Chapter 13
I didn’t have a whole lot of time to ponder these questions because a sheriff’s department deputy showed up. Despite Hermie’s worries, he had arrived so quietly that neither of us had heard him. First he interviewed Hermie and Smithfield. When it was clear they knew little, the officer asked to take statements from us. He was an older fellow, large and beefy, with a nameplate that said “Yerba.” He asked about Larry and Neil, then took the knife away in a bag. He said there was no way to look for footprints in the dark, when so much new snow had fallen, and with more coming down so rapidly. But the department would try to send out a team the next day.
Julian and I, meanwhile, had to pack up and leave. I turned on the floodlights so Julian could back the Rover right up to the si
