Russ appeared to be trying, anyway, partnering with Cord, refurbishing that old motel, striving to make something of his life, which was a hell of a lot more than Eli could have said for, say, Freddie Lansing, or that worthless father of his.

“Anybody have a guess who she was?”

“Talk to Russ,” Melba said, a little sadly.

“Oh, believe me,” Eli replied. “I will.”

Melba caught his arm as he moved away. “Eli?”

“What?”

“Don’t jump to any conclusions, okay? Yeah, Russ found the body, and that makes him a person of interest, but he was out here with Cord. A community leader, known for his integrity, and one of your best friends.”

Eli didn’t answer, though he acknowledged Melba’s words with a crisp nod. He figured she was thinking Russ wouldn’t have brought such a credible witness as Cord along if he’d killed the girl and then staged a discovery.

His reasoning varied slightly from that of his sharp deputy. Murder a girl, pretend to find her, bring along a man everyone in the county, if not the whole state, knew and respected. Be shocked and horrified.

Russ was standing near Cord’s truck, and Cord was beside him, one hand resting on the man’s broad shoulder. After years of obesity, Russ had begun working out, eating right. He was no Adonis, but he wasn’t overweight anymore, either.

Just solid.

“Who’s the girl?” Eli asked, without preamble, when he reached Russ and Cord.

Cord looked irritated, but he didn’t speak.

“She—I don’t know for sure—” Russ stumbled. His eyes were red and his nose was running, and he wiped it unceremoniously on the sleeve of his flannel shirt. “She looks a lot like—like my sister, Bethanne.”

Bethanne Schafer, Eli knew, had run away from home years ago. As far as he knew, no one had seen or heard from her since.

“A relative?” Eli pressed, though not so abruptly this time.

“Bethanne’s daughter, maybe,” Russ said, snuffling again. Looking understandably miserable. “Kinda reminds me of when Carly showed up, looking so much like Reba—”

“We’re going to need a cheek swab, Russ,” Eli said. “Stop by the coroner’s office as soon as you can manage it.”

Russ merely nodded. “Can I go home now?” He watched as the paramedics loaded the body into the back of the ambulance, zipped into a bag. “I feel sick.”

“Yeah,” Eli replied. “You can go home.”

Russ ambled off toward the motel.

Eli and Cord stood in silence for a long time, watching each other.

“Sometimes you really piss me off,” Cord said, at long last.