Cheryl Tate sat behind reception, blond hair curled neatly, bright red lipstick sharp against her pale complexion.A cloud of sweet perfume hung around the desk, strong enough that Selena noticed it before she reached the counter.
If she didn’t know better, she might have thought Cheryl had dressed for someone.
Cheryl looked up from a stack of forms and smiled.
“Welcome back, Selena.”A brief pause followed, just long enough to sharpen the rest.“I didn’t think you’d be back with us again so quickly.”
Selena returned the smile.“Neither did I.But it’s good to see everyone.”
“That’s nice to hear.”Cheryl tapped a pen against the desk.“Arnold’s set up in the back for you.Same place as before.”
“Great.”
“I’ll show you.”
“It’s fine.I remember the way.”
Cheryl’s smile held.“Of course you do.”
Nothing about the words was openly hostile.That was Cheryl’s talent.She could wrap a barb in politeness and set it down where everyone had to pretend it was only conversation.
Selena nodded once and headed down the corridor with her laptop under one arm.
The hallway still carried its line of framed photographs and county pictures.Retired deputies shaking hands.Fishing tournament winners.A black-and-white photograph of the old courthouse.One newer picture showed Connor at a school event, crouched beside two children holding bicycle helmets.Selena slowed half a step, then kept walking.
The case room door stood open.
Inside, Arnold Shaw sat with his boots propped on a table, a handheld game console gripped in both hands.Tiny electronic music chirped from the device.His blond hair stuck up at the crown, and his mouth was slightly open in concentration.
Selena stopped in the doorway.“Busy?”
Arnold jerked upright so fast that one boot clipped the table edge.
“Hey!”He shoved the console into his lap as if hiding contraband from a schoolteacher.“Great to see you, Selena.”
Before she could answer, Arnold crossed the room and hugged her.
The gesture surprised her.Last time she’d been in Harlan County, Arnold had been helpful and eager, but not exactly close.For a second, her arms hung awkwardly at her sides.Then she returned the hug, brief but genuine.
“Good to see you too, Arnold.”
He stepped back, grinning.“We got you all set up like before.But this time, I made some changes since Sheriff Chase wasn’t around to cramp my style this time.”
Selena looked past him.
The evidence board stood on the opposite wall from where Connor had placed it during the Pruitt case.A folding table had been moved beneath the window.The printer sat on a chair, which did not seem stable enough for any piece of county equipment.Three extension cords ran along the baseboard in a way that suggested either efficiency or future injury.
Selena set her laptop on the desk.“I remember you and the sheriff having an argument about that board.”
A voice spoke behind her.“What argument?”
Connor entered carrying a coffee machine under one arm and a stack of disposable cups in his other hand.He stopped halfway through the doorway and looked at the board.
“Arnold.”
Arnold’s grin weakened.“Sheriff.”
“You got those fingerprints from Matt yet?”