Page 40 of Shelter for Sharla

“Yeah.”

“Have you requested their records?”

That hadn’t even occurred to Carter. “No, but I will.”

“Don’t. We’ll go there. O’Fallon,Missouri?” Carter nodded. “We can drive there, right?”

“Yeah. About three and a half hours.”

“Good. We need to do that. Call them and let them know we’re coming and what we’ll need.”

“Will do.”

“Okay. Keep going.”

It took another hour, but Carter got through everything they had. “Oh, and I got this last night.” He pulled out the business card and held it up. “Professor at the university. He said he might have some information on the group.”

“That’s good, seeing as how we have nothing up to now. I’ve been thinking about it, Carter.” Cruz stared him in the eyes, and Carter was pretty sure he wasn’t going to like what the agent had to say. “We need to let everybody know I’m here. We won’t get anywhere if I ruffle feathers.”

“I was afraid you were going to say that. I’m also afraid you’re right.”

“I’ll let you handle that. We can have a get-together and you can introduce me, or you can just let them run into me as we go, but they need to at least know I’m here.”

“I’ll handle it. I don’t want to put you in a difficult position.”

Cruz smiled. “They won’t like me being here, but they’ll have to live with it. As long as we figure this out, I don’t care if they like me and want me here or not. Doesn’t matter. I’m here to do a job. But there’s no quicker way to make an enemy than to blindside somebody.”

Carter nodded. He’d hoped to keep Cruz as his ace in the hole, but the agent was right and Carter was just being juvenile about it. Yeah, they were looked down upon by the “big boys,” but he was confident in his ability to do his job and do it well. Why should he care what they thought? “I’ll shoot out an email, let everybody know you’re here and what your role will be. I’ll also call the police department in O’Fallon and let them know we’re going to be coming to go through the records.” As he spoke, he wondered how he was going to do everything he needed to do as sheriff and still work on the case.

He hadn’t realized he was sitting still and silent when Cruz’s voice broke into his thoughts. “Carter?” Lifting his head, he let Cruz catch his gaze and hold it. “Listen to me. I’m here tohelp. While you’re working on this, you’re also the sheriff of this county. You’ve got deputies depending on you, and you’ve got the residents of a county who expect you to be on your toes. I’m not going to lock you out of anything or keep anything from you. Anything I learn, you’ll know about. Can you do that?”

“Yes. Thank you.” Carter felt like his head was going to explode. So much to do, so little time, and he felt so pressured.

“Good. I’ll go to the university and talk to the professor. Call him and tell him you’re sending me, and I’m sure he’ll be fine with it. While I’m gone, call O’Fallon. Also, check to see if the prison where those guys are will let us visit because after we read their records, we may want to go there.”

“True. I’ll call them.”

“Now, do me a favor. Call Sharla and take her to dinner. Try to relax a little. Have a couple of drinks, dance, and have a pleasant evening. I’ll call you when I finish with the professor, and then I’ll make dinner plans with Sam and Dahlia before I come back. I’ll be back long before you are and, trust me, I can entertain myself. Do it, Carter. Take a deep breath. We’ve got this, bud.”

The kindness in Cruz’s eyes was a salve to Carter’s battered soul. It was okay. Things were going to be fine. Someone besides him and Sam was taking up the torch, and it would all be okay.

An hour later, he’d been told by the prison that they could announce their intention to visit as late as six hours beforehand, and the O’FallonPolice Department said they’d welcome the two law enforcement officers anytime. Maybe they’d get some answers soon. He remembered Sharla’s face from the day before, tired and puffy. That was how his brain felt.

But he was pretty sure everything would be fine in her arms.

* * *

“I’m so tired.Can we just stay in?” Sharla whined into the phone.

That made Carter sigh. So much for having a fun, relaxing evening. Then he realized if they did that, they could sit around in pajamas. That would beveryrelaxing. “Okay. Want me to come there, or do you want to come here?”

“Can I come there? I won’t feel so pressured to run the washing machine or empty the dishwasher.”

“Sure. Bring clothes so you can go straight to work. That’ll save you time, babe.”

“I will. I’ll be there in a bit. Love you, Carter.”

“Love you too, baby. Be careful.”

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