“It’s clear.” He grimaced. “It’s a raccoon.”
Emma appeared in the doorway, Sadie by her side. “Oh, no. Maybe I locked the poor thing in.”
He turned, his gaze sweeping the shack. Emma moved and the sunlight shifted. Something winked on the cement floor. Reed bent down. With a gloved hand, he reached under the table and pulled out a bracelet.
“What is it?” Emma edged closer. She had a hand over her nose. “Where did that come from?”
Reed couldn’t look away. The silver infinity band was dusty, but the diamond cross in the center still held some of its shine. His hand trembled.
“Reed? Are you okay?”
He blinked at Emma. His mouth opened, but he couldn’t quite form the words on his lips. “This...this... It’s my sister’s bracelet. This belongs to Bonnie.”
Sadie growled.
The distinctive sound of a shotgun being pumped cut it off.
Before Emma could blink, Reed positioned himself between her and the doorway. He pulled his weapon. She gave a hand signal to Sadie to keep her quiet. The scent inside the shed turned her stomach but was far less terrifying than the unknown individual outside with a shotgun.
“You there in the shed,” a man bellowed. “I’ve got my weapon pointed right at ya. Come out with your hands up.”
Emma let out the breath she was holding. She stood up on her tiptoes to whisper in Reed’s ear. “It’s Wayne Johnson.”
Wayne was a jack-of-all-trades. He was hired by many of the farms and ranches when they needed an extra hand. She’d recently employed him herself.
Reed’s stance relaxed. “Wayne, it’s Sheriff Atkinson and Emma Pierce.”
“Sheriff?” Wayne’s voice wobbled. If Emma’s heart wasn’t still racing from fear, she would’ve felt sorry for the man. No doubt the last thing he wanted to do was pull a weapon on a lawman.
“Put your shotgun on the ground and step away from it,” Reed ordered.
“Yes, sir.”
There was movement outside the shed. Reed held a hand up, indicating Emma should stay behind him. They edged to the doorway.
Wayne came into view. Midsixties and toothpick lean, he was dressed in faded overalls and a straw hat. A tool belt hung from his narrow hips. Wayne’s shotgun rested in the grass several yards away.
Reed lowered his weapon and holstered it. Emma came around from behind him, taking her first deep breath of clean air. It took two more to clear the scent of the dead raccoon from her nose.
Wayne shifted in his worn boots. “I’m really sorry, Sheriff. I didn’t know it was y’all in there. I’ve heard around town that Emma’s been having some problems on the property. When I saw the shed was open, I figured there might be trouble.” His gaze drifted to Emma. “Sorry to frighten you, ma’am.”
“That’s quite all right, Wayne.” She mustered up a reassuring smile. “I appreciate you keeping an eye out.”
“Where did you come from?” Reed asked.
Wayne waved a gnarled hand toward the far side of the clearing. “I was doing some fence repairs for Judge Norton.”
“Why are you carrying a shotgun?”
“Cuz of all the stuff happening on Emma’s land. Folks ain’t sure who’s behind it, and I’m working on a remote part of the ranch. Don’t want to get caught off guard.”
His explanation made sense, and in Texas, it was legal to openly carry a firearm. Wayne hadn’t done anything wrong.
“Excuse me a moment.” Reed jogged over to the tree line where they’d had lunch and retrieved an evidence bag. He dropped Bonnie’s bracelet inside.
Emma glanced at the shed. A thousand questions ran through her mind. If Bonnie had been wearing the bracelet on the day she disappeared, then logic dictated she’d been on the property. “Wayne, you do a lot of work for Judge Norton, right?”
Wayne nodded. “From time to time when he needs me.”
“Have you ever heard anything strange while in this area? Or seen something that didn’t sit right with you?”
Reed returned, catching the tail end of her question. Wayne shifted in his boots again and tugged on his tool belt. “Whatta ya mean by strange?”
Right. She should be more specific. “Have you seen a woman on the property?”
Another long pause. His forehead wrinkled. “Only you and the lady you live with.”
“Have you ever heard a woman crying or calling for help in this area?”
He squinted at her, probably because the question was an odd one. Wayne shook his head. “No, ma’am. If I’d heard somethin’ like that, I would’ve told ya.”
Emma chewed on the inside of her cheek. It’d been a long shot, but worth trying. She decided to change tactics. “Have you seen Owen coming and going from the property since I moved here?”
There was another long pause. Wayne rubbed the back of his neck. “Listen, I don’t wanna get anyone in trouble—”
“This is a police investigation,” Reed interrupted. “If you know something, you need to tell me.”
“I did see him the other day talkin’ to Joshua. Actually, they weren’t so much talkin’ as they were arguin’.”
“What day was this?”
“Uhhh, musta been on Tuesday. That’s the day I was doing a check on the fences to see which ones needed work. I heard some yellin’ and came to check it out. When I saw it was just Owen and Joshua, I left.”
Emma passed a glance to Reed. The argument happened on the same day Owen had attacked Emma on her porch.
“Did you hear what they were arguing about?” Reed asked.
“No, but it seemed pretty heated from what I saw. Owen was makin’ a big old ruckus. You know that boy has a fiery temper, especially when he’s had a few beers.”
“Have you seen him around the property any other time?”
“Naw, just that once.” Wayne adjusted his tool belt. “If y’all don’t mind, I’d better get back to mendin’ the fences.”
“Sure, but if you think of anything else, give me a call.”
“Will do, Sheriff.” Wayne tipped his hat toward Emma
