Page 59 of The Girl in the River

SEVENTY-SEVEN

RED RIVER ROCK POLICE DEPARTMENT

Sheriff Larry Kincaid gripped his phone with a curse as the man on the line shouted at him.

“What the hell is going on? I thought you had things covered there in Red River Rock. You swore—”

“Calm the hell down. The situation is under control.” He ran a finger over the mole on his chin, which was bugging the shit out of him. He needed to see the dermatologist but who had time for self-care when the world was blowing up all around him?

“How can you say that? I saw that detective on the news. She’s had her ass into every crime that’s happened in these parts. She might look like a little darling, but that’s the last thing she is. She’ll bury us all.” He wheezed a breath. “And she’s working with a goddamn fed. That’s trouble.”

“Just keep your cool. We talked about this. There is nothing for them to find.” Kincaid unlocked his desk drawer and opened it, then pulled a file from inside. The one that held the truth.

“I’ve handled everything. Just take care of your part.”

Cursing the day he got involved in all this, Kincaid gathered the papers that could expose the rotten lies and fed them into the shredder, watching the evidence spew out in mutilated pieces.

Their secrets were safe. At least for now.

But he needed to warn Doc Chatterman to stay the course.

SEVENTY-EIGHT

POSSUM POINT

Ronnie set the iron skillet with the red-eyed gray on the table, then scooped up a spoonful and poured it over the mashed taters she cooked to go with her fried chitlins.

Her boys were already chowing down on the crunchy pig intestines, licking their fingers. Gravy ran down Lloyd’s chin and Chester chewed with his mouth open while he reached for a shot of moonshine.

She shot him a don’t-you-dare look. “You got too much to do today to get knee-walking before noon,” she snapped.

“What’s today, Mama?” Chester said through a mouthful of taters.

“Make the rounds. Let everyone know to keep their mouths shut or else.”

Lloyd grinned at theor else.He was brawny and sadistic and enjoyed putting the fear of God in the dumb nuts around town who got themselves in a mess.

Ronnie scoffed down her ham then shoved her plate aside. “Clean up when you finish. I got stuff to do today.”

Chester sopped gravy up with his biscuit. “Where you going, Mama?”

“To make sure our business is safe.”

She’d made a pact with the devil a long time ago. And she had to keep it.

SEVENTY-NINE

MOONBEAMS

“Let’s talk to some locals,” Ellie said as she parked in the center of Red River Rock. “See what they have to say about Jesse and the Moons.”

Derrick looked up from a text. “The Bureau has nothing on Kincaid. Maybe someone in town can shed some light.”

“Good point.” Ellie and Derrick walked toward Moonbeams, the boutique Jesse had opened. No surprise that a moon-shaped sign adorned the shop and colorful dreamcatchers hung around the space, a crystal windchime tinkling when they entered.

The shop looked eclectic with areas holding earrings, purses, and hats. Cowboy boots filled a tall wall, along with hot pink, yellow, and purple glittery knee-high boots.

Racks of clothes lined two walls and a circular rack in the center of the room offered one-of-a-kind, trendy designs. Two teens were oohing and aahing over the pieces they’d selected as they ducked into the curtained-off dressing rooms.

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