“Optics,” I deadpan, knowing I’m right even without the grunt Lyons lets out. “I get it,” I tell him.
And I do. Grangerhasn’t always been the mayor here, and he’s not the first one I’ve had to work with. I’m glad Granger was elected, and I’ll leave it at that.
“Can you be here around 11?” He asks and I nod even though he can’t see me.
“No problem,” I assure him. “I’ll get a little work done before heading your way.”
We don’t bother with pleasantries before we hang up. I’ll see the man soon enough. I send a message to Carla through the internal system about the meeting and then get to work on the paper neatly taking up space—too much space—on the surface of my desk.
I’ll stop in and see Mr. Jacobson on the way back from Dogwood Ridge. If my luck holds, I’ll get the chance to see Mr. Jacobson’s best friend, Penny, who just happens to be a peacock, chasing Kimball. They do not get along, which was fine when Kimball only went out and visited the older gentleman to make sure he didn’t need anything for himself or for his animals.
Now that she’s with Mr. Jacobson’s grandson, Nathan, she spends a lot more time out there. Penny hasn’t warmed up to her at all. At this point, I don’t ever see them being friends.
When my door opens, my head jerks up to find Carla giving me a soft smile. She switches out the mug on my desk, picking up the one half-full and lukewarm at best, and replacing it with a new, full cup. The steam coming off the top tells me it’s fresh and hot.
I grin at the woman and shake my head as I praise her, “This is why you’re the best, Carla.”
“I know,” she chirps. She points at the clock and reminds me, “You’ll need to leave soonish to get over to Dogwood Ridge.”
With a grimace I pick up my mug and take a healthy drink. She knows I won’t take it with me on my drive and will grab a bottle of water on my way out of the station.
“I hadn’trealized I’d been working for so long.” I look down at the files on my desk and pinch the bridge of my nose. “It doesn’t even look like I’ve made any progress.”
Carla sweeps away the pile she knows I’m done with. “There,” she gives a sharp nod, “that’s better.”
With a chuckle, I finish off my coffee and stand up and stretch. When I look down at my desk I have to admit, “It did make a difference.”
“Don’t get too excited,” Carla’s voice is cautious, “by the time you get back there will be more to replace this.”
My head drops back on my shoulders, and I let out a growl. “You didn’t need to burst my bubble,” I can’t help the little bit of whine in my voice, and it makes Carla giggle.
“You know me, Sheriff,” she teases, “I tell it like it is.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I grumble while making sure I have everything before heading out the door.
Carla runs the office side of things efficiently and I know my deputies will work together to make sure everything is covered here. Still, I kind of hate leaving the county when I might be needed.
“Go,” Carla urges me, “we’ve got this.”
I know she’s right, but I’m just so damn tired of the same updates and feeling like we’re never going to find out who is behind the whole thing. I’m beyond fucking fed up. They should be behind bars.
But I have a feeling it’ll just become a cold case file in my drawer. At least for right now.
CHAPTER 2
HELEN
“Here’s your renewed registration and receipt, Mrs. Martin,” I chirp as I hand the papers over to the grandmother of the current president of the Saint’s Outlaws Motorcycle Club.
Even if she wasn’t a grandmother with an outlaw connection, I wouldn’t want to mess with Mrs. Martin. She’s the kind of grandmother who can be nice and sweet one moment and turn into a tyrant in the next. I learned using my manners gets me the farthest with her. But the woman does not do fake.
It’s kind of refreshing.
And terrifying.
The smile she gives me is kind and I relax slightly. But then her eyes sharpen and the hair on the back of my neck stands on end. “Now, girlie, I’m not one to gossip,” she starts and I have to bite my lip to stop myself from smiling, “but if you’ve heard anything from your father about that dog fighting nonsense, I’d like to know about it.”
I’m not surprised she’s asking and she hasn’t been the first person. My father doesn’t discuss business with me though. He barely tolerates me working at the county clerk’s office.
