36. To Trap a Fox

Summary

• The chapter is situated in 1969 and is about Sheriff Joe trying to bring in a woman named Kya for questioning in regard to a man named Chase's death.
• Joe and Ed, probably another officer, have a report that correctly matches fibers from Kya's hat found on Chase's jacket when he was found dead.
• There are multiple evidences against Kya, which include a shrimper who would testify that they saw Kya boating towards the fire tower just before Chase fell to his death. Patti Love claims that Kya made Chase a shell necklace that disappeared the night he died and the fibers found on his jacket.
• Despite the list of evidence, Joe believes that being jilted isn't motive enough for murder and suggests that they need to discover a better motive during their ongoing investigation.
• They know they need to bring Kya in for questioning. However, Kya is known to be elusive and has managed to outwit authorities such as truant officers and census takers for years.
• Ed suggests setting a trap to bring her in for questioning. However, Joe warns that in his experience of trapping, it's usually the trap that gets foiled.
• Joe suggests using hounds to track Kya down, but Ed insists that it's not the right approach considering she's only a suspect and presumed innocent until proven guilty.
• While Ed and Joe are discussing how to lure Kya in for questioning, a man named Rodney, a retired mechanic and known villager, pays them a visit to share his story related to the Chase Andrews case.
• Rodney shares he and his friend Denny saw something at Cypress Cove on August 30 of that year, which he believes might be of interest to the case.
• After hearing Rodney's story, Joe and Ed appear to have found their missing motive. They decide to bring Kya in for questioning.