CHAPTER TWENTY
Sheriff Jack's gaze burned into May. She hunched in her chair, feeling humiliated and defeated, as she sat in his office.
The silence in the office felt like a solid force.
That was Jack's way. He had always told May, and led by example, that she should never speak in anger. She guessed that meant he was angry now and waiting to achieve calmness before he proceeded. That didn't make her feel any better and in fact made her feel worse. Her stomach twisted. How much did he know?
Finally, Jack spoke. His voice was hard but calm. "What were you thinking, May? Why did you go down to the marina?"
Of course he knew. Unfortunately, that was small town life for you. Everyone was in everyone's business, and for a deputy sheriff, there was no way of going unnoticed. Not when so many people in these lakeside towns knew her name, knew which school her mother had taught at, and knew she reported to Sheriff Jack.
Someone had seen her there and, given the levels of panic that were surging in the area at the moment, had probably called in to ask if the marina was safe, or if an arrest was going to be made.
May couldn't lie to her boss. No way could she say to him now that she'd received a random tip-off from the hotline that she was following.
It wouldn't wash with him. Not at this point.
There was only one thing to do. Apologize.
"I'm sorry, Jack," she said, staring at the desk. "I messed up. I should never have gone there. I – I just felt driven to. I didn’t want anyone else to end up worrying the way I did. About my sister."
"This is not just a matter of personal ethics, May. This is a matter of precinct rules. I asked you to comply with them. You refused. If you continue this way, you’re going to jeopardize your position as the county’s deputy. You were promoted because you have a flawless record and proved yourself as the right person for the job. You can’t abuse your status now. And I'm aware that Owen was helping you earlier."
May felt doubly abashed. She'd not only brought trouble on herself, but she'd brought it on her partner.
"I'm sorry," she said, her voice shaking with guilt.
"It's not only me you have to apologize to," Sheriff Jack said. "We have the FBI involved. Agent Kerry Moore asked to meet with you now."
Now May stared at him, horrified.
She thought there might be brief sympathy in his gaze as he got up and opened the door.
"Agent Kerry, please come through," Jack said. "Let's discuss this together."
May felt terrified. She knew Jack was trying to make sure that she had the chance to state her version, and this was the correct way to handle things, but this felt like the ultimate in humiliation.
She took a deep breath as Kerry marched into the room. Her sister was looking annoyed. She glared at May. May was fighting for calmness. If Jack could do it, so could she.
And then, Kerry said something totally unexpected.
“I want to speak with my sister privately, if you don’t mind.”
"Privately?" Jack looked surprised.
"Yes," Kerry said firmly.
Jack got up. "Sure. You can speak together."
He walked out of the room and closed the door behind him.
May was alone, facing her sister. She didn't have anything to back her up. She'd veered all the way off her mandate. She was entirely in the wrong. Her suspect hadn’t even panned out. But she hoped that, perhaps, Kerry might understand. Maybe that was why she wanted to speak to May alone.
She took a deep breath, deciding to start the conversation herself.
"I want to apologize to you. I shouldn't have interfered in your investigation. But I need to have a voice in this. I need to be able to tell you what I think and what I suspect. You’re shutting me down and not giving me the chance to do that."
Kerry glared at her.
"We do not need help. We have the full resources of the FBI behind us. What you’re doing is simply interfering. I heard you decided to take matters into your own hands and search for suspects without waiting for us to find them. This is madness, May. I thought you were smarter than that. Smart enough not to put your job at risk."
May's cheeks burned. She'd been wrong. But she couldn't just surrender. She had to fight for her decision.
"This is about more than my position, Kerry. Don’t you understand? It’s about people’s lives. A girl’s future. A family. Do you remember how our family felt?"
"That has nothing to do with it, so don’t try and guilt me. You're overstepping your boundaries," Kerry told her, sounding condescending. "You're a small-town cop. That's it. Start and finish. And you're not even a good one. Because you don't obey the rules."
Now May felt the sparks flying off her.
"It’s wrong to do nothing!”
"This is not a matter of right and wrong. It's a matter of following orders. You were not doing nothing. You had a whole list of duties that form part of your job. Just like my duties, in my job, are to find this killer. Are you deliberately trying to sabotage me?” Now she sounded incredulous.
“Of course not! I am trying to help find the killer!” May retorted furiously.
“What makes you think you're qualified to handle a murder investigation? You didn't even make the cut for the Academy."
May flinched. That was a low blow.
As Kerry stared her down, May felt like she was looking at a stranger.
"You're insubordinate," Kerry told her. "You broke the rules. If you do it again, you'll be fired. And I won’t try to protect you."
"Pushing for the truth is my job," May said. "And listen to me. Think about this, Kerry." She could hear the urgency in her own voice.
"Think about what?"