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the oddest feeling this morning. Her dad had talked her out of skipping school to come home for Election Day. He’d suggested she wait and maybe stretch out the Thanksgiving break. But the moment she opened her eyes this morning, she’d had no choice except to come back. She’d never felt anything like it before. It was woo-woo stuff, like Uncle Mad Dog was always talking about. She believed in the spiritual stuff her Uncle Mad Dog described, but nothing like it had ever happened to her no matter how hard she tried. Not until this morning.
    â€œHeather!” Mrs. Kraus stood behind the counter in the dusty old sheriff’s office and greeted her with a smile as big as the Kansas sky. “What are you doing here? Does Englishman know you’re coming? Did you hear about Wynn?”
    She felt a little reassured. If something had happened to her dad, Mrs. Kraus didn’t know about it. And that wasn’t likely. Heather decided to answer the last question first.
    â€œI heard on the radio as I was driving back. Is there any word? Do you know how Wynn’s doing? Or the kids who were on that bus?”
    Mrs. Kraus’ smile disappeared. “Wynn’s critical, but stable. I was on the phone with his wife not long ago. They flew Wynn to a hospital in Wichita. The doctors think he’s got a good chance to make it, but he won’t be telling his side of the story anytime soon. Would sure help your dad if he could.”
    â€œIs Dad okay?” Heather had wanted to lead with that question, but she’d been trying to persuade herself that the feeling she’d woken with could be explained by the anchovy pizza her study group had split last night, along with some pithy thoughts on the limitations of tort liability.
    â€œOh, sure, honey. I mean, you know he’s not been sleeping well and he’s shook up by all this, and overwhelmed as usual, but he’s fine. He’d be better if I could find him a deputy to help sort through this mess.”
    Englishman hadn’t been sleeping or eating well since her mother died. Before, really, while he was sheriff and caregiver and searcher after miracles. Heather knew about her dad’s deputy problems, too. Englishman had only had one qualified deputy in all his years in office. The woman had saved Heather and her sister from a bomb. After that, she got lots of better offers from other law enforcement agencies. Then Benteen County’s finances turned so desperate they stopped issuing regular paychecks. Heather didn’t blame the woman for moving on.
    â€œDad’s working this case by himself?” She hadn’t thought it would be that bad. The county budget included three deputies—not trained police professionals, but nice guys who did their best. Wynn was in a hospital, but that still left two. “Where are Gaddert and Frazier?”
    â€œGaddert’s on leave to deal with his folks. Frazier’s latest experiment in gourmet cooking missed the mark. He’s out with food poisoning.”
    â€œHow can Daddy investigate the car Wynn was chasing and the bus accident, all by himself?”
    â€œWell, he’s got me.” Mrs. Kraus squared her shoulders and pulled herself up to her full four-foot-ten. Heather knew the old woman was a huge asset, no matter how tall she stood.
    The phone rang. “Dang!” Mrs. Kraus said. “I had the state troopers on one line and the hospital in Hays, where they took the people from the school bus, on the other. Somebody’s gone and got impatient on me.”
    â€œI’m sorry. Deal with business. You get that line and I’ll see if I can keep the people on the other one happy.” Mrs. Kraus grabbed a phone and Heather started around the counter.
    â€œHeather?” someone said. Heather turned and discovered a neighbor, who lived a block down from the English house, standing in the doorway behind her.
    â€œI was just about to vote,” the