pushing it, because I’m just starting to learn this stuff, but I’m here to help her out.” He pressed his lips together to stop the flow of babble. At least it was smartish babble, not Bry-is-dumb babble.
“How did you find this job? Did you answer an ad?”
“No. I’m a friend of Doc’s. Zander Wydell’s. He said I could stay here and help his mom for a while.”
“Ah.” Her tone warmed slightly. “So you know the family. Is that your dog? I don’t recognize him.”
“Yes, he’s mine.” He gave Luger’s collar a tweak. “Hush, Luug, she’s a… cop.” Luger silenced and sat, still focused on her. Brian was relieved to hear the front door of the house open and shut. Yasmin came down the steps in her usual sweatshirt, overalls, and boots. He waved and raised his voice. “Hey, Ms. Wydell, the sheriff’s here to see you.”
Yasmin came toward them, her hand out. “Thanks for coming. I didn’t expect to see you in person.”
The sheriff’s grip looked strong. “My investigators are tied up this morning, and I haven’t forgotten all my field skills yet. You want to tell me what happened?”
“Come look.” Yasmin led the way toward the barn. Brian stayed put, watching as Yasmin gestured at the barn, then at the tractor still nosed into the gate with a wheel in the ditch. The sheriff tilted her head, listening, then walked around, looking at the barn and the ground, especially near the tractor. Yasmin stood nearby, and they had a conversation, but Brian heard no more than a murmur of sounds. The sheriff pulled out a camera.
It had nothing to do with him. At least, he really hoped it didn’t. There was work to do, and he didn’t want that sheriff getting interested in him. The goat poo was a bit of a challenge, piles of little pellets that rolled off the shovel as he lifted them to the wheelbarrow. He made himself focus on the job until a renewed rumble from Luger warned him he was being watched. He turned slowly.
The sheriff and Yasmin both stood a few feet away. Yasmin said, as if continuing a conversation, “He works hard. The animals all like him, even Lass.”
“That’s a good sign,” the sheriff agreed. She raised her voice to address Brian. “I don’t appreciate your dog growling at me, though. He gets one chance around here, one bite, and then he’s gone. We have a dangerous dog law.”
“He won’t bite anyone. I promise.” Brian rubbed the sweat off his forehead with his wrist and tried out a smile. “He was trained as a guard dog, but he’s not vicious. He’s still upset about those guys doing bad stuff last night.”
“Those ‘guys’? Did you see them? Was it more than one person?”
“Oh. No, nope, I don’t know. I was just talking.” He gritted his teeth and said more firmly. “Making a guess.”
“Where were you when the tractor crashed?”
Yasmin said, “He was in his room. He was behind me when we ran out of the house.”
“Ah.” The sheriff stayed focused on Brian. “Is there anyone who might want to make trouble for you, Mr. Carlson?”
“For me? It’s not my tractor.”
“Have you seen anyone hanging around the farm recently?”
“No.”
“If I send a guy to dust the tractor for fingerprints, will yours come up in the criminal database?”
He couldn’t hide a jolt but tried to cover it by turning to set the shovel down. “No.” I hope not. He’d never been arrested for anything. Would they have recorded my prints from Marston’s place? Would Nick’s be on file as a cop? Probably both. He couldn’t remember if Nick had touched the tractor in his three days on the farm. Brian hadn’t driven it yet himself.
Yasmin said, “You’re barking up the wrong tree, Sheriff.”
“I’m not barking up any trees yet.”
“Brian’s been a big help to me.”
Sheriff Gannet nodded slightly.
Brian said, “Who do you think did it, Sheriff? Why’d they hurt Yasmin’s farm?”
“If I knew that, we’d be arresting them, wouldn’t we?”
Yasmin said, “Surely it’s just kids making trouble?”
“That’s one possibility.”
Brian guessed wildly, “Maybe it’s a distraction. Luring you here while a crime is happening somewhere else.”
“I doubt it.” At least her expression was more amused than accusing now. She turned to Yasmin. “Leave the tractor where it is. I’ll send an investigator around to dust for prints, for what it’s worth. If I were you, I’d start locking buildings and having the dogs run loose.”