Page 31 of Rio's Release

“I don’t know, but she hasn’t been herself since. And now she has a ticket, and since she’s only sixteen, she has to go to court to pay it off.”

“She can’t just mail it in?”

“Nope.”

“So, if he did something to her like that, she’s going to have to face him again? How awful. It makes me not want to get my driver’s license.”

Zig and I exchange a look.

“I overheard my mom begging my father last night for us to move out of this town,” the boy says, jamming his straw in the ice in his cup.

“Then I’ll never see you again,” the girl whines low.

I meet my VP’s eyes. “I need to find Shelby. Where could she have gone?”

Zig shrugs. “Maybe she’s changed her name.”

I stare out the window. “I doubt it.”

Zig leans back in his seat, the vinyl creaking. “She’s not at the bank. The old address she gave you seems abandoned. That friend’s address, we checked. Different people live there now.”

“There’s got to be a way.”

Our waitress returns with a smile. “Have you boys decided?”

I scan the menu again. “Umm…”

The bell above the door jingles, and I look up to see a sheriff’s deputy walk in. It’s not Carson. He approaches the cash register and motions to someone near the kitchen.

A woman with a tall red beehive hairdo greets him, but there’s no smile.

He leans over and murmurs something with a smartass grin.

She reaches below the counter and slips him an envelope.

He checks inside it, then walks out with a wink. “See you next week, Dolly.”

My eyes follow him to his squad car.

“What’ll you have?” the waitress asks again.

I lift my chin toward Dolly. “That the owner?”

“Yes, sir.”

“That happen often?” I ask her.

“Every week. They take so much I don’t know how Dolly can afford to keep the place open,” she whispers.

“And if she doesn’t pay?”

“Bad things happen.” She eyes us. “You two new in town?”

“Yes, ma’am. Doesn’t seem like the townsfolk think too highly of law enforcement.”

“You’ve got that right.”

“We saw one of them had a young girl pulled over on the side of the road.”

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