The Shark (Forgotten Files Book 1) by Mary Burton Read Free Book Online Page B

yesterday, and he was at the hospital this morning.”
    “He wants to talk to the woman of the hour.”
    “Unfortunately. And thanks to the sheriff’s perfect timing, I’m not going to be able to sneak away.”
    “Maybe DuPont will talk to him and run interference.”
    “DuPont isn’t going to do me a favor.”
    “You handled the media well enough yesterday after the Carter arrest,” Martin said.
    “I didn’t say a whole lot.”
    “Exactly. The less said the better.”
    “Even then, think twice.”
    The cards still playing on her mind, she moved back toward the road where DuPont and the other deputies stood, arms crossed, faces grim. In no mood to deal, she moved past them with a quick nod, knowing it would not serve her well to quip with a deputy while the media was close. Keeping her gaze trained ahead, she adjusted her sunglasses. “Have a good one.”
    No response followed as she approached her car and opened the backseat door to allow Cooper to jump inside. She switched on the engine and the air-conditioning.
    The reporter, Eddie Potter, was a guy in his late forties who favored blue button-down shirts and khakis that hung loosely on his trim frame. He crossed toward her.
    “Trooper!” he shouted, waving his hand. Behind him, an older, sturdy man unloaded the camera, and though he didn’t stroll, he didn’t race like the reporter. “I didn’t get a chance to talk to you again this morning when they arrested Carter.”
    She settled Cooper in the backseat and closed the car door. “Yes, sir. What can I do for you?”
    “Eddie Potter. I’m with local news.”
    “Yes, sir. I remember you from yesterday.”
    “Hell of a trek into the woods you made yesterday and a ballsy arrest.” He glanced toward the backseat of her SUV. “That the famous Cooper?”
    She moved to the right, blocking his view of the dog. “That’s Cooper.”
    “I did a little digging. Human trafficking is your thing.”
    “My thing?”
    “Bad choice of words. Your cause . Is that why you were determined to get Carter? We’ve all seen the video of him hitting that girl. Brutal.”
    “I can’t comment.”
    Potter clicked the end of his pen several times. “You’re interesting. I could do a whole profile on you.”
    She didn’t want anyone digging into her life, especially with Hanna’s adoption pending.
    Deputy DuPont moved forward, his look more curious than threatening as he asked, “Can I help you?”
    “Mr. Potter is curious about your crime scene,” Riley said. “Do you have anything to add?”
    DuPont shifted his weight and hitched his hands on his belt. “No comment.”
    Riley opened the car door, sliding into her seat and taking time to click her belt in place. “Have a nice day, Mr. Potter.”
    Putting the car in drive, she gave DuPont a wave and drove south back toward Richmond. Prints would be run and there would be an autopsy, but that likely wouldn’t happen until tomorrow.
    The rolling landscape was dotted with tall oaks and thick grass, and the North Anna River swept past. Fields quickly gave way to exit signs promising fast food, gas, and lodging. She took the Ashland exit and drove past strip malls toward the city’s historic center. She lived in an old house near the train tracks that cut through the heart of the small town. But instead of turning toward her home, she went left to the town’s center.
    Cooper looked out the window, wagging his tail at the sight of the familiar streets.
    “Sorry, Cooper, we aren’t going home yet. Need to stop by Duke’s.”
    She drove to a three-story converted warehouse nestled off the road near an open field. A red neon sign above the front door read “Duke’s.” On the aged brick were the faded letters hinting to the building’s first years as a grain warehouse.
    The parking lot was in need of paving—a project Duke kept swearing he’d tackle as soon as he won the lottery. Even though Duke joked about winning the lottery, he never played it. There