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can of beans called Bush’s Best, and above it were two girls kissing. Not exactly subtle, thought Angie.
    She always explained her lack of a boyfriend by telling people that he had been killed in Iraq, but the picture in her desk was her second ‘message’ in a month. Who in the office knew the truth? And how? Who would enjoy harassing her: Brian, Tucker, Skip, John? The reserve officers were three men and one woman. Maybe one of them? Sadie? Jackson? Neither of them, she thought. Whoever it was, she was pissed at the picture and at herself. She had let it distract and upset her all week.
    Eight people squeezed into Jackson’s office while he went over the events of the day beginning with the phone call from Mandy Placett. He skipped the details of thegore he had found. He told himself he was doing it to spare Tucker, but he knew it was really to spare him. When he finished, he asked for Brian’s report – nobody in town recalled having seen Ted or Dolly since Thursday – and after that he dismissed everyone except for Tucker Thule. “Close the door,” he said. Tucker did. “You doing okay?”
    “I still can’t believe it, I guess.”
    “I didn’t really plan for Sadie to drag you in for this, but I forgot to tell her.” Ed’s nephew didn’t say anything. “How’s Eileen doing?”
    “About like you’d expect, I guess.” Tucker pawed the worn carpet. Although twenty-eight and experienced, also having served as an MP in the Army, Tucker still looked like a big kid. He had his father’s East European features. “I know Uncle Ed’s the one that hired me –”
    “Ed hired me too.”
    “I guess what I’m asking is if you’re gonna make any changes right off? I sort of heard you were.”
    For the first time in hours Jackson remembered the town council meeting. How did Tucker know what had been decided there? “No,” Jackson said. “No changes.”
    Someone tapped softly on his door. Jackson said, “Take some time off, Tucker. Whatever you need.”

    Tucker thanked Jackson and opened the door and bumped chest to chest into Angie. She yelped and jumped back. Tucker laughed as he slipped past her.
    Angie blushed and studied the papers on her clipboard for longer than necessary. She finally said, “I didn’t find much on Safari Land or Dolly, but Ted’s real interesting.”
    Jackson nodded and waited for her to continue.
    “Safari Land’s an Idaho LLC that was delinquent on fees until recently. Bank of Buckhorn holds the mortgage, and Ted and Dolly are still way behind on payments. I checked with Sharon Sheffield at Re-Max. She says they owe more than the place is worth unless they get their business going and make a profit. Electricity, phone, insurance, everything was overdue, but these all got paid up two months ago. The Cheneys found some money somewhere. Don’t know where.” She stopped and studied her notes.
    “How much money we talking about?”
    “I’d say a few thousand. Maybe as much as ten.”
    The amount surprised Jackson. “Tell me about Ted.”
    “Turns out he’s not the backwoods crazy dreamer everybody thought. He has a degree in genetics and worked for Monsanto. High earner, married, successful. Then the IRS got after him. He beat them twice, but the third time, they nailed him for tax fraud. Did a year in federalminimum security. Wife left him, took the money and kids, and he came out of prison a different man.”
    “Prison can do that,” Jackson said. “And Dolly?”
    “Squeaky clean except for some traffic violations. Ted’s her third husband. She was a Grier until she married a man named Ryder, and then she married a Yow, and then Ted Cheney. No kids. That’s about it except … did you know Pamela Yow and Dolly, did you know they’re cousins?”
    “Seems like Sadie told me that once.”
    “But Pamela Yow, she’s always going on about Safari Land being a godless abomination and stuff.”
    “You like all your relatives, Angie?”
    Angie laughed.
    “You say