Page 31 of Shelter for Sharla

“Good. I’ll get those scenarios out to you so you can start working on them.” Carter pointed to the door. “Back to work.”

“Yes, sir.” Edwards stood and made his way out of the office. Without being told, he closed the door behind him, and Carter sighed. Personnel issues?he hated ‘em.

The information on the annual sheriff’s conference had shown up, and Carter took some time to look it over. It was being held that summer in Jamestown at LakeCumberland State Resort Park. He looked forward to the conferences, but he dreaded them too. A lot of the guys brought their wives, and he always felt left out. Maybe Sharla could come with him. It would be a nice trip for her. They usually planned things for the spouses, and she could meet some of the other sheriffs’ wives.

Would he like for her to be his wife? The question made him smile. In a lot of ways, that sounded good. Of course, there was the fear factor. Would she be able to handle his profession? She said she could, and he believed her. It was a little early for rings and wedding bells, but he didn’t mind fantasizing about it. Kissing her good morning every morning, coming home to her in the evenings, dinner at the table instead of on a tray in front of the TV… wouldn’t those things be nice? They sure would, he decided. Time would tell, and he’d definitely give it as much time as necessary.

Just as he was slipping the information back into the envelope, his phone buzzed and he hit the button. “Yeah?”

“Sir, it’s DetectiveCurry from CallowayCounty on line one for you.”

“Thanks, Edwards. I’ll take it.” He picked up the receiver on the office phone and hit the button. “Sam!”

“Hey, Carter! How’s it goin’?”

“Goin’ good! Cruz is coming in tomorrow.”

“So I heard! Would it bother you too much for me to pick him up?”

“Bother me? Hell no, not at all. I was wondering how I was going to get him here and be at that funeral at the same time.”

“You’re going to the funeral?”

Well, shit, here we go, Carter thought. “Yeah. The family’s requested that I be there.”

“Well, I have to say, my respect for you just skyrocketed. Most officers wouldn’t want any part of being at a funeral where they’d taken down the deceased. That’s going to be awkward for you, I’m sure, but I admire you for that.”

That wasnotwhat he’d thought Sam would say, and for that little slice of time, his heart was grateful for the understanding of the officer on the phone. “Thank you. I just want to do whatever they need me to do.”

“I get it. I do. So do you know Cruz’s plans?”

“No. He hasn’t told me yet.”

“I’ll give him a call and get all the particulars,” Sam offered.

“He’s probably flying into Nashville. Sure you don’t mind?” That wasn’t Sam’s responsibility, after all.

“Not at all. I’ll take Dahlia with me and we’ll grab something to eat on the way back, spend some time catching up. We didn’t even know about Mickie until recently, so it would be good to spend some time with him.”

“Okay, if you’re sure. I’ll be at the funeral tomorrow afternoon, so if you need anything, just send me a text. And thanks, Sam. Thanks for everything.”

“You’re quite welcome. Always happy to help. And good luck tomorrow, Carter. My hat’s off to you.”

“Thank you.” They hung up and Carter sat there for a little while, contemplating everything. An FBI agent was coming to help him. To his knowledge, no one with KSP or KDCI knew that?yet. And he had no intention of telling them. Deep in thought, he barely heard the tap at the door. “Come in.”

“Sheriff?”

“Yes?”

“Sir, I have every intention of doing what you want me to do, but I pulled some of Durst and Watson’s tickets and, honestly, I can’t see what I’m doing wrong.”

Oh, for the love of god, Carter wanted to sigh out, but he couldn’t.Patience, he told himself. “Okay. Nothing looks different?”

“No, sir. If I’m doing something wrong, I don’t see it.”

“Here. Give me one of both and let me look at them.” Carter took them from Edwards’ hands and squinted at them. He followed down the page. Everything seemed to be there?the deputy’s name, date, time, location, name of citation recipient, license number, license plate number, KRS citing. The deputies had signed them at the bottom. What was missing? He couldn’t see it either. He was about to say exactly that when he caught it. “Oh my fucking god.”

“What, sir?”

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