Page 64 of Long Road Home

Gingrich stood in the garage looking at the family bikes.

Kenna locked the door. “How much longer are you all gonna be?”

He glanced at her. “As long as it takes.”

Kenna hit the button, and the garage door rolled up.

Maizie said, “The lawyer is on his way. Lucas Amrand, from Creason, Amrand, and Franks.”

Kenna said thanks quietly, then watched the car at the curb come into view under the rattling, rising door. Theo and Alonzo came over, moving fast…toward the sheriff.

Alonzo went first. “What are you thinking, arresting that woman?”

Kenna looked at Theo. “Do we need to intervene?”

“Only if the sheriff doesn’t let him say his piece.” He eyed her RV. “This is yours?”

“Yep.”

“This thing is the top-of-the-line model.” He whistled. “Must’ve set you back a few pennies.”

“It’s my home, it just has wheels. Housing is expensive.”

He chuckled. “When you’re done, sell it to me for used prices, yeah? You’ll make Betty’s whole year. She’d love to travel.”

Kenna said, “I’ll keep you in mind.”

She didn’t mention that her homes had a tendency to meet grisly fates. If she was going to upgrade, she couldn’t think of anyone better to take it off her hands.

Alonzo went on, “…if you even think for one second she could be capable of that. It’s idiotic!” Then his rant dissolved into mutterings in a foreign language.

Kenna glanced at Theo and whispered, “Italian?”

The old marshal whispered back, “Don’t run his face. Too risky.”

She wondered how he had a driver’s license, but then Theo had been driving every time she saw them, so maybe he didn’t have one. That would be an effective way to stay under the radar.

“Get out of my face, Bernstein.” Gingrich shook his head. “Don’t tell me how to do my job.” He was through the door in a second, back to his so-called evidence collection.

Alonzo spun around. “How do we fight this? No way did Forrest kill Bruce. It’s ridiculous.”

“We know how you feel on the subject,” Theo said. “And we’re not the ones you have to convince.”

Alonzo lifted his hands, then let them fall back to his sides. “So how do we prove it?”

Kenna said, “Do either of you know where Forrest was this morning? She said she’d tell me, but we didn’t get a chance to talk because the sheriff was already here.” She didn’t think it was anything sinister. And certainly not that Forrest planned to confess to murder.

There might be something in her files, but the police were taking them. And likely her computer and phone as well—unless either one was somewhere other than in the house, or on her person.

“We can find out,” Theo said. “I’ll see if Betty knows.”

“We can go to the diner as well.” Alonzo glanced at her RV, not as impressed as Theo. But maybe mobile living wasn’t his thing. “Find out what we can about what happened.”

Kenna nodded. “I’ll talk to Kobrinsky and see if the coroner will meet with me. But I want to be at the sheriff’s department when the lawyer shows up.” Not just because she wanted to see the helicopter land in the parking lot. Or on the field across the street beside the children’s playground. “Who would do this? Who wants Bruce dead and Forrest framed for it?”

That had to be what happened.

Theo scratched at the stubble on his jaw.

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