Chapter 23
Gold didn't like loose ends, but by midnight he had one.
His goon's attempt at silencing Cal took an unfortunate turn when Cal not only survived the bump off the road, but he vanished as well. This was not the kind of news Gold ever enjoyed hearing, particularly after he had gone to bed thinking his kingdom was safe again.
"Have you found him yet?" Gold barked into his phone.
"No, sir. Don't worry though. We'll take care of it."
"You said that last time."
"Don't worry. We'll keep him out of the way."
"Good. I don't want to lose any more sleep over this, you hear?"
"Yes, sir."
Gold loved ordering the Sheriff around like that. It was one of the perks of controlling a town and its dark secrets. Hunter Jones owed Gold everything, so when Gold said, "Jump," Jones always asked, "Where to?" It was that easy for Gold.
***
Jones loathed the way Gold treated him. After all, wasn't he the sheriff? Instead, it seemed like Gold thought he was the one with a badge-and never had to get his hands dirty. Tonight, Jones was about to get grime beneath his fingernails for a good cause.
He dialed Dawkins' number.
"Yeah, boss."
"You found Cal yet?"
"Nope. We're still looking."
"Well, when you do, charge him with driving under the influence."
"We can't do that."
"Dawkins, have you lost your mind? You know we can do anything we want in this town. I got a call from dispatch that a car matching Cal's was weaving all over the road. Do you need any more than that?"
"No, sir. I think I can make that work. We'll find him."