Page 32 of What She Saw

“Check by the trailers near the woods. I saw him headed that way earlier in the evening.”

Rain thrummed on his jacket, dripping down his arms and legs. “Any sign of the security team?”

“Nope.”

“I’m headed to the trailers.” As he moved around the edge of the crowd, he glanced toward the hamburger tent. Patty was handing out burgers and collecting money. She was smiling but looked exhausted. The world was full of hardworking Pattys. These women sacrificed their youth and beauty in the hopes they’d crawl out of poverty. A few made it out of the hole, but most would spend their lives chasing enough money to make rent.

The collection of six festival trailers was located at the edge of the venue. This area should have been off-limits, but the crowds had spilled beyond the rope marking the area for staff. He passed the two tractor trailers that had brought in the large equipment. Under both werecouples huddled together, wrapped in soaked blankets, and sleeping bags. The ground was muddy, but the trailers stopped the bulk of the direct rainfall.

The next three trucks were smaller. They had transported in A/V equipment for the different bands. He checked each cab to ensure the front and back doors were secure. They were. The final vehicle was an RV that Colton used as his office.

The interior of the trailer was dark, and there were no signs of movement. He pounded on the door with his fist. There was no answer, but when he tried the door handle, he discovered it was unlocked. He twisted and opened the door.

“Sheriff CJ Taggart. Is anyone here?”

There was no answer. He stepped inside and stopped to swipe his muddy boots on a mat already covered with dirt. Water dripped from his hat and rain jacket to the floor. “Colton. It’s Sheriff Taggart.”

Silence echoed from the cabin. The light switch didn’t work. He unhooked his flashlight from under his rain jacket and shined it around the cabin onto a small sofa and a simple white bra and panties on the floor. A coffee table sported a glass ashtray, which held a discarded cigarette still smelling of smoke.

Outside the music kicked up into the band’s final, violent notes. The crowd roared and cheered like a bellowing giant.

Five more bands were set to take the stage before sunrise. But the seven hours remaining felt like a lifetime.

As he turned, he spotted Colton moving toward the trailer. He was rain soaked. Head bowed, he was at the trailer when he looked up and saw Taggart.

“Sheriff, is there a problem?”

Taggart blocked the man’s entrance into his own place. “Where’s my extra security?” he demanded.

“They just arrived,” Colton said. “I’ve been on the walkie for the last hour, trying to find more guards here. There was a paperwork mix-up.”

“Your crowd could go feral any minute. Two men cannot keep them under control if it goes sideways.”

“I know. And I appreciate how hard you and your deputy are working. I’m going to see you both get a bonus.”

“I don’t want a bonus. I want to keep this event from going sideways.”

“I’ve done concerts before. It always gets a little dicey about this time.” He motioned for Taggart to step aside. “Mind if I go in my trailer? I need a change of clothes before I head back out there.”

Taggart shifted to the right but didn’t leave the trailer. “Sure. Make yourself at home.”

Colton grinned. “That’s nice of you.”

He watched Colton walk by the discarded underwear as if it were par for the course. Colton didn’t bother to close the folding door as he stripped off a wet sweater. He tossed it into the small bathroom. The garment hit the floor with a loudplop. Next came the jeans, and soon he was standing naked, rummaging through a pile of clothes on an unmade bed.

Colton yanked on a new sweatshirt and jeans. Shoving hands through his dark, wet hair, he grinned. “That helps a lot. You and your deputy are welcome to stop here if you need to change or need a quiet moment.”

“I’ll worry about both after the concert.” He nodded toward the bra, which had a small pink flower on the right cup. The garment reminded him of something a young girl would wear. “Where’s your guest?”

Colton glanced at the undergarments. “Back to the concert, I guess. She was sleeping when I left.”

“Didn’t take her clothes?”

“She was soaked to the bone. I told her to take one of my shirts. She’s out there somewhere now, I guess. Or she left. She didn’t like the rain.”

“What’s her name?”

“I didn’t catch it.”