self-loathing.
Seth went through her closet and was amazed by the amount of her clothing. Some had labels, but most didn’t, which struck him as odd. He couldn’t even find a place where the labels had been removed.
He checked all thirty-one pairs of her shoes as possible hiding places. Then he went to her dresser. The top three drawers contained undergarments and neatly folded sweaters.
The bottom drawer was another matter. It was full, but not with clothing.
Chapter Five
Seth returned to his office after a fruitless search of Savannah’s home and Olive’s Attic to find Savannah, the matron and some guy who looked as if he just stepped out of the Conservative-of-the-Month calendar.
The matron left almost instantly, but Seth barely noticed. He was too intent on studying the expression on Savannah’s pretty face.
As he placed the picnic basket on his desk, he realized she looked gaunt and pale. He’d seen that kind of look before. It was the same expression he encountered whenever he had the grim job of ringing a doorbell in the middle of the night to tell some unprepared parents that their child had died in a car crash.
That was definitely what he read in Savannah’s expression and it twisted a knot in his gut to see her like that.
The suit and tie rose and offered his hand. “Peter White,” he said amicably.
Seth returned the greeting, then walked around to the opposite side of the desk. Savannah wouldn’t even meet his gaze.
“What can I do for you, Mr. White?” he inquired.
Lifting a chrome briefcase into his lap, he flipped open the latches and retrieved several documents stapled inside the recognizable blue title pages.
Even running on no sleep, Seth knew instantly that this White guy was Savannah’s lawyer. Interesting part was, he’d never seen nor heard of a lawyer named Peter White in any of the surrounding towns or counties.
“This,” Peter began as he handed Seth the first of three sets of papers, “is a Show Cause order from the Federal District Court. It gives you until noon today to charge Miss Wyatt.”
Federal court? Seth thought through the fog of his sleep-deprived brain. Why would the Feds be interested in a murder investigation in a town with a population of less than two thousand?
“And this,” Peter continued, “is an order fromthe Federal Bench placing Miss Wyatt in my custody until you respond to the Show Cause order.”
“Why do you want her?” Seth asked.
“That’s irrelevant at this time, Sheriff. And lastly, I have an order requiring you to turn over copies of any and all evidence related to the murders.”
“Irrelevant my ass!” Seth snapped. “You can eat your court orders until you tell me what this is all about.”
Ignoring Seth’s indignation, White snapped his briefcase closed. “We’ll be at Miss Wyatt’s cabin until noon. If you aren’t going to charge her, then I’ll have someone come by before the close of business today to get those copies.”
Seth was still speechless and angry as he watched Peter White, Esquire, escort a silent Savannah from the building. He moved to the window and watched as White put Savannah in the passenger’s side of a government-issue vehicle. His head was swimming. Savannah must have used her phone call the previous night to call the Feds. What did she have to do with them and why were they in such a hurry to grab jurisdiction?
One possibility was that she truly was a serial killer and all this federal mumbo jumbo was just to get her into the hands of the FBI. Seth shook his head to rid it of that idea. His instincts told him that this woman just didn’t fit the profile.
Savannah had an in with the Feds, but so did he.Seth grabbed up his coat, left word where he was going and headed out into the painfully bright sunlight glaring off the snowdrifts.
He walked across the street to his brother’s medical office. About ten minutes after his arrival, Chance came out into the waiting room and frowned. “You
Seth went through her closet and was amazed by the amount of her clothing. Some had labels, but most didn’t, which struck him as odd. He couldn’t even find a place where the labels had been removed.
He checked all thirty-one pairs of her shoes as possible hiding places. Then he went to her dresser. The top three drawers contained undergarments and neatly folded sweaters.
The bottom drawer was another matter. It was full, but not with clothing.
Chapter Five
Seth returned to his office after a fruitless search of Savannah’s home and Olive’s Attic to find Savannah, the matron and some guy who looked as if he just stepped out of the Conservative-of-the-Month calendar.
The matron left almost instantly, but Seth barely noticed. He was too intent on studying the expression on Savannah’s pretty face.
As he placed the picnic basket on his desk, he realized she looked gaunt and pale. He’d seen that kind of look before. It was the same expression he encountered whenever he had the grim job of ringing a doorbell in the middle of the night to tell some unprepared parents that their child had died in a car crash.
That was definitely what he read in Savannah’s expression and it twisted a knot in his gut to see her like that.
The suit and tie rose and offered his hand. “Peter White,” he said amicably.
Seth returned the greeting, then walked around to the opposite side of the desk. Savannah wouldn’t even meet his gaze.
“What can I do for you, Mr. White?” he inquired.
Lifting a chrome briefcase into his lap, he flipped open the latches and retrieved several documents stapled inside the recognizable blue title pages.
Even running on no sleep, Seth knew instantly that this White guy was Savannah’s lawyer. Interesting part was, he’d never seen nor heard of a lawyer named Peter White in any of the surrounding towns or counties.
“This,” Peter began as he handed Seth the first of three sets of papers, “is a Show Cause order from the Federal District Court. It gives you until noon today to charge Miss Wyatt.”
Federal court? Seth thought through the fog of his sleep-deprived brain. Why would the Feds be interested in a murder investigation in a town with a population of less than two thousand?
“And this,” Peter continued, “is an order fromthe Federal Bench placing Miss Wyatt in my custody until you respond to the Show Cause order.”
“Why do you want her?” Seth asked.
“That’s irrelevant at this time, Sheriff. And lastly, I have an order requiring you to turn over copies of any and all evidence related to the murders.”
“Irrelevant my ass!” Seth snapped. “You can eat your court orders until you tell me what this is all about.”
Ignoring Seth’s indignation, White snapped his briefcase closed. “We’ll be at Miss Wyatt’s cabin until noon. If you aren’t going to charge her, then I’ll have someone come by before the close of business today to get those copies.”
Seth was still speechless and angry as he watched Peter White, Esquire, escort a silent Savannah from the building. He moved to the window and watched as White put Savannah in the passenger’s side of a government-issue vehicle. His head was swimming. Savannah must have used her phone call the previous night to call the Feds. What did she have to do with them and why were they in such a hurry to grab jurisdiction?
One possibility was that she truly was a serial killer and all this federal mumbo jumbo was just to get her into the hands of the FBI. Seth shook his head to rid it of that idea. His instincts told him that this woman just didn’t fit the profile.
Savannah had an in with the Feds, but so did he.Seth grabbed up his coat, left word where he was going and headed out into the painfully bright sunlight glaring off the snowdrifts.
He walked across the street to his brother’s medical office. About ten minutes after his arrival, Chance came out into the waiting room and frowned. “You
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