He lifted his gaze to mine, his eyes glassy. “You of all people know we don’t always get what we want.”

I didn’t respond.

He shuffled his weight and sniffed, then looked at me with emotionless eyes. “My father had me followed and arrested to teach me a lesson. To bring me to heel. Only I wouldn’t fall into line. Heather was furious, and then scared, sayin’ my family was pushin’ her hard to lie to the sheriff about the drinking and driving and the break-in, with the hope of gettin’ me off. My father posted bail, but that’s the last favor I accepted from him. When I got out, I wouldn’t speak to them and refused their attorney. I told them I was done. Heather didn’t stick with me, which came as no surprise. She told me that my father had given her five thousand dollars to leave town and never come back. So she did. Or so I thought. Turns out she was murdered instead.”

I listened closely for any hint of sorrow or regret, but all I heard was weariness. Was he really that removed from her death? They’d had a tumultuous relationship. Maybe his feelings had changed after she “left town” and he’d realized he’d dodged a bullet. Or maybe he’d spent the past nine years getting over her. Then again, maybe he’d just learned to control his emotions and hide how he really felt. He was good at that. People were complicated too, and it could be some combination of all three. “Did you love her?”

“I did at one time, but when she left…” He shook his head and pushed out a breath, glancing down at his plate. “I was just grateful she was leavin’ me in peace.”

“Do you have any idea who murdered her?”

His gaze lifted to mine, holding firm this time. “Nope. None.”

“Who did she hang out with? I’d like to talk to them and find out if they knew of anyone who might’ve had a grudge against her.”

He shifted his weight. “She had a couple of friends from high school she kept up with. Mitzi Ziegler and Abby Atwood. I know Abby works at the Drum Veterinary Clinic. Last I heard, Mitzi lives in Ewing.”

I nodded. “Okay. I’ll start with them. How did you get along with her friends? I know you two broke up multiple times. Did they blame you for the breakups?”

“I don’t think so. They both seemed friendly enough. Still do. Abby brings her car to me, but then again, I have the only car repair shop in town, and our prices are cheaper than most places in Ewing. It might just be convenient for her to like me, you know what I mean?”

I nodded. “Yeah.”

“So after we clean up here, do you want to drop by the animal clinic? Talk to Abby?”

I gave him a tight smile. “I agreed to help you, Wyatt, but I didn’t agree to let you ride along.”

“Ride along?” he said, sounding irritated. “I was plannin’ on driving you.”

“Not happening.”

A dark look crossed his face. “You let Marco drive you around.”

“Well, Marco just happened to be a sheriff’s deputy on medical leave, and he also wasn’t the subject of my investigation. Apples and oranges.”

“I promised Hank I wouldn’t let anything happen to you.”

“Guess you shouldn’t have made that promise,” I said, closing my notebook and slipping it into my bag.

“You didn’t eat anything.”

“I was too busy taking notes, and while you may have promised Hank to feed me, I never promised I’d eat.” I spun and headed for the front door.

“Where the hell are you goin’?”

“To save your ass.”

Chapter Nine

Something about Wyatt’s story didn’t feel right, although I couldn’t put my finger on what. But while I suspected he was fudging about something, I still didn’t believe he was a killer. Why would he have murdered his girlfriend? He’d chosen not to fight any of the charges, so her testimony against him would have been a moot point.

While I couldn’t help admitting I felt a special thrill about investigating this case—I really, really hoped it led back to Bart in some way—I missed working with Marco. He’d been a great partner, and I’d felt safe with him. I decided to drop by the resort excavation site and kill two birds with one stone.

The resort site was at the northwestern tip of Drummond land, accessed from Highway 25, the road that cut through Drum if you went north, and North Carolina if you drove south. They’d created a gravel road for the construction traffic, so I turned off on it and drove a good half mile until I hit the mostly empty gravel parking lot. A few sheriff cars were parked there, and I could see a couple of deputies standing next to the yellow crime scene tape.

I smiled to myself as I got out of my car and walked over to Marco. He and the other deputy looked as bored as any two people would if asked to babysit dirt. Because that’s what it was now that the bones had been removed. Behind them sat multiple bulldozers and earthmoving equipment, all parked around a large rectangular hole in the ground, about ten feet deep on one side, and shallower on the other.

Marco’s face lit up when he saw me. “Carly, what are you doin’ here?”

“I was drivin’ by and thought I’d stop and check on you. Make sure you hadn’t died of boredom.”

The other deputy, a young man who looked fresh out of high school, laughed. “Not yet, but we’re on life support.”

“You think they’re gonna cut you loose soon?” I asked.

“God, I sure as hell hope so,” the younger man said.

“Deputy,” Marco admonished, giving him a stern look. “Language.”

Chagrin covered the deputy’s face. “Ma’am, I apologize.”

I laughed. “Please, I’ve heard worse at the tavern.”

“You work at Max’s?” he asked, perking up. “Then you must be Carly.”

I blinked in surprise. “You’ve heard of me?”

He grinned. “We know all about you.”

Turning to Marco, I cocked an eyebrow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Marco rolled his eyes. “Don’t you have somewhere you need to be, Deputy?”

“Nope,” he laughed. “I was told to stick with you.”

“Walk the perimeter and make sure no one’s tryin’ to get under the crime scene tape,”

Marco said in a harsh tone, but the deputy only grinned.

“Yes, sir.”

“What’s he talkin’ about?” I asked as he walked around the outside of the tape.

“They know about you from the Carson Purdy case. Because you saved me.”

“Are you sure that’s it?” I asked, not really sure why I was pressing or what, exactly, I was hoping he would say.

He shook his head. “They also know we’re friends, yet they don’t quite believe it. They can’t make sense of me stickin’ around you for so much longer than I do the other women in my life.” He made a face. “Ignore them. What brings you by, anyway? Wantin’ a look at the hole?”

I grimaced. “Maybe? But that’s not the only reason.”

“That construction guy hasn’t given you any more trouble, has he?”