Page 1 of Big Daddy Sheriff

CHAPTER ONE

Alyssa was on her way out the door when she received the call that would forever change her life.

“Good morning, Ms. Mills. Do you have a moment?”

The matter-of-fact voice belonged to Detective Jody Willingham. She was a twenty-year veteran of the Little Rock Police Department. She was smart, tough, and honest. Alyssa thought the detective looked and sounded a little bit like Viola Davis, but she’d never told her that.

“Sure. I’m just leaving on my way to work,” Alyssa answered.

There was a labored sigh on the other side of the call. “Ms. Mills, it is not my place to tell you what you should do. But I have a recommendation. Don’t go.”

“Excuse me?”

“To work. Don’t go.”

“I don’t understand. I just started this job,” Alyssa said, her confusion evident as she stepped out onto her porch.

She rented a little garage apartment behind a historic house. It wasn’t anything fancy, but it met her needs.

Still fully intending to go to work, she locked the door and then went down the three steps, strolling the length of the longdriveway. Ahead and to her right was the two-story craftsman-style home where the property’s owners lived. It was a nice place, and they’d spent a good deal of money restoring it.

“Ma’am,” Detective Willingham said. “I’m afraid I have bad news. The D.A. has dropped all charges against Ms. Foster.”

There was a pregnant pause before the detective added a simple yet sincere, “I’m sorry.”

Alyssa couldn’t speak. Suddenly the world was spinning. Frozen at the end of the driveway, she forced herself to breathe. She gathered her wits enough to survey her surroundings.

Across the street was an empty tree-and-grass-covered lot. There were some more historic homes on down, lining both sides of the road.

Her car was parked at the curb.

Okay. That’s good,she thought. Everything looks fine. Normal. Familiar. But she needed more than just familiarity. She needed a plan.

I have my car. I can get in it and go… somewhere.

“Are you alright?” Detective Willingham asked.

Remembering that she was in fact still holding her phone to her ear, Alyssa said, “Yeah. Yeah. I’m… fine.”

Clouds rolled overhead. Despite being ten o’clock in the morning, it was nearly as dark as night.

Fitting, Alyssa thought.

Even more fitting was the distant rumble of thunder.

She still couldn’t move very fast, but she needed to get back inside. She was so exposed right now. So vulnerable.

If Lana Foster wanted to have her killed, she could be shot right where she stood. She wouldn’t even see it coming.

The thought chilled her to the bone.

Because Lana Foster most definitely wanted to have Alyssa killed.

Alyssa was the prosecution’s star witness, after all. And even though the D.A. was dismissing the charges now, she was still a loose end.

Oh crap! What am I going to do?

The roar of a car’s engine cut off her thoughts. She gasped as she looked down the street and spotted an approaching SUV, rolling slow.

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