“I just want to help. I just want to find my father. You’ve lost your son and your husband. Shirley, it’s time the truth came out.”

Come on, lady, tell me.

“I know you’re right. In my heart I know you are.”

“Then you know you should tell me.”

Shirley took a deep breath. “I’m just so tired. And this has gotten way out of hand.”

“Please, Shirley.”

Shirley’s red eyes seemed to finally focus as she stared out into the black night. “We get big shipments at the courthouse all the time. Lots of boxes. But the manifest and the boxes never match up.”

“How do you mean?”

“I mean if the manifest says fifty boxes, there’s only thirty that show up.”

“Do you know why?”

“I’m not looking to get into trouble.”

“I’m not the police, Shirley. I just want to find my dad.”

“I’ve been poor all my life. You see this town now, it’s doing good. Everybody is happy. Why shouldn’t I get my piece? You know.”

“I know. It’s only fair.”

“Damn right it is. I wanted to go to college. My brother got to but not old Shirley. We didn’t have the money.”

“I’m sure,” Annabelle said patiently.

Shirley took another swallow of wine. Now she didn’t even appear to remember that Annabelle was there. She seemed to be talking to herself. “And was I supposed to know that Josh would get killed when he went hunting deer? Rory just said to make Josh go and then call him. And so that’s what I did. How was I to know? You tell me that.”

“You certainly couldn’t have known. But about those boxes?” prompted Annabelle.

“There’s a big drug addiction problem up here. People’ll do anything to get their pop.”

“Is that what’s in the missing boxes. Drugs?”

If Oliver ran into the middle of a major drug ring he’s probably already dead. But if he isn’t, he might not have much time.

“Prescription pills. Throws off a lot of damn cash.”

“How are they transferred? I mean from the missing boxes with the pills to wherever they’re going?”

Shirley lit up another cigarette and eyed Annabelle shrewdly. “Missy, we got us a bunch of drug addict miners go to get their methadone pop over at the clinic every morning so they can get back and hit seven a.m. shifts at the mines.”

“Okay,” Annabelle said. “But how does that tie in with anything?”