With a sigh, she got out of her truck and crossed the lot. The sun reflected off the metal trim on the door and she squinted in the bright light. She reached for the knob, just as the door opened.
A young man stepped aside with a smile and paused. Did she know him? His face seemed familiar, but she wasn’t sure why. His dark hair was clipped close to his head but he ran his fingers through it as if it had once been longer and he’d forgotten it wasn’t there anymore. His smile abruptly disappeared. But it was the look in his eyes that made her stomach churn.
“Hey, Kent. I kept digging and found that paper you needed. Good thing I caught you before you left.” Sheriff Wright came out through the door Jayden still held open. He glanced between the two of them as the younger man took the paper. “Jayden, you need to see me?”
“Yeah.”
The young man Matt had called Kent turned away, half wadding the paper as he weaved his way through the parked cars.
“Who was that?”
“What?”
Jayden didn’t realize she’d been whispering. She cleared her throat. “Who was that?”
“You don’t remember him? I guess he’s changed a lot over the past ten years. That’s Kent Raynor.”
She leaned against the edge of the door and closed her eyes.
“Oh, relax. It’s been a long time, Jayden. Let’s go to my office.”
She followed behind Matt, wishing ten years could feel as long as it sounded and wondering how some things could change so much and others not at all.
Matt eased into his chair and kicked his feet up on the desk. “You’re going to have to deal with people like Kent now that you’re back.”
“I was hoping he might have left.”
“He did, but he’s home now doing an internship while he’s finishing law school.”
“Great. He’s a lawyer. He’ll probably try to find a way to bring me to trial. He hates me.”
Matt nodded. “Yep, he does. But that could change.”
“If it hasn’t changed in ten years, it’s not likely going to.”
“Ah, but you haven’t been here for ten years to prove anyone’s beliefs wrong.”
“It’s impossible to change the opinion of everyone.”
Matt shrugged. “Maybe, but it doesn’t hurt to try. I bet none of that is why you’re here.”
“You’re right. I’d like to know the latest on Eric’s case.”
“Jayden, I can only tell you what we’ve already told the reporters. We’re still trying to identify those bodies.”
She rubbed her eyes. “Duke Swayze did this, Matt. I know it, and so do you.”
“It doesn’t matter what we know, only what we can prove.”
She leaned forward in the chair. “What can I do? I want to help bring Eric’s murderer to justice. He lived on my property, and I feel responsible.”
Matt swung his feet to the floor. “You’re a private citizen. There’s nothing you can do but answer questions when we ask them and answer honestly. At the moment, we don’t know Eric’s dead, at least not conclusively.”
Jayden stood, fists knotted at her side. “I wouldn’t lie to the police, Matt.”
“I don’t want you to keep anything that could help the investigation to yourself so you can go off on your own private search. I know how you feel about the Militia and I know you’re probably still angry. Don’t try to get rid of it in the name of aiding Walsh’s case.”
She crossed her arms and didn’t even try to deny Matt’s statement. It was too close to the truth. “I want to work with you, not against you.”
Matt came around the desk, closer to her. “I believe that. I also know you’ve got a stubborn streak, have had since you were a kid. I want you to stay safe.”
She nodded and hurried to the door before he could see her watery eyes. “I’ll check back if I think of anything.”
She didn’t wait for Matt’s answer and didn’t slow down until she was behind the wheel of her truck. She’d forgotten what it was like to have a community of people believe taking care of you was their job, even when they thought you’d done a terrible thing.
“THIS BACKPACK IS ALMOST bigger than you. Why don’t you get another one?”
“Because I like this one,” Garrett said.
Jayden tried not to groan. After her meeting with Matt at lunch, Jeffrey had left her in charge at the clinic so he could take care of family business out of town. She hadn’t been thrilled to be left alone this soon. Naturally, after he’d been gone an hour, a farmer called, and she’d had to go help a cow give birth to what was expected to be a prize calf. Thankfully, she’d made the right calls and the cow and new calf were fine. But facing a situation she hadn’t dealt with since vet school had left her too frazzled to fight with Garrett over a backpack.
“Put it on and wear it here in the aisle while I get paper towels. Then you can decide if you still want it.”
She left the two boys and rounded the corner to the next aisle, trying to keep the tiny shopping cart with one bad wheel from veering into the shelves. The errant cart jerked to the right and bumped the hip of a girl with blond curls hanging down her back.
“Sorry.” Jayden whipped the cart on course, trying not to stare, but the profile of the girl tickled a memory for her. She’d know Amy Dubois anywhere. She dug her fingers into the plastic of the eight pack of paper towels and tossed it in her cart. The cart skittered to the side as she tried to push away without looking back.
“I know it’s you, Jayden Miller, even if you don’t say a word to me. I heard you were back, and you haven’t changed a bit.”
Jayden tried not to chew her lip as she turned around. “Hi, Amy.”
The blonde snorted. “I knew you recognized me.”
She caught herself unconsciously wiping her sweaty palms on her jeans. “You’ve changed—grown up a lot—but I could still see it was you. I didn’t figure you’d have anything to say to me.”
The other girl took a step toward her. “Oh, I’ve got plenty to say to you. But this isn’t the time.”
“Aunt J., your idea worked. After Garrett saw the backpack was gonna bang him in the back of the knees all day, he picked a different one. He—” Elliot’s voice tapered off as he looked between his aunt and the woman in front of her.
Jayden glanced at him and smiled, though her lips felt tight. “That’s good. Run back and stay with him. He shouldn’t be alone in the store.”
Elliot trotted to the end of the aisle then made the corner.
Amy shook her head. “I heard you were raising your sister’s kids. Crazy, huh? Wonder what my brother would have to say about that?”
Jayden had asked herself that question before and still didn’t have an answer. She’d always imagined she and Mark held the same beliefs, but one horrible night had changed everything. Amy, she realized, was waiting for a reply.
“I don’t know. I guess I never knew your brother, at least not like I thought I did.”
“Yeah,