Page 467 of Cold Case, Warm Hearts

Randy King livedon several acres and maintained a working ranch. Cattle dotted the fields on either side of the long driveway leading to a house with a wraparound porch and white clapboard shutters. Giant pecan trees shaded the barn. Claire zipped up her jacket after exiting her vehicle. The sun was shining, but it did little to take the edge off the cold.

She joined Gavin on the walkway. “Don’t be surprised if Sheriff King knows everything about the case. He keeps his fingers on the town’s pulse.”

The front door to the house swung open and Sheriff King stepped on to the stoop. Deep wrinkles crisscrossed his forehead and trailed a path down his cheeks. He was dressed for the weather in a flannel jacket. The belt buckle holding up his pants was the size of a salad plate, and there was a holstered weapon at his hip. His hands trembled as he reached up to settle a cowboy hat on his head, a physical symptom of the Parkinson’s diagnosis that’d forced his retirement.

“Morning, Sheriff King.” Claire lifted her hand in a wave.

Randy’s gaze narrowed. He didn’t care for Claire but was too polite to be rude to her face. That didn’t prevent him from talking behind her back though. She heard the rumors. And ignored them. There was no sense in making Randy an enemy. She was smart enough to know there were times she might need him. Like now.

Randy met them on the walkway. “Horrible thing about Faye’s murder. I’m so sorry, Claire. I know you two were friends. And these attacks on you…” He clicked his tongue. “Awful. I’m glad to see you’re okay.”

“Thank you.” She introduced Gavin, and the two men shook hands. Claire waited until the pleasantries were over before getting to the point of their visit. “Sheriff King, we believe Faye’s murder is connected to a cold case. Stephanie Madden’s disappearance.”

“I heard a rumor in town about that.” Sheriff King tilted his head to indicate they should follow him to the barn. “I didn’t want to stick my nose where it don’t belong—I’m retired after all—but I think you’re barking up the wrong tree, Claire.”

“Why is that?” Gavin asked.

Sheriff King picked up a grooming brush before heading toward a beautiful quarter horse waiting nearby. “Because Stephanie ran off. I’m sure of it.”

“How can you be sure?”

He raised his bushy eyebrows. His gaze flickered to Claire before settling back on Gavin. “Despite what you may have heard about me, Ranger Sterling, I investigated cases correctly. Faye called my office and said Stephanie hadn’t shown up for work at the bakery as scheduled. It’s not uncommon for adults to skip work from time to time. Still, I took Faye’s concerns seriously and sent two deputies to Stephanie’s rental home. Her car wasn’t in the driveway. The house was locked up tight and there was no sign of any trouble, so they left.”

So far, everything sounded correct. Claire would’ve asked the neighbors if they’d seen Stephanie, and checked with the young woman’s family and friends, but that was above and beyond the norm. She didn’t believe Randy was a bad man, or malicious, just misguided.

“We aren’t looking to blame anyone, Sheriff King.” Claire kept her tone neutral. She didn’t want to make him angry. There was some information only he could provide. “We simply want to catch Faye’s murderer. What happened after you conducted the initial welfare check on Stephanie?”

“We waited forty-eight hours and then Faye officially filed a missing person’s report. I obtained a search warrant for Stephanie’s rental home. A suitcase was missing from the closet. Clothes and other personal items, like her purse and phone, were gone. There was no indication of forced entry. No blood or sign of a struggle.” He shrugged. “Based on our search, we decided Stephanie had left town of her own freewill. That conclusion was supported when her mother received a postcard from her several weeks later.”

Gavin leaned against the fence. “Other than her mother, did anyone else hear from Stephanie after her disappearance?”

“Not to my knowledge. But I also didn’t ask.” Randy used long strokes to brush the horse. “Like I said, it appeared Stephanie left town. I wasn’t going to use valuable resources looking for a woman who didn’t want to be found.”

“According to the deputy who took the missing person’s report, Stephanie had paid her monthly rent in full just days before she disappeared.” Gavin removed a notepad from the pocket of his shirt. He flipped it open to a page. “She’d purchased a new patio set that was delivered after she left. There was fresh food in her fridge. New tennis shoes, still in a box, were next to the front door. She left her cell phone charger, expensive jewelry, and a favorite coat in the house. She was also owed a paycheck from the bakery. A sizable one.”

Sheriff King’s gaze narrowed. A red stain crept along the back of his neck and onto his cheeks. “Are you accusing me of something, son?”

“No. I’m asking if you took any of this information into consideration when determining Stephanie left town.” Gavin straightened from the fence. He met Sheriff King’s hard gaze without flinching. “I’ve searched for Stephanie. She hasn’t renewed her driver’s license, nor has her car registration been updated. Faye hired a private investigator to find her. Nowshe’s dead. The private investigator is missing and someone is shooting at Claire. I don’t have time for games, sir. I need answers, not spin.”

Sheriff King swallowed hard. “What makes you think the person trying to kill Claire has anything to do with Faye’s murder?”

“Because I won’t stop until I catch Faye’s killer.” Claire tucked her hands into the pockets of her coat. “I’ll chase down every lead. I know Faye was looking for Stephanie. That means I’m going to be looking for Stephanie.”

“Someone doesn’t want you to find her…” Sheriff King sagged against a nearby bench. He was quiet for a long moment. Claire didn’t think it was possible, but the man seemed to age in front of them. He licked his lips. “I genuinely believed she left town. Faye was upset, yes, but Stephanie had a host of problems she was dealing with. She’d talked about starting over somewhere new with several people.”

Claire stiffened. “What problems was Stephanie dealing with?”

Randy snorted. “You know who her stepdaddy is, right? I mean, we can start right there. Xavier doesn’t cause trouble in the normal sense, but I don’t trust him. I’ve long believed he’s involved in something criminal. Could never prove it though.”

She’d heard the same rumors. Maybe Stephanie threatened to turn him into the police? Claire passed a glance at Gavin before focusing back on the former sheriff. “What was Xavier’s relationship with Stephanie like?”

“They didn’t get along but kept things cordial for her mother’s sake. I don’t know any more than that. But I would be careful. Xavier is cold and I believe he’s capable of murder, but he also knows the Chosen is watched by law enforcement. I don’t think he’d purposefully do anything to draw attention to himself.Murdering Faye, shooting at you, Claire, and threatening your family…it’s messy.”

Claire considered Sheriff King’s warning. She also wondered about Xavier’s involvement. Was it possible the real killer had left the mark in the boathouse, hoping it would trick them into focusing on Stephanie’s stepfather? It was something to consider. Leaving such a blatant calling card didn’t fit with the Chosen’s secretive nature. “Can you think of anyone else who might’ve wanted to harm Stephanie?”

Sheriff King pondered the question. “She had an on-again, off-again boyfriend. From what I understand, their relationship was tumultuous. His name is Alex Sheffield. Works down at the animal clinic and shelter.”

Shock reverberated through Claire. She knew Alex well. So had Faye. She’d catered fundraising events for the shelter. The image of Faye sitting in her SUV with a flat tire flashed in Claire’s mind. The killer had driven up, pulled over to the side of the road.