Everyone loved our outgoing and hardworking sheriff. I had no doubt his run for reelection would be successful. Sheriff Enquist’s department was an active supporter of not just our local football team, but the band, the dance team, and of course, the flag team. I’d been captain of the flag team in high school, and the sheriff always brought his entire fleet of vehicles to our car washes.
Sheriff Enquist handed me a Styrofoam cup of coffee. I took a sip, but the coffee was so hot it burned my tongue. Holding the cup with both hands, I gestured at a framed photograph of the sheriff’s son. “Is Dalton playing varsity this year?”
“JV.” The sheriff sounded disappointed. Like all small Texas towns, a premium was placed on high school varsity football. Dalton not making varsity this year had to be a huge disappointment. Although Dalton was just a junior and could still make varsity his senior year.
“Yep.” Sheriff Enquist leaned back in his chair. “He was crushed. Before Coach Stolley retired, he basically promised that Dalton would make varsity this year, but the replacementcoach refused to honor that promise.”
Disdain filled the sheriff’s voice when he said replacement coach. Was he talking about Cheryl’s husband? Last night, Cheryl told me that Sheriff Enquist wasn’t thrilled about Eddie replacing the old coach.
She also told me that the sheriff had tried to talk her out of marrying Eddie because he didn’t trust him. We’d laughed about how the sheriff said the same thing about Salvador. For Cheryl and me, Sheriff Enquist was like a protective father to us, never believing that anyone was good enough for us.
The sheriff sipped his coffee and stared at me as if wanting to say more. Before he could, Detective Gonzales arrived, holding a manila file folder.
“I’m going to show you six pictures of men with criminal records who match the description you gave us,” the detective said. “The perpetrator may or may not be here. If you don’t see him, don’t be afraid to say so.”
The sheriff nodded. “That’s right. Just because someone has a criminal background, matches a description, and has a shaky alibi doesn’t make him guilty.”
I glanced at the sheriff, not sure if he was being serious or sarcastic. Regardless, I was determined to do a better job and identify the right man this time.
The detective opened the file and set it on the desk. I scooted forward and gave the photographs my full attention. At first, none of the men stood out.
“What do you think?” the sheriff asked.
Taking each picture one at a time, I examined them as carefully as I could. Finally, I spoke. “I don’t know. I don’t think it’s any of these guys...”
“But...”
I glanced up at the sheriff and pushed out a slow breath. Then I touched the first photo. “I’m not saying this is him, but this guy looks familiar. Maybe I just went to high school with him?”
“You didn’t.” Sheriff Enquist shot the detective a knowing look. Did I get it right this time?
I returned my attention to the photo. Although the man didn’t look exactly like the man I remembered, he also had a black eye, which made it difficult for me to tell if it was really him or not.
“Now, keep in mind, this is an old photo,” the sheriff said. “It was taken several years ago.”
“Oh, that makes sense.” I studied the picture again. Then, not wanting to make another mistake, I carefully examined each of the other photos, easily ruling them out. When I once again circled back to the first picture, my heart gave a little jolt of recognition.
“What do you think?” the sheriff asked.
Terrified of making another mistake, I hesitated. “I’m not one hundred percent positive, but I think it might be him.”
While the detective remained nonexpressive, the sheriff tried unsuccessfully to hide a smile. After closing the file, he pushed it to the center of his desk. “Get the lineup ready, detective. We’ll be right there.”
“The lineup?” My stomach twisted.
The sheriff offered an easy smile. “I know seeing this guy again is scary, but I promise, he won’t know you’re there.”
“I don’t know.” My heart pounded so hard I couldn’t think straight. “I’m not certain he’s the right guy. I just think I’ve seen him before. Is he the one you picked up for questioning? Is he the man in the other room?”
“I can’t tell you that. The lineup is just an opportunity to see if any of our suspects match who you saw last night, okay?”
I glanced again at the detective who gave me no insight into what he was thinking. Then I looked at the sheriff whom I’d always been able to trust. If he thought the lineup was a good idea, how could I say no?
“Okay,” I said, nodding. “I’ll do it.”
He grinned. “Good girl.”