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it’s only forty dollars.”
    “You don’t worry about that, I’ll take care of it. So what do you say?” Gray held his hand out toward the clipper blade. David stared at his palm for a moment before handing over the wicked-looking part. Gray set it down on the shelf beside him and then reached out again. David grasped his hand, al lowing himself to be pulled up.
    “Is there a chance, Sheriff? Any at all?”
    Gray only let the frown crease his forehead for a moment before trying to smile. “I’ve known your daddy for a long time, Davy, and if there’s any way he can come home, he will . There’s always a chance, as long as you can hope.”
    The boy rubbed his eyes again before nodding. “Mr. Redy’s real mad.”
    “You go on out and get in my cru iser, let me talk to Mr. Redy.”
    David walked down the aisle, his head tilted at the floor, red hair bouncing with each step. When he reached the end, Gray saw him glance up at the towering form of the storeowner and then look away from the seething anger that coated the big man’s face. Redy opened his mouth as David made his way across the store toward the doors, but Gray put a hand on his shoulder.
    “Clark, can you get that pinion sea l here any faster than a week?”
    Redy looked at him as if he’d ju st spoken in Cantonese. “What?”
    “Your order time seems slow, I thought you said you normally get shipments every day.”
    The shade of Redy’s face began to climb into the puce area again and he pointed a thick finger a few inches from Gray’s nose. “What the hell are you talking about, Sheriff? That little vandal just tore up half my store and you’re asking me about shipping speed?”
    “That’s right, Clark, and if you don’t take your finger out of my face I’ll have to do something about it.”
    Gray waited for the man to take a looping swing at him. Instead Redy lowered his arm, which seemingly caused his eyes to bulge even more. “ You can’t order me around, you’re an elected official paid by the people of this county. Who the fuck do you think you are?”
    Gray stepped a few inches closer to the man, the bill of his cap almost touching Redy’s nose. Redy flinched, but only a little. Gray spoke just above a whisper. “That boy’s been carrying the burden of his father being gone for over a month now, Clark. He doesn’t know where he went and no one else does either. His world’s been thrown off its axis. His mother’s nearly bedridden with heartache and David has twenty acres to weed along with trying to take care of a household that ’s blaringly empty without his dad there. Now I’m sorry he came in and knocked over some of your products but I saw nothing broken, if there is you send me a bill. Now answer my question, can you get that pinion seal here faster than a fucking week or are we still living in the dark ages?”
    Redy’s mouth moved for a second without any words coming out. Then he spluttered in a much softer tone, “I can put a rush on it and have it here in two days.”
    Gray stepped back, readjusted his hat. “Good. Remember to sen d me a bill. Let’s go, Joseph.”
    Gray walked out of the store as Ruthers foll owed, storing away his pistol. The eyes of everyone in the building watched them until they disappeared into the flaring heat of the day.

Chapter 6
     
     
    The cruiser door thunked shut and David Baron gave them a wave before walking toward the two-story farmhouse, its paint ignited a dazzling white in the late afternoon sun.
    Gray and Ruthers watched him until he climbed the steps onto the front porch and disappeared inside before pulling away in the turnaround that led back to the barren count ry road. The sun cut across the field clover to their right, a few head of cattle grazing behind an electrified fence. Dust kicked up behind the cruiser in a cloud, an occasional stone snapping against its undercarriage.
    “That was a nice thing you did back there, sir.”
    “Why thank you, Joseph.”
    “I