Small-Town Face-Off. Tyler Anne Snell

place on Mara’s hip and stared at Billy with an expression caught somewhere between inquisitive and concerned. He couldn’t help but stare right back into those green eyes. Like looking into a mirror when it came to the same green.

      “That’s Donna Ramsey,” Mara answered, in an equally low voice. Billy broke his staring contest with Alexa and angled his body to glance at the other side of the room. True to her words, Donna Ramsey was sitting in the corner booth, head bent over the magazine and coffee on the table in front of her. He nodded.

      “It is.”

      Billy watched as Mara’s face grew tight. She furrowed her brow.

      “Do you know Donna personally?” he asked, his own concern pushing to the forefront. Mara shook her head.

      “I’ve only spoken to her once.”

      “About?”

      He knew Mara well enough to know that her thoughts had turned dark. From anger or sadness or something else, though, he couldn’t tell.

      “About my father,” she answered, voice nearly lost amidst the clatter of the espresso machine. Mara lost her dark look and replaced it with something akin to nonchalance.

      “Don’t worry,” she said. “It was before I left and nothing I didn’t already know.”

      Becky bustled into view before he could question Mara further. She handed them their drinks and looked at Billy.

      “Remember, Sheriff, complaining always makes problems ten times worse,” she said sagely. “So stop complaining and start drinking some of the best coffee this town has to offer.”

      Billy couldn’t help but smirk.

      “You got it, Becky.”

      Mara waved goodbye while Alexa giggled, and soon the three of them were walking to the back of the station.

      “I like her,” Mara commented.

      “Next time you order from her, tell her that,” Billy said. “Suzy did and now she gets a discount.”

      Mara laughed and Alexa started to babble. Billy craned his neck to look down at her face. Whatever she was saying must have been normal because Mara didn’t skip a beat.

      “Suzy,” she started. “I—I haven’t seen her since you were sworn in.”

      They had made it to the back door used by employees only. Billy pulled out his key and went ahead and addressed the elephant in their shared room.

      “She’s still one of the few in the department who knows about us working together to bring down your dad. I never told anyone else about the other us. Or what we used to be,” he amended. With his key hanging in the lock he looked over his shoulder to the woman he’d been ready to spend forever with and then to their child. “I’ll leave it up to you what personal details you want to disclose to my staff. And I’ll follow your lead. But whatever you choose to do today, don’t think I won’t undermine it tomorrow if I need to.”

      Then Billy opened the door and headed inside, mind already going into work mode. He had a murder to solve and a man named Beck to find.

      * * *

      IT WAS COMFORTING, in a way, to walk into the department alongside Billy. Because, unlike their lives in the last two years, the building hadn’t changed. At least, not any way that Mara could tell.

      They took the back hallway that ran behind dispatch and the break room and turned the corner to where Mara knew offices lined one of the hallways that led back toward the lobby. Billy’s office was smack dab in the middle of the others. His nameplate shone with importance. Mara couldn’t help but feel some pride creep in at the sight of it.

      “Walden, the sketch artist, said he’d be here by eight thirty,” Billy said, walking them past his office. “Until then I’d like you to officially make a statement about this Beck fellow. I’m going to double-check that no one fitting Beck’s description is a part of an open case with us or local PD.” He stopped two doors over and motioned her inside. It was the conference room and it definitely wasn’t empty.

      Mara felt her cheeks immediately heat at the sight of mostly familiar faces. Alexa tucked her head into the side of her neck, suddenly shy. Mara didn’t blame her. Billy motioned to an open chair, one of many, around the long table in the middle of the room. Mara sat down with tired grace. Alexa’s sudden shyness didn’t help either one of them adjust from standing to sitting down.

      “Most of you already know Mara, and Mara you know them.” Billy continued to stand. He motioned to Suzy, Matt Walker and Dane Jones. The last time she’d seen them Suzy had been a deputy along with Billy, Matt had been a deputy, too and Dane had been on his way to being sheriff. Now, sitting across from them, Mara doubted their titles were the same. She wondered what title Dane had now but she wasn’t about to ask for clarification.

      On the same side of the table was the one face she didn’t recognize, a pretty young woman with curly blond hair and a smile that looked genuine. Before Mara could stop the thought, she wondered if Billy found the woman pretty, too.

      “Mara, this is Cassie Gates,” Billy said, making the introduction. “She’s training to be a dispatcher.” Mara couldn’t stop the confusion that must have crossed her expression as to why a dispatcher, a trainee dispatcher, was in the room with them when the woman answered the question herself.

      “I’m the youngest of six siblings, most of whom have a kid or two under their belt, so I’m very experienced in the art of keeping little ones entertained when their mamas need to do something important,” she said, voice as sweet as her appearance. She flashed a quick smile at Alexa and addressed the toddler directly. “And what’s your name? I bet it’s something pretty.”

      The entire room seemed to wait as Alexa peeked out at Cassie. There was nothing like waiting for a toddler’s judgment. Seemingly based on some unknown factor, there was no telling how a child would react to something new. That included people. However, instead of hiding away again, Alexa seemed intrigued. She looked back at Mara for a moment, as if asking for permission.

      “This is Alexa,” Mara introduced them with a smile, showing Alexa her approval of the woman next to them. She might have been a stranger to her but she wasn’t to Billy. Mara trusted his judgment. And Alexa trusted Mara’s.

      “Well, what do you know. That is a pretty name,” Cassie said, animation in her words. It reeled in Alexa’s attention. The blonde reached for a bag next to her. From her seat Mara could see it was filled with books and toys. Billy had prepared for the morning, despite short notice. “If it’s okay with your mama, how about we go next door and play in the sheriff’s office? You could even help me read this.” Cassie held up the children’s book Pat the Pet and Alexa nearly lost it.

      “Dog! Dog,” she exclaimed, already trying to get off Mara’s lap.

      It earned a surprised laugh from Cassie. Mara reached into her own bag and produced the same book.

      “Welcome to her favorite book,” she said to the trainee. “She likes petting the dog the most.”

      Mara gave Cassie permission to go next door and play, since Alexa seemed to have lost any doubt about the woman as soon as the book had come into view. Mara didn’t miss the way Billy’s eyes stuck to the cover of the copy Mara had brought along. With more than a twinge of guilt, she realized that, like the stranger who was Cassie, he hadn’t had a clue in the world what his daughter did and didn’t like.

      But Mara couldn’t change what she’d already done and turned to face what was left of the group. The men each gave her a friendly smile. Suzy, on the other hand, gave her a stiff nod. While the other two had known about their working relationship, Suzy alone had known about Mara and Billy’s romantic one and her sudden departure. As one of Billy’s closest friends, Suzy probably knew better than even her how he’d handled it, too.

      “Now, Mara,” Billy started, setting a tape recorder in the middle