“You all are a nuisance back home, that is true.” One of the dogs moved to stand next to her. “But you aren’t allowed in the yard there, either. Not unless you have a warrant. And you’re not allowed in this yard.”

“This is ridiculous,” Dylan said. “We should bring you in for threatening a federal agent.”

Cain smiled when Shelby’s head dropped. Training young hotheads was always a pain in the ass. “It’s more like harassment, Agent Gardner. I’m landlocked back home, so you park those ridiculous vehicles pretty close. That I can’t do anything about. You’re on city property and there’s nothing stopping you. Here, though, my yard is acres and acres. You haven’t been invited in, so I should warn you about the ordinance the town council passed when it comes to trespassing.”

“Is it a dollar fine?” the male agent asked, laughing. “Here you go.” He fished a buck out of his wallet.

She heard the sirens getting closer. “It’s actually a little steeper than that, so you might want to save your money. You might need it.” Haywood had a small sheriff’s office, and all of them were now between them and the road. “Hey, Sheriff.” Cain smiled at her old friend as he sauntered up the path.

“Cain,” Ignatius said, resting his thumbs on his utility belt. “These people invited?”

“Trespassing, actually.” She pointed to the camp chairs, and Lou joined her. “Don’t forget to bag all their stuff. We wouldn’t want to be accused of stealing.”

“You’ve got to be kidding,” Joe said when the deputies got their cuffs out as if they’d practiced the move. “Casey, come on.”

“Thanks for everything, Sheriff.” She waved as they headed back to the house. The screaming she left behind was humorous, but it was time to get back to work. The night in jail and the thousand-dollar fine would give her a window to get a few things done. Thank God for the tension between local cops and the feds that meant there was no love lost between them. It was something she could always count on.

All that was important, but she also wanted to spend some time alone with Emma. Since Billy’s birth, Emma had been clingier than usual, and she wanted to make sure Emma was okay before business started demanding more of her time. She needed to get answers to all the problems she had, but not at the expense of her wife and her happiness.

“Everything ready?” she asked Lou.

“Your ride is due in an hour in the middle pasture. Are you sure all you want with you is me and Sabana? Chicago can be a dangerous place.”

“It’s one night, Lou, and one meeting. We’ll be fine.”