“Sorry, Chief.”

“Got it. That’s okay. Just thought I’d ask.”

He was halfway to the door, when Dance called, “Chief, wait.”

Madigan turned and she said, “There is one thing, I’m thinking. Nobody’d have to know. But it’s not the … well, most pleasant job in the world.”

A fraction of a smile. “Well, all righty then. Let’s get to it.”

Chapter 42

IT WAS ABOUT eight-thirty in the evening when Kathryn Dance got to Bishop Towne’s house.

She greeted Kayleigh and the family, who flocked around her and thanked her for saving Sheri’s life. Damp-eyed, hoarse, the stepmother hugged Dance hard and bled gratitude.

Bishop offered his thanks too and then asked, “That sheriff, or deputy, Madigan? He got suspended?”

“That’s right. Two other deputies too.”

“That son of a bitch!”

“Daddy,” Suellyn warned. But Mary-Gordon was in the kitchen and out of hearing.

“Well, he is. And M-G’s going to learn words like that sooner or later.”

“It’s going to be later,” Kayleigh snapped.

Dance now explained, “We’re not making any progress putting together a case against Edwin. He’s either innocent or very, very smart. We don’t have any leads at all. I’d like to get a few more details from Sheri and”—with a glance at Suellyn—“from you and your daughter about when he picked you up at the airport.”

She was hoping to find something that she could use to infer threatening behavior, which would, in turn, justify an arrest for stalking. That would give her access to Edwin—with his lawyer’s approval—and she hoped to conduct a full kinesic analysis.

“At the least it could help get a restraining order. To keep him at a distance.”

“Oh, I’d love that,” Kayleigh said.

Dance noted she’d been crying recently. Because of Bobby? Today’s attack or some other reason?

Bishop escorted her to a small, dimly lit den, which smelled of pipe smoke and pine. Sheri and Mary-Gordon, her blue eyes sparkling, brought in cookies and a pot of coffee. The little girl’s golden hair was tied back in a ponytail, the way Dance’s daughter, Maggie, would often wear it, and for some reason Dance thought: How on earth am I going to tell Maggie and Wes that Jon Boling is moving?

But then Sheri ushered the girl from the room and sat down across from Dance, who forced aside her personal thoughts and began the interview.

Which, however, proved to be singularly unsuccessful. The woman could provide no more information about the attacker. She’d seen flashes of gunshots, and that was all. Not even an outline of the assailant.

Dance then met with Suellyn Sanchez. The matter-of-fact woman tried hard to recall something helpful but she confessed to Dance that she was still astonished that Edwin was the suspect. “He was just so nice and easygoing. And it sounded like he knew Kayleigh so well, they had to be friends.”

“And there wasn’t anything he said that could be taken in any way as threatening?”

When the sister hesitated, Dance said, “You’d have to testify to it. Under oath.”