Free Forgotten Secrets by Robin Perini

Ever.”
    “The worst part of listening to that load of BS is that I actually agree with you. So what does that say about us, Thayne?” She pulled out a blue notebook. “Don’t answer that. How about we acknowledge we both need therapy and move on.”
    He couldn’t stop the short laugh that escaped from him. “I’m glad you’re here.”
    Her eyes softened and she looked as if she wanted to say something else, but then a cloak fell over her gaze. So familiar to him, so like the members of his SEAL team just prior to an op.
    “Tell me about your sister.”
    Riley had slipped into special agent mode. Someday he’d have to grovel long and hard for deceiving her, but she was right. Cheyenne came first. “I thought you didn’t want details.”
    “Not about the crime scene, but I do want to know about your sister. It’s called victimology. If I understand her, it will help me profile who took her.”
    “Right.” Thayne twisted his hands on the leather steering wheel, trying to rein in the ever-present fury. “Cheyenne’s the only girl in the family, second oldest. Probably more stubborn than any of us, maybe even more driven, but with a soft heart. She’d bring home every injured animal she could find on the ranch and nurse them back to health. Drove Dad and Mom crazy. I always thought she’d become a vet, but she changed her mind while she was in college. Said she wanted to come home—which I never understood—to help people, so she applied for a loan that she wouldn’t have to repay if she worked in a rural community. She laughed at that. Said they were paying her to do exactly what she wanted.”
    “Did anyone not want her to come home?”
    “The whole town celebrated. We were down to two physicians in the county once Doc Mallard keeled over after seeing patients all day. He was seventy-five.”
    Thayne pulled into the parking space in front of his sister’s office. “Cheyenne’s been back eight months. She’s the one who called me about Dad. Told me to get my butt home so he wouldn’t do too much.”
    “And here you are.”
    He shrugged. “Family.”
    Before exiting the SUV, Riley grabbed her satchel. She strode to the sidewalk and then stopped, scanning the surroundings, her gaze laser-focused, taking in everything, particularly the flurry of activity kitty-corner to their location. “Sheriff’s office within view. This took some guts—or desperation—to take the risk.”
    She pulled a camera from her bag and snapped photos from every angle. She pointed to a pristine white SUV, the only vehicle in front of the building. “Is that your sister’s car?”
    Thayne nodded. “We haven’t moved it. Nothing was inside.”
    “No one noticed anything or anyone?”
    “Friday night, just after five. Most of the shops on Main had already closed.” He briefly mentioned the black SUV. “None of the BOLOs have popped.”
    Riley paused. “Did your sister have any enemies? Anyone she was afraid of?”
    Thayne shook his head, realizing for the first time how little he actually knew about his sister’s private life. Of course, why would he? He’d left Singing River behind with no pretense of coming back. Holidays and the occasional leave didn’t make for an in-depth relationship. “Not that she mentioned to me. She’s closest to Hudson. They’re only a year apart.”
    “I’ll want to talk to him later,” she said.
    “Sure.” He paused in front of the door. Pendergrass had cordoned it off with yellow crime-scene tape. “Last week, she suspected someone had tried to get into the room where she keeps her drugs, but—”
    “Stop.” Riley held up her hand. “No details, remember.” She opened her bag and snapped on protective gloves. “Who’s been inside since it happened?”
    “More than a few,” Thayne admitted, opening the door. “I searched the place first, but my grandmother was hurt, and the paramedics worked on her. Since then, Deputy Pendergrass has processed the scene with help