Page 84 of Wild Embers
“I’ve been helping my girlfriend, Nora. She’s with the county clerk’s office. Her job is to upload all the files in the county to a central system. Evergreen Falls is going digital.”
“That sounds like a load of fun.” I return sarcastically.
“As fun as watching paint dry.” He jokes back.
Since he's already going through all the police records, maybe he won’t mind doing me a favor.
“Hey, could you possibly pull some files for me?” I ask with a slight wince, anticipating his reluctance.
Grant shrugs his shoulders. “Sure. What’re you looking for?”
“Cases concerning Walker Maddox.” My response ends on a high note as if I'm asking a question rather than answering one.
Grant's brows practically shoot up into his hairline. “He’s the sheriff, Jelly Bean. It’s safe to say most of the cases in these filing cabinets concern him.”
A sense of defeat and disappointment pokes at my shoulders.
“You’re right.” I rub my lips, searching my brain for a better solution. “Um…What about cases where Walker is the intended victim or cases where Walker really pissed someone off? Same thing for Levi and Santiago.”
Grant nods in agreement, then inquires, “Care to tell me why?”
Tired of lying to everyone around me, I reply with a simple, “The less you know, the better.”
Grant seems to accept my reasoning. “Give me a minute, and I’ll see what I can find.”
He marches back to the table and gets to work, digging through the files around him. I return to my sketch to pass the time, losing myself in the slope of the man’s nose, the sharpness of his mandible, and the arch of his zygomatic bone.
I’m retracing lines I’ve already created when something lands on the desk next to me with a plop. “Here you go.
Jumping in my seat, my heart calms when I see that it’s just Grant. Three light brown folders are stacked next to me.
Like a dog with a bone, I snag the first one and flip it open. I scan the document, hoping to find what I need. “Excessive force complaint against Walk.” Closing the file in my hands, I set it on my lap and pick up the next, repeating the process. “Police report. Officers respond to a call at Falling Sky Ranch. A land dispute.” Close and repeat. “Another report. Officers break up a fight on Reynolds Family Farms between Sterling Reynolds and Levi Harding.”
My mind spins with the possibilities. I feel like a crazy person with a conspiracy board and yarn.
I probably am that person.
I pat files in my lap. “This is a good start. Thank you.”
“Not a problem, Jelly Bean. I hope you find what you’re looking for.” Grant spins on his heel, heading back toward hisspot. He only gets a few steps when he turns back and suggests, “There's a room over there if you want to spread out.”
“I think I will.” Gathering my things, I beeline for the simple pine door. Inside, I find a large table, several mismatched computer chairs, and a large empty bulletin board. No windows and only two unforgiving LED lights.
This will work just fine.
I pick the most comfortable-looking chair and settle in. Pouring over the reports in detail, I flip to a new page in my sketchbook and begin taking notes.
Bear circles twice beneath the table before flopping onto the floor with a dramatic sigh, resting his head across my boots.
Lucky. At least one of us knows how to relax.
I’m just finishing up with the complaint against Walker when the door swings open.
“What’re you reading?” Walker strides into the room, swiping the files from me.
“Nothing.” I scramble like I was just caught reading his diary. “Give that back!”
Walker opens Santiago's file first. He nods as if the memory of the instance comes back to him in a wave. “I remember this. Santiago’s neighbor shot one of Santiago’s cattle. He claimed the heifer was drinking water from his property. Santiago and the man got into a standoff.”
