Page 69 of Tessa's Trust

Even though the words were brusque, there was a kindness and concern behind them that actually ratcheted up my tension even more. The sheriff was a friend, and he’d do anything to protect me, except break the law. I appreciated that because I wouldn’t break it either. We reached the station and walked inside. Deputy McCracken looked up and blanched, his eyes concerned.

“Hi,” I said.

“Hi,” he replied. “The conference room is ready, Sheriff.”

The sheriff nodded. “This way, Tess.”

I followed him through the station to the comfortable conference room, which even held a nice coffee pot already brimming with warm dark roast. He poured us each a cup and then nodded toward the nearest seat.

“Get comfortable. As soon as Anna gets here, we’ll start.”

With that, he turned and left. I took a seat and noticed my hands were shaking. This was so strange. I sipped the coffee, surprised at how delicious it was. There was a hint of cinnamon in it. Even the conference room was cozy and comfortable with leather chairs, a handcrafted wooden table, and beautiful blown-up photographs of the surrounding mountains on each wall. I didn’t know if there was another interrogation room in the station, but I appreciated being put into this one.

The door opened, and Anna walked in. Relief filled me so fast I nearly fell off the chair. “Hey,” I said.

“Hi,” she said, and then my gaze caught on the man behind her.

“You brought Clark?” I asked. The seriousness of the situation slammed into me. Anna wouldn’t have brought her law partner if she weren’t concerned.

“Absolutely,” Anna said. She wore a black skirt with a matching jacket and a white shell. Her jewelry was understated, and her pretty reddish-auburn hair was held back with a gold clip. She looked like an official, badass lawyer. The fact that she had changed into this outfit alarmed me even more.

“Hi, Clark,” I said weakly.

“Hey.” Clark Bunne was probably one of the smartest people I’d ever met. He was around six feet tall with burnished brown skin and extremely intelligent, dark eyes. He stood straight, and his handsome features were set into intense lines. Sometimes, he shaved his head. Other times, he let his hair grow. Right now, it was short and curly around his head. He was probably one of the best-looking men I’d ever seen, and his earnestness only added to that.

For this late-evening jaunt over the pass, Clark had worn dark gray dress slacks, a white button-down shirt, and a red power tie.

It was the power tie that got me. Was I actually in enough trouble that these two had to come to my rescue? As if answering my silent question, they both crossed around the table and drew up chairs on either side of me, effectively flanking me.

I wanted to throw up. “What is going on?”

Anna leaned over and slid her arm around me, tugging me into her shoulder. She then moved her head ‘til her mouth was near my ear. “You need to not talk now. Okay?”

I gulped and nodded.

We all faced Sheriff Franco, who walked inside with a worn and battered leather folder that he flopped onto the table.

I jumped, even though I tried not to react. He then drew out his chair very slowly and sat. The tension in the room was palpable, but neither Anna nor Clark reacted, so I followed their lead. It was weird to be relying on my younger sister. Even though she was smart, capable, and reliable, I was her older sister, and I was supposed to protect her.

But I had to admit that it felt good to have a lawyer in the room, because I had absolutely zero idea what was going on. As if they’d agreed beforehand, Anna slightly sat back, and Clark leaned forward.

“Sheriff, why are we here after hours?” he asked calmly.

“It’s not even nine.” The sheriff looked at Clark. “It’s good to see you again, Bunne. I’m looking forward to the spring fling up at the golf course. You think you and Sean can win again this year?”

Clark was silent for a moment. He and my Uncle Sean had bonded quickly and became golfing partners. They were more different than anybody I’d ever met, yet they made perfect partners. Sean was basically trying to draw Clark into the family and had high hopes for the man doing something other than practicing law. For some reason, Uncle Sean didn’t like lawyers. He figured Anna would grow out of it, and he was determined to help Clark get on a better path. Unfortunately for Sean, both Clark and Anna were excellent lawyers and had no intention of pursuing any other careers.

“Sheriff, I asked you a question,” Clark said firmly.

I kept my expression stoic, but I was impressed. Not many people could face down Sheriff Franco when he was trying to be congenial. Or perhaps he was trying to throw Clark off. If that had been the intent, he’d failed.

The sheriff tapped his round fingers on the file folder. “All right. We’ll stick to business.”

“Considering you brought my client over the pass in a storm at night,” Clark said smoothly, “yeah, we’re going to stick with business, Sheriff.”

For the first time, I started to relax. Well, somewhat. I gripped my hands tightly in my lap, but who wouldn’t? The sheriff turned his attention to me, no longer with the worried look in his eyes. Now, they were flat and business-like.

“Tessa, would you please run me through the day of Rudy Brando’s murder again?”

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