My Sister's Grave (Tracy Crosswhite, #1)(27)

“Did you ask him if he killed her?”

“He didn’t kill her, Ben. The evidence—”

“A jury convicted him, Tracy. A jury considered the evidence and convicted him. Why isn’t that enough?”

“Because the evidence is wrong. I know it.”

“And is that going to change by morning? Is there anything more I can say that will get you to stop this?”

She touched the sleeve of his shirt. “Don’t make me choose, Ben. Please don’t make me choose between you and my sister.”

“I never would have done that to you. You did that on your own.” He pulled open the door and stepped out.

Tracy followed him onto the porch, suddenly afraid. “I love you, Ben. I don’t have anyone else but you.”

He stopped. After a moment, he turned to face her. “Yeah, you do. And until you put them both to rest, there’s no room for me. There’s no room for anyone.”

She hurried toward him, holding him. “Ben, please. We can work this out.”

He placed his hands on her shoulders. “Then come with me.”

“What?”

“We can pack your things in an hour. Come with me.”

“Where?”

“Away from here.”

“But my mother and father—”

“They want nothing to do with me, Tracy. I’m the reason you left Sarah alone that night. I’m the reason she’s dead. They won’t even talk to me. They hardly talk to you anymore. There’s nothing here.”

She stepped back. “I can’t, Ben.”

“Can’t or won’t?” Tears pooled in his eyes. “A part of me will always love you, Tracy. That’s the pain I’m going to have to get over. I can’t do it living here. You have your own pain to get through, and I don’t think you can do it here either, but you’re going to have to figure that out on your own.”

He climbed into the truck cab and shut the door. For a moment, she thought he might reconsider, that he might open the door and get out, come back to her. Then he started the engine, gave her one final glance, and backed out of the driveway, leaving her alone.





[page]CHAPTER 20





Tracy sensed a car slowing as it approached and instinctively reached for the Glock in her purse. The car pulled up beside her and came to a stop. Roy Calloway sat with his elbow bent out the window. “Tracy.”

She took her hand off the gun. “Are you following me, Sheriff?”

“I understood you were leaving town.”

Tracy looked about the motel parking lot. “I did leave town. I’m in Silver Spurs. What are you doing here?”

Calloway threw the car into park and slid out, leaving the engine running and the door open. Chatter spilled from the radio mounted to his dash. “A little bird tells me you’ve been talking to people around town.”

“Seems like the polite thing to do after being away so long. What business is it of yours?”

“I’d like to know what you’ve been talking to them about.”

Part of her wanted to stand up to Calloway and let him know she wasn’t the little girl buying his line of bullshit anymore. But that would likely cause a prolonged confrontation and she was mentally and physically drained. She just wanted to get inside her room for the night. “I don’t think that’s any of your business, unless you’re going to tell me it’s a crime in Cedar Grove to talk to people.” She started up the staircase. “I’m tired and I’d like to take a hot shower.”

“What did you and Dan O’Leary have to talk about?”

“Old times. It was a regular stroll down memory lane.”

“Is that it?”

“It’s all you’re going to get.”

“Goddamn it, Tracy. Don’t be so damned stubborn.”

The adamancy with which he spoke caused her to stop and face him. Calloway had grown red in the face, which was unlike the man she remembered, but maybe that was because the man she remembered had always gotten his way. Seemingly regaining his composure, Calloway said, “Do you think you’re the only one who’s suffered? Look at all the people who came out to the service to pay their respects yesterday.”

She stepped down. “Did you have something to do with that, Roy?”

“People are looking for closure. They need this to be over.”

“They need it, or you need it?”

He pointed a finger at her. “I did my job. You of all people should understand that. I followed the evidence, Tracy.”

“Not to the grave.”

“We didn’t have a grave.”

“Now we do.”

“Exactly. We found Sarah. So let the dead bury the dead.”

“You said that to me once before. Do you remember? But here’s the thing I’ve learned, Roy. The dead don’t bury the dead. Only the living can do that.”

“And now you’ve buried Sarah and put her to rest. She’s at peace. She’s with your parents. Let it go, Tracy. Just let it go.”

“Are you giving me an order, Chief?”

“Let me make this clear to you. You may be a big-time homicide detective in Seattle, but here you have no jurisdiction. Here, you’re just a citizen. I’m the law. I suggest you remember that and don’t go running around chasing ghosts.”