Carolina Moon

that.”
    “He’s got a history of roughing up women.”
    “I know that. I know it. I’m not making excuses here. But there’s a wide road between rough handling and murder.”
    “The road narrows after a while, especially if there’s cause.”
    “What cause would he have had?” J.R. strode back, crouched down until their eyes were level. “He didn’t even know that girl.”
    “Met her in your niece’s shop the day she was killed. Met her, spoke with her, and as far as he knew, she and Tory were the only ones knew he was around. There’s more,” he said, when J.R. shook his head. “You’re not going to like it. I’m sorrier than I can say your family’s brought into this, but I got a duty and I can’t let being sorry stop me.”
    “I wouldn’t ask you. But I think you’re looking in the wrong direction, that’s all.” He sat again. “I have to think that.”
    “I can’t say I wasn’t glancing that way to start, but it was Tory who turned me straight onto him.”
    “Tory?”
    “I took her back to the scene with me.”
    “The scene?” J.R.’s eyes went blank, then filled with shock. “The murder scene. Jesus, Carl D. Jesus Christ, why’d you do that? Why would you put her through something like that?”
    “I got a girl about the same age as my own Ella who went through something a hell of a lot worse. I got a duty to her, J.R., and I’ll use whatever I can to see that through.”
    “Tory’s not part of this.”
    “You’re wrong. She’s hitched into it tight. Now, you just listen a damn minute before you go kicking at me. I took her back there, and I’m sorry for how it was hard on her, but I’d do it again. She knew things she couldn’t have known. Saw how it had been, like she’d been right there while it was going on. I’ve heard about things like that, wondered on them, but never seen it before. Not something I’ll ever forget.”
    “She ought to be left alone. You had no business using her that way.”
    “You didn’t see that girl, J.R. I hope to God you never see anything like what was done to her. But if you did, you wouldn’t tell me I had no business using anything that put that right again. It’s the second time I’ve seen that kind of thing done. If we’d paid attention to Tory the first time, it might not have happened again.”
    “What the hell are you talking about? We’ve never had a woman raped and murdered in Progress.”
    “No, the first time it was a child.” He saw J.R.’s eyes widen, and the blood drain from his face. “The first time it wasn’t in town. But Tory was there. Just like she was here now. And when she tells me the same person killed Sherry Bellows who killed little Hope Lavelle, I’m going to believe her.”
    The spit dried up in J.R.’s mouth. “Some vagrant killed Hope Lavelle.”
    “That’s what the report said. That’s what everyone wanted to believe. That’s what Chief Tate believed and I can’t say he was wrong to. But I’m not going to say the same, and I can’t believe the same anymore. I’m not going to try to hang this one on some passerby. There’ve been others, too. Tory knows about them. The FBI knows about them, and they’re coming here. They’ll go after him, J.R., and they’re going to talk to Tory, to her mama, to your sister. And to you.”
    “Hannibal Bodeen.” J.R. laid his head in his hands. “This’ll kill Sarabeth. It’ll kill her.” He dropped his hands. “He’ll go back there. That’s where he’ll go. Holy God, Carl D., he’ll go to Sari and—”
    “I’ve talked to the sheriff up there. He’s got a man watching the place, keeping an eye on your sister.”
    “I got to go up there myself. Make her come back here.”
    “I expect if it was my sister I’d do the same. I’ll go along with you, help smooth it out with the cops there.”
    “I can handle it.”
    “I reckon you can.” Carl D. nodded as he began packing up. He heard the anger, the resentment. He’d expected both. Just as he expected what he’d done, and what he would do, was bound to do some damage to a lifelong friendship.
    There was nothing to do but wait and see how much could be mended again.
    “I reckon you can, J.R.,” he said again. “But I’m going just the same. I need to talk to your sister, and I’d like to do it before the federal boys get here and snatch the whole goddamn business away from me.”
    “Are you going as a cop or as a friend of mine?”
    “I’m both. Been your friend a lot