Page 32 of Shelter for Sharla

“This little box down here. See it?” Carter pointed at the box just below the deputy’s signature. Edwards leaned in and squinted at it. “You didn’t check that.”

“What is that, sir?”

“It says,” Carter said, still squinting at the tiny print, “‘I hereby certify that I am a duly-sworn officer of the law and am within my full rights to issue this citation on behalf of the TriggCounty Sheriff’s Department.’ You havegotto beshittingme.That’swhat Michaels was having such a fit over?” Carter could barely believe his eyes. “I just… Edwards, I’m sorry. I don’t know… Had you just never noticed that before?”

“No, sir. I don’t remember anybody ever mentioning it to me, and it’s so tiny I couldn’t even read it.”

“Me neither. I always just checked it because I was told to, but if you weren’t, hell, there’s no way you could’ve known. Need a damn magnifying glass to even see it. Tell you what. I’m going to tell old JudgeMichaels that you’re going to the vision center and we’re going to forget this ever happened, okay? I can’t believe that old sumbitch… You’re doing a good job, young man. Don’t let this rattle you. And I’m sorry I came off so hard-assed earlier.”

“It’s okay, sheriff. Thanks for the help. I want to do everything right, I really do. And I know you’ve got a lot on your mind.”

“I do. Thank you for being understanding. Now go get back to work. Go to the vision center at the superstore and look at a pair of frames so I won’t be lying when I tell him you visited there.”

Edwards gave Carter a lopsided grin. “Thanks, sheriff. I’ll do that.” Just as before, Edwards closed the door softly behind him when he left Carter’s office and the sheriff slid back into his chair and sighed. Dear god. With all he had going on, Michaels was on a rampage aboutthat? He shook his head in frustration.That old man should have half my problems, Carter thought as he went through a stack of documents on his desk.

One more day. Cruz would be there and maybe they could start unraveling the puzzle that surrounded Tamara’s death. After a call to the county court clerk’s office, Carter headed over to their office to pick up a check from the department’s funds, then headed to the funeral home to deliver it. Tamara’s funeral was paid for. Her headstone was being paid for by a church there in the area. The grave digging and opening?

Carter paid for that himself. It was the very least he could do.

Chapter 6

It had beenhis habit over the years to pick up a random book, open it to a random page, and start reading. He didn’t look at the cover or the spine, nor did he look at the top of the page. He didn’t want to know the name of the book; he wanted to read a bit in it and try to remember the title and author.

The book that evening had dropped open to page two hundred eighty-seven and he’d read three pages when he figured out it was a JohnGrisham novel. Time slipped by as he thought about it and decided it wasTheClient. He’d gotten through eight pages when his phone rang and he looked at the screen.I’ve got to assign her a ringtone, he thought as he answered it. “Hey, babe.”

“Hi. I think everybody’s down for the night.”

“They doing okay?”

“I gave them both a Benadryl before they went to bed. That’ll help them sleep. Tomorrow’s going to be hard. Did you have a good day?”

“Yes and no. By the way, everything’s taken care of. I dropped the department fund’s check off at the funeral home, and the excavation is paid for too. And according to the funeral director, TrinityChristian Church is going to pay for the headstone.” When she didn’t reply, Carter asked softly, “Honey, you okay?”

He could hear the sob in her voice as she answered. “I just… Thank you for taking care of all that. I don’t think I could. I’ve been a wreck all day. You can’t know how badly I’m dreading tomorrow, not just for me, but for Chelsea and Lionel. That poor boy… He feels like he’s lost everything. I’ve tried to be a good parent to him, done my best, but?”

“You’ve done a fine job, sweetheart. I can’t imagine how he feels, though. But at least he’s got you and Chelsea.”

“And you, Carter.”

“Yes. And me. Even though he doesn’t know it yet.” He had to smile just a little at the thought. It wasn’t just Chelsea he’d be taking on. Lionel would come with the package too. Yes, they were adults, but they were still Sharla’s children, and he’d still want a good relationship with them both. “So how do you want tomorrow to go down?”

“Can you sit with us?”

“I can, but I’d rather be up and keeping an eye out. There’s a possibility that if there’s something wrong going on with all this, somebody might turn up at the service or the cemetery. I want to be able to see what’s going on, and I can’t if I’m sitting in a pew. Will that be okay?”

“Yeah, I guess. Just knowing you’re there will make me feel better,” she answered, and he could hear the sorrow in her weak voice.

“But I’ll most definitely drive you to the funeral home, to the cemetery, and then back home. Oh, I meant to tell you, I got a call from one of the women in the alumni association at the school. They want to provide a meal for you guys after the service, if you’d like. Said they’d bring the food to the funeral home and you could pick it up afterward to take home. Nothing fancy, just some folks trying to do something nice for you.” All he heard from the other end of the phone was a sob. “Sharla, honey, it’s okay. Everybody wants to help you. Let them, okay?”

“I feel so bad for TrooperPalmer’s family!” she cried out. “Who’s helping them? Is anybody doing anything for them? It has to be awful!”

“Oh, yeah. The troopers have all rallied around them, and KSP takes care of everything. They’ve got everything they need. Don’t worry about them. They’ll be fine. Just worry about yourself, Chelsea, and Lionel. That’s your only responsibility right now. You’re not responsible for what Tamara did, babe. That’s not your fault.”

“I just feel so bad for them.”

“I know. We all do. And we all feel bad for you too. This isn’t something you would’ve ever chosen for your family.”

“It sure as hell isn’t.” She was silent for a few seconds before she said, “Oh, I almost forgot. The damn TV station out of Nashville called me today, wanting an interview. I told them to go fuck themselves.”

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