Page 18 of Shelter for Sharla

That struck him as profoundly sad. “You’re welcome but, honestly, I hope it was more than that.”

“Oh, it is. But this week… I feel like I’ve been dropped into hell. I don’t know what to do next, and everything is upside down, and?”

“Stop. It’s okay. Just take a deep breath. You’ve got to get through the funeral somehow, I know, and then hopefully it’ll get better.”

He felt her shift, and she threw an elbow across his chest, her hand resting on his collar bone as she stared into his face. “Are you coming to the funeral?”

“Under the circumstances, I think it would be awkward for everybody involved, don’t you?”

“The kids and I would like for you to be there.”

“But Sharla, it was my bullet that?”

“If we don’t mind, nobody else should.” He was about to speak when she added, “Unless it would make you too uncomfortable.”

He closed his eyes and shook his head. “It’s not about my comfort or discomfort. I’ll do whatever you want me to, whatever would make you and the kids most comfortable.”

“We’d like for you to be there.”

“Well, I guess that settles it. I’ll be there. Just make sure I know what time.”

“Okay. Thanks.” Her head dropped onto his shoulder as her hand glided across his midsection, coming to rest on the side of his ribcage. Without a second thought, his free hand draped across her and he pulled her in even tighter to his side.

If she and the kids wanted him there, he’d be there. Yeah, he’d have to answer a bunch of questions from people whose business it wasnot, but that was okay. His only concern was the trouble it might cause them. And if it caused them any, he’d take care of that too.

Chapter 4

It wasthe perfect time for some digging. Saturday mornings were quiet at the office. They ran a skeleton crew of only the officers they needed, all out on the road. Carter got up a little earlier than usual and headed in. As he unlocked the door, he noticed Watson and Durst’s vehicles sitting there, so it was a sure thing they were out and about.

He brought up the computer on his desk and logged in. Then he went through his email. Nothing important. After that, he started prowling through databases.

SharlaLeAnne MeachamBarker. Carter checked every record he could think of and found nothing?not so much as a parking ticket. The woman was squeaky clean. Another quick check and he found nothing on the two kids. Matter of fact, there was nothing on Tamara either, but based on the things Sharla had said, that didn’t surprise him.

He did a little backtracking and found the court case with Tamara and Lionel’s father. It appeared TaliqLamar Kent had been a GradeA piece of shit. There were numerous records for domestic assault, and they weren’t just against Sharla’s sister, Imogen. It appeared he’d had several women on the side over the years, and he’d treated them as badly as he’d treated his wife. The robbery had gone sour from the very beginning?silent alarm set off almost immediately, getaway driver caught right around the corner, and the three inside the bank running out and straight into a wall of blue. Two of them had dropped to their faces, but not TaliqKent. He’d pulled a forty-five and gotten himself blown to bits, just as his daughter had. For Tamara, her willingness to pull that gun had come from the knowledge she was going down for a crime. Based on the statements from the officers present, Taliq had simply been boasting about how he was going down in a blaze of glory. But Carter had to ask himself,What role did her dad’s death play in Tamara’s decision to draw on us?He had to wonder if there was some tiny thought in the back of her mind, some sad decision to let history repeat itself within their family. And what a shame that was.

He had to admit, he felt better about Sharla. All night long after he’d gone home, he’d lain awake, wondering if he’d messed up badly by getting involved with someone whose character was less than stellar. It seemed he’d worried for nothing. Sharla was exactly as she appeared to be.

But that tattoo wasn’t. He pulled out his phone and hit a contact. It only rang twice before a voice answered with, “Atkins.”

“Good morning. This is SheriffMelton over in TriggCounty. How are you?”

“Doing good. You guys doing okay down there?”

“Yeah. Got a funeral to attend sometime next week.”

“So I heard. You’re actually going?”

“Yeah. The woman and kids have requested that I be there.”

There was a brief hiccup of silence before Atkins said, “That’s highly unusual.”

“Not really,” Carter threw back, trying to think fast. “I’ve been questioning them in regard to the case and I think they realize I just want the truth to come out so they can get some closure. They said they’d be more comfortable with me there.”

“Well, you’re a better man than I am. I don’t think I could do it,” Atkins announced.

“Thanks, but it’s about their comfort. They’re grieving. I feel like I owe them that, not to mention they might need security. Because of the nature of the crime, there may be people who’ll blame the family, and I don’t want anything to happen to them. But I just wondered: Did you find out anything at the university?”

“Hang on. Let me grab my notes.” Carter sat with the phone to his ear and listened as the sound of footsteps receded, then seemed to come back before he heard Atkins ask, “Still there?”

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