“I did, but I never considered them seriously.” She frowned. “You think someone might be trying to scare me into selling?”
“It’s a possibility. Who made offers?”
“My uncle did,” Will said. “That’s what made me think of it.”
Emma nodded. “There was only one other person. It was my other neighbor, the one on the south side. What’s his name? Joshua something or other.”
Reed stiffened. “Joshua Lowe.”
“Yeah. That’s it. Why, do you know him?”
Reed shared a look with Will. “You could say that.”
FOUR
Reed knew Joshua Lowe well, but not because they were friends. Joshua was a small-time criminal and the town bad boy. He’d claimed to have changed his ways and was trying to be a respectable rancher, but reputations were hard to shake.
Joshua had also been secretly dating Bonnie at the time of her disappearance. Almost no one had known about the relationship, including Reed. That Bonnie kept it a secret wasn’t surprising, considering Joshua’s notoriety. But it hurt Reed all the same when he’d learned about it while retracing Bonnie’s last steps on the night of her disappearance.
Bonnie and Joshua had made a plan to run away together. They were supposed to meet at a local park. Joshua claimed when he arrived, Bonnie wasn’t there. He tried calling her, but she didn’t answer.
Reed didn’t believe him. Joshua refused to answer any questions about where he was in the hours prior to or directly after driving to the park. That fact, coupled with his criminal history, made Joshua the prime suspect in Bonnie’s disappearance.
Given their history, it wasn’t wise for Reed to interview Joshua by himself. He arranged for one of his best deputies to meet him on the ranch. Deputy Kyle Hendricks climbed out of his patrol car with a grunt.
“How ya doing, Sheriff?”
“Fine.” Reed shook Kyle’s hand. “Thanks for coming.”
They located Joshua in the barn. He’d backed a dented farm truck up to the double doors and was loading hay bales into the bed. The thirty-year-old looked nothing like an all-American rancher. His long hair was pulled back into a man bun and tattoos covered his arms from shoulder to wrist.
“Joshua,” Kyle called out as they approached.
Joshua turned and lifted a hand to block out the sun. His gaze settled on Kyle first, before jumping to Reed. Something flickered in the depths of his dark eyes but disappeared behind a shuttered expression of indifference.
He resumed loading his hay, tossing it with ease. “Deputy Hendricks. Sheriff. What can I do for you?”
Out of habit, Reed glanced in the cab of the truck. It was worn—the passenger seat ripped and the stereo missing—but there was no obvious contraband or drugs. “We need to talk with you about a recent attack.”
Joshua stilled. “What kind of attack?”
“I’m surprised you haven’t heard.”
“I don’t listen to gossip, Sheriff. I’ve been on the wrong end of it one too many times to pay it any mind.”
There was a kernel of truth to the statement. Joshua had brought on his own troubles, but many of his exploits had been exaggerated by the townsfolk. Some were flat-out false. Reed suspected that if Joshua’s mother wasn’t still living in town, he would’ve left Heyworth a long time ago. “Emma Pierce’s home was broken into, and she was nearly killed.”
Joshua met Reed’s gaze. “And you think I had something to do with it?”
“Did you?”
Joshua’s jaw tightened. “No.” He threw another hay bale into the truck with more force than necessary. “Why would I?”
“You put in an offer to buy her property after Jeb died, son.” Kyle plucked a piece of hay out of the nearest bale and placed it in between his teeth. “A sizeable one. I spoke to Emma’s attorney. He said you upped it to nearly double what the land is worth. And since Emma moved in, she’s been having trouble with a stalker.”
Joshua snorted. “So what? You think I got mad she wouldn’t sell to me, so I decided to terrorize her into it? And when that didn’t work, I broke into her home and tried to kill her?”
“Your interest in the property gives you motive. Where were you last night?”
“Home.” Joshua raised a gloved hand. “And before you ask, no one can confirm it. I was by myself.” He leaned against the truck and muttered something about never being left alone, before taking a deep breath. “Yes, I did offer to purchase Jeb’s property after he died. I’m trying to expand my cattle-rearing operation and I need land to do it. Judge Norton has already told me many times that he isn’t willing to sell any more of his property.”
The Norton family had sold Joshua a piece of their land, but he was boxed in on three sides by the rest of their ranch. His only other neighbor was Emma to the south.
“However, when Emma turned me down,” Joshua continued, “I made inquiries into buying the property Old Man Franklin has for sale.”
Reed’s gaze narrowed. “When did you do that?”
“Last week.”
That was convenient. Joshua was smart and this wasn’t his first run-in with the law. Reed wasn’t going to let him off the hook so easily. “If you were willing to buy another piece of land, then why offer so much for Emma’s?”
“Because having the property next to mine would’ve been far better. Since Emma refused to sell, I didn’t have many other options available. Old Man Franklin’s land is three miles away, which makes it a nuisance, but the price is right.”
“Has your offer been accepted?”
“We’re still negotiating, but I figure things will be settled by the end of next week. I have absolutely no motive for wanting to run Emma off her land, nor would I ever hurt her.”
Reed scoffed. “You’ll have to excuse us if we don’t take your word for it.”
Joshua’s cheeks, already flushed with exertion, darkened to a deep red. “I’m many things, Sheriff, but I’m not a liar.”
“We both know that’s a load of baloney. You refused to answer all of my questions
