The Sheriff of Silverhill

by Ericson, Carol

  “Patrick, did you know Alicia was pregnant?”

  He dropped to the bench, clutching his head in his hands. As his shoulders shook, Dana sucked in her bottom lip and laid a hand on his back. “I’m sorry, Patrick.”

  He raised his head, his eyes red and his nose running. “How did you find out? I was wondering why that never came out after her…death. I figured, you know, I mean, I thought that they’d discover that during her autopsy.”

  Crossing his arms, Rafe wedged a shoulder against the tree trunk. “The doctor did discover that during the autopsy, but he covered it up because he’s good friends with the Cliftons. Why didn’t you tell someone? I questioned you about your relationship with Alicia after her murder. You didn’t think it was important to mention that little detail?”

  Patrick jumped up and ran his shirtsleeve beneath his nose. “I don’t know. I didn’t think it would matter. I didn’t want Alicia’s parents to find out.”

  “Do you know for sure the baby was yours?” Rafe pushed off the tree and stood blocking Patrick’s path.

  Patrick’s mouth dropped open. Then he balled his fists and took a step toward Rafe, who squared his shoulders and widened his stance.

  “Of course it was mine. Alicia was a virgin. We both were, and we were planning to get married. I don’t have to listen to this B.S.”

  Patrick spun back toward the house, and Rafe grabbed his arm. “Son, this is a murder investigation. You do have to listen to this B.S. Did anyone else know about the pregnancy?”

  Patrick glanced at Rafe’s hand before shaking it off. “No. We kept it a secret. Now you know. I lost my girlfriend and our baby, and my grief is my own business.”

  Rafe’s eyes narrowed as he watched Patrick stomp back to his parents’ house. “Do you believe him, or do you think he kept Alicia’s pregnancy a secret to hide a motive for murder?”

  Dana rose from the bench, dusting the seat of her slacks. “I don’t think pregnancy is much of a motive.”

  “Unless the baby belonged to someone else and Patrick found out about it.”

  “But how would that connect him to the other women?”

  “Maybe they were all fooling around with the same guy.” Rafe pinched the bridge of his nose, screwing his eyes shut. “We just haven’t run across any boyfriends in common yet, except my deputy, but that doesn’t mean we won’t. Anyway, I have some work to do at the station. Do you want a ride back into town or to Auntie Mary’s?”

  Dana folded her arms and gazed at the peaks of the Rockies in the distance. She and Rafe hadn’t discussed the night they’d shared together yet. They had made love and slept in each other’s arms. They had laughed and whispered and soothed each other’s worries. Their connection smacked of together forever. But before they could get started on forever, she had a huge secret to reveal. And Rafe had to forgive her.

  Right now that hurdle seemed as high as those peaks.

  Her gaze dropped to the adobe cultural center, a seamless addition to the Colorado landscape. “You can leave me here. I’m going to peek in at the cultural center. I can walk back to Auntie Mary’s or Ben can give me a lift. Are you going to the opening of the cultural center?”

  “I wouldn’t miss it.”

  Rafe kissed her lightly on the lips and waved out his car window as he drove away.

  She wandered across the street, chewing her bottom lip. She had a decision to make. What if they never solved this case on their own? What if Steve’s meeting today resulted in the FBI forming a task force down here? They’d pretty much take Emmett and Rafe off the case then. Could she add insult to injury at that point and tell Rafe about the daughter she’d kept from him all these years?

  She stumbled up the wide steps of the cultural center and pushed open the unlocked door. “Hello? Ben?”

  Ben emerged from his office, slicking back his ponytail, his face flushed. “Hello. What can I do for you?”

  Dana tilted her head at his formal tone, then stepped back when Ben’s office door swung open behind him.

  “Hi, Dana. Whaddya think of the place?” Her stepfather, Lenny, barreled into the room.

  What was he doing here? The only interest Lenny had in Ute culture was bleeding it dry for financial gain. “This is a surprise. I had no idea you were an aficionado of Southern Ute culture.”

  “Don’t quite get the meaning of your fancy Georgetown word, but why should you be surprised to see me at the cultural center? I’ve lived among the Ute for many years, married one and just might marry another.”

  “You and Louella Thompson are getting married?” She gripped the strap of her purse.

  “We’re thinking about it.” The corner of his mouth lifted in a half grin.

  Ben cleared his throat. He had been shuffling papers behind the desk at the entryway during their conversation, his color still high.

  Dana jerked her head back toward Lenny. “What were you doing in Ben’s office?”

  Lenny’s grin stretched across his teeth. “Why, I believe I’d classify that information as none of your business, baby girl.”

  She dug her fingernails into her upper arms. She hated Lenny’s old nickname for her. Unfortunately, she didn’t have any right to know the details of his conversation with Ben. Conversation or argument?

  Her gaze darted toward Ben, but he’d retreated behind the lobby desk, lips pursed. Obviously, she’d get nothing from him. Ben wasn’t easily agitated, but he sure didn’t look happy coming out of that office.

  Her cell phone buzzed in her pocket and she excused herself and turned her back on the two men. She sucked in a breath when she saw the display—Kelsey. Was she out of school early today?

  “Hey, you.”

  Her daughter’s voice, high and breathless, answered. “Hi, Mom. Are you okay?”

  “Of course.” Dana wrinkled her nose. “What’s the matter?”

  “N-nothing. I’m all right.”

  Dana’s heart pounded as she checked her watch again. Kelsey should definitely still be in school. Aware of the silence of the two men behind her, she strolled to the window and lowered her voice. “Why aren’t you in school? I know they don’t let you turn on your cell phones during school hours.”

  “I’m not in school.”

  A spiral of fear coiled up Dana’s spine. “Where are you, Kelsey? Are you in trouble?”

  “No, I’m not in trouble, Mom, but I’m afraid you are.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Dana clutched her little cell phone so tightly, its edges bit into her fingers. “What do you mean? I’m fine. Where are you?”

  “I’m at the Durango bus depot.”

  Dana threw out an arm and grabbed the windowsill. “What are you doing here?”

  “Are you all right, Dana?” Ben had come out from behind the desk, his brows drawn over his nose.

  “I’m fine,” she lied. “I have to take this call outside. FBI business.”

  Ignoring Lenny’s lazy stare, she strode toward the double doors of the cultural center and then tripped down the steps. Her firm voice compensated for her trembling knees. “Okay, young lady. Explain yourself. Now.”

  “Instead of going to school this morning, I got a ride to the bus station, bought a ticket to Durango and here I am.”

  Closing her eyes, Dana pressed a palm against her forehead. “Whoa, whoa. Let me guess. Your cousin Jessica drove you to the bus station and helped you buy a ticket, didn’t she? Does Aunt Jennifer know about this little trip?”

  “N-not yet. Jessica’s going to tell her when I don’t come home from school, and I’ve been texting Jess on my cell phone all the way down here. But none of that’s important, Mom.”

  “You’re right.” Dana blew out a breath. At least Kelsey had gotten here safely and as long as she stayed put at the bus depot until Dana picked her up, everything would be fine.

  Except that Kelsey and her father would be in the same city at the same time.

  “Don’t be mad, Mom. I had to come. I—I sensed you we
re in danger. I had a dream.”

  Dana’s heart resumed its thudding, the blood pounding in her ears. “What kind of dream?”

  Kelsey sighed. “You know. The kind of dream I had when I was little. The kind of dream you told me to forget about. The kind of dream I still have…but never tell you about anymore.”

  Dana sagged against one of the stone posts in front of the cultural center as pinpricks of fear needled her back.

  Her daughter was a Redbird.

  That fact hadn’t escaped Dana’s notice when she gave birth to a baby girl. She’d watched her toddler for signs of the gift, just as surely as a mother would watch for signs of some horrible genetic disease in her child. When Kelsey had spoken of dreams during the day or intense feelings about a particular situation, Dana had coaxed, wheedled and trained those responses out of her daughter.

  Or at least she thought she had.

  The fear morphed into a crushing guilt. She’d only ended up teaching Kelsey to hide her feelings. Perhaps to fear them. Be ashamed of them. Like she had been ashamed. Now she had to reassure Kelsey…reassure her and send her home.

  “Honey, don’t worry. I’m not in any danger. I’m just doing my job.” Yeah, that and a little abracadabra on the side.

  “I had the feeling so strong yesterday afternoon. I couldn’t think about anything else.”

  Yesterday afternoon Dana had been holding hands with a corpse, reliving her murder. She had to get Kelsey out of here. “Stay right where you are. I’m coming to pick you up.”

  Dana burst into the cultural center, begging a ride from Ben back to Auntie Mary’s. As Ben ducked into his office to retrieve his keys, Lenny moseyed to the front door.

  “I can give you a lift in my old blue Grand Prix. I’d like to pay my respects to Auntie Mary.”

  “She can live without that.” She spun on her heel and threw open the door to wait for Ben.

  Once Ben dropped her off, Dana poked her head inside the house to tell Auntie Mary about Kelsey and then retrieved her car.

  On the drive to Durango, Dana called her cousin Jennifer to give her the news. After the conversation, she had a feeling Jessica would be losing driving privileges for a while.

  Dana pulled up in front of the squat beige building with her mouth dry, even though she’d kept Kelsey on the phone almost the entire trip. She expelled a breath when her daughter tripped through the glass doors of the bus station, a hot pink backpack slung over one shoulder.

  Dana popped the locks on the rental and Kelsey clambered into the car, suffocating her mother with a big hug. “I’m sorry, Mom. I promise I won’t do this again, but I’m happy you’re okay.”

  Inhaling Kelsey’s peach-scented shampoo, Dana patted her on the back and kissed the side of her head. “I’m happy you’re okay too. Why didn’t you just call if you thought I was in danger? You didn’t have to climb on a bus.”

  Kelsey hunched her shoulders and slanted a gaze in her direction. Guilt settled like a rock in Dana’s stomach. She’d made it clear to Kelsey that she didn’t want to hear about the gift, wanted to pretend it didn’t exist. She knew better now, and her guilt encompassed more than just her behavior toward her daughter.

  If Dana had developed her gift instead of fighting it, she might have more than just an image of a crown to help law enforcement nail the Headband Killer.

  The Headband Killer. She had to get Kelsey out of Silverhill as quickly as possible.

  “I had to see for myself that you were okay. Can you come home now?” Kelsey’s hands formed small fists and Dana knew seeing wasn’t necessarily believing for Kelsey.

  Dana brushed Kelsey’s arm with her fingertips before maneuvering onto the highway. “You know I can’t do that, honey. Not until my job is done.”

  “What’s the job this time?”

  Dana had tried to keep Kelsey as far away from her investigations as possible. Gift or no gift, she wasn’t about to start filling her in now.

  “Just another bad guy to catch. And we’re close.”

  “Do you think Auntie Mary will be mad?”

  “I already told her and she’ll be thrilled to see you. Tell you what. You can stay the weekend and go to the opening of the Southern Ute Cultural Center on Saturday night.”

  Dana gnawed on her lower lip. Her plans for telling Rafe about Kelsey after the investigation just blew up in her face. She’d have to come clean now. He’d be at the debut of the cultural center too and she couldn’t lie to his face. Not after last night.

  Her cell phone buzzed, and she grabbed it from the console and glanced at the display. Rafe’s cell. She tossed the phone into the cup holder. She needed time. She needed a plan.

  She had to break the news to Rafe in the best way possible.

  RAFE PRINTED OUT HIS LETTER to the State Board of Medical Examiners regarding Dr. Simpson’s omission, and then kicked his feet up on his desk and leaned back in his chair.

  Having Dana in his arms again felt like coming home. Not just because she’d been his first lover, but because she’d been his best and he didn’t mean in the technical sense.

  He never had to prove anything to Dana. She’d shrugged at the McClintock name, money and influence. She’d yawned at Rafe’s athletic prowess and rolled her eyes at his antics. None of that stuff had impressed her. He figured he didn’t stand a chance with the brainy, pretty Ute girl…until they took the same American lit class and she discovered he liked the writers of the American West—James Fenimore Cooper, Stephen Crane and Zane Grey, among others—as much as she did.

  And then just like that, without resorting to the famous Rafe McClintock charm, he had her hooked. It stayed that way between them. She liked him for what he had on the inside.

  When Mom left the family, like all kids, Rafe took the blame onto his own shoulders. He figured his mom never would’ve left if he’d been good enough, smart enough…enough.

  He grinned. He’d been enough for Dana last night.

  The station phone rang, and since Shelly was still out to lunch, Rafe picked it up. “Silverhill Sheriff’s Station.”

  “Hey there, Sheriff. This is Lenny Driscoll.”

  “Yeah?” Rafe swung his legs off the desk, the front legs of his chair banging on the floor. A call from Driscoll always meant bad news.

  “It’s Dana.”

  Rafe sat up straight while his heart thumped against his rib cage. “What’s wrong? What happened?”

  “Don’t go all six-gun sheriff on me. Dana’s all right, but she needs to see you at Auntie Mary’s house.”

  “Why?” Rafe took a swig of warm bottled water. He didn’t trust Driscoll one bit, especially when it concerned Dana.

  “Something happened at the cultural center. I think it’s about the murder investigation. You know how she gets those funny feelings? It’s a Redbird thing. I always wondered if she used the gift to solve crimes.”

  Rafe choked on the water, spraying his keyboard. Damn it. Driscoll did know about the gift, and he obviously knew Dana was tapping into it. How many people had he told already?

  “Why are you telling me this? How come Dana didn’t call?”

  “Like I told you, I saw her at the cultural center. And I don’t think she wants you to know about this.”

  Rafe cut him off and ended the call. While fumbling for his cell phone, he swept his keys off the desk and tipped his hat from the hook. He speed-dialed Dana’s number while his boots crunched across the gravel to his squad car. No answer.

  He tried her phone twice more on his way to the reservation with no luck. He loosened his grip on the steering wheel and flexed his fingers. Maybe she’d just found out the FBI decided to take over the case and the task force. Not that the idea of the fibbies moving in on his territory thrilled him, but it beat the thought that Dana faced some danger she didn’t want to share with him.

  He careened around the corner of Auntie Mary’s house just as the door on Dana’s rental swung open and Dana climbed out of the car. Rafe released a nois
y breath. She looked fine. In fact, she was laughing. Had Driscoll tricked him for some reason?

  The passenger door opened and a young girl with long, dark hair got out of the car. Rafe skidded to a stop in front of the house, and Dana’s head jerked around. Her mouth formed an O, wiping the smile off her face, her eyes mimicking the shape of her lips.

  Rafe scrambled out of the car, leaving the door open behind him. “You okay?”

  Dana’s gaze darted to the girl and then back to him before she dropped her keys. She bent over to pick them up and gave a short laugh as she straightened. “Everyone’s worried about me today.”

  The girl smiled while drawing straight dark brows over her nose. She resembled Dana—must be her cousin’s daughter.

  Rafe sauntered toward the car, hands shoved in his pockets, feeling foolish for allowing Driscoll to get under his skin. Driscoll probably just wanted to let him know his suspicions about Dana using the gift on this case. Maybe even wanted to blackmail them.

  “Hi, there.” Rafe smiled at the girl.

  “Kelsey, this is…uh…Sheriff McClintock. Sheriff, this is Kelsey.” Dana waved her hand between the two of them, her face flushed.

  Kelsey extended her small, slender hand and Rafe took it in his. “Nice to meet you, Sheriff McClintock.”

  Good to see kids with manners these days. “Nice to meet you too, Kelsey. Are you Jennifer’s girl?”

  Dana sucked in a sharp breath at the same time the screen door banged open. The girl dropped Rafe’s hand and squealed, “Auntie Mary!”

  Auntie Mary’s weathered face broke into a broad smile. “I’m glad you got here safely. You come inside while the grown-ups talk business.” She enfolded Kelsey in a big hug and pinned Dana with a dark look over the girl’s head.

  When the door closed, Rafe turned to Dana. “Cute girl. She looks like you and Jennifer.”

  Dana jiggled the car keys in her hand. Her dark eyes took up half of her face as she sucked in her lower lip. Maybe Driscoll was telling the truth for once.

  “What are you doing here?” Dana’s voice cracked as if she hadn’t used it for a long time.