FIFTEEN
At the county sheriff’s office, Jack tried Terra again on his cell as he made his way to his desk. He spotted the familiar poster. Someone had set it on top of the stack of paperwork waiting for him.
Cocker spaniel named Freckles looking for lost boy.
Once again, he’d failed to make it home in time to help Aunt Nadine with the posters. Shame anchored to his chest. Had she come to the county offices to put the posters up and left him one as a reminder? An admonishment? No. That couldn’t be right. He knew her heart, and she wouldn’t have left this here to make him feel guilty.
Terra’s voice mail came up and drew his attention from the poster. He ended his fourth attempt to reach her, and this time he didn’t leave a voice mail.
Plopping into the chair at his desk, he sent her a text.
She could still be on her way to her grandfather’s ranch. And like last night, maybe she was eating dinner with her brother and grandfather and ignoring her phone.
Rubbing his eyes, Jack sighed. He could talk to her in the morning and let her know the team had completed retrieving the artifacts.
“Tough day?” Detective Nathan Campbell dropped into the chair at his own desk and rolled the chair closer to Jack, his nearly black hair a little scruffy for a detective, in Jack’s opinion.
Jack didn’t feel up to trading stories. He held up the poster to Nathan. “You’re working late.”
Nathan’s dark eyes—nearly as black as his hair—warmed. “I saw your aunt. She was putting posters up everywhere today.”
Jack let the poster drop and sighed. “I told her I would help her.”
“Don’t beat yourself up. She was with a couple of her friends. They’re over at the diner right now. I think it’s a knitting club or something.”
Jack eyed his fellow detective and offered a half smile. “Thanks for letting me know.”
“Sure thing. Everyone loves your aunt. We’re all watching out for her.”
A lot of people loved Nadine. She’d taken care of kids after school for decades, including Nathan at times. While Jack knew what Nathan said was true, others could only watch out for his aunt to a point. The county seat was big enough that not everyone knew one another.
“Look, I appreciate your attempt to reassure me, but you know as well as I do that this area can be a dangerous place.”
Jim’s murder emphasized that.
And you can’t even make it home to hang a few posters. God, please let that boy find his dog. Or as Aunt Nadine had put it, let the dog find his lost boy.
Nathan rolled back to his desk and shuffled papers.
Jack turned his attention to his own stack. Then he noticed a picture printed off, along with scribbled notes from the deputy coroner. He peered at the notes. He’d asked for information as soon as possible. This wasn’t an official report, but what he read piqued his interest.
Jack stood.
“You heading to the diner?” Nathan asked.
“Nope.” Jack donned his jacket. “Do me a favor. If you’re still here and you happen to see Aunt Nadine leave the diner, would you text me?”
“All right, but you owe me.” The way Nathan’s lips twisted up, Jack knew he was only kidding.
Jack got back into his vehicle and drove through town—the dark, rainy evening requiring all his focus. Lights reflected off the wet streets until he got to the Grayback County Museum, now located where the old county jailhouse had been before it was moved to a new location. Of course, the place was closed, but he spotted a light on inside.
No one answered when he knocked, so he tried again. “Detective Jack Tanner here.”
The door creaked open and a man with spectacles and wispy silver hair frowned at him. Jack grinned. “Howdy. I’m Detective Jack Tanner.”
“We’re closed.”
Jack flipped his credentials open. “As I said, I’m a detective. I have a few questions for you.”