The Bad Daughter(100)
The sheriff knocked on Donny’s door and it opened almost immediately to reveal Donny, wearing jeans and a white T-shirt that emphasized the size of his biceps. His hair was uncombed and fell lazily across his forehead. “Sheriff,” he said, waving in their direction, his hand stopping in midair. “What can I do for you?”
“Is Landon here?”
“Landon? No. Why? Has something happened?”
“We’re just trying to find the boy. We thought he might be here.”
“He’s not.”
“You’re sure?”
“Of course I’m sure.”
“Any chance he’s in the barn?”
“Not that I’m aware of. You can check it yourself if you want.”
The sheriff motioned for one of his deputies to do just that.
“What’s going on?” Donny asked, his eyes circling back to Melanie.
“When was the last time you saw Landon?”
“A few days ago. Why?”
“What about Cassidy?”
“Cassidy? What about her?”
“Have you seen her?”
“No. I haven’t seen Cassidy since before…”
“…she got shot?”
“Right,” Donny said.
“You wouldn’t have had anything to do with that, would you?” Prescott asked almost casually, as if it were an afterthought.
Donny’s face froze before breaking into a wide grin. “Is this a joke? Some kind of hidden-camera thing?”
“No joke, Donny.”
“Hold on. You think I had something to do with the shootings?” He stared at Melanie. “You think I shot your father?”
Melanie stepped forward. “No, I don’t. I honestly don’t.”
“Stay back,” the sheriff warned.
Robin reached for Melanie’s arm to restrain her, but Melanie shook off her sister’s hand and continued walking.
“I don’t think for a minute that you had anything to do with what happened,” Melanie told Donny. “No more than I think Landon had anything to do with it.”
The second deputy moved to block Melanie’s path.
“Landon?” Donny’s focus returned to the sheriff. “You think Landon was involved?”
“They think you were in it together,” Melanie said. “Along with Alec.”
“Your brother? That’s absurd. I just met the man.”
“I tried to tell them—”
“You’ve said more than enough,” the sheriff cautioned Melanie. “Get back in the car before I arrest you for interfering with a police investigation.”
“They’re getting a warrant to search your house and property,” Melanie continued as she sidestepped the deputy.
“They don’t need a warrant,” Donny said. He motioned toward the cabin with a sweep of his hands. “Have at it.”
“Maybe you should consult a lawyer,” Blake advised.
“I don’t need a lawyer. I’ve got nothing to hide.”
“We’re going to do this by the book,” Prescott said as the deputy returned from the barn, shaking his head to indicate he’d found nothing, “and wait for a warrant. In the meantime, we’re going to put out an APB on Landon, and you guys are going to get the hell out of here and go home until I send for you. Am I making myself very clear?”
Robin nodded. “Come on, Melanie.”
Melanie shifted her weight from one foot to the other, almost as if she were considering making an end run around the deputy. Then she stopped and turned back to Robin, allowing her to take her arm and guide her toward the car. “What now?” she asked as she crawled into the backseat beside Robin. “We go home and wait for the good sheriff to shoot my son?”
“Not quite,” Robin said. “I have another idea.”
* * *
—
“What makes you think they’re here?” Melanie asked as they were approaching the run-down Loma Vista Trailer Park on Vista Way.
“I can’t think of anywhere else,” Robin admitted. “Were you ever going to tell me about you and the sheriff?”
“Probably not. Why?”
“Would have been nice to know, that’s all.”
“Why?” Melanie repeated. “So you’d have another reason to look down your nose at me?”
“I don’t look down my nose at you.”
“Really? Tell that to your face. It gets all…”
“…scrunched up?”
“Is that a technical term?”
“It’s just what happens to my face when I get worried.”
Melanie did her own variation of a scrunched-up face. “Yeah, well, you don’t have to worry about me. Turn left here. You can park in the lot. His trailer’s down that way.”
“Did you love him?” Robin asked as Blake pulled his car into the narrow space between a relatively new Toyota and a rusted-over Dodge.
“Are we still talking about the sheriff?” Melanie asked.
“How long were the two of you…involved?”
“Four months, give or take a couple of weeks. He stopped me for speeding one afternoon. We started talking. He asked how Dad’s house was coming along, how Landon was doing. He told me that he and his wife had separated. One thing led to another. Four months later he was back with his wife. End of affair. End of story.”