Page 57 of Long Pig

The clink of the chain holding Wallard went quiet.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Dental Stone

Dale

Chief Deputy Sheriff Cosby called first thing the next morning. “Can you drive to the department?” he asked.

“What have you found?” Dale demanded.

“Look, it would be better if you drove in.”

“I don’t give a goddamn flying fuck if it would be better.” He took several deep breaths, trying to hold onto his temper.

“As far as we know, she’s not dead, but there are things we need to discuss. Come in, Dale. You know how this works, but you’re not a suspect or anything. We just need information that you might have.”

“I’ll be there within the hour.” He ended the call.

“She’s alive,” he told the dogs.

He called Louisa. “Will you be around tonight?” he asked after the pleasantries were over.

“Yes, we’re stacking hay bales in the barn. What do you need?”

“I’m leaving the dogs in the house, and if I’m not back in a few hours, I will need you to let ’em out and possibly feed them.”

“Okay,” she said. “Do you want to drop them here? We don’t mind.”

“That would be great.” He tried to sound cheery, but the darned woman had special radar.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Willow is missing. She went to Show Low yesterday afternoon and didn’t return. I don’t know a lot, and I don’t want to worry you.”

“I’m worried, and you can’t stop that. Do you know anything more?”

“I’m heading to the Sheriff’s Department at their request.”

Louisa sucked in a sharp breath.

“They said as far as they know she’s alive, but they need information from me. Willow was acting strange the day she left. Heck, I knew something was bothering her the day before that. I’ll bring the dogs over if you’re sure?”

“I’m sure. Pack enough food for a few days, and hopefully we won’t need it. That girl is special to us, and if she didn’t have bad luck, she wouldn’t have any luck at all.”

“Amen to that. She’s a solid person, and I’m proud of her.” Dale had a catch in his throat.

“You should be proud. Find her.”

Dale dropped the dogs off twenty minutes later. He took a few extra minutes to load his rifle and place it on the truck’s mount. He wore his handgun on his hip. All that was missing was the badge. He didn’t give a damn if the department wanted him involved or not. He would find Willow on his own if he had to.

It took another forty minutes before he was sitting in Jim Cosby’s office.

“A park ranger found her truck out on Little Mormon Lake Road, about a mile from Whipple Lake.”

“But not her?” He was trying to hold himself in check.

“No, only the truck. They also found Deputy Wallard’s parked in front of hers. No sign of him either.”