“I think he would have had easy access to my yard. You see how close our houses are.”
“Yes, but has he been back in town that long?”
Mattie shrugged.
“And then we have the cocaine packets,” Stella said. “I have to wonder if they were planted. At this point, I’m pretty sure Mike Chadron is guilty of drug traffic, and he may even be the guy who killed Grace. But I don’t think he committed suicide. I think someone killed him.”
“And if so, his killer might be the one who killed Grace.”
“Right.” Stella drained her beer and raised the bottle toward Mattie. “You got another one of these for me?”
“Sure.”
Mattie took their empties to the kitchen and reached into the refrigerator to take out two more bottles. She hesitated and replaced one, deciding she’d had all she should allow herself. She popped the top on the other and carried it back into the living room. She sank down onto the far end of the sofa as she handed Stella her beer and began to unlace her boots. After slipping them off, she put her socked feet up on the table and slumped down into the sofa’s cushions. Robo lay with his head on his paws, eyebrows twitching, looking torn between keeping an eye on the detective and falling asleep.
“What makes you tick, Mattie Cobb? You seem like a smart officer, independent. You seem capable of standing up to my shit.”
“I’ve had a lot of practice,” Mattie said.
“With Mom or Pop?”
“My dad. He beat all of us, but mostly my mom.” Mattie slumped down even further into the cushions. “He was killed while serving time in prison for trying to kill her.”
Stella remained silent and took a sip.
“I’m the one who called the cops and got him arrested.”
“Sounds like he deserved it.”
Mattie told the story. The drinking, the yelling. Punches so hard, she could still hear the smack against her mother’s body. The knife in her father’s hand. How she’d sneaked into her parents’ bedroom and dialed 9-1-1.
“You know, you probably saved your mother’s life that night,” Stella said.
Mattie shrugged. “Maybe. Mom was in the hospital for a while. Dad went to jail, then prison. My brother and I went into foster care. When Mom recovered enough to come home, she didn’t want to. She said she couldn’t take care of us anymore and gave us over to the county. Then she disappeared. Haven’t heard from her since.”
Stella sipped her beer, pursed her lips, and thought. Robo had let his guard down and seemed to be sound asleep.
Eventually, Stella said, “Sounds like tough times. You still did the right thing.”
On an adult level, Mattie knew that. But she also suspected her brother blamed her for splitting up the family, and she wondered if her mother blamed her as well.
“It’s getting late.” Feeling older than her years, Mattie pushed herself up out of her chair. Robo’s eyes popped open and he stood, too. “Let me help you make your bed.”
“No, I’ll do it.”
Already, Mattie regretted sharing her story. She didn’t know what had gotten into her. “I shouldn’t have spilled my guts like that.”
Stella shrugged, giving Mattie one of her searching gazes. “You needed it. Don’t worry, it doesn’t change anything between us.”
Mattie gave her an abashed smile and then looked away, avoiding eye contact. “I’ll say good-night then.”
As Mattie turned to leave, Robo dogging her tracks, Stella called her back. “And Mattie . . . don’t worry about me talking about it. I carry things to the grave.”
This time Mattie looked Stella in the eye, liking the warmth she saw there. At least with the detective, a girl knew exactly where she stood. “I think I must have known that.”
Chapter 15
Sunday
When Mattie got back from her run with Robo, she discovered that Stella had already left. She hurried to shower so she wouldn’t get to the office too far behind.
At the station, she spotted Stella’s Honda parked with Brody’s and Sheriff McCoy’s county vehicles. Since the department was small and anyone could be called to cover an emergency, staff used their assigned vehicles to go to and from work. It also made law enforcement more visible throughout town during the night, when only a skeleton crew was on duty.
Mattie entered the building with Robo walking obediently at her side. His early morning run ensured his best behavior at work.
Rainbow, dressed in an expensive-looking silk blouse and tailored slacks, an unusual outfit for the department flower child, greeted Mattie with her usual friendly smile. “Good morning! I’m sorry you couldn’t come to my house for dinner last night. I mean, I know you said you probably wouldn’t, but I was hoping you’d change your mind at the last minute, and I’ve got so much leftovers, well, you know how it is.” She finally paused for a breath.
Mattie had forgotten all about it. “Did you hear what we were doing last night?”
Rainbow sobered. “About Mike Chadron?”
“Yeah.”
“I did when I got in this morning. That must’ve been a shock, huh?”
Brody came out of the sheriff’s office, and his gaze went straight to Mattie. “You’re on patrol today, Cobb.”
“I’m on it. Do we have report first?”
“Nah, we’ll skip it since most of us were at the scene last night.”
“Do you have someone to canvass that neighborhood today?”
“What? You think you need to tell me how to do my job now?”
Geez, sensitive.
Mattie shook her head, holding out her hands in a submissive gesture. “No, Brody, just trying to help out if you need me over there.”
“Johnson and I can take care of it.”
She didn’t like the idea of having to take patrol while the rookie got to investigate. It didn’t make sense. But Brody was her superior in the department’s loosely linked chain of command, so she’d have to deal with it.
“Well, I’ll grab a cup of coffee and get started early.” She wanted Brody to realize it was still a half hour before the start of her shift.
He glanced at the clock, and as if somewhat mollified, he said, “Okay, then.”
Brody left, went into his own office, and closed the door.
“Okay, then,” Rainbow said, making a stern face and imitating Brody’s tough guy voice. Then back to normaclass="underline" “There’s fresh coffee and some doughnuts in the break room. The sheriff brought in some fruit, too.”
Mattie had never really joked around much in the office, even with Rainbow. Not knowing quite how to respond, she tried to keep it light. “Thanks, I’ll grab something, and Robo and I will go out there and try to track down some speeders.”
After selecting an apple and pouring herself some coffee, Mattie left the break room and encountered Stella and the sheriff leaving his office.
Mattie raised her cup. “Coffee?” she said to either or both of them.
“Had some,” Stella said. “Thanks for the sofa last night. Do you have a minute?”
Mattie glanced at the clock. “Sure, I have a few minutes before I need to get out on the streets.”
She led Stella back to the staff office, where the two of them had the room to themselves.
Mattie said, “What’s up?”
“I just finished telling the sheriff that I doubt Mike Chadron died by suicide. He says he agrees.”
Mattie took a sip of her coffee. “What’s the plan?”