“I’ll be by later this morning,” said Coop. “I have to check on some things at the office first.” He fished a slice of bacon from the plate in the center. “How long can you stay? Do you need to get back to school?”
“Since she seems to be doing all right, I’ll probably head back this evening. Couple of tests coming up I need to study for.”
The phone rang and Sam got up to answer. “Hello. Sure. Hang on.” She handed the cordless phone to Coop. “For you. The office.”
“Delaney. Okay. Be there in fifteen.” He ended the call, and stood, giving Sam a quick peck on the cheek. “Duty calls.” He turned to Jason. “Thanks for coming, Son. I know Eva appreciates it, too.”
“I’m going to check on Big Mama this morning,” said Sam. “Then I have a couple of errands in town. I’ll be in to see her later this afternoon.”
Before Coop could say anything, she held up her hand. “Yes, Jack will be with me. I’ll call when I leave, and keep you posted on wherever I am.”
He smiled and kissed her again. On the lips. In front of Jason. “Good girl.”
After they left, Sam sat alone at the table nursing a cup of coffee when a sudden chill drifted through the room bringing with it the faint aroma of gardenias. She stiffened, waiting for…whatever happened next. The air grew cooler around her head and shoulders as though being embraced by it. Instead of being comforted, Sam experienced a deep sense of foreboding. “What is it, Granny?” she whispered. “What are you trying to tell me?”
Danger.
“Sheriff?”
“Yeah, Jimmy. Come in.” Coop leaned his elbows on the desk.
The deputy sank into a chair and he crossed one leg over the other. “Any good news today?”
Coop shook his head. “Just talked with my contact at the FBI. He’s double checking to see if anything similar to our case is out there. I know we didn’t find anything, but a new set of eyes won’t hurt. How about you?”
“I got the cell phone data from Joyce’s carrier. A couple of calls to her roommate the night she disappeared saying she might be home early. Nothing out of the ordinary.” He pulled another sheet of paper from the folder in his hand. “I got a cell number for Peggy’s phone from her mom. Still waiting for data to come back on it.”
“What about the last bartender? The one who was out sick?”
“I’m headed over to Teddy’s after lunch. He’s due back this afternoon.” He hesitated, face pinched. “What about Billy Ray?”
Coop sat back in his chair and detailed his interview with the jailer and follow up with Ruby.
Jimmy’s brow furrowed as he sat up straighter. “Do you think he went back there on Sunday?”
“I don’t know what to think anymore. He’s hiding something. I wish I knew what.” Coop tapped a pencil against the desk top. “See what you can find out this afternoon and we’ll go from there.”
“I saw Anson at the Dairy Barn last night. Avoided me like the plague.”
“He’s another one with something to hide.” The tapping grew louder and more insistent. “I’m missing something. I can feel it.” Resigned to another long day, Coop blew out a long breath. “Okay, we’ll touch base again when you get back from Teddy’s.”
JD rose and stopped at the door. “How’s Miss Eva?”
“Good. They’re keeping her till tomorrow. All indications are the stroke didn’t do any permanent damage.”
“That’s great.”
“Yeah. We can sure use some good news right now.”
Jimmy nodded. “Anything new from forensics?”
“Nothing.”
“Damn.”
“Yeah. We’re due for a break. Keep me posted.”
“Will do.”
After he left, Coop pulled the file of crime scene photos and took them to the small conference room. He spread some out on the table, others he taped to the whiteboard on the wall. He studied them until his vision blurred and a headache started. Unable to get a handle on what bugged him, he headed for the hospital.
Jason’s hearty laugh greeted him as he entered Eva’s room.
“I was a city kid. I didn’t know skunks did that.” He looked up when Coop entered. “We’re talking about the time I got sprayed by a skunk when we first came here. Remember?”
“How could I forget?” Coop took the chair on the opposite side of Eva’s bed. “The smell hung around for days.”
Jason wagged a finger at the woman who raised him, shoulders shaking with laughter. “You wouldn’t let me in the house. I had to bathe in some gosh-awful concoction on the porch.”
Amusement sparkled in her pale blue eyes. “You did put up a fuss over that. But not as much as when I had to burn your clothes.”
Jason put a hand over his heart, and his voice softened. “My favorite Troy Aikman jersey. Killed by a skunk with an attitude.”
Coop joined in the laughter as other stories followed, each solidifying the atmosphere of family, and a life well-lived and loved. With sudden clarity, he knew the time arrived to tell Eva the truth.
