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They had sandwiches for lunch, and then for dinner Seth fried up hamburgers and warmed a can of baked beans. There were also potato chips to add to the meal. They had just finished cleaning up the kitchen when a knock sounded at the door.

Before going to answer, Seth reached up on the top of the refrigerator where he’d placed his gun when he’d first gotten out of bed that morning. Suzanna gasped in surprise as he grabbed the weapon and went to answer the knock.

He held the gun in front of him, determined to protect Suzanna if danger was on the other side of the door. He immediately lowered the weapon when he saw Chief Calloway on the porch.

“I stopped by Suzanna’s place first, and when she wasn’t there, I figured she was probably here,” Chief Calloway said.

“You figured right. She’s here. Come on in.” Seth opened the door so the lawman could enter the house.

“If you want to have a seat, I’ll just go get her,” Seth said and gestured to the sofa. He went back into the kitchen, where he placed the gun on the top of the refrigerator.

“It’s Chief Calloway, I told him to have a seat in the living room,” he said to Suzanna. She got up from the table and followed him.

“Good evening, Suzanna,” Dallas greeted her as she sat on the opposite side of the sofa from him and Seth sat in his recliner.

At that moment, Sammy and Lady came running into the room. Sammy stopped short at the sight of the lawman. “Are you a real policeman?” he asked Chief Calloway with wide eyes.

“I am,” Dallas answered.

“Is that a real gun?”

“It is,” Dallas replied.

“Daddy says police officers are our friends,” Sammy replied. “And we should always be nice to them.”

“That’s a good thing to remember,” Dallas said.

“Sammy, take Lady and go play in your room until bath time,” Seth said. The last thing he wanted was for his son to hear anything Dallas Calloway had to say about the attacks on Suzanna. And hopefully he brought them good news.

“Okay.” Sammy managed to pick up the wiggly pup in his arms. “This is my new dog. Her name is Lady, and I got her yesterday for my birthday.”

“She’s a fine-looking dog,” Dallas replied.

“Thanks,” Sammy said with a bright smile, and then he raced out of the room and back down the hallway.

“Sorry about that,” Seth said once Sammy was gone.

“Don’t apologize. He’s a cute kid.” Dallas turned and looked at Suzanna, who was slightly pale and anxious looking. “I figured I’d come by and give you a bit of an update.”

Suzanna leaned slightly forward. “What have you found out?”

“First of all, we searched all around your driveway and the surrounding area. Unfortunately, we didn’t find anything to identify the perpetrator. I spent today catching up with the three men you mentioned to me last night. Of the three, Arlan Barlow was the only one with an airtight alibi for the time of yesterday’s attack. He was at the Farmer’s Club at that time and was seen there by a dozen people. I also confirmed his presence there with Ranger.”

“Ranger?” Seth asked curiously.

“Ranger Simmons, he’s the owner of the Farmer’s Club,” Dallas explained.

“And what about the other two men?” Suzanna asked.

“Unfortunately, neither of them has much of an alibi for the time of the attack. Both of them told me they were at home alone, and there is nothing to substantiate those alibis.”

“So what happens now?” Suzanna asked.

“I keep investigating,” Dallas replied. “Trust me, Suzanna, I intend to keep at this until we have the guilty person behind bars.” He stood. “I just wanted to come by and let you know what I’ve learned so far.”

“I appreciate it,” Suzanna said, and both she and Seth stood as well. Seth was grateful to see that some of the color had returned to her cheeks. But he wished Dallas had come with some real answers for them. He wished Dallas had been able to tell them that the perpetrator had been identified and was now behind bars.

The three of them walked to the front door. “I’ll continue to keep you updated as I get more information,” Dallas said. “Have you thought of anyone else you think I need to check out?”