Page 93 of Trouble Comes in Threes

“There’s no rest with these murder investigations goin’ on,” he said, then gave me a pointed look. “Not to mention, I spent three hours at the sheriff’s station this morning, answering a shit ton of questions.”

“A detective hauled you in?” Jed asked.

“Nope, the sheriff himself.”

I felt guilty for not warning Dermot, but I also felt loyal to Joe. If I was going to ride this line again, I had to be careful about what I shared with both of them.

“Do they really think you had something to do with any of this?” Neely Kate asked.

“I don’t know,” Dermot said, taking a seat at the end of the table.

“Did you?” I asked him with a hard stare.

He stared back, his eyes cold. “Which murder are you referring to?”

“Any of them.”

His brow lifted, and he continued to stare at me long enough that I could feel Jed tense next to me. “No. Why? Do you think I might have?” he finally asked.

“You seemed to know something about the first murder when you showed up to talk to Austin.”

“I knew who’d been murdered and that it was over drugs, but I didn’t kill him,” he said in a deadly tone. “Any other questions or concerns?”

I considered making him swear to it, but it seemed like I’d be pushing the boundaries of our friendship too far. “No.”

“Good,” Dermot said, his posture softening as he turned to Neely Kate. “The trip to the sheriff’s station was a fishing expedition. I think he was trying to find out if I knew anything. Got any coffee?”

“I started a pot earlier,” Jed said, then grabbed a mug and poured him a cup, setting it in front of him. “Tell us what you do know.”

“I don’t know what the hell’s goin’ on. Don’t even know where the body of the second murder victim was moved—only that it was.” He glanced over at Jed. “My gut tells me this isn’t a random string of murders, though. There’s something deeper goin’ on. Something I can’t put together.”

“We keep hearin’ drugs,” Jed said. “The question is, where are they from?”

“Agreed. I have some guys tryin’ to find the first victim’s friends. Maybe they know something.”

“You don’t know who was supplying them?” Jed asked, his words tinged with disbelief.

“No,” he grunted, obviously not happy about it.

“We’re talking about Harvey Smith’s friends?” I asked. “Neely Kate and I met his sister at Dena’s bakery.”

“You know his sister?” Dermot asked, his brow lifted.

“I wouldn’t say we know her,” I amended. “We just met her, so she’s more of an acquaintance, but she might be willing to talk to us.”

“That would be helpful,” Dermot said. “Because while I know about most of the drug running around the county, I don’t know shit about the two known murder victims.”

“You think someone’s movin’ in on your territory?” Jed asked.

“That’s what I’d like to find out.”

My stomach twisted into knots. “Harvey’s sister’s name is Darlene Smith, and I gave her Joe’s business card, telling her to call.” I made a face. “I never asked him if she did.”

“Think she’d be willing to talk to you?” Dermot asked quietly.

Dammit. I didn’t want to get back into investigating murders, but what if this was connected to my visions after all? What if I could save the woman whose murder I’d witnessed?

“I think she would,” Neely Kate said softly, obviously understanding the seriousness of what Dermot was suggesting. Three years ago, she would have jumped at the chance to interview Darlene. She was more cautious now, but she was still very much herself. “Darlene was eager for the sheriff’s department to look into who murdered Harvey. If she’s not happy with their progress, I suspect she’ll talk to us, if for no other reason than Rose has Joe’s ear. And I’ll let her know that I’m Joe’s sister. Double our chances—and hers.”

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