Town Darling by Holly Copella Page A

Grey were put
through hell only a few days ago,” Lance said to Dina.  “She’s dealing with a
lot right now.  She probably just needs time to sort through it.  Maybe a few
weeks away from here is what she needs.”
    “Maybe,” Dina muttered then
looked at the memorial fliers in her hand.  “I just wish she’d confided in me,
that’s all.  She didn’t even leave a forwarding number or address.  She just
said she’d let me know when she was settled.”
    “I know you’re worried
about her,” Lance said gently.  “You just work on posting those memorial
fliers.  She’ll attend; you’ll see.”
    Dina stared at the building
and frowned.  She obviously wasn’t convinced of it.

Chapter Ten
     
    T wo years later.  The once
beautiful Remington farm was overgrown with tall weeds.  The wooden fence was
falling down, the landscaping was overgrown, and the boarded up house was in
desperate need of paint.  The sheriff’s blazer drove up the overgrown driveway
and parked in front of the house.  Vaughn got out of the blazer and approached
the house.  He walked up the porch steps, and instead of approaching the door,
he comfortably sat on the railing with his back to the support beam.  He rested
his head against the beam, shut his eyes, and appeared to escape into another
world.  His uniform proudly displayed the sheriff’s badge on the breast
pocket.  The months that followed the double homicide of Casey’s parents were
the roller coaster ride that changed the town’s perspective in many ways. 
Although the murders remained unsolved, Sheriff Wiley recommended Deputy Vaughn
Holt to become his successor as sheriff.  The town unanimously agreed. 
Somehow, he was deemed a hero.  He had saved the lives of Casey and Grey while
thwarting the first murderer the town had seen in its history.  Despite his
skepticism for the reason behind his promotion, Vaughn accepted the sheriff’s
position.  Now, two years later, he still sat at the scene of crime while no
closer to solving the murders than he had been the days that followed.
    A thump within the house
caught his attention.  Vaughn leapt from the porch railing and approached the
front door.  He uncertainly placed his hand to the doorknob.  As he turned the
knob, the door opened!  It was supposed to be locked.  Vaughn removed his
revolver from its holster, carefully pushed open the door, and slowly entered
the house.  As Vaughn entered the kitchen, it was obvious the occupants had
left in a hurry.  Everything remained within the house, although now with a
thick, dusty layer covering it.  His eyes immediately strayed to the island
counter, but the blood had been painstakingly cleaned two years earlier by the
crew Dina had hired.  As Vaughn stared at the dusty area before the island
counter, the echoing of three gunshots from that chilling night could be
heard.  Vaughn tensed and took a deep breath.  The boarded windows allowed
little light to enter, but through the light of the open door, Vaughn saw
footprints in the dust across the floor.  They headed into the dark living
room.  Vaughn removed a small flashlight and shined it toward the living room
archway.  A floorboard creaked within the living room.  Vaughn leveled his gun
at the archway and firmly gripped the trigger.  The flashlight shined in the
face of a man in his early fifties.  Rory, the real estate agent, gasped with
alarm and immediately raised his hands.
    “Don’t shoot, Sheriff,” he
announced defensively and allowed a tense laugh to escape.  “It’s just me.”
    Vaughn groaned and replaced
his weapon with disgust.  Rory lowered his hands and attempted to relax.  The
rumor had spread rapidly through town of how Deputy Vaughn Holt supposedly shot
the killer three times in the chest after witnessing Casey’s stabbing.  The
cowboy mentality of the town rejoiced the deputy’s quick reflexes and swift
actions.  They didn’t want a sheriff who was unwilling to pull the