“Not right. Ain’t right,” Danny sputtered, as he leaned against the large frame of the lawman.

“A lot in life isn’t fair, Danny. But you can’t let it eat you up, boy.”

“I want to die.”

Tyree slapped Danny across the face. “Don’t let me never hear you say that again, Danny. The girl’s dead. Nothing you can do will bring her back.”

He pointed at the dirt. “You call that fair?”

“You get your head on straight. She had a choice. She killed herself. This ain’t doing nobody any good. Now you want me to give you a ride home?”

Danny wiped his face and shook his head. “You’re a stupid man if you think that,” he snapped.

Tyree studied him. “You know something I don’t?”

“I know lots you don’t. So what? Ain’t worth shit what I know.”

“I mean about Debby?”

Danny dropped his head and his defiant tone. “No. I don’t know nothing. Just talking is all. Talking and saying nothing, really.”

“You said I was stupid if I believed that. What, that she killed herself?”

“You putting words in my mouth now, Sheriff,” Danny said, his face whitening a bit.

“I just want to hear what you have to say.”

In response, Danny turned and walked off.

“Danny, you come back here.”

“Stop yelling, Sheriff, you’ll wake the dead.”

“Right now, boy.”

“I’m not a boy, Tyree, in case you hadn’t noticed.” Danny turned to look at him. “And unless you want to put a bullet in my back, I’m going home.”

Tyree laid a hand on top of his pistol as Stone stooped as low as he could. He didn’t want to give either man a chance to spot him.

He waited for Danny to disappear down the road and then watched as Tyree stalked back to his patrol car parked nearby and drove back toward town.

Should I just leave now? Why wait until morning?

Yet Stone walked to town and got a room at the tiny house Danny had recommended. He climbed the stairs, put his bag away and sat on the soft bed and stared out the window toward the main street of Divine.

What he’d seen at the graveyard had puzzled him. Had Danny been in love with Debby Randolph? Had she killed herself? Why had Danny left and then come back?