“This is Sheriff Troy Davis.”
As soon as Sheriff Davis approached, Linc felt relieved. Troy Davis was obviously a seasoned officer and looked like a man he could reason with.
The sheriff frowned at the young deputies. “What’s the problem here?”
They both started talking at once.
“We got a call from dispatch,” Pierpont began.
“Two calls,” Rogers amended.
“From neighbors, reporting suspicious behavior,” Pierpont continued.
“The middle one here admits he was trying to open the back door.”
Mel leaned forward. “Just checking to see if it was locked.”
Linc groaned and turned to his brother. “Why don’t you keep your trap shut before we end up spending Christmas in jail.”
To his credit, Mel did seem chagrined. “Sorry, Linc. I wanted to help.”
Linc appealed directly to the sheriff. “I understand we might have looked suspicious, peeking in windows, Sheriff Davis, but I assure you we were merely trying to figure out if the Rhodes family was at home.”
“Are you family or friends of Ben and Charlotte’s?” the man asked, studying them through narrowed eyes.
“Not exactly friends.”
“Our sister knows Ben’s son,” Ned told them.
Mel nodded emphatically. “Knows him in the Biblical sense, if you catch my drift.”
Linc wanted to kick Mel but, with all the law enforcement surrounding them, he didn’t dare. They’d probably arrest him for assault. “Our sister’s having David Rhodes’s baby,” he felt obliged to explain.
“Any day now,” Mel threw in.
“And she disappeared,” Ned added.
“If we’re guilty of anything,” Linc said, gesturing with his hands, “it’s being so anxious to locate our sister. Like I said, she’s alone in a strange town and without family or friends.”
“Did you check their identification?” the sheriff asked.
“We hadn’t gotten around to that yet,” Deputy Rogers replied.
“You’ll see we’re telling the truth,” Linc asserted.
“None of us have police records.”
With the sheriff and his deputies watching carefully, Linc, Mel and Ned handed over their identification.
The sheriff glanced at all three pieces, then passed them to Pierpont. The young man swaggered over to his patrol car, apparently to check for any warrants or arrest records. He was back a couple of minutes later and returned their ID.
“They don’t have records.” He seemed almost disappointed, Linc thought.
The sheriff nodded. “What’s your sister’s name?”
“Mary Jo Wyse,” Linc answered. “Can you tell us where we might find the Rhodes family? All we want to do is talk to them.”
“Unfortunately Ben and Charlotte are out of the country,” the sheriff said.
“You mean they aren’t even in town?” Mel asked, sounding outraged. He turned to Linc. “What are we going to do
“I don’t know.” Mary Jo must have discovered this information about the Rhodes family on her own. The only thing left for her to do was head back to Seattle. She wouldn’t have any other options, which meant this entire venture through dismal traffic, falling snow and wretched conditions had been a complete waste of time.
“She’s probably home by now and wondering where the three of us are,” Linc muttered.
“Maybe.” Ned shook his head. “But I doubt it.”
“What do you mean, you doubt it?” Linc challenged.
“Mary Jo can be stubborn, you know, and she was pretty upset last night.”
“We should phone the house and find out if she’s there,” Linc said, although he had a sneaking suspicion that Ned was right. Mary Jo wouldn’t give up that easily.
“Sounds like a good idea to me,” Sheriff Davis inserted.
Linc reached for his cell phone and called home. Five long rings later, voice mail kicked in. If his sister
“She’s not there,” Linc informed his brothers.
“What did I tell you?” Ned sighed. “I know Mary Jo, and she isn’t going to turn tail after one setback.”
This was more than a simple setback, in Linc’s opinion. This was major.
“Have you tried her cell phone?” the sheriff suggested next.
