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nodded. “That’s him. He had his eye on her and she didn’t seem to feel the same about him. Next thing you know, they find bones out there near the Grove.”
    “Don’t mean it was her. Lots of people fancied that piece of land and have dumped bodies there, and Trail of Tears ran right near that piece of property.”
    “Used to be a big ole’ home place,” Third guy said. “They buried their kin in the back yard. Enough rain’ll push even the deepest body to the top in soft ground like that.”
    “It was her.” Pot-mark shook his head. “Everyone knows it was.”
    “Bones was clean and dried, she was gone a week.” Tall guy took out a tooth pick and stuck it in his mouth. “Bodies don’t decompose that fast. Even Richie said it would take at least a year of exposure to the elements to get bones close to those conditions.”
    “Coroners have been wrong before.”
    “He wasn’t wrong and you know it.”
    “Found her ring.”
    “Found a ring. Same ring could be bought at any one of those city department stores.”
    Pot-mark shook his head. “You believe what you want to believe. Everyone knows it was her.”
    Tall man frowned and dropped his gaze.
    “That family has been nothing but a boil on the ass of this community since they moved here,” Third Guy said.
    Tall guy bumped his friend on the shoulder. “Better be careful, the walls have ears.”
    “I’ve lived through two wars and three heart attacks. There isn’t much left that can scare me.”
    “You could wind up in a ditch somewhere,” Pot-mark said. “You could always ‘run off.”
    Jon lifted his head enough to catch a glimpse of the fear in Third guy’s eyes.
    The shop owner came from the back with a book in his hand. He put it on the counter. “Now, let’s take a look in here.”
    “I’ve changed my mind,” Jon said. The man’s mouth twisted up and he squinted at Jon over the top of his glasses. “I’d like to buy a gun lock instead.”
    “That’ll be five bucks.” He took it off the rack behind him and pushed it over. Jon took a twenty out of his wallet. “I’ll get you your change.”
    “Just keep it.” The man’s eyebrows went up. Jon shrugged. “You know, for the inconvenience I caused.”
    The man slipped the twenty into his pocket. Jon collected everything and went back to the car. He put the box with the gun back in the trunk. Just till next week. When he knew for sure Lenny wasn’t getting out, he’d come back. Hell, he’d give the damn thing to the shop owner to get rid of it.

Chapter Three
    Time was the enemy. It began as days and now it was hours. Ellis washed the last dish, dried it, and then put it in the cabinet. Through the opening above the sink, he watched Jon and Rudy play Go Fish. There were only a few times Ellis had won against Rudy and, even then, he had the strangest feeling Rudy let him.
    The clock on the wall read fifteen till nine. That meant in twelve hours and fifteen minutes, Lenny Whitman would stand before Judge Hammond for his new bail hearing.
    He will not get out.
    It didn’t matter how many times Ellis told himself that, he was afraid.
    Jon met his gaze. His mouth curled into an almost smile. It softened his features, taking away some of the seriousness in his expression. Ellis tried to smile back, but it felt fake.
    Rudy turned in his seat. He waved and Ellis waved back.
    If Lenny got out, how was he going to protect Rudy? How was he going to protect Jon? It didn’t matter that Jon was more than capable of protecting himself, Ellis couldn’t shake the overwhelming sense of responsibility to keep him safe.
    He poured two cups of coffee, gave one to Jon, and sat beside him. “So who’s winning?”
    Rudy raised his hand. “I’ve won five times.” He leaned over the table. “Jon isn’t very good at this game.”
    Jon cleared his throat. “I heard that.”
    “Well, you’re not.” Rudy sat back. “But you’re good at other things. Like making brownies, and putting tapes