Derrick reined in the urge to bang his head against the table in the conference room at the sheriff’s office. This entire day had been one frustration after the next. The only bright spot had been closing on the new house. Everything since then had been downhill.
He hated leaving Ian alone at the B&B. It never would have happened if the situation Rafe had called about hadn’t been serious. Ian didn’t deserve to be treated like he was a secondary consideration, because he wasn’t. If push came to shove, and he had to choose between his job and his son—his son came in first, every time.
“What’s the hold-up? When you called, you said you had a handle on things.”
Rafe ran a hand through his hair, his expression a mix of frustration and anger. He sympathized. Dealing with criminals and bad guys in the big city was a cakewalk compared to small-town life. Poor Rafe had to walk on eggshells, to keep the peace with the townsfolk, because everybody knew everybody, or was related to somebody. It probably felt like he was walking a tightrope without a safety net.
“There are days when I wonder why I thought being sheriff was a good idea. Today’s one of them. Sorry I had to drag you away from your celebration.”
Derrick leaned back in his chair and folded his hands across his stomach. “Not much of a celebration. The furniture isn’t showing up for a couple of days. Ian and I are staying at the Creekside Inn with Miss Edna until the store can get it delivered.” He shot Rafe a look. “My son is not a happy camper right now.”
Rafe winced at his words. “Now I’m really sorry.”
“We’ll deal. What can you tell me about the situation? You said something about a missing person?”
“Yeah. Here’s the thing. Eliza and Dennis Boatwright are unique characters here in Shiloh Springs. They both tend to overindulge a bit from time to time. Especially around the first of the month when their checks come in. Dennis also makes his own home brew.”
When Rafe stopped talking and gave him a pointed look, Derrick realized the unspoken implication.
“Would I be erroneous in assuming Mr. Boatwright might also manufacture something a little stronger than beer?”
It wouldn’t be unheard of, especially if they were older folks. Producing and selling moonshine was illegal, but more than a few people he knew still manufactured for their own personal use. On a scale of small potatoes versus more dangerous crimes, moonshine barely made a blip on the radar.
“I cannot confirm your hypothesis, but I won’t deny it.” Rafe grinned, his smile making him appear younger, more relaxed. “Anyway, Eliza’s niece is visiting. Her baby sister’s child. She’s gotten to be more than her momma can handle, and she sent her to stay for a couple of weeks. We got a call from Eliza that Jennifer—the niece—hasn’t been home in two days.”
“Why’d she wait so long before calling?”
“She didn’t come right out and say anything, but I got the impression this isn’t the first time she’s stayed out overnight. Jennifer has a cell phone, and we’ve tried calling. It goes straight to voice mail.”
“Have you tried having the service provider check the GPS or ping the closest cell tower?”
Rafe shot him a do-you-think-I’m-stupid stare. “Chance is meeting with Judge Willis right now, getting the necessary warrants.”
Derrick nodded, hating the red tape and hoops law enforcement had to jump through to get the job done. It was one of those necessary evils they all dealt with to protect the rights of the guilty and the not-so-guilty alike. Sometimes it felt like wading through quicksand to get the job done. But it was all worthwhile in the end when they were able to keep even one single person from harm.
“Does the aunt know if Jennifer has made any friends since she’s been here? Maybe she spent the night with a girlfriend and just didn’t call.”
“I’ve got Dusty getting as much pertinent information as he can, questioning neighbors and their kids. Since Jennifer’s not enrolled in school here—yet—I doubt she’s met many kids her own age.”
“Does the aunt suspect somebody’s snatched her?” Derrick drew in a deep breath, feeling a wave of anxiety flood him at how he’d feel if somebody took Ian. He’d search heaven and hell to get his son back, so he could sympathize with the Boatwrights.
“They don’t really know what to think at this point. Jennifer’s been petulant and mad because she was pretty much forced to leave home and come stay with family she barely knows. Eliza and her sister aren’t especially close; there’s a bit of an age difference between them. Her sister also didn’t have Jennifer until she was older, so we’re dealing with a teenager who probably thinks nobody understands her.”
“All right, tell me how you want to handle this. It’s your town, your team. I’m unofficial at this point because we don’t know there’s any reason to call in the FBI.”
“I don’t know. Something about this whole thing doesn’t feel right. Either we’re dealing with a pissed-off teen, who’s angry at her family and has simply run off, which we can’t rule out, or she’s been snatched by a stranger. It hasn’t happened in Shiloh Springs before, but anything’s possible. The closest we had was a little while back when Heath and Camilla were on the run. Thought somebody had followed them from Louisiana, but it turned out to be a couple who’d skipped town to be together. Borrowed a car, but the car’s owner called it in as stolen.”
Derrick chuckled. “I swear, Shiloh Springs has the most interesting cases for a small town. I rarely get these kinds of cases in Austin.”
“Be thankful. People living in small towns know everything and everybody.”
Derrick listened to Rafe’s words and remembered something Antonio had mentioned in passing a few weeks prior. It wasn’t any of his business, but again, since he was planning to be a part of this community, at least part-time, he might as well see what he could do to help.
“A little birdie told me you’ve had a bit of trouble with a petition circulating in town.”
Rafe almost choked on the coffee he’d just drank, and he pounded his fist on his chest. “A little birdie? You mean my big mouth brother?”
“No comment.”
Shaking his head, Rafe blew out an exasperated breath. “Yeah, someone’s circulating a petition around the county, asking for me to be recalled from the position of sheriff, and for a special election to replace me.”
“Are they crazy? You do an extraordinary job. Trust me, I’ve worked with lots of law enforcement, big and small town, and you’re one of the finest. Your reputation is flawless. Trust me, I checked.”
“Glad I passed scrutiny.”
Derrick ignored the jibe and continued. “Any idea who or why they want you ousted?”
“Honestly? I’ve been too busy to deal with it. I was hoping if I ignored it, it would go away. Which backfired, because my folks found out, and Momma’s going on the warpath. I pity whoever started the petition because she’s out for blood.”
“Good for her. I’ll be happy to look into who’s behind it, if you’d like. Since I’m now a proud homeowner within the city limits, I now have a dog in this hunt. I like knowing an honest man is looking out for the town’s best interests.”
A flush of red spread across Rafe’s cheeks. “Appreciate it. I’m hopeful it won’t be necessary. Chance’s connections at the courthouse are going to do a little digging, see where it originated. We’ll go from there.”
Rafe’s phone rang, and he answered it, giving Derrick a chance to check his. No missed calls from Ian. Kid hadn’t texted, either. He shook his head, knowing he had a lot of ground to make up because he’d broken the trust with his kid by coming in to work. No matter how good his intentions, he felt guilty.
“That was Dusty. Jennifer’s been hanging out with a group of teens who don’t live too far from the Boatwrights. He’s only been able to talk with one of them, but she thinks Jennifer mentioned something about a boyfriend. He’s going to check into it with the mother, see if there’s anything there.”
“It’s a start. Okay, let’s dig in and see if we can find Jennifer.”