He flipped the wipers on, put it in drive, and drove down the main drag of Dredge.
He drove slowly, lost in thought, past the tiny shops converted from the ancient buildings, past the chic restaurants and the holes-in-the-walls, past a gas station and the hulking casino. At the end of the road, where it bent ninety degrees to the right and back toward Rocky Points, he slowed to a stop.
The dark and muddy county road that led to Piper Cain’s house branched to the left, beckoning.
“Okay, fine,” he said, turning the wheel left.
Ten minutes later he drove out of the open valley floor and into dense woods. Hypnotized by the sound of his rumbling tires, the windshield wipers, and the darkened wall of pine trees flitting past on either side, he leaned into the windshield waiting for a sign of Piper Cain’s house.
He’d been driving too long, he thought. Maybe it was the wrong road altogether. Had he missed a turn that he’d taken last time? The previous drive up here had been a blur—literally—as he’d been slipstreaming her cloud of dust.
A few seconds later the road brightened from a light ahead and the trees opened up, revealing the familiar house at the top of a broad lawn.
He slowed to a stop in front, flicking off his headlights. The place stood a good fifty or so yards up from the road, up a slight rise. The windows glowed yellow, revealing the interior.
She immediately came into view, something in her hands as she passed the window, then disappeared. Then she was back, pressing her face to the glass, looking out.
Wolf waved, realizing he was invisible to her inside the cab so he flashed the brights.
She held up a hand and waved, reluctantly, then motioned for him to come up.
He drove up to the driveway and parked next to her Jeep, then got out, zipping his jacket to his chin. The rain had stopped and the air was still, smelling of cut grass.
“Is everything okay?” She said from the porch. “What are you doing here?”
He walked to the foot of the stairs. “Hi. Uh, I was just in Dredge, on my way back to Rocky Points, and I thought I’d stop by to talk.”
She zipped a fleece to her chin and shoved her hands in the pockets. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail, a few strands left loose and cascading down her shoulder.
“Okay,” she said expectantly.
“Can I come up there?”
“Sure. Come up.” She turned around and walked to the railing as he climbed the stairs and into her now-familiar floral scent.
She walked to the railing, and looked out across her lawn.
Wolf followed her gaze. The underside of low hanging clouds glowed from the sparkling lights of Dredge in the distance.
“It’s beautiful.”
“Yeah.” She didn’t exactly ooze enthusiasm.
“Listen,” he said, “I’m really sorry about what happened earlier today.”
“What happened earlier today?”
He took a step toward her, catching sight of her father inside. He carried a beer to a lounge chair and sat down in front of the flickering television.
“How’s your dad doing?” he asked.
“Good.”
“Good.” He cleared his throat. “I’m sorry about what I said to you today.”
She remained silent.
“It was out of line. In the end, you were trying to help. I get that. You went through a lot yesterday, and I can see how that fired something in you to do something. I should have been a bit more sensitive to your situation. To your state of mind.”
She shook her head. “No. I’m sorry. That was completely out of line of me to drive up there and take things into my own hands like that. Like you said, there’s a whole detective squad dedicated to this case, and I went behind all of your backs.” She looked at him. “The truth is, I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to fire me right now.”
“That’s not why I’m here.”
She looked at him for a beat, then back out into the valley.
“About what you said earlier,” Wolf said. “Up in the parking lot. About what I made clear in February. I wanted to explain that. Back in February I was in a bit of…well, I’m not one to make excuses, so I won’t. I’ll just say I wasn’t at my best and I made a mistake and I overlooked your resume. I know this sounds so ridiculous like, the dog ate my homework. Or, ate your resume. But I really did overlook it. With all the things I was already avoiding at work, I also avoided hiring people, too. I mean, I hired one deputy, but that was more of a personal favor and the second hire I never took care of. Now I feel foolish, and responsible for your situation up here and what happened the other day with your dad, because the truth is I would have hired you if my head hadn’t been up my ass, but it was.”
“It’s okay,” she said.
He sucked in a breath and looked at her, surprised to see her smiling.
“You can stop apologizing now,” she said. “I accept.”
“Okay. Good. I…accept yours too.”
She nodded. “Then it’s settled.”
“Not really,” he said. “We do have an opening for a deputy position in Rocky Points. Still. It’s yours if you want it. Your resume, and the recommendation from your boss up in Gallatin County that came with it, outshines the other hire I made and any of the others in my neglected stack of candidates.”
She stared at him, her eyes sparkling in the light streaming out of the windows, like they might be welling with tears. It was hard to tell, and before he could get a better read on her she turned her back to him.
“Is everything okay?” His feet pulled him toward her of their own volition. Without thinking he raised his hand and put it on her shoulder. “What’s the matter?”
She turned. Her eyes were perfectly dry. Unblinking. Staring down at his hand.
“Sorry,” he said, and pulled it away and stepped back.
But she followed him,
