“Since we were kids.I saw him every summer.”
“He grew up in Lost Lake?”
“Yes.”
Wade gaped at her.“Did he know Cameron Pickett?”
“Probably.They were about the same age.”
“Jesus Christ, Mom.You didn’t think he’d notice the resemblance?”
“I thought someone might.That’s why I told you not to come here.”
He kicked at the gravel, cursing under his breath.“I’ve been walking around like the fucking ghost of my own father, investigating his death, and you haven’t said a word.I have a forensic sketch coming in today.If it’s accurate…” He trailed off as he realized something.“Nava already saw it.”
“I don’t follow you.”
“The forensic pathologist sent the sketch to Sheriff Nava instead of me because he suspected a genetic relationship.Cops aren’t supposed to investigate crimes involving family members.It’s a valid reason for him to take me off the case.”
“But does he recognize that the person in the sketch is Cameron?”
“Why wouldn’t he, if they knew each other?”
“It’s been thirty years,” she said.“People forget names and faces from the past.”
“Some people forget.Some don’t.”
Wynona threw the ball for Daisy.“If worse comes to worst, I’ll confess.”
“You can’t confess without implicating Dad.”
“Why not?I’m the one who did murder, not him.”
“Stop saying that,” Wade growled.“You didn’t do murder.It was self-defense.”
“A judge might not agree.”
Wade feared she was right.“Leaving the scene of an accident is a serious crime, regardless of cause of death.So is covering up evidence, and improper burial.You won’t get a slap on the wrist for this.”
While they stared at each other, acknowledging the tricky situation, Wade’s phone buzzed with an incoming call.He checked the screen.It was his father.Or rather, it was Boyd Hendricks, the man who’d raised him.The lack of a biological connection didn’t change Wade’s feelings toward him.They’d shared an uneasy alliance, which had crumbled after Billy’s death.Now they were adversaries.
“Speak of the devil,” he muttered.“Hello?”
“Wade,” his father said in greeting.
“Dad,” he replied in the same tone.
“I have a detainee who might interest you.”
Wade glanced at his mother, uneasy.He held the phone so she could listen to their conversation.
“She calls herself Mary Meadows.Pretty little thing, but she’s in a heap of trouble.”
“Why is that?”
“Her dog bit me, and she attacked my deputy.”
“Let me talk to her.”
