Duke followed Audrey out the door, which was shut behind them. They weren’t exactly kicked out, but the Napiers definitely weren’t sad to see them go.
“Thank you for keeping me in check in there,” Audrey said as they walked to the truck. “We were so close that I overstepped. I pushed when I should have pulled back.”
“There’s a reason folks don’t work on investigations when they’re too personally involved,” he said. “You’re not the first person to lose objectivity.”
“That may be so, but I pride myself on being good at my job under normal circumstances,” she said as he opened her door.
“You don’t have to convince me,” he said before closing the door. After reclaiming the driver’s seat, he added, “Seeing you at work is impressive. You maintained your temperament when too many others wouldn’t have kept their composure. You’re being hard on yourself if you think you didn’t do an amazing job in there.”
“Thank you,” she said quietly. “That means a lot coming from you. And I don’t normally overstep my bounds or insert myself into an investigation that I’m not officially involved in or that my boss has specifically asked me to leave alone.”
He started the engine and put the gearshift into Drive before easing down the street. They needed a change in topic, something to lighten the intense mood. “What are the odds we would both end up working in law enforcement?”
Audrey blew out a breath as she eased back into her seat. His attempts to redirect the conversation were failing. They were both tired. It had been a long day, and they’d barely eaten anything. The thought of dropping her off at her cabin and leaving her there to chew on the day sat like lard in his gut. “Do you want to grab something to eat?”
“No,” she said. “I don’t think I could get much down anyway.” She rubbed her temples. “Did you see the looks on their faces?”
“Yes,” he said. “If I was a betting person, I’d put money on this being the worst day of that family’s life. But that wasn’t your fault.”
Audrey gave a small nod. “Why do I have a nagging feeling we somehow have this wrong?”
“Was it the boot comment from Halsey?” he asked.
“That didn’t help,” she said. “Jenson is dead. He literally ran from the exact spot where the perp stood. Why is there part of me that believes this is too easy?”
“You know the first rule of an investigation,” Duke reminded.
“The easy answer is usually the right answer.” There was no enthusiasm in her voice.
“It’s also a mistake to make a final judgment this early in the case,” he reasoned.
“The evidence led us to Jenson Napier,” she conceded. “The evidence is never wrong.”
“It’s still early, though,” he pointed out. “And everything we have is circumstantial. As far as I know, the sheriff hasn’t located any binoculars or a phone with pictures of you on it.”
“I seriously doubt Ackerman is going to go to those lengths, considering he didn’t ask the family if Jenson owned a pair of boots.”
A few beats of silence passed as Duke pulled up to Audrey’s cabin.
“I guess this is where we say goodbye,” she said before exiting the truck in a hurry. She rushed to her door before he could roll his window down and shout at her.
Was their time together over? Was that the thing that had him riled up? Or was it something else?
Jenson was dead. She was safe. Shouldn’t that be the end of the story?
They didn’t have definitive proof Jenson acted alone, if in fact he turned out to be responsible. He might have done this on a dare. Was that possible? Could Jenson have been spying instead of peeping? It would make a huge difference in the severity of his crime. Halsey already said he was trying to impress the so-called cool group of kids. Would that include taking a picture of a beautiful—and less clothed—female deputy?
Now that Jenson was gone, would the prank die out?
Seeing a family’s heart collectively break would never become easier. As law enforcement, Duke had become good at compartmentalizing. It was a job necessity. Anyone who couldn’t wouldn’t last in his chosen profession. Audrey was no different. He’d been paying attention to her reactions to the family, to what questions she’d asked and the manner in which she asked them. Then there was the scare with the Ponytail Snatcher. Would he act so close to where he’d almost been caught by the FBI?
Realizing he hadn’t updated the family, he put a note on the group chat to let them know what had happened and that everything was stable now.
Duke didn’t realize he’d been sitting in front of Audrey’s cabin for a solid fifteen minutes until the door swung open again and he checked the time on the dashboard of his truck. Her head popped out the door first, then she came walking out with a confused look on her face. He hit the button to roll the passenger-side window down.
“Are you planning on sitting here all night?” she asked.
“Didn’t realize how much time had gone by, to be honest.” It might be a bad explanation, but it was the truth.
“You asked if I was hungry before,” she said, glancing over to the general area where someone had stood and watched her. She trembled before regaining her composure. “I didn’t think I could eat a bite after the day I’ve had until my stomach reminded me food is a necessity. What I’m saying is that I could eat something if the offer still stands.”
“It does,” he said, as relief he had no right to washed over him.
“Okay.” She tapped the windowsill a couple of times with her palm. “I’ll run inside, get my purse and be right back.”
It was probably for the best she hadn’t invited him inside to eat. The less time he spent in Audrey’s house, the better. Getting too comfortable would be a mistake he wouldn’t make twice.
“What sounds good?” he asked after she returned to the truck and climbed into the passenger seat. He noticed her gaze trained on the trees. “Everything okay?”
“I just keep getting this creepy feeling someone is watching me,” she said. “But I don’t see anyone out there. I don’t see any movement. I’m starting to think my imagination is running wild.”
“It happens,” he reassured, trying to soothe her nerves that were fried.
“Chicken-fried steak smothered in cream gravy with some fried okra and mashed potatoes,” she said after a pause. “And peach cobbler with a dollop of vanilla ice cream for dessert.” Her lips compressed.
“Sounds like a visit to Mesa Café is in order,” he decided. Mama Bea’s place had the best chicken-fried steak in the county, hell in the state.
“She swears business was ruined after the restaurant was featured on that Food Network show about small-town diners,” Audrey said with a chuckle.
