“Can they do that?”
“Well, I’m elected, so they can’t just fire me. But they have a lot of money and influence. It’s possible they could back someone against me.”
“That’s outrageous. You’re an amazing sheriff. The people love you. I don’t believe they’d turn on you.”
“You never know. Depends on who runs against me.”
“I can’t think of anyone who could beat you,” I grumbled. “Rainy Dale is lucky to have you.”
His lips twitched. “I appreciate your vote of confidence.”
“Of course.”
Wincing, he said, “I need to focus on catching Archie’s killer. I’ll worry about that other stuff later.”
“Are you going to charge Kobe with Archie’s murder?”
“Not at this time.” He grimaced. “I released him this morning.”
“Oh.” That surprised me.
He met my gaze. “Take a guess how pleased the Raidens were with that decision.”
“I can imagine. They’re not interested in catching Archie’s killer. They just want to wash their hands of the whole thing.”
“Bingo.”
“Are you any closer to finding the killer?”
He grimaced. “It’s still early in the investigation. I did find out some things about Archie I’d never have expected.”
“Yeah?” He didn’t usually talk to me about his cases. He tried to keep that stuff separate from our time together. He must’ve really been stressed-out if he was willing to do that with me now.
He glanced around and lowered his voice. “Archie had a checkered past. To put it nicely.”
I raised my brows. “Really?”
“Yep. More than one identity.”
“Oh, my.” I raised my brows. “That’s… surprising.”
“Very.”
Jeanette brought our food, and a few minutes passed with her bringing condiments and topping off our beverages. Then she left, and we dug into our food. I’d ordered a Cobb salad for lunch, and I poured some ranch on it, wondering if Royce would tell me anything else about the case. I wasn’t going to push. He could tell me what he was comfortable with in his own time.
He’d consumed half of his burger when he finally sat back, looking more relaxed. He pressed his napkin to his mouth. “This morning, you said you had some exciting news?”
I nodded, setting my fork down. “Yes. Well, it’s not a done deal, but Mrs. Numi thinks it will be.”
His smile was patient. “Any chance you’ll give me details?”
I laughed. “Of course. I think I’ve found the perfect location for my clinic.” It was hard to keep the excitement from my voice. “I can’t believe my luck. I already put an offer in on the place.”
“Wow.” He looked a little taken aback. “So, you’ve definitely decided to cut ties with River?”
“Yes. I think I have no choice. He’s trying to undermine me with my patients. Plus, after how he was at the wedding, I don’t want anything to do with him.”
“Absolutely. I support that idea.” He reached over, smiling. “That’s fantastic that you found a good spot.”
