Dead Woman Crossing J.R. Adler (early reader chapter books txt) 📖

“You’ve got to go down the sheriff’s station, and I have some errands to run. I know you weren’t going to start until tomorrow, but Margaret said you had a free trial day included,” Nicole explained.

“And my boys begged to stay today. Said they were feeling too weak to leave. I guess my whole ‘strong boy’ approach backfired on me. Kids are too smart for their own good, so I just paid for the day for them. I have a hard time telling them no. Nicole or myself can pick them all up later today,” Emily said with a defeated smile. Although, she looked slightly relieved to have her boys out of her hair.

Kimberley assumed Emily didn’t get much free time for herself.

“Mom, why didn’t you ask me first?” Kimberley tried not to sound annoyed, but she was; she found it all a little odd since Nicole had been begging to watch her granddaughter.

“Oh, I’m sorry. You’re right, I should have asked. You’re her mom, and it’s not my place to make decisions like that for her.”

Kimberley paused for a moment, deciding what to say, whether or not to press it. “It’s fine. I’ve gotta head to the sheriff’s station and you’ve got errands to run. So, it all works out,” she said, making amends.

Not wanting to get involved, Emily walked ahead, pulling open the door for Kimberley and Nicole.

“Are you sure, sweetie?”

“Yes, Mom. It’s completely fine,” Kimberley said, walking outside.

Nicole and Emily followed behind.

“Here,” Nicole called out.

Kimberley turned around just in time to catch a set of car keys. “What’s this?”

“Grocery store is just a few blocks away, so Emily and I will walk and have David come get us. You go ahead and take the car,” her mother said with a smile.

“You sure?” Kimberley raised an eyebrow.

“Positive. Go on. Make sure you’re home for dinner so I can hear all about it.”

“And don’t let any of them boys give you any grief either,” Emily added with a wink.

“Thanks, and you know I won’t.”

6

Kimberley parked in front of the Custer County Sheriff’s Office. It was a twenty-five-minute drive from Dead Woman Crossing over to Arapaho where the office was located, but it was a straight shot on a few country back roads and was easier than a three-train subway transfer into Manhattan by a long shot. The building was plain and unassuming. Mostly poured concrete and some beige accent bricks for a bit of aesthetic relief, but it looked roomier than her previous precinct, likely with far fewer bells and whistles on the inside.

Through the double front doors Kimberley was greeted by a sweet and homely woman behind the front desk. Her hair was gray and curly, sitting on top of her head, most likely from a fresh perm. She was average-sized, around seventy years of age and dressed in a floral-print top and navy-blue chinos; a mix of professionalism and her own personality, Kimberley presumed. She looked as though she was a permanent fixture in the building and had likely seen more elected sheriffs come and go than she could even count anymore. Kimberley was going to be floored if her name wasn’t Esther or Barb or some other extinct name.

“Well, hello! You must be Kimberley!” The woman leaped up from her desk and glided over to Kimberley with a speed and lightness of foot that she frankly found alarming.

“How did you know?” Kimberley asked, as she hadn’t announced when she would be coming in for the day to do meet-and-greets.

“Oh, you can just tell these things. You don’t look like someone from around here, and we don’t get many visitors who aren’t in handcuffs. So, I just put two and two together.” She beamed up at her.

“Good hunch. Maybe you should be the new chief deputy,” Kimberley said with a smile.

The woman let out a roaring belly laugh. “Who me? No way!” She flicked her hands.

“What’s all the racket out there?” a man’s voice called out from the back, followed by footsteps. Behind a cubicle partition, a tall man came around the corner.

“Oh, Sheriff Walker. I was just introducing myself to Kimberley here. Silly me, I forgot to tell you my name. I’m Barbara Anne.” She shot out a hand to Kimberley.

Kimberley grabbed it in kind and returned the gesture. “Pleased to meet you.” Fucking called it, she thought to herself.

“Kimberley, eh? Nice of you stop in a day early to get a lay of the land.”

Sheriff Sam Walker strolled over and sized her up from her tennis shoes up to her face, where a pair of discerning and sharp eyes stared back at him, giving him the exact same treatment. He shook Kimberley’s hand and gave a pleased smile.

“Barb, would you mind getting Kimberley a cup of coffee?” Sam asked.

“Oh, of course. Where are my manners? Do you take cream or sugar?” Barb smiled.

“Just black.” Kimberley nodded.

She wasn’t used to people taking her coffee orders. Even as a detective in the city, she got her own coffee, but this she could get used to.

“That’ll be an easy one for me to remember,” Barb said as she walked away.

Kimberley returned her attention to Sheriff Sam Walker. The man in front of her wasn’t the one she had pictured when they had spoken on the phone. In her mind, Sam was fifty and potbellied with graying hair and a “who gives a shit” attitude about his job. But that wasn’t the case at all. The man standing in front of her clearly took care of himself and couldn’t have been older than late thirties. He was a rugged, six-foot-three man with some facial stubble. His ash-brown hair was military cut, and he sported a strong square jaw with a clean smile. Despite being younger than she expected, Kimberley noticed he was a little worn-looking. Perhaps it was due to the demands of the job. But something in his eyes told her it wasn’t just that. His dark eyes had a sadness to them,