Read Gone to Her Grave (Rogue River Novella Book 2) for Free Online

trees. Before Carly had the Jeep into park, Tammy was walking up to the vehicle.
    “Hi, Tammy.” Carly opened the door and stepped out onto the dirt drive. “Can we go inside? I have some papers for you to read.”
    Glancing over her shoulder at the house, Tammy shook her head. “That’s not a good idea. Darren’s inside. He’s sleeping.”
    And probably nursing a nasty hangover.
    “Okay, then. Here are the forms for the nutritional assistance program.” Carly handed over a manila file.
    “Food stamps?” Tammy took the papers gingerly, as if touching them might leave her stained.
    The state could change the name of the program a hundred times, but the stigma remained. “It’s just a small amount of money each month to put toward food. You get a debit card to use at the grocery store. Food stamps don’t exist anymore.”
    Tammy frowned at the folder in her hand.
    The screen door slapped against the house. Darren emerged, blinking at the sun. The heavy beard scruff and bags under his eyes screamed headache. Barefoot in knee-length cargos, he walked to the side of the Jeep. “Tammy, I told you we don’t need any damned food stamps.”
    “That’s what I told her,” Tammy said.
    “Then why’d you take the forms?” he asked.
    Tammy shoved them back at Carly.
    But Carly backed away. “Just look them over. Plenty of people around here get public assistance.”
    Darren snatched the forms from his wife’s hand. Frustrated, Carly got back into her Jeep and turned around. Maybe when Darren’s head wasn’t throbbing, he’d change his mind. She put another visit to the family on her agenda. If Darren wasn’t going to be reasonable, she had to make sure the children were fed.
    As she pulled to the end of the driveway, she glanced in her rearview mirror. Darren stalked to the edge of the property. He held the folder over a barrel, pulled a lighter out of his pocket, and set the papers on fire. Unease burrowed into her bones. Staring at her, he held the torch until the flames reached his fingertips.

CHAPTER FIVE
    The Rogue County Interagency Drug Task Force was attached to the sheriff’s office. Seth’s new job was to coordinate investigations between state, county, and local law enforcement. Most of the time, it was exactly as exciting as that sounded. But someone had to do it.
    Meth production was already burgeoning in rural Rogue County, and now they had manufacturers of this new drug to chase down. With the mild Oregon climate, marijuana literally grew like a weed, and any idiot could make crack, though he might blow himself up in the process. Law enforcement couldn’t keep up with the supply of drugs. Too few cops spread out over a huge expanse of land, the relative ease of production, and the allure of an easy dollar to a largely poor population compounded the problem, not to mention the sheer number of outbuildings on secluded properties. Drugs were an ongoing, losing battle, and Seth couldn’t afford to miss an opportunity to bust the C-22 drug ring.
    He pulled into the Rollinses’ driveway for his first interview of the day. The door opened on the first knock.
    “Alex Rollins?” Seth showed his badge and introduced himself.
    Mr. Rollins walked away, leaving Seth to follow him into the kitchen. The Rollins family wasn’t rich, but it was holding tightly to middle class. The country oak motif of the house was slightly out of date, but the rooms appeared clean and well maintained. The scent of fresh coffee lingered, and a mug steamed on the counter.
    “Coffee?” Mr. Rollins asked.
    “No, thank you.” Seth leaned against the counter. “I need to ask you a few questions.”
    “You and everyone else.” Mr. Rollins gulped coffee. “The social worker just left a little while ago, though I’m not even sure why she was here.”
    Seth’s belly chilled. His gaze dropped to a file folder on the table. Carly’s business card was paper-clipped to the front. She’d beat him here.
    Son of a bitch . That