In Hell: When Love Kills A Small Town Mystery

Chapter 30

It was raining cats and dogs when the Sheriff exited the Ashlon mansion. Noble slammed his hat on his head and trotted to his car. When he got in, he was soaked to the skin. He barely felt the discomfort. His mind was replaying what had just happened.

Now, he'd have to go to the old factory. There was no way around it. A favor, she'd said. Why couldn't it have waited until daylight, Noble wondered? What was so all-fired important about a few carnival photo-booth black and whites that couldn't wait until morning? If they'd been taped to the back of her office desk drawer for years, what harm would it do for them to stay stuck back there a few hours more?

But Dixie was adamant that he go to the factory and retrieve them for her as soon as he'd left the mansion. Noble guessed that it was Deck's sudden death that had fostered the unreasonable request.

Deck.

Noble shook his head. That boy took for granted all that Dixie had done for him. And what did he give her in return?

A strong kick in the teeth.

Noble grunted.

Even as her fortune dwindled, she'd tried to make sure Deck did not get in trouble because of his side hustle – his way of making spending money. Drugs and prostitution and who knew what else. And for his own good, Noble had had to look the other way.

What else was going on?

Noble rubbed his chin. He had no way of knowing. Dixie had her secrets, and even Noble Brand could not fathom them. It had been a hell of a juggling act, seeing that his deputies were nowhere near Deck's route as he crisscrossed the nearby counties selling his stuff. Noble shook his head to scatter the cobwebs of ancient memories.

He headed left onto the paved road, opposite the direction of town. Just as Dixie had requested, Noble left the Ashlon mansion driveway and headed straight for the old factory ruins.