C.J. took a handkerchief from his overalls’ pocket and mopped his sweaty face. His hair was unkempt. Puffy dark circles hung under his eyes. I hadn’t slept well myself. What had happened at Coogan’s Cove bothered me, of course, but what Wyatt had revealed unsettled me even more.
I had searched the drawers and closet of our bedroom late into the night but never found any of the Horace letters. Jessica burned the ones that existed before she left, of course, but were there newer ones? Perhaps Shelby had stopped corresponding with Horace long before Jessica left. If I found letters, they would break my already broken heart. If I didn’t find any, I would never be sure.
I asked C.J., “Did you sleep at all?”
He folded his handkerchief and stuffed it back in his pocket. He wouldn’t look me in the eyes but stared westward toward the mountains instead. Coogan’s Cove was nestled between them in that direction. “How could I? We watched a man get murdered.”
We stood in the parking lot of Abe’s Market. Through the window, we could see our friends gathered around the Liars’ Table. They were sipping coffee, eating breakfast, and laughing at each other’s corny jokes. We had debated the night before about skipping breakfast but realized our friends would be worried about us. If they came out to our houses to check on us, they might get sucked into this nightmare. That, we wouldn’t allow.
C.J. hung his head, his voice barely above a whisper. “He didn’t deserve to die like that.”
“Look at me.”
His head rose slowly until I could see his bloodshot eyes.
“He was a drug dealer and a thief. He threatened to kill me if I didn’t get the money back. He beat me up yesterday. I’m sorry he’s dead, but I’m not going to mourn him.”
His eyes were glassy and out of focus. “He had kids.”
I stuck my hands in my pockets and hung my head. “Yeah, he did. But what are we supposed to do about it?”
C.J. leaned against his truck. He fidgeted with the buttons on his overalls. “I don’t know. If we tell the sheriff…”
“The Roach killed a man for stealing from him. What do you think he does to people who rat him out?” I gently squeezed his arm until he looked up at me. “The guy he killed didn’t deserve it, but he was a bad guy. This Rudy is a worse guy, someone who uses kids like Wyatt to deliver drugs. If we keep this secret, maybe Wyatt has a chance at a normal life. Isn’t that worth it?”
C.J. tilted his head back and studied the sky. His answer was a whisper. “Okay.”
“As soon as the reverend gets the money, we deliver it, and then this is all over. Until then, we just have to act normal.”
“Normal?” C.J. grimaced. “Normal is I eat a whole mess of eggs with some bacon, grits, and biscuits. I down three or four cups of coffee. If I tried to do that this morning, I’d throw it up. I might do it anyway.”
I stepped back and looked at my friend. “Okay, you’re right. We probably shouldn’t have come. I’ll them we’re both feeling under the weather. They’ll take one look at us and believe it. Give me just a minute, and then we’re gone.”
“Too late.”
I followed his gaze to see a car turning into the parking lot from Broad Street. The sheriff’s unmarked SUV pulled up beside the store. Hearing C.J.’s groan, I knew we didn’t dare chat with the law without our friends around us. I grabbed his elbow and guided him into the store.
Colette was busy with a customer at the cash register, and Martha wasn’t in sight, so we made it quickly to the back of the store. We headed for our normal seats when Danny spoke up. “Morning, guys. Want me to whip up the usual?”
C.J.’s face was pale. Sweat dribbled down the sides of his cheeks. His eyes were wide and darting around the room. He breathed rapidly, panting like Belle did in the summer heat. I thought of a panicked rabbit I had seen racing from a stalking coyote. Realizing C.J. had been right—he really would get sick if he attempted to eat any food—I called out to Danny, “Just coffee for now. We might order something later.”
Danny’s mouth dropped open. “Now I’ve heard everything.” Instead of arguing, he spun around and rolled his wheelchair into the kitchen for the coffeepot and a couple of mugs.
As we settled into our customary chairs, Abe greeted us. “Both of you are late. I’ve never seen C.J. pass up a meal. I saw you conspiring outside. Can’t wait to hear this tale.”
My heart leapt into my throat. I feared C.J. wouldn’t resist the bait and would weave a convoluted story. I feared more he wouldn’t say a word, and I would be forced to come up with something. I tried to deflect attention. “Just late. No story.”
The faces around the table told me it wasn’t going to be that easy. They exchanged glances with each other as Danny placed full coffee cups in front of us. Chip opened his mouth to lead the questioning, but the bell over the front door jingled, announcing a new arrival.
Sheriff Newman entered, greeted Colette behind the cash register with a quick nod, and strode purposefully to the rear of the store. Like C.J., his face was tired, the sign of a man who hadn’t slept all night.
As the sheriff retrieved an offered coffee from Danny, Levi hollered out a greeting. “Sounds like you’re having a busy morning.”
Chip, at least temporarily diverted from his interrogation, gestured at the scanner propped up on the table. He leaned over and whispered, “While you were oversleeping, we got ourselves a dead body. Haven’t had a murder in Miller County in a long time.”
My heart skipped a beat. C.J. groaned. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw he was even paler than when we entered. Visions of him fainting passed through my mind. I elbowed him to keep him focused. He turned to me in slow motion, like he was treading water. Without his help, I pretended to be clueless. I hoped I looked shocked and not scared. “Murder?”
The sheriff stumbled up to the table, sipping from his coffee cup. He ran his hand across the stubble on his face. “You know I can’t tell you gents everything, but I also realize much of it has already been broadcast on that blasted radio. So, yeah, a man got himself shot up in Coogan’s Cove.”
Ronnie leaned forward. “Thought the Cove was forest service territory. Don’t the feds handle that?”
Newman shook his head. “If it had happened in the woods, the rangers would have it, but the picnic area is county. Once they saw where the body was, they gladly handed it over to us, but they did get the first shots-fired call.”
No one had been around. Who had reported it? “Someone heard the shots?”
“Better than that. Someone saw it.”
“Saw?”
“Well, sort of saw.” The sheriff gripped the coffee and drank like he was drawing energy from it. “A young couple was in their car in the parking lot. They heard the shot, looked up, and saw a group of men.”
I had forgotten about them. I thought they had left. “They get a good look?”
The sheriff grimaced. “Unfortunately, the young couple was paying more attention to each other than what was happening, if you know what I mean.”
Abe laughed and nodded knowingly. “I can guess exactly what they were doing.”
The men around the table all chuckled.
The sheriff shrugged. “They said a group of men had been arguing about something, but they never heard about what and moved to their car to get away from them. When they heard the shot, they were pretty scared and hid until everyone was gone. Then they called 911. They couldn’t describe very much, but at least they told us what the men were wearing.”
Abe snickered again. “Considerably more than what those two were wearing, I’m sure.”
Ignoring Abe, Ronnie asked, “Think it was tourists fighting over something? Maybe a family dispute?”
“Doesn’t look like it.” The sheriff hesitated but continued, “We’re thinking it was a drug deal gone bad.”
“You find drugs?”
The sheriff sipped his coffee again before answering, looking like he was deciding how much to share. Everyone, especially the sheriff, understood anything he said would be news in the county within minutes. He was talking to the unofficial press corps of Miller County. “The dead man has a record over in Knox County and Sevier County, mostly drugs and related crimes. Nothing was found on him or the Explorer he apparently arrived in, but it doesn’t take a big leap to assume drugs were involved.”
Ronnie said, “Well, at least it wasn’t a local boy. That’s good news.”
“He wasn’t, but we think the people he was meeting might have been local.”
I choked on my coffee. I coughed and sputtered while they looked at me. Finally getting it under control, I croaked, “Why?”
“The way they were dressed. The way they talked. The car they were driving.”
“Could the kids see the license plate?” I tried to sound nonchalant. Since I hadn’t been to the DMV to report it stolen, my license plate was still missing. I had taped a handwritten sign in my back window that listed the lost plate and the number. Besides, it wasn’t like my car wasn’t unique enough. If the kids had noticed many details, I was toast.
“One of them. Two men left in a black SUV with Tennessee plates. Unfortunately, that turned into a dead end. The plate had been stolen off some old lady’s car who rarely drives anywhere, much less into Coogan’s Cove. She had nothing to do with it.”
“That’s it?”
The sheriff chortled. “The other group left in some old clunker. The kids tried to get the license plate, but they said they couldn’t find it. Maybe the light was out, but the bigger issue was a cloud of blue smoke blocked their view. Apparently, the car was burning oil. All they saw was the shadow of three men.”
My shoulder muscles relaxed. Maybe, just maybe, we were in the clear.
I studied an old stain on the table. The sheriff startled me out of my thoughts when he asked, “You okay?”
I sat upright and looked at him, but he wasn’t looking at me. His gaze was on the man next to me, and concern was on his face. “C.J.?”
C.J.’s face had gone from pale to as white as a freshly bleached sheet. His jaw twitched. His mouth opened and closed. He tried to speak but nothing came out.
I placed a hand on his arm. It was clammy and cold. “You okay, buddy?”
C.J. turned to me, his eyes glassy. His lips were tinted blue. His hands slid up his overalls and clutched at the center of his chest. With a gasp, he collapsed forward onto the table.