into Donna Warren's life would not be the best thing for me." . "Why not?"
He hesitated, as if gauging each word very carefully. "Donna and I had a thing once."
"A thing?"
"We were lovers. It was a very long time ago."
"Before you married Mrs. Randall?"
"No. We'd been married about two years when I met Donna. Things weren't good with Sylvia, and Donna was available."
"You're not the first politician to have an affair."
Boyd fisted his fingers. "It was my first and only slip. It was very painful for Sylvia and it took a lot of work to rebuild the trust I had with her."
For some reason, Mitch believed that Boyd was genuinely concerned about his wife's feelings.
"I just don't want old business polluting what we have. She's not been well lately and she doesn't need this."
Boyd seemed earnest. But that didn't mean squat. "I'm not sure what you want me to do," Mitch said.
"Wrap this up as quickly and quietly as you can."
"I'm not sure if I can guarantee that. I don't know what I'm going to find when I start digging."
"You're going to find that Donna was a cold-hearted bitch who used men like Kleenex. She had a dozen lovers in town and likely one of them got tired of paying her to be quiet."
The bitterness in Boyd's voice caught Mitch by surprise. "Sounds like you're talking about yourself."
He shook his head. "Like I said, I cut things off with Donna years ago. I didn't even know she'd returned to Grant's Forge that last time until I saw that kid of hers working in the scuba shop. What's her name?"
"Kelsey."
"Right." He shook his head. "The kid was all mouth in those days. Seems her mother had just taken off and left her with Ruth."
"We know now she didn't just take off. She'd been murdered."
"I sure didn't know that at the time."
No, but you were worried that Donna had returned to town. "Is there anything else you can tell me about Donna? You might know something that could lead me to her killer."
"Not much. She talked of moving to L.A. and being a star. She was always like that—plans bigger than her pocketbook. Once she took off for L.A., I never saw her again. That was twenty-plus years ago."
"Right." Mitch stood.
"Look, I don't want Sylvia hurt. She's a good woman and she deserves better than this."
Until Mitch had more evidence, there wasn't much more he and Boyd had to say to one another. But he sensed they'd chat again. "Thanks for stopping by. If you think of anything else about Donna, you will tell me?"
Boyd rose. He smoothed a thick lock of white hair off his face. "I sure will."
Mitch waited until Boyd left before he grabbed his hat. He was anxious to talk to Kelsey, but knew he needed to check out Chris's car first. "Mabel, I'm headed up I-81 and then over to Ruth Warren's house. I won't be back today." Whatever hopes he'd had of making an early evening of it were long gone.
Mitch spotted the patrol car and the blue Toyota Corolla parked on the side of I-81 South. He slowed and pulled over to the side, put his car in Park and shut off the engine. A cool breeze greeted him as he climbed out of the car and put on his hat.
Deputy Leonard Jackson, who'd been waiting for him in his car, got out. Jackson was a tall, lanky man with a thick mop of black hair. In his mid-twenties, he'd been with the town police force for six months.
Jackson touched the brim of his hat. "Sheriff."
The gravel on the side of the road crunched under Mitch's boots. "What do you have for me?"
"It's Chris Hensel's car. I found it about an hour ago. I checked out the car—it was locked. There is no sign of Chris."
Mitch reached in his pocket and pulled out a set of keys. "I swung by the dive shop and picked up a spare set of Chris's keys from Stu."
"I'm surprised Stu didn't come."
Mitch inspected the car's black interior as he walked toward the back of the car. Other than several fast food bags and cups, the car looked clean. "I didn't want him here. I promised I'd call if there was any trouble."
"Let's hope we
He hesitated, as if gauging each word very carefully. "Donna and I had a thing once."
"A thing?"
"We were lovers. It was a very long time ago."
"Before you married Mrs. Randall?"
"No. We'd been married about two years when I met Donna. Things weren't good with Sylvia, and Donna was available."
"You're not the first politician to have an affair."
Boyd fisted his fingers. "It was my first and only slip. It was very painful for Sylvia and it took a lot of work to rebuild the trust I had with her."
For some reason, Mitch believed that Boyd was genuinely concerned about his wife's feelings.
"I just don't want old business polluting what we have. She's not been well lately and she doesn't need this."
Boyd seemed earnest. But that didn't mean squat. "I'm not sure what you want me to do," Mitch said.
"Wrap this up as quickly and quietly as you can."
"I'm not sure if I can guarantee that. I don't know what I'm going to find when I start digging."
"You're going to find that Donna was a cold-hearted bitch who used men like Kleenex. She had a dozen lovers in town and likely one of them got tired of paying her to be quiet."
The bitterness in Boyd's voice caught Mitch by surprise. "Sounds like you're talking about yourself."
He shook his head. "Like I said, I cut things off with Donna years ago. I didn't even know she'd returned to Grant's Forge that last time until I saw that kid of hers working in the scuba shop. What's her name?"
"Kelsey."
"Right." He shook his head. "The kid was all mouth in those days. Seems her mother had just taken off and left her with Ruth."
"We know now she didn't just take off. She'd been murdered."
"I sure didn't know that at the time."
No, but you were worried that Donna had returned to town. "Is there anything else you can tell me about Donna? You might know something that could lead me to her killer."
"Not much. She talked of moving to L.A. and being a star. She was always like that—plans bigger than her pocketbook. Once she took off for L.A., I never saw her again. That was twenty-plus years ago."
"Right." Mitch stood.
"Look, I don't want Sylvia hurt. She's a good woman and she deserves better than this."
Until Mitch had more evidence, there wasn't much more he and Boyd had to say to one another. But he sensed they'd chat again. "Thanks for stopping by. If you think of anything else about Donna, you will tell me?"
Boyd rose. He smoothed a thick lock of white hair off his face. "I sure will."
Mitch waited until Boyd left before he grabbed his hat. He was anxious to talk to Kelsey, but knew he needed to check out Chris's car first. "Mabel, I'm headed up I-81 and then over to Ruth Warren's house. I won't be back today." Whatever hopes he'd had of making an early evening of it were long gone.
Mitch spotted the patrol car and the blue Toyota Corolla parked on the side of I-81 South. He slowed and pulled over to the side, put his car in Park and shut off the engine. A cool breeze greeted him as he climbed out of the car and put on his hat.
Deputy Leonard Jackson, who'd been waiting for him in his car, got out. Jackson was a tall, lanky man with a thick mop of black hair. In his mid-twenties, he'd been with the town police force for six months.
Jackson touched the brim of his hat. "Sheriff."
The gravel on the side of the road crunched under Mitch's boots. "What do you have for me?"
"It's Chris Hensel's car. I found it about an hour ago. I checked out the car—it was locked. There is no sign of Chris."
Mitch reached in his pocket and pulled out a set of keys. "I swung by the dive shop and picked up a spare set of Chris's keys from Stu."
"I'm surprised Stu didn't come."
Mitch inspected the car's black interior as he walked toward the back of the car. Other than several fast food bags and cups, the car looked clean. "I didn't want him here. I promised I'd call if there was any trouble."
"Let's hope we
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