Grabbing his hat, Harrison climbed into the cab of his truck and sped off down the road. Gravel spewed out from under his tires and sprayed across his yard. Five minutes later, he was pulling in to Betty’s driveway. He climbed out of the truck and trekked towards Betty Myer's home with purpose.
He pounded on the door and waited for an answer. There was the distinct sound of confused shuffling coming from inside before Betty answered the door. Harrison didn’t wait for an invitation and proceeded to walk inside. Small town sheriff had its perks. If he did something he really shouldn't have, it didn't end up on every social media site within seconds. Harrison liked the freedom.
"Hey there, Sheriff." Kyle Ferguson said. "What can we do for you?"
Harrison smiled and removed his hat. He looked around at Ms. Myer's home. Every piece of décor hanging on the walls were older than Harrison, at least he guessed they were. The curtains were frilly and covered in a busy purple pattern. The yellow, dingy couch in the center of the living room was probably once vibrant and colorful. A thin layer of dust covered almost every inch of wooden furniture, giving it a more aged appearance.
"I need to know if you've heard anything around town."
"Is this about the murders?" Kyle asked.
"Yes and no" Harrison responded. "I can't give out the details but I need to know a few things."
"Like?" Betty asked.
"For starters, have any of you heard any disdain centered around the new woman, Sasha?"
"Does she have something to do with this?" Carol asked.
"No, no. Of course not. I just need to know if there's someone in town who doesn't like her, that's all."
The four of them looked at each other as if to seek approval. Finally, Josh said, "Nothing that we've heard of."
"Alright, keep me informed if you do hear anything. Report anything to me immediately. I'm serious. If anyone is having an issue with her, let me know."
They agreed and Harrison placed his hat back on his head. With that, he walked out of the home and back into his truck. The trip had been a complete bust. He was no closer to solving the case and he was almost certain he had started a rumor about Sasha by mistake. The end justified the means. If it brought the killer to justice then so be it.
After the sheriff left, the Gossip Group started up instantly. They hollered and squawked like a flock of hungry seagulls. A new story had just fallen into their lap. It could be the front page of the paper. Newcomer Brings Murder from Big City. It practically wrote itself. This was the biggest thing to ever happen to their quiet little town.
They were saddened by the neighbors they had lost. It was a small community and everyone knew each other. Which meant all the more reason to bring this story to light. People needed to know the new woman in town brought them nothing but trouble. Would it panic the residents? Sure. But they needed to be scared, they should be scared. It would be foolish not to be.
Carol decided she would work on the article right away and have it on next morning's paper. Sheriff Harrison would be pissed but ultimately there was nothing he could do. Even in their small town, the Constitution still meant something. She had a right to report the news and that was just what she planned to do.
Chapter Ten
That night, the entire town of Carlisle slept uneasily. Each and every door remained locked and deadbolted with a fastened chain. Children slept snuggly in parent’s bedrooms or in the living room as a family. It seemed no one wanted to be alone.
It was always hard for Sasha to sleep but tonight was much worse. Her anxiety levels were through the roof. Two dead bodies found in a town where murder had never happened could do that to a person. And all of this happened after she came to town, no less. It was enough to send the average person running for the hills. With Sasha’s condition, she wondered if the hills would be far enough away. She couldn’t even think about the heart found in her backyard without having a full-blown panic attack.
She wondered if they should pack up and leave but knew it wasn’t that easy. Where would she go and with what money? Her mother had practically paid for the entire move. Sasha would soon need to provide herself with a stable income and she had yet to figure out how. The answers would come to her in time, she hoped. Until then, she had to stick it out. Desperately, she wanted this murder business to pass over the town. Perhaps the sheriff would catch the one responsible and it would all be over. But something deep down in her gut told her it wouldn’t happen. For some reason, she felt she had a large part to play before it was all over. Attributing it to nothing more than sheer paranoia, Sasha attempted to sleep.
The next morning, she didn’t feel rested at all. Had she not known better, she would have assumed she had only slept for an hour or two at most. The sunlight had filtered in through her bedroom window which would make it difficult for her to climb back in bed and try to feel rested. Instead, she would have to fight through the day with the feeling of utter exhaustion.
Drinking her morning coffee, Sasha sat down and flipped through yesterday's newspaper. It was a cute little thing which fit the atmosphere of the small town perfectly. Updates on locals, prices at the local market, what was new in town, and other stories littered the eight-page paper. She even found a small article about herself.
