption or distraction.”
“The accusations against her are bullshit.”
“That may wind up being the case,” he conceded. “But it is your duty to this county to explore every lead and conduct this investigation without bias.”
“Or what?”
Fuck, I knew I was pressing my luck, but I couldn’t help it. For years, I’d believed in the system, giventhe systemeverything I had. I hated feeling on the outs with it now, like it was actively working against me.
Like it was coming to tear away the very thing I held most dear.
The mayor sighed. “Don’t make me put you on administrative leave again when you’ve only just returned.”
“Do what you have to,” I said, shrugging though he couldn’t see me. “Sutton had nothing to do with this, and I’m going to prove it.”
He was silent for long enough that I thought he’d follow through on his threat. Hell, I secretly hoped he would. Without the badge bogging me down, I could get a bit more…creative with my investigative tactics.
Instead, he simply said, “You’re on a short leash,” before disconnecting.
thirty-four
. . .
LANE
A few days later,I was once again at my desk, the files from each of the break-ins spread across its surface. I’d been staring at them for over an hour, willing something—anything—to jump out at me, but so far, I hadn’t found any clue as to who we were dealing with.
One thing Icouldsay for certain, however, is that the earlier break-ins, the ones that happened before the perp hit Sutton’s house, were different from hers and the few that came after.
In the first three, there was minimal destruction of property to be found beyond broken windows or busted doorknobs—the points of entry. While everything had been mostly left alone, those homeowners were missing several items of value, mostly jewelry or devices that could fit into pockets.
Sutton’s house is where things had changed, where the perp had also started to destroy the homes, though Sutton’s remained the worst.
