I decide the best way is to just get straight to the point. “Hi. I’m here to see if a Tyler Bates is here.”
“Who are you?” one of them asks.
I shrug my shoulders, not wanting to give away a lot. “Someone that wants Tyler Bates behind bars.”
“He’s in holding, but you can’t see him. Plus he’s still drunk. He seems to have gone on a bender yesterday.”
Holding my hat in my hands, I ask, “So what’s he in for?”
Another officer steps forward, looking at me curiously. “Why do you want to know?”
I just shrug my shoulders. I know eventually I’m going to have to give them more information, but first I want to see what type of men these guys are. “Like I said, I want to make sure he stays in if he is here.”
The man in the far corner of the room turns to the other men. “Get to work.” He walks toward me until we’re toe to toe. “What’s it to you? You’re not from these parts, and I don’t like the idea that strangers are here nosying around my town.” It’s then I see the badge on his shirt that says Sheriff.
I nod, already aware of what kind of man I’m dealing with here. “Trust me, once I know that Tyler Bates is going to be in jail for a long time, I’ll leave, Sheriff.”
He squints his eyes. “If you know something, you need to tell us.”
I pause, and the sheriff continues. “Look, he killed a pedestrian yesterday after getting drunk and driving, so yeah, he’s going to be behind bars for a long time. What’s it to you?”
“Uh, I’m friends with his daughter...”
“Daughter! Tyler Bate’s daughter moved to Nebraska around three or four years ago. Shortly after her mother passed away.”
The men that were supposed to “go back to work” are all nodding in agreement. And it’s then I realize that none of them are aware of Emma, and it makes me sick to think that a whole town was here and they knew nothing about her.
“Emma Bates has been locked in that house for the last three years. She left yesterday when he came home drunk last night and was about to beat her... again.”
One of the policemen speaks up. “That explains the broken beer bottle he was obviously hit in the head with.”
“We need to see the girl,” the sheriff says.
“Woman. She’s a woman. She’s twenty years old now and doesn’t want to come back. She’s scared of her father.” And it will be over my dead body before I bring her back here right now. She won’t step foot in this town until I know she’s safe from her father and there’s not any charges against her.
“Look I need to know she’s okay and get a statement from her. Mr. Bates is already going to do time, but something like this, well, it will just add more.”
I cross my arms over my chest and decide to just put it all out there. “She’s worried because she hit him over the head with the bottle. She thought she had killed him. I’ll bring her in... sometime next week. She’s dealing with a lot right now, and I won’t make her go through even more. Not until she’s ready.”
The sheriff puffs out his chest. “Sir, this is a police matter.”
“Yeah, I’d say it is a police matter. A seventeen-year-old girl was trapped in her house for three years. The school didn’t follow up with her, no welfare checks were done on her. Yeah, it’s definitely a police matter.” I know I’m threatening him, but everything I’m saying is true.
The sheriff sighs. “Fine. Next week.”
I agree and walk out the door, a little lighter than when I came in.
I drive the two hours back to the ranch, partly relieved and partly worried. I’m glad that she won’t have this hanging on her head, but I’m also worried that now she won’t have a reason to stay. She doesn’t have to worry about her dad coming for her.
I get back to the ranch in record time. When I pull in, I see her standing next to the barn with Raymond and Peter. I get out of the truck and stride to her as she’s slowly walking toward me. She looks nervous and upset. “I thought I told you to stay in...”
But I don’t get to finish.
Raymond comes up to me and puts a hand out to stop me. “We thought she’d be better off out here. You have a visitor.”
Confused, I look around, and I don’t see how I didn’t notice the fancy car parked next to my house. I was so centered on Emma, I didn’t even think about anything else.
“Who is that?”
Raymond about spits out the name. “Sophia.”
“Well, fuck.” My ex. Of all the things to have to deal with, this wasn’t what I wanted added to my day. A year since she’s been in Whiskey Run and now all of a sudden she’s back.
At that moment, Sophia comes to stand on the porch. The thought that she’s been inside, no doubt giving Emma problems and is only here to cause issues really pisses me off.
“Thanks, Raymond. You’re right. She’s probably better off outside. I’ll take it from here.”
Raymond pats Emma on the back reassuringly. “You got it, boss.”
He and Peter walk away, leaving Emma and me standing next to each other. I hate the look on her face. The insecurity is there, and it’s glaring at me.
Emma’s staring wide eyed at me, and I know I have a lot to tell her. “Look, I know I have a lot to explain, but I’m going to do it quick. Your father was arrested. It seems when he was on his way home yesterday he hit a person and killed them while he was drunk. The police searched for him and found
