Diana Anderson - Entering Southern Country 01 - Famous in a Small Town by Diana Anderson Page A

the microwave.
    He glanced at her and chuckled. “Maggie saved you a plate. Sit.” He nodded toward the breakfast nook table.
    She sat down at the table. He grabbed a bowl from the cabinet and went to the pantry. He pulled out a large bag of dog food and tore the top open. He scooped a bowlful out and set it down beside the cabinet. He looked at Gabriel and made a smooching sound. The dog trotted over, smelled the food, and began to eat. Ted grabbed another bowl, and filled it with water, and then set it down beside the food dish. The microwave dinged. She started to get up.
    “Sit. I’ve got it.”
    “You don’t have to wait on me.”
    “Maybe I want to wait on you. I doubt you’ve ever had that privilege.”
    She eyed him a long moment not sure what he’d meant by that. He set her plate and eating utensils down on the table in front of her and then sat down across from her.
    She bowed her head, and closed her eyes for a few moments, and then forked a bite of green beans. She felt his eyes on her. She looked up and smiled at him.
    “You don’t have your mother’s eyes. I never met your father, so I’m assuming they’re like his.”
    She shook her head and swallowed. “No, I guess I got my eyes from a grandparent, but I wouldn’t know. I never got to meet any of them on either side. They all passed on before I was born.
    “Your hair … would it be rude of me to ask if it’s your natural color?”
    She covered her mouth and chuckled. “It’s okay. Yes, this is my natural color.”
    “He looked down at the table a moment and then back at her. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be so nosey. I just want to get to know you better before you leave.”
    She stirred her fork in her mashed potatoes. “I assume my mother hasn’t had too much to say about me.”
    His right eyebrow rose. He gave her a crooked smile and shook his head.
     

23
     
     
    Cal woke up before dawn with his thoughts on the Neals’ case. Something was missing. Whatever it was he’d overlooked it somehow. The duffle bag of money, for one, didn’t make a lick of sense. Where did Virgil get it, and why had it been buried under the trailer?
    He threw back the covers, got out of bed, and headed to the bathroom for a shower. After he had showered, shaved, and dressed, he radioed dispatch where he was headed.
    The early morning sun had yet to rise, but the moon was full and bright when he stepped outside of his house. He got into his squad car, backed out of his driveway, and headed toward Main Street. He took a left and headed out of town. Eight miles down the highway, he turned right onto a black top road. One mile further and he made a left onto a dirt road.
    The gravel pinged when it hit the undercarriage of his squad car as he drove down the dirt road that led to the Neals’ and the Gentrys’ properties. A dust cloud trailed behind his car. The slight breeze carried it off to the east across pastures dotted with white faced red heifers and fields planted in long rows of cotton and soybeans. Within a mile of their properties, the fields and the pastures gave way to the timberlands.
    He slowed, pulled into the driveway, and parked near the front porch. He grabbed his flashlight, got out, and flipped it on. He made his way around the trailer and went to the back where the dog had been chained up. He squatted and shined the beam of the flashlight under the trailer. He scanned the area but didn’t see anything unusual.
    He stood and headed back around the house. He made his way to the front porch. The yellow tape had been pulled away. He shook his head.
    I told Agnes … Raven, she shouldn’t go inside. What was she thinking?
    He walked up the creaky steps and raised the flashlight to shine in through the front door window but something caught his eye. He looked down at the place where the padlock used to be.
    Why would she leave it unlocked?
    He stepped forward to open the door and bumped something with the toe of his boot. He looked down at