In the Arms of Stone Angels - By Jordan Dane Page 0,86

path that had split in two. One trail led down and the other way climbed higher and was much steeper. The grizzly plopped down and groaned. It bobbed its head and swiped a paw at me.

“So…you’re a low road kind of guy. Is that it?” I shrugged and mumbled, “Guess that leaves me the high road. That’d be different.”

The bear had taken me as far as it would go. The rest was up to me. I stared into the thickening mist and took a deep breath to steady my nerves. From here on, I’d be on my own.

Dr. Ridgeway had called Matt Logan earlier and delivered the bombshell that Isaac Henry was coming out of his catatonic state. Time would tell whether that news would be good or bad. Sam Ridgeway had explained the medical jargon before, but he’d never placed any credence in a condition that got the kid out of serving the jail time he deserved. Up until now, that boy had gotten off light. Red Cliffs was no posh country club, but from the kid’s perspective, the mental hospital was better than being locked in a box with hardened criminals.

After Matt got the call, he dropped everything and headed out. And hospital security rushed word to the doctor that he’d arrived. It didn’t take long for him to be ushered into the observation room where he’d get to see it all for himself.

One thing he hadn’t counted on was coming face-to-face with Kate Nash. He would have bet money that Brenna had come alone, leaving her mother in the cold again. The kid had no sense, but maybe he shouldn’t blame her.

Apparently, that trait was hereditary. Kate had been a headstrong kid, too. She had been no shrinking violet. Even though he was older, he’d remembered that much about her.

“You and your daughter shouldn’t be here, Kate.”

The sternness in his voice reverberated in the small observation room. And he sounded angrier than he’d intended.

“And you’re like a vulture on roadkill, Matt. Why are you here?” Before he answered, she figured it out. Kate glared at Dr. Ridgeway and shook her head. “You’re both feasting on this kid like he’s raw meat.”

Wisely, Sam Ridgeway stayed out of the argument. He backed off and kept his eyes focused on the next room.

“In case you forgot, he killed an innocent girl,” Matt reminded her.

“Don’t you have to convict him in a court of law first? Or does that silly notion not apply in your town?” The woman crossed her arms and cocked her head. “You’ve got a lot of nerve getting all preachy with me.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Your nephew is a bully and those kids he hangs with think they’re above the law. And you can’t see it.” She raised her chin in defiance. “So don’t act all holier-than-thou, Sheriff. Not until you clean your own house.”

“You got any proof, Kate? ’Cause that sure would be nice for a change.”

Kate Nash always got him riled. She knew how to push his buttons.

“I know Derek and his friends trashed our house but, no, lucky for you, I’ve got nothing real to back me up, only my gut feeling.” She heaved a deep sigh. “But would it hurt you to look into it? I need help here, Matt. I think those kids hurt my daughter. And now they’ve trashed my family home. This has got to stop. You’re not doing any of those kids a favor by ignoring their behavior. They’ll only grow into mean, manipulative adults.”

Matt clenched his jaw and stared at Kate. The silence that filled the room was only broken by the static from speakers and the occasional voices coming from the next room. After the watch incident with Derek, plus the suspicions about his nephew’s character that he’d had for a while, Matt had a strong feeling that Kate was right.

And that meant he was wrong, a notion he didn’t like at all.

“Look, I know you’ve had your share of trouble since you’ve been back. My deputies will investigate the vandalism at your house and what happened to your daughter. I’d like to get to the bottom of all this myself.” He softened his tone. “I’m doing the best I can with what I’ve got, Kate.”

“So am I, Matt.” She narrowed her eyes. “So am I.”

Kate looked tired and a hundred miles past worried. And when Matt looked at what was happening in the next room, he understood why. What kind of whammy hoodoo did they have