Resorting to Murder (A Darcy Sweet Mystery Book 11) by K.J. Emrick Page A

buzzing.
    Jon was not with him.
    "Uh, change of plans," Darcy said.  "We should run."
    Scrunching her eyebrows down, JoEllen looked over at what Darcy was staring at and saw Rockwood coming.  "Why are we running from the Sheriff?"
    "Because he has a gun and we don't."  Darcy pulled JoEllen away from the buzzer, away from the window, and two steps towards the exit before Rockwood stepped out into the entryway . 
    He smiled a cold smile at the two of them, and his hand went for his holster.  
    "Figured it out, did you?" Rockwood said in that same kindly baritone of his. 
    The same voice that Smudge had spoken with in Darcy's dream.  She recognized it now. 
    He drew his gun and aimed.  "Ah, well.  Guess I'll have to add your names to the list of missing persons."

Chapter Ten
     
    At the point of a gun, Darcy heard the Sheriff ask what she thought was a pretty stupid question.
    "Do you know how much paperwork this is going to cause me?"
    Darcy had stepped in front of JoEllen as they stood there in the entryway of the Sheriff's Office, feeling scared down to the marrow in her bones, knowing there was nothing they could do to help themselves.  The gun looked impossibly huge in Rockwood's hand, and she was sure the bullet would look just as big.  Rockwood leaned back against the door that led inside, keeping it open.
    For all of her concern for her own life, and even JoEllen's, there was some one she was even more worried about.  "Where's Jon?"
    "Oh, your boyfriend's fine," he told her with a wave of his hand like it wasn't important.  "For now.  Left him in the office filling out forms while I came to see why the door was buzzing.  Now, I gotta take care of you two and him.  Just like I had to kill that idiot Carson Middlemiss when he came in here saying he'd been checking his property where that arena's supposed to go and found one of my gravesites.  He wouldn't let it go.  Insisted on a big investigation.  He figured it would stop the arena being built but I really couldn't have anyone poking around up there."
    He sighed heavily like the whole world was against him.  " Just got back from burying him and tidying up the other grave, and now here you three are.  JoEllen saw who took her kid, did she?  See, that's a problem.  Because I know different.  So, Jon is fine for now, I guess the answer is?  Just not for long."
    Darcy tensed.  The Sheriff didn't plan on letting them go.  He'd killed Carson.  That explained his disappearance.  Could she call out to Jon?  At least save his life?
    "Don't be stupid now," Rockwood said to her, aiming his gun a little more in her direction.  "I can shoot you dead before you make a peep.  You, and your friend too, and then when Jon boy comes running I can just stand here and take him out."
    "Aren't you going to kill all of us anyway?" JoEllen asked him sharply.
    "Well, sure," the Sheriff said with that same smile.  "I mean, I can't exactly let you leave now.  The difference is in how I kill you.  I can make it quick and painless or I can lock you up somewhere and let you starve to death while everyone searches for you like ants swarming across the ground.  Kind of like I have poor little Connor locked up."
    JoEllen took a step past Darcy but Rockwood waved her back with his gun.  "Oh, don't worry, your son is fine.  He'd be back with you already, if you'd just done what I told you to.  I heard a contract killer was in my town, I figured this was a no brainer.  Get her to do the murder this time, keep my hands clean, maybe even arrest her after the fact and look like a hero.  Yeah.  That would have been sweet.  Except I got to your cabin and you weren't there.  Just some dumb nerdy looking guy and a kid.  Had to kill your fiancé.  Sorry about that.  Really.  I am.  He didn't need to die.  But, he saw me taking your kid away and tried to stop me, so that's that."
    Darcy could almost feel the hate radiating off JoEllen in waves.  Her voice held an