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the three new police cruisers the county bought the year before. Joe didn’t know what was so wrong with the old cars, but that was beside the point.
    “This should be interesting,” he said.
    “Hide the moonshine,” croaked Charlie.
    The cruiser pulled up next to the truck and Sheriff Brooks stepped out. His wide brimmed hat hid everything above his mustache in shadow.
    “What brings you all the way out here, Sheriff?” asked Joe.
    “A little disturbance in town. You mind if we talk about it?”
    Joe killed the hose. “I’m listening.”
    “A lot of people are upset,” said the officer.
    “Brooks, you asshole,” said Charlie. “Quit dicking with us and tell us what's going on.”
    Sheriff Brooks did a double take at Charlie; he must have been seeing the same thing as Joe. Right then he had to be taking in Charlie’s frail figure and sickly complexion. He appeared to try and shake the image out of his mind before going on. “Old lady Greer woke up this morning to find somebody stuck the head of a dog on the fence in her front yard. It was a yellow lab. That led me to think about the only three people I know who own yellow labs. So far today I’ve already checked on two of them.” The sheriff placed both hands on his hips. “Where’s your dog Joe?”
    Joe glanced around at all the blood he still had to spray. The trail was still there, but faint, running directly underneath the sheriff.
    “You’re standing on him.”
    Joe could feel anger churning in his throat. Coyotes didn’t kill dogs to impale their heads on fences, people did.

 
    Chapter 6
     
                  “What if you’d gotten hurt?”
    Sarah rolled her eyes and silently cursed her brother for ratting her out.
    Why can’t the little idiot keep his mouth shut…
    “It was fine mom.”
    “It wasn’t fine, and don’t you roll your eyes at me!”
    “I don’t see what the big deal is, no one got hurt.”
    “You don’t see what the big deal is?” she gaped at her with incredulity. “Ten years ago a boy broke his neck jumping off that bridge. Is that what you want, to break your neck? To make it so we have to feed you through a tube and change your diaper for the rest of your life? What were you thinking?”
    “It’s not like that Mom. I thought it’d be fun.”
    “Fun? There’s nothing fun about risking your life.”
    Sarah shot a scathing glance at her brother who was sitting across from her at the table. To his credit, he looked ashamed for getting her in trouble. He mouthed the word “sorry” for the millionth time.
    At that moment she could have punched him and knocked those stupid glasses right off his head.
    “Don’t you dare take this out on him.”
    “I’m sorry,” Sarah pleaded. “I didn’t think-“
    “You didn’t think, that’s exactly what happened. You just wait until your father gets home.”
    Sarah ran her hands across her face, pulling down on the skin. “Can I go to my room now?”
    “Fine,” said her mom.
    Sarah was out of her chair and heading towards her room before her mother could take it back.
    “And don’t think I forgot about you,” she heard her mom saying to her brother as she left.
    Her room was painted with a pattern of light and dark pinks that criss crossed in lines across the walls. Her comforter and pillows matched, while her dressers were painted black. It was a cozy little space where she always kept the shades drawn.
    As she entered it this time, she locked the door behind her and did a belly flop on the bed. It was soft; the sheets puffed out around her. Now that she was alone, she took every emotion she’d been suppressing for the last twenty minutes and screamed them into a pillow. Her situation felt a little better after that.
    She couldn’t understand what was wrong with her family. How could they take something so little and inconsequential and turn it into such a big thing?
    She contemplated the question for a while, just staring at the white ceiling.