Page 119 of Long Road Home

Kenna had never in her life been so focused on other people’s opinions. She cared about who she cared about, and they mattered to her. Their views mattered. Everyone else? She didn’t need to win mass approval like the sheriff did every election.

Jax shuffled through the papers. “We still need to find this shrink. Figure out what she’s doing.”

Kenna shifted the chair side to side as she thought. “Shame we can’t ask Rayland about her.” In fact, his death was looking more and more convenient. “If she killed him with poison, or something like it, did she kill Bruce as well?”

Kobrinsky’s expression darkened. “She was in the diner at the time of his murder. I interviewed her, and she said she didn’t see anything. She was reading a book on her phone.”

Gingrich said, “We have an alert out for everyone to watch for her and report in. And this county is crawling with state police right now.” He shrugged. “What else is there to do?”

“For starters,” Kenna said, “you can explain what you’re hiding.”

“You’d like to think I’m hiding something.”

He was hiding a lot, so it wasn’t thinking so much asknowinghe was hiding something. She didn’t say that, though.

“Probably want to oust me, just so you can carry on your ‘justice’ thing, taking down corrupt cops.” Gingrich stared at her. “Killing some. Landing others in jail.”

“No one that didn’t deserve it.” Except Sheriff Joe Don Hunter. He’d known her father, and she’d nearly had the chance to have another good man in her life. One who had known both her parents from the stories he’d told. And she’d lost him in a devastating fire. The chance had been gone before she’d barely realized what she had.

Jax touched her shoulder, and she blinked against the burn of tears in her eyes.

Kenna sniffed and turned to the papers. She flipped over a couple of the photos, her mind too seared with the horror to absorb any more.

The writing on the other side really was plans, and ideas. Horrible plans for horrible ideas that most people wouldn’t want to think about, but which she saw on a regular basis. Kenna’s job was to protect innocent people from ever seeing it. So they never had to contemplate the awful things some people did to others.

Rather than read a story Jennifer had written about a little boy mauled by a bear, which this one seemed to be, she looked over at the clock on the wall. “Is Forrest still downstairs?”

Kobrinsky said, “The lawyer said he had to wait for lunch with the judge and the DA. He wants to be back by midafternoon.”

“She doesn’t need to sit there,” Kenna argued. “We know she’s innocent.”

“Do we?” Gingrich lifted his chin.

“You have Reuben’s statement.”

“One child’s word?”

Kenna pressed her lips together. He just wasn’t going to cooperate about anything, was he? The man was going to drag his feet and be downright combative about every single thing. Forrest was innocent, but were they going to be friends when she was released? Kenna might have to get her RV out of the garage and find somewhere else to park it before this case was done.

Jax spoke up. “Good thing it’s up to the DA and the judge to drop the charges, then. You’re only the one responsible for gathering enough evidence to prove guilt, and the decision as to how it turns out for the accused isn’t up to you.”

“Team Kenna?” Gingrich snorted.

“As an FBI agent, I can appreciate your position. It would be difficult for reelection you holding an innocent woman in your cells for days. But on the heels of the arrest of Marion Wells, it’ll look pretty good for Kobrinsky, I’m guessing.”

“Especially with him being the one that found the head under her bed.” Gingrich shot Kenna a knowing glance.

She had to worry about Stan Tilley. “You think I care about who is sheriff in this town when Idon’t. I care that Forrest isn’t all right. I care about my family and what they need.” If there were victims to save, she’d be going after them. “Bruce is dead. And for what? Same with Deputy Rayland? Why did they have to die? Because Forrest is writing a book?”

“Who says they were murdered? Right, Sheriff?” Kobrinsky shot his boss an accusatory look. “Probably they were just accidents.”

Kenna picked up the conversation right away. “Like thevictim who died when that boat exploded.” If that was even what had happened. “Did you write that up as an accident?”

“You’re gonna interrogatemenow?” Gingrich said, firing the words like an intentional shot.

“Someone should.” Paulette strode in with a stack of Styrofoam containers.

Jax got up and took the containers from her, all except one as she instructed. “What makes you say that, Paulette?”

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