“There are so many loose ends to this case. I hate that.” She rubbed her cheek. “I still think about the woman who called to warn me. I hope she’s okay.”
“Me too.”
Luke had hoped she would come forward and reveal her identity now that Dan was exposed, but that hadn’t happened.
“We haven’t given up on finding her,” he said. “There’s a strong rodeo connection between Quentin, Franny, and Kyle. Maybe she’s a part of that group.”
“Chad was also involved in the rodeo.”
“We interviewed him again yesterday. He brought his attorney, and they played hardball. He admitted to knowing all of these people, but I can’t figure out his role in this. If there is one.”
Her nose wrinkled. “Dan had to be covering something up for him.”
“That’s my impression too. And the family, in general, was against our investigation. But Dan was focused on becoming the next sheriff. Maybe Chad did something illegal, something unrelated to Franny’s murder, and Dan covered it up to get in the family’s good graces.”
“I could see that,” Megan said. “He was stealing from the evidence room. It doesn’t seem like a stretch to believe he would cover up someone else’s crime. Makes you wonder how many others he’s done that for.”
“Well, along with auditing the evidence room, we’re going to look at every single one of Dan’s cases for that very reason. It’ll take a long time to go through everything, but I don’t want anything overlooked. I also don’t think we’re at the end of this drug ring either. Kyle doesn’t know much, but he’s lower level.”
Just another reason why they needed to get their hands on Dan. It was like the man had disappeared into thin air. No one had seen his truck or him. Frustration nipped at Luke and he took a deep breath.
Lord, I know You have Your own timing, but finding some clue as to Dan’s whereabouts would be really helpful.
They sat in silence for a while, each lost in their own thoughts, as the sun sank behind the trees.
“Have you talked to your dad?” Megan asked.
“Not since we had lunch the other day.”
It’d been brief, since Luke was in the middle of a massive investigation, but long overdue. Patrick had given a heartfelt apology, and Luke had sorely underestimated the healing it would offer.
“Maybe when things settle down, we can all get together.”
“I’d like that.” She stood from the hay bale and stretched. “Goodness, I’m getting old. When I was a kid, I could sit on those forever. Did I ever tell you my dad built a special spot for me in the hayloft of our barn?”
“No. I knew you liked to hang in the barn and think, but I never knew why.”
“It was quiet. Wade had colic when he was a baby and a very healthy set of lungs.” She swiped the hay off the back of her jeans. “I used to hang out in the barn to get away from the house. My daddy noticed, and he set up this special place for me in the hayloft. I used to go up there and read or write in my diary. I even had—”
She froze and her eyes widened.
“What is it?” Luke looked behind him, but no one was there.
Megan yanked on the chain around her neck and pulled out the key attached. Her fingers closed around it.
“I think I know what this goes to.”
It only took five minutes to travel the distance between Luke’s property and June’s, but Megan’s mind raced the entire way.
“I can’t believe I never thought of it,” she said, silently urging Luke to put more pressure on the gas pedal. “June knew I was struggling after my parents’ death, and she built me a similar hangout space in her hayloft. It’s so simple and obvious.”
“How long has it been since you used the loft?”
“Not since freshman year in high school. Life got too busy after that, but when I was younger, I would hide things in the rafters to prevent Wade from finding them.”
Luke pulled into June’s driveway and shoved the vehicle into park. “What makes you think June would’ve done the same?”
“Because she specifically told Quentin’s family to stay quiet about her investigation.” Megan clambered out of the truck. “My aunt knew this investigation was dangerous. Her office was inside her house, and June was smart enough to figure out Dan would’ve done anything to silence her and destroy her notes.”
Lights flashed behind them as Sheriff Franklin drove up. Megan had a moment’s hesitation when they’d called him, but Franny’s murder was still within his jurisdiction and he’d been cleared by the ranger team.
“Thanks for coming so quickly, Sheriff,” Luke said.
“You caught me at a good time.” He huddled farther down into his coat as a wind rustled the leaves. “I was on my way home.”
Megan flipped on her cell phone’s light to guide her way across the yard. Luke fell into step beside her, carrying a heavy-duty flashlight. The sheriff’s portable radio crackled, and dispatch said something Megan couldn’t make out. Sheriff Franklin answered before running to catch up.
The barn door creaked open. Megan didn’t bother with the light switch. Power had been turned off to the property after the fire. She quickly climbed the stairs to the hayloft, the men following behind. Luckily, it was well built and big enough for all of them.
Sheriff Franklin ducked to prevent knocking his head against the ceiling. “Okay, what are we looking for?”
Megan turned in a circle, shining her light on the ceiling. “Anything tucked inside the rafters. I’m not sure what June would’ve put up here, but my guess is, we’ll need a key to open it.”
Luke’s flashlight was much better, and he swept it across the wooden beams. Something metallic caught Megan’s eye in the far rear corner. A pile of hay blocked the way.
She pointed. “There.”
Sheriff Franklin pulled a camera out of his pocket. “Shine your flashlight over there, Luke.”
Megan bounced on the balls of her feet
