Chapter 52
FIFTY-TWO
R
afe gave the okay to Darlene and steeled himself for his final appointment of the day. He’d been slammed all day, frantically playing catch up and was now even further behind for his efforts.
His phone buzzed on his desk, but there was no time to check it as a middle-aged blond woman came through the door, her set expression warning him what he was in for.
“Mrs. Edgerton, I’m Sheriff Torres. Please sit down.”
She stepped inside without a word, a strong cloud of sweet perfume filling his office as she perched on the edge of one of the chairs in front of his desk.
Steely blue eyes bored into his. “You’ve been avoiding me, Sheriff.”
“I promise you, I have not. My first day was—”
“I’m well aware of when your first day was, and I’ve come all the way from Idaho for this meeting because I wanted to talk to you face to face.
” She leaned back in her chair, the harsh fluorescent lighting overhead showing every line on her face and bringing out the gray roots along the edges of the part in her hair.
This woman had not had an easy life, even before her son had gone missing.
“What I want to know is whether you’ve started looking into my son’s case yet.”
“Not yet, no.”
Her jaw tightened, anger making her eyes seem even colder. “How about I summarize it for you then?”
“By all means.”
“I’m told that you were friends with the man my son killed.”
He saw no point in trying to be polite about it. “I was.”
“I’m sorry for your loss.”
She seemed sincere enough. “Thank you.”
“Look, Sheriff. I know better than anyone that my son was no angel. He had his problems, his demons, and the good Lord knows I did everything I could to keep him out of trouble. But he was brought to justice and paid for what he did.”
Justice? Hardly. Not for nearly long enough.
“He did his time, paid his debt to society, and was released. Then a few weeks later he came back here. People provided statements proving as much. Then within a day or two, he disappeared, and there’s been nothing since.”
He nodded, because he knew that much. People still talked about it here.
“Now. I know that a lot of folks don’t care what happened to my son. They think he’s evil. They can’t forgive him for what he did, and that’s their right. But he’s my—” She stopped, pressed her lips together tightly as tears filled her eyes.
“He’s my son,” she finished in a raspy whisper, hitting her chest with her palm. “Do you understand?”
Rafe might hate her son for taking Carson’s life, but he was sheriff.
Part of the job meant putting personal feelings aside and being professionally objective.
His years as a cop had made him cynical when it came to the human race, but it would take someone a lot more jaded than he was not to feel sorry for her.
She clearly loved and missed her son. She deserved to know what had happened to him.
Besides, folks around here would sleep better knowing whether he was still around or not. And if he was dead, most of the locals would be glad.
“Yes,” he said. “And I give you my word that I’ll look into his case personally at the first opportunity.” Whenever the hell that would be. Maybe in a few more weeks when tourist season was over and things calmed down.
They had to calm down. Otherwise, he needed to triple his force to handle the workload.
“Your word,” she repeated, then studied him for a long moment, assessing him with shrewd blue eyes. “Are you the kind of man whose word means something?”
“I am.”
She broke eye contact to open her purse and take out a tissue to wipe her eyes. “I believe you. Thank you.”
A sharp rap on the door interrupted what he was going to say next. “Yes?”
Darlene opened the door. “I’m so sorry, but there’s an emergency. Tripp Rawlings has made a citizen’s arrest on Darren Lassiter, and he’s requesting immediate backup.”
He frowned. What the hell? “Where are they?”
“Near Shipwreck Cove.” Her gaze darted to Mrs. Edgerton and back. “Apparently, Lassiter tried to run Willow off the cliff in her car. Tripp pulled her out, but Lassiter shot at them, so they took cover in the woods.”
What the hell? He stood, grabbing his phone. “I’m on my way. Sorry about the interruption,” he added to Mrs. Edgerton.
“No, of course, go,” she said, eyes wide and full of curiosity.
He checked his phone on the way out. Shit, he’d missed messages and calls from Tripp and Earl.
A deputy was waiting for him by the door. “I’ll follow you up there.”
Rafe nodded, called Tripp’s cell, and got no answer. He was about to leave a message when a call came through from Tripp’s number. “Tripp, what’s going on?”
“No, it’s Earl. Tripp can’t come to the phone right now, he’s busy giving Darren Lassiter what’s coming to him.”
Rafe wasn’t sure if he wanted to know that. “Are you on scene?”
“Yeah. Saw the bastard go after Willow initially and came down to help. You on your way yet? What’s the damned holdup?”
“Been in meetings. Who else is there?”
“No one.”
“Tell Tripp I’m on my way. ETA twenty minutes.”
“Roger that. Oh, and Sheriff? Better call in a wrecker. Willow’s car is pancaked at the bottom of the cliff.”