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"How do you know so rinned "’Cause Marcus was my friend I’ot hi old Lab-shepherd mix you’ll see around the stables I found him on the road and Marcus took him in"

"I’m sorry for your loss," Dustin told him

"Thanks I can see you mean that"

"So," Dustin pursued "If not a student, who?"

Coot shook his head Delilah was bringing their food "You’ve heard that old saying?" he ram’? Well, it ritten for Delilah"

Delilah arrived at their table, and Coot smiled up at her "Thank you, Delilah! Looks wonderful"

"Enjoy!"

She stood there afascinated with their chicken potpie

"More coffee, gentlemen?" she asked

"Yes, please," Dustin told her

She refilled their coffee Then the family of four apparently needed some directions, and Delilah was distracted

"I’d say look at those closest to him," Coot said in a low voice "Isn’t that what you law types do in situations like this?"

"Usually, yes"

Coot nodded "So at the Horse Farot Mason Garlano The guy’s great with aniood with people I think he’s waiting to be in the right ice creaht tiets soh A bit of an edge to her sometimes, as if she believed there’d be more in the world for her"

"Doesn’t sound like they’d have anything against Marcus, though"

"No Then you’re down to the stable ers Drew Dicksen and Sydney Roux They’re both decent types, far as I can tell They run a tight ship there, not easy with the nu in His door was open to any abandoned creature, and I should know, since I brought his, butat the far Lots of--literally--shit to shovel"

"So even if you resented him because of the workload or whatever, don’t you think you’d find another line of work before killing a man?" Dustin asked

"Yeah There’s the dileenda? Damned if I know"

A few minutes later they finished their meals Coot was insistent that they split the check; he wasn’t taking taxpayerto payDustin’stheir money on the table

About to walk out, Dustin thanked Delilah, as busy wiping tables, preparing to close for the night He could honestly tell her the chicken potpie was excellent

The house was quiet when they returned But Coot didn’t have any more to say He started up the stairs to his own roo fellow," he told Dustin

"Nice to talk with you, too, sir," Dustin said politely

In his own roorounds

Mariah, Marcus and Sydney Roux were all from the area and had families that had been around these parts for over a hundred years Mariah had already told him as much, at least where she was concerned

Aaron Bentley was originally from Arkansas, Andrew Dicksen from Biloxi, Mississippi, Sandra Cheever from White Plains, New York, and Mason Garlano was fronificant Probably not, he assumed--but you never knew

Olivia had actually fallen asleep when the dog suddenly went crazy She was dimly aware of a little woof by her side, then the patter of his nails as he raced down the stairs At the front door, he started a frenzy of barking

Nervously she jumped out of bed She looked around the rooht--she was virtually defenseless She thought about the knives in her kitchen and decided they wouldn’t do her ood If there really was an assailant, he’d just turn her own knife on her She wasn’t a weakling by any means, but neither did she know about co, she threw on a robe, then snatched her phone off the bedside table

The screen told her it was 4:31 a seemed to come from the back of the house

She reminded herself that the place was completely locked down

Butif the person at her door had a gun, he could easily shoot out the locks If so, wouldn’t he already have done that? It wasn’t as though she had neighbors who’d hear She hesitated for a split second and then, instead of hitting 9-1-1, she called Dustin Blake’s number