Page 102 of Cowboy Heat

At this, Detective Wayland hesitates.

For such a sure-fired woman, it sits absolutely wrong on her.

When she continues her words are flat.

“Now Sheriff Roland is missing.”

CHAPTERTHIRTY-TWO

Beau

Heavy silences aren’t fun.They’re really not fun when the three people sharing it are probably all thinking the worst.

“So either someone has him-” Kissy starts.

“-or else the sheriff is working with Grant and Louis,” I finish.

Detective Wayland nods.

“Joe, Detective Fabre, has been leading the search since the sheriff left after getting your call,” she says. “But it’s like he disappeared into thin air.”

Kissy shakes her head hard. Her curls go to bouncing. Her bangles go to clinking.

“With or without the sheriff’s involvement, Grant and Louis don’t make a lick of sense,” she exclaims. “Did they know that Dan Cleary was in that grave, and if they already did, then was Grant just playing nice until his back-up arrived? Why not use the gun we know for a fact he had on him? Also, if they did or didn’t know who or what was in the grave, why chase us? Andhowin the world did they know where to go? I don’t even think most locals realize that the Fulton House is that close to Renard Cemetery. I mean, how did they even know to start there in the first place?”

We fall into a small quiet because Kissy’s asking everything we’re thinking.

Back in Orlando in my office, I had a whiteboard I often used for cases.

Now, I’m staring at a kitchen island on a ranch in Louisiana trying to keep my thoughts straight.

“Let’s make some assumptions.” I use my hands as markers for a visual that’s probably just as confusing as what I’m saying. “The sheriff was the only one I talked to about the disturbed dirt at the grave, a place we knew to go because we assumed Guidry might have a special connection to it based on his sentimentality for an old map. The sheriff left, and whether or not he did it voluntarily, he told Grant about it.” I put another hand down on the counter. “Let’s assume the sheriff told voluntarily, and when we ran from Grant and Louis, the sheriff is the one who directed them where we might go for shelter. Then, when the shit hit the fan—pardon the language—the sheriff does the only thing he can. He lays low.”

There’s no back to the kitchen bar stool but Detective Wayland makes a show of leaning in. She has lines of concentration across her face.

“I’m with Kissy,” she says after a moment. “If the sheriff or Grant knew that the body was there and wanted to keep you two from finding it or talking about it, then why not just kill you on spot? It’s not like Renard Cemetery gets a lot of foot traffic. To be honest,Ihad to check an old map to get out there. It would be a great place to hide a body. Case in point, Dan.”

“Okay, so let’s say they had no clue that Dan was in there,” I posture. “They just thought it might be something damning. Maybe if there was nothing in the grave, then Grant had planned on leaving us alone. I mean, he did give us a few minutes of conversationanda backstory that wasn’t even remotely true. It seems like a lot of trouble for someone planning on trying to take usorkill us.”

“Then there’s the Guidry of it all,” Detective Wayland points out. “You two only went out there because of him, you even thoughthemight be in the grave. What’s to say Grant and Louis were trying to figure out the same thing? This whole town, sheriff included, has been looking for Guidry. Maybe that’s why they ditched the grave in lieu of hauling tail after you two. They thought you knew more than they did about where Guidry might be.”

I grumble. Not words really, just a lot of anger. If they wanted Guidry, then that would be the second attack on Kissy as a way to answer that same question.

I don’t like it.

“Whether they were looking for Guidry or not, we now have the question as to why Dan Cleary was the oneinthe grave. Who put him there? Grant or Louis? Guidry? The sheriff? Did you find anything on Dan?”

Detective Wayland shakes her head.

“He’s not even technically missing yet. He’s in Trenton now, living alone and single since his divorce and his kids leaving the nest. He’s retired and hasn’t had much of a social life. I’m still running his story down. His ex-husband has been called to come in, but he’s not going to make it until tomorrow morning. He lives in New Orleans.”

We’re talking pretty cavalier about death, I realize.

Kissy’s gone quiet too.

I look her way just as the detective does.

“What are you thinking, Kissy?” Detective Wayland asks. “Do you know why someone might want Dan in the ground? Maybe an old fight with Guidry?”