Page 78 of Cowboy Heat

Kissy Lawson deserves some kindness in her life. Some room to grow. Not a scarred man in a cemetery trying to find a quiet place to wilt.

The clearing we’re in opens into a smaller path that bottlenecks out to the road. I’m watching it from our spot about ten yards off. Kissy’s at my side with the grave between us, but she’s a little ahead of me. I can see her reaction before I see the man causing it as he comes through the trees.

His hair is red, and he’s on the young side. He looks smart, tailored, and walks smooth like he knows just where he’s going. I haven’t seen him in Robin’s Tree before, and Kissy looks rightly confused.

“That’s the guy I saw at the department earlier today,” she says. “He was coming out of the sheriff’s office.”

“Does he work there?” From where I’m standing, I can’t see any weapon outright or a badge. Just a man in joggers and a light jacket.

“If he does, I’ve never seen him before.”

The man sure isn’t surprised to see us. He makes his way over, a light smile on his face. I glance behind him, but there’s no sheriff. “Y’all must be Miss Lawson and Mr. Montgomery,” he says in greeting from a few feet off. “The name’s Grant Robertson. I was supposed to meet y’all and the sheriff out here? Has Bailey not made it out yet?” He extends his hand, and I shake. It’s calloused and rough.

Kissy stays right where she is.

“How do you know Sheriff Roland?” I ask. “Are you law enforcement?”

He shakes his head. “I work for Baptiste Parish as a representative for the church. The church that owns this cemetery, specifically. Bailey called on me after he received a concerning call from you two.”

Like I mirrored Micah’s reactions earlier with Alice, I’m watching for any signs from Kissy that this guy is someone she’s familiar with.

She’s not making any moves toward him at all. “Renard Baptist? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in church before.”

Well, that cinches it.

He’s a stranger.

The man laughs lightly. “I’m a representative for three churches and sadly lack the discipline to go to all three on any regular basis. My job keeps me surprisingly busy.” He motions to the ground between us. “Unfortunately, this isn’t my first call about meeting a law enforcement official at a cemetery.”

Kissy’s brow furrows. “Well, that’s concerning.”

Grant shrugs. “It is what it is.”

“So the sheriff updated you on what’s going on?” I ask.

“A few bits and pieces,” Grant says. “Honestly, I think he only called to cover his backside with the church. It’s better to have a church representative around when there’s talk about desecrating sacred ground. I can’t say I blame him.” He stands at the foot of the grave, making him the tip-top of our triangle, and crosses his arms over his chest while looking down. “It sure does look like someone’s been digging, huh?” He gazes around the clearing. “Certainly not a popular spot in general, so if you’re going to dig at someone’s final resting place, might as well pick a place like this. What do you think they were after?”

Kissy glances at me.

No need to be coy about it. “We think there might be a person buried here,” I say. “One who wasn’t the original grave’s occupant.”

“Yow,” Grant says. “No wonder the sheriff sounded so concerned. Do you have an idea of who it might be?”

At this, Kissy falters.

“There’s a local who went missing a few days ago,” I swoop in. “We thought they might have a special connection to this place and decided to come and check it out. We saw this and thought it would be a safer choice to call in the authorities in case foul play was going on.”

Grant rocks back onto the balls of his feet.

What hedoesn’tdo is ask who the missing person is.

Again, I know I’m not a true local of Robin’s Tree, but I think asking who would be a normal response.

Maybe not?

“That’s actually one of the reasons why I was at the department earlier.” Kissy has her head tilted. “I saw you there. Hopefully you weren’t there about another maybe-body in a grave.” She laughs a little to show she’s joking.

But I see it.