Chapter 12 - An Order from Above

Nobody moved. The officer at the door stared at his radio as if it had begun speaking a foreign language.

"Repeat that," Maya said into hers.

"Sheriff's direct order. Leave the Mercer property. Evidence team takes over at dawn."

Maya muted the channel. "That's not happening."

Evelyn slid the flash drive into the pocket of her soaked burgundy cardigan, which she'd refused to discard. "What did his father do?"

"I don't know yet. But the sheriff was first on the scene of the crash where Grant vanished."

Outside, a dark pickup blocked the driveway. Sheriff Nolan Bell climbed out, tall, silver-haired, wearing a raincoat over his uniform. He held his badge casually in one hand, like a promise nobody should question.

"Maya," he called, "you are way outside your authority."

"A man tried to kill two witnesses," she replied. "I'm preserving evidence."

"Give it to me."

Evelyn rolled herself into the doorway. "You can explain why first."

Bell recognized her. She saw it in the little pause before he smiled. "Mrs. Mercer, I'm so sorry about your ordeal. This is a sensitive investigation."

"My husband almost drowned. Sensitive isn't the word I'd use."

He glanced over her shoulder at the open box. "Did Daniel leave instructions?"

"He left the truth."

The sheriff's smile disappeared. "Truth gets people hurt when it isn't handled carefully."

Maya's hand moved toward her holster. "Step away from the door, Sheriff."

Bell studied the officers behind her, weighing loyalties. Finally he took a step back and raised both hands. "All right. We'll do this by the book."

Evelyn didn't believe him. Neither did Maya. They secured the folders in a marked evidence bag and arranged a state police pickup directly, bypassing dispatch.

As they loaded the last bag, Evelyn noticed a faint light in the farmhouse upstairs. Daniel had left the house dark. The bedroom curtain shifted.

"Somebody's inside," she whispered.

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Maya raised her flashlight. Through the window, a silhouette stood beside the bed, holding the framed photograph from Evelyn's nightstand.

The silhouette turned, and Evelyn saw Grant's face.