CHAPTER TWENTY THREE
With nothing more of value discovered at Wakeman, Mackenzie stepped back out into the rugged heat. She saw Sheriff Clarke parked in the exact same spot Ellington’s car had been parked in half an hour earlier. Clarke was sitting behind the wheel, his head craned back comfortably. The engine was running and she could hear the air conditioning plugging away. As she approached the passenger side door and opened it, she saw that he had not been napping. He was simply staring at the cruiser’s roof, deep in thought.
“I take it you’re my ride back to the station?” Mackenzie asked him.
“Seems that way. Ellington left the car for you. A cab picked him up ten minutes ago. I’ve been out here waiting for you ever since.”
She got into the car, enjoying the feel of the police cru
