Page 91 of Sawyer

“Looking for theS.”

My brow furrow deepens, having no idea what the hell she’s talking about.“S?”

“Yeah, Superman has anSon his chest; I’m just looking for yours.”

I bark out a laugh.“Tough as nuts, stubborn as a mule, and sexy as sin.How did I get so lucky, Lois?”

“You just had to move to Whispers and come find me.”She leans her chin on my chest, looking up at me like I gave her the world.It’s at this moment I know I owe Tanner a large debt, because without him, there wouldn’t be an us.

And she’s right.I had to move to Whispers to find her.I just didn’t realize that I would find myself in the process too.

With Annabelleand the kids at school, I walk into the sheriff's office, needing to talk.I’ve been mulling over Annabelle’s words all night, talking about her ex and their life, and my gut is still churning over what she had to endure.

“Sawyer.Coffee?”Tony shuffles into the small kitchen at the station, a few other officers tending to paperwork and taking calls around us.

“Sure.Black, please.”I run my hands through my hair, the heaviness still sitting on my chest.“Find anything?”I need an update, even though I asked him yesterday and the day before that.My visits here to the station are now a daily occurrence.

“Nothing new.”He passes me a cup, the black liquid steaming.

“Mind if I chat with you in private?”

He stops mid-sip.

“Let’s go to my office.”He leads the way through the admin area to a large office at the end, where I take a seat, and he closes the door, looking at me seriously.“What’s on your mind?”As he sits behind his desk, the array of paperwork and files on it makes me almost shiver with anxiety.Do people around here never do their paperwork properly?

“I wanted to talk to you about Annabelle’s late husband.”

His eyebrows shoot up.

“Steve?”he asks, like there’s another option.

“Yeah, heard he was a bit of trouble?”I push, not knowing what he’ll tell me and what is confidential.

“Well, I’m not sure what Annabelle has told you…”

“She’s told me he was violent.Told me he drank, gambled.Tanner and Bob have also said he wasn’t a great guy.”

He nods slowly.

“Well, we never found any traces of violence.I went to see Annabelle almost every week.She never said anything, never asked for help.Our hands were a little tied in helping her in that regard.”

I grind my teeth.I know he couldn’t do anything without proof or request from Annabelle, but the fact they let it go on for so long without intervention of some kind still frustrates me.

“What about his death?”I question, which gets his interest.

“Motor vehicle collision.Died on impact.”

“Do you have the file?”I ask, and he frowns.

“Why are you interested?”He’s immediately suspicious.

“Annabelle said the car caught on fire.I’ve been thinking about it all night, wondering how you identified the bodies.”

I see the moment the penny drops, and he laughs at me.“He’s dead.It isn’t him, Sawyer.”I haven’t worked my ass off in law for years to be laughed at by a small-town sheriff, regardless of if his wife makes the best coffee in town.

“So I can take a look at it, then?”He sighs.

“Suit yourself.But we investigated that accident well.A team came in from Williamstown, and they did the forensics.”He stands, moving to a wall of file cabinets.He opens the drawer, pulls out the file, and hands it to me.