The Darkest Corner (Gravediggers #1)(23)

"No, you're not." And with that, he moved around her and headed out the kitchen door and into the rain.

"I'm really getting tired of you telling me no," she yelled after him, and then went to let in the sheriff.

In her experience, it usually wasn't good news when the cops showed up at the door before the sun had risen.





CHAPTER FOUR




Cal Dougherty was a couple of years older than Tess, and they'd gone to school together. He'd become sheriff during the last election cycle when he'd beat out Sheriff Brown by a landslide.

That was mostly because Sheriff Brown had gotten caught with his duty belt around his ankles and the mayor's wife sitting on his face-at least according to Georgia Ambrose, who'd walked in on them doing the deed. Of course, no one had bothered to ask Georgia what she was doing at the Bluebonnet Motel on a Tuesday afternoon or why the key she'd used unlocked Sheriff Brown's room. But rumor was that Sheriff Brown had cuffed a lot of women in room 202.

Tess and Cal had grown up with the same circle of friends, so they knew each other well, but it had never been her favorite thing to deal with the police, so she'd kept her distance the last several years. Mostly because she'd spent her fair share of time trying to explain to the cops why they shouldn't toss her mother in jail and throw away the key. If Theodora was in a financial fix and the slot machines were calling, there was no limit to what she'd do to feed her habit. 

Tess had gone to school with Cal's first wife. She was a nice girl from a nice family, but she and Cal hadn't been married more than a year when Victoria decided she wasn't meant for small-town life and moved down to Austin. Cal hadn't seemed too bent out of shape about the whole thing, so everyone figured it was probably for the best.

Cal didn't really get too bent out of shape about anything, unless it was the Dallas Cowboys or that time a group of teenage boys changed his election signs to read "Erect" instead of "Elect."

He was handsome, with dark brown eyes and black hair threaded with the occasional strand of silver, which he kept cut short in a military style. He was dressed in jeans, and his neon-yellow police slicker was snapped all the way to the collar. He'd spent his rookie years plus a few more working patrol for the Dallas PD, and he'd taken a couple of bullets in his vest during a routine traffic stop.

"Sorry to bother you so early, Tess," he said. "Whew, it's bad out here."

"No problem. I'm just getting up and started for the day. Come on in out of the wet." Tess stood back so he could get past her. It was then she really got a good look at the front yard. "Good grief, we're all going to be under water before too much longer. I've never seen it so high." The grass and sidewalk were completely covered with several inches of water.

Cal lowered the hood of his slicker and unsnapped it, shrugging out of it before laying it across one of the rocking chairs on the front porch. He wiped his feet on the mat before stepping inside.

"And doesn't look like it's going to stop anytime soon. Never seen rain like this in July."

"I hear it's El Niño," she said.

Cal gave her an odd look, and it was then she realized they were standing mostly in the dark. The downstairs lights were still off since she hadn't opened for business yet, and only the wall sconces were lit. She reached over to flip on the main light switches, and the foyer was instantly flooded with light.

"Why don't you come into the kitchen?" she said. "I haven't had a chance to make coffee yet."

"Sounds good. I haven't been home yet. There's some flooding on the south side. Worst thing was getting Jed Larson's cattle out of the muck. Cows are the stupidest animals I've ever seen. It's a good thing they taste so good."

She snorted out a laugh and felt herself relax a little. If someone was hurt or in trouble, Cal wouldn't have been making small talk. She motioned for him to follow her to the kitchen, flipping on more light switches as she went, and made her way to the coffeemaker. Tess pretty much lived on coffee, and she almost always had a pot ready for visitors.

"You take cream and sugar?" she asked.

"Nah, just black. I've got time to go home and put on dry clothes, but I've got to be back at the office in an hour or so. I need something that'll keep me awake."

She got out the cream and sugar for herself and then grabbed two mugs from the cupboard.

"This place sure looks different from when George owned it," Cal said, looking around.

"Yeah, it's probably a good thing he's sailing the Pacific. George hated change."

"He also hated spending money. George was tight as a tick, and it must've taken a ton to get this place looking like it does. It must be nice to have it to yourself."