Page 100 of What She Saw

Colton’s smile softened with contrition. “I know my people have been slow. And that’s on me. I’ve been on the phone with Briggs telling him the same.”

Few guys like Colton served in combat, and when they did, men died. “Like the security team you hired for the event?”

Colton held up his hands in surrender. “That wasn’t my fault. I had a contract with the company. They screwed me.”

“I hear you called Woodward in a panic on Friday looking for men.”

“That isn’t true. I called months before. They lost the paperwork. That wasn’t my fault.”

“It was your job to make sure that security was covered.”

“Iknow. I fucked up. Buck stops with me. But the festival is over, and there were no major disasters. I’ll do better next time. I learned valuable lessons.”

“Rapes, robberies, and missing women. I’d say there were several disasters.”

“There’s always someone that goes MIA after an event like that. Too many drugs or too much booze distorts their brains for a while. Then they clean up and stumble home. Rapes and robberies happen anywhere, anytime.”

“These missing women aren’t fools.”

He grinned. “Everyone has it in them. We all go nuts from time to time. It’s being human, right?”

“I looked you up in the system.”

“And you found the charges against me. I’m no choirboy. And flirting with the ladies is part of the job when you’re in entertainment.” The grin returned. “Chicks love music men.”

Taggart wasn’t charmed. “A woman filed a stalking complaint against you. She said she woke up and found you at the foot of her bed.”

“I’m very aware. Her name is Cassidy Rogers. And she’s mad because I wasn’t faithful to her.” He held up his hands. “I have a reputation for being a player. I’m always up front about that.” He shrugged. “It pissed her off, and she decided she needed some revenge.”

“Cassidy said you climbed on top of her. She said you put your hands around her neck and threatened to strangle her.”

“And the investigating officer found no marks on her neck, did they?”

“They did not.”

“Because I didn’t try to hurt her. She invited me over, accused me of cheating. I talked her down and into bed. And then she lost her shit.”

The officer had insisted on executing a rape kit. And Ms. Rogers had agreed. Colton’s semen had been found in the woman, but there’d been no signs of vaginal bruising. There’d also been no indication of trauma on her body.

Colton could be telling the truth. Had the woman filed her complaint to get back at him? She wouldn’t be the first. Or Colton had been acting out some of his darkest fantasies when he’d put his hands around the woman’s neck. Without squeezing, he might’ve been curious if her pulse would quicken or her breathing speed up. For whatever reason, he could have lost his nerve. That incident had occurred three years ago, and there’d been no formal complaints since. Still, three years was lot of time to refine his fantasies and bolster his nerve to kill.

Colton leaned forward a fraction, as if they were pals. “What do you want from me, Sheriff? I’m not a great administrator. Guilty as charged. I’ll get the trash picked up. And we can all move on from this event.”

“Patty, the young gal who worked at the hamburger stand, is one of the missing. You met her several times in town, didn’t you?”

Colton sighed. “I saw her in the diner when I was hanging up posters. I shot the shit with her for a few minutes there and when she arrived at the festival. She seemed like a great kid.”

“She was last seen by the toilets near the woods.”

Colton shrugged. “What do you want me to say?”

“You know those woods were wide open. You had lots of people sneaking into the concert.”

“It happens at every festival. It’s impossible to secure all the borders.” Colton shook his head. “Openness is the nature of festivals.”

“I was promised the event border would be secure.”

He shrugged as he slid his hands into his jean pockets like a chastised schoolboy. “I was wrong, okay? Not the perfect event, but it was a hell of a success. The crowds were a crush. It told me people are hungry for that kind of experience.”