Page 29 of Catch Me When I Fall

That got to him.

He slowly rose back up to his full height. “You have three seconds to tell me what you want with Carrie Hale, and you’re going to keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth, that clear?”

Suddenly, the urge to put a bullet in his skull faded.

“Sheriff Humbly, I’m the owner of Red Snake Investigations,” I informed him. “I’ve been hired to find Carrie Hale and escort her back to St. Louis.”

“St. Louis?”

I nodded once. “I understand that you pulled her over outside of town about a week ago. So, what I need from you is anything you have on her, and if you know where she is, to tell me where.”

The young man studied me for a long time. “I’m going to need some identification.”

Without a word, I pulled out my driver’s license, business card, and the contract signed by Jeremy Jones. I made my way to him and dropped them on his desk. I watched as he picked them up, reading over the contract, and I walked over to the bookcase that housed pictures of his children, his wife, and their dog. I also took note of the awards he’d earned from the town.

Michael Humbly was a good man, there was no denying that.

However, if he refused to cooperate, he would find out how easy it was for me to break good men.

When I turned back around to face him, I said, “As you can see, I am not here to cause trouble. I’m here on a job and nothing more.”

He looked up from the contract. “Who is Jeremy Jones?”

“He’s an old friend of Carrie’s. They grew up together.”

“Why does he want her back?” he asked. “Is she in danger?”

“No.”

“Does this have to do with her dead husband?”

So he did know her.

I lifted my chin. “She tell you about that to get out of her ticket?” I guessed.

His jaw hardened. “Carrie’s a good woman.”

“Never said she wasn’t.”

“Is there a bounty on her head?” he pressed.

“She’s a mark, Humbly. Jeremy Jones is paying me to bring her back,” I told him.

He looked away from me for a moment. “And when I tell you where she is, then what?”

“I escort her back home.”

“Just like that?”

I nodded. “Yeah, just like that.”

“And if she refuses?” he pressed.

Now my jaw was getting tight. “She won’t.”

“How do you know that?”

“She’ll want to go back home to her friends,” I assured him.

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