Free Diana Anderson - Entering Southern Country 01 - Famous in a Small Town by Diana Anderson Page A

dog into the bathtub and wet his coat. She scrubbed him with a sponge and rinsed him, let the water out, and filled the tub again. After two good scrubbings, he had come clean, and to her surprise, he had a white coat underneath all of that dirt.
    “Tomorrow, I’m taking you to the vet, get you checked out, and get your shots,” she told him as she toweled him dry. He wagged his stub of a tail.
    After she had taken care of him, she stripped off her clothes and hopped into the shower.
    She thought again about the duffle bag that she’d left in the trunk of her rental. She had second guessed her decision not to tell Cal about it. Withholding evidence could get her into a heap of trouble. He might think she was just like her mother and wanted to keep all of money for herself. Of course, he might never find out, but what if it belonged to someone other than Virgil, and they discovered it missing. Of course, it belonged to someone. If it hadn’t been reported missing, then it was only a matter of time before someone came forward.
    Unless it’s illegally obtained money. Or … counterfeit money . Either or, she shouldn’t have it in her possession. She looked off in thought. What if that’s why Virgil was killed, and the killer had been there looking for it.
     

20
     
     
    Angus barreled through the front doors of the sheriff’s department and headed straight down the hallway and flung open the sheriff’s door. Cal was seated at his desk with a morning mug of coffee in his hand.
    “I need to talk to you,” Angus said as he strode over to stand in front of Cal’s desk. He splayed both of his hands on the desk, leaned in, and looked down his nose at him.
    Cal set his mug down, folded the morning’s newspaper, and set it aside. “What’s on your mind?”
    “I’ve been robbed.”
    “Someone break-in?”
    “No, that cleaning lady, Suzanne hired, has stolen a ring, several pairs of cufflinks, and some cash.”
    “When was this?” Cal asked. He picked up a pen and slid a notepad in front of him.
    “The other day.”
    “Why are you just now coming in here to report it?”
    “I didn’t notice it missing until last night. Now, she’s gone.”
    “Who’s gone?”
    “That cleaning lady, that’s who.”
    “What’s her name?”
    “Lupe something-or-other. Suzanne handles all that.” He straightened and waved a hand in the air.
    “Lupe? Hispanic?”
    “She’s Mexican.”
    “Do you have an address on her?”
    “I told you that Suzanne handles all that shit.”
    “Well.” Cal laid his pen down on the notepad. “You need to bring Suzanne in here, or get the information from her, and come back with it.”
    “Some sheriff you are.” He turned on his heel and slammed the door on his way out. He clomped through the lobby. He sidestepped Raven when she came through the front doors. She went around him.
    Angus turned and eyed her and the dirty duffle bag she carried.
     

21
     
     
    Raven glanced back over her shoulder at Angus as she stepped over to a deputy’s desk. Angus eyed her a moment and then left. She set the duffle bag on the floor. She glanced around the room. Another deputy sat at a desk across the room. He wore a headset with a microphone. She assumed he was the dispatcher. The aroma of coffee and liquid paper was in the room.
    The desk nameplate read Deputy Justin Ledet.
    “Deputy Ledet?”
    He had watched her from the moment she’d walked through the doors. In his right hand was a bottle of liquid paper and in the other hand he held the cap to it. “Can I help you?”
    “I need to speak with Sheriff Rayburn, please. It’s important.”
    He capped the liquid paper and set it down on his desk. He picked up the receiver on the desk phone, punched a button, and after a moment said, “Sheriff, there’s a …” He looked up at her.
    “Raven Sawyer.”
    “Raven Sawyer here to see you. Says it’s important.” He listened for a moment. “He wants to know what this is about.” He looked up