June 22nd, 0730 Hours

Steve was sitting at the Davis Police Station drinking a cup of coffee with Seth and John. He had arrived early because Trina said there was some people she wanted to interview that day. He had spent most of his Sunday relaxing after being out all night Saturday at the drive-in.

"How was the movie festival the other night? I considered going but decided I better sleep while I could." Seth said.

"It was good. Trina was there and we ended up hanging out. She is funny when she talks about movies." He smiled.

Layfield and Seth looked at each other with raised eyebrows but said nothing.

"You should come to my house for dinner some time. My wife would love to meet you." John said.

"Sounds great. Let me know when." Steve said.

Trina walked in the door, dressed in her uniform and carrying a large glass pan in her arms. She smiled and walked over to where the guys were seated with their coffee.

"Hey guys, how's it going?" she smiled at them.

"Enjoying the coffee since it isn't strong enough to use as paint thinner." Seth chuckled. "What's in the pan?"

"Oh, this is for Steve." She handed the pan to him. "It's a homemade blackberry cobbler. I went berry picking yesterday when I was riding my four-wheeler and decided to make you a cobbler."

"Thank you. You didn't have to do that." He was surprised.

"I just thought you would enjoy it." She leaned down and hugged him from behind. "Just hide it from Seth or we'll find him in one of the cells downstairs with a purple tongue."

"Hey I never did that with your blackberry cobbler….it was your peanut butter pie you made last Christmas." Seth said, making the others chuckle.

"So who did you want to interview today?" Steve asked her.

"Kinda an unofficial interview…one of our local preachers….Bray Wyatt. I don't suspect him, but he just has this….way of knowing things." Trina said.

"Knowing things how?" Steve asked as he stood up, setting his cobbler on her desk.

"Bray is…..unorthodox. He has contact with some of our more…unusual citizens." Trina said.

"Quit sugarcoating it. Wyatt is a preacher at a snake handling church." Layfield said, making Steve nearly choke on his coffee.

"He….huh?"

"John, Bray might be a little strange but he is harmless and an okay guy. Just because his religion is…..different doesn't mean he is a bad person." She said.

"You really think he can help?" Steve asked.

"It couldn't hurt. I mean if one of his congregation is involved…..chances are Bray will sense something." Trina said.

"Well, I'm not sure about this, but why not? Nothing else is giving us any leads." Steve said.

0815 Hours

Trina pulled the Davis PD SUV up outside a small, plain looking wooden building and parked in the small gravel parking lot.

"This is a church?" Steve asked.

"Yeah, snake-handling churches are a branch of the Pentecostal church. They are a small congregation….maybe 10 members." Trina said as she climbed out.

"I never saw anything like that in LA. I had heard about it…..but this is my first encounter with it." Steve admitted as he climbed out as well. "I thought these churches were against the law…despite freedom of religion."

"Actually West Virginia is the only state that allows snake-handling in Appalachia. A lot of other states have outlawed the use of venomous snakes in rituals. It is supposed to protect people and the serpents. Over the years there have been about 80 deaths from venomous snake bites during rituals." She said.

"Well I trust your gut and knowledge of your hometown people." Steve said as he followed her behind the small church to an outbuilding of sorts.

As they rounded the corner, they came upon a large man with long hair and a long beard walking out of the small outbuilding. He was dressed in white pants and a wife beater. Steve wasn't sure what to think of this man, but followed Trina who seemed perfectly calm.

"Bray, good morning!" she smiled.

"Ah, Trina, good morning. And who is the stranger?" Bray smiled as he looked up at them.

"Bray, this is our new county detective Steve Borden. Steve, this is Bray Wyatt, pastor of the Light and Holiness in Jesus Name Church." She introduced the two.

"Nice to meet you." Steve said politely, still unsure of this man standing before him that looked as if he had just crawled out of the swamp.

"What brings you two out this way?" Bray asked. Steve peered around him into the building and saw several snakes in cages.

"I'm sure you have heard there has been two murders in the area recently." Trina said. "And well…..you come in contact with some of our more…..rural residents. Have you heard anything?"

Bray chuckled. "None of my congregation would do such a thing. And murders as gruesome as what I have read in the papers…they would talk if they knew anything."

"Have you had any new members recently?" Steve asked.

"No…my faith is no longer a growing church. We hardly ever get new members. Those of us that do share this faith are mostly those who were raised in it and chose not to abandon it when we reached maturity." Bray said.

"Have you noticed anything unusual lately? Bray, I am worried if we don't find this guy…he is gonna kill again." Trina said.

Bray closed his eyes and breathed deeply. He opened his eyes again. "The animals have been acting strange lately."

"Excuse me?" Steve asked.

"The animals have been acting strange. See the beasts of the earth sense when something is amiss in their environment. Haven't you noticed we have had a high number of deer killed on the road….more than average? The animals seem to be scattering." Bray said.

Steve was unsure what to think, he just kept thinking this guy was crazy and not to be taken seriously.

"Bray, if you think of anything else or if you hear anything, call the station." Trina said.

"I will. I wish I could help more." Bray said.

"Thank you for your time." Steve said.

Bray turned and walked back into the snake building as Trina and Steve walked back around the church towards the SUV.

"The guy is weird." Steve muttered.

"Bray is a bit different, I will give you that. But he is a good man, honest man." She assured him. "I would feel safe being alone with Bray. Trust me, he is different not dangerous."

"But he also didn't tell us anything worthwhile." Steve said.

"In a way he did." Trina looked thoughtful.

Steve stared at her. "How did he tell us anything worthwhile?"

Trina smiled. "You have so much to learn city slicker. For starters, Bray's family has lived in Tucker County for generations. They know everyone. If Bray doesn't know the killer that means the killer either isn't a resident or hasn't been here long."

"You really think so?" he asked, still unsure.

"Yeah, the only thing that confuses me is his ramblings about the animals." She shrugged.

"Guess we can head back to the station." Steve said. "Maybe something positive in this case will break soon."

1400 Hours

"Trina….I'm hungry. Let me have some of that cobbler." Seth half-whined as Trina typed on her computer.

"You'll have to ask Steve, it is his cobbler." She chuckled.

"He is busy talking with Jerry." Seth said.

"Guess you'll just have to starve." She laughed as she expanded her search of similar cases into other states.

"Will you bake me one?" Seth asked. "I'll go beat the hell out of Joe for you."

"You wanna do that anyway." She chuckled. "Which by the way, I love you for."

"If you love me, you'll feed me!" Seth smiled and batted his eyelashes.

"What are you gonna do if Taylor Swift is a lousy cook?" she laughed. "Which she probably is because that twit looks like she wouldn't know how to make toast!"

"They have cooking classes." He insisted. "Besides, as hot as she is, who cares if she can't cook?"

Trina laughed. "You dork, looks fade over time. Then where will that leave you…old and starving. And for the millionth time Taylor Swift is not hot."

"Oh dear, I am hearing about Taylor Swift again." Jerry said as he walked up with Steve.

"Steve, you are my favorite county detective in the history of Tucker County!" Seth said.

"Oh brother." Trina laughed.

"What he meant to say was he wanted some of that cobbler Trina brought you this morning." John laughed at Seth's antics.

"Sure, why don't we all take a break and have some? You got some paper plates or something?" Steve shrugged.

"Yeah, in the break room." Trina said. "Come on Seth, we'll feed you before you drive me crazy."

They all walked into the break room and Trina took some paper plates down off the top of the refrigerator. Steve took the cobbler Trina had made him out of the fridge and set it on the table as everyone took their seats. Trina dug in a drawer until she found a cake cutter and figured they could use that to cut and serve.

Trina cut and served everyone a piece of the cobbler and then took a seat with the rest of the guys.

"Trina this is so good, I swear I am marrying you someday. I'll fight John for you." Seth said as he took another huge bite.

"I refuse to share my husband with Taylor Swift. Besides, he isn't widowed yet." She laughed.

"Don't I get a say in this?" John asked.

"Like you would turn down a cute woman that can cook!" Jerry chuckled. "I am not sure if I should be scared or thrilled that my team is so close."

"You love us…even Seth." Trina laughed.

"Hey I am very lovable." Seth winked making her laugh more.

"I think it is nice. And even though I haven't seen it, I bet when something goes down in the field, you all have each other's backs." Steve said.

"How goes expanding the search for similar cases?" Jerry asked.

"Nothing interesting so far. But I am not giving up. This guy has to have other murders under his belt at the rate he is killing in Tucker County." She said. "My gut tells me he has killed before, most likely in another state."

"Just be careful. You can get too involved in a case and let it eat at you." Steve warned as this was something he could see Trina did despite his warnings.

"I'm fine. I better get back to work." She stood up.

"Thank you for this. It is delicious." Steve smiled at her.

"Well, maybe I will make you something else yummy before we go to the Mayor's Ball." She rubbed his shoulder as she walked by on her way out of the break room.

Jerry, John and Seth all looked at each other. Steve noticed the looks passing among them.

"Guys, something wrong?" Steve asked.

"You and Trina are going to the Mayor's Ball together?" Jerry asked.

"Yeah, I asked her thinking it would be nice. We get along well and while those events aren't really my thing, I think I would enjoy spending a nice evening with her." Steve said.

"Steve….we like you, really we do. But we're not sure how much she has healed since that whole mess with Joe." Seth said.

"And we wouldn't want you to end up being her rebound guy from him either." Jerry said.

"And we don't want anything else to hurt Trina. She has been through hell." John said.

"Hey, it's just the Mayor's Ball. It's not like we are getting married." Steve said.

"Well…..whatever happens is between you two. And well you guys have been working together a lot and spending a lot of time together." Jerry gently implied that he recognized the growing feelings between the two.

"And I think Trina may be feeling something for you. She is really warming up to you." Seth said and noticed the small smile that broke out on Steve's face.

"Just be careful." John said.

1830 Hours

Trina was getting ready to leave work having spent the afternoon digging through cases in surrounding states hoping to find a similar pattern to the two murders in Tucker County but was unable to find anything yet.

"Why don't we go to Lowes and get what is needed for your barn?" Steve asked. "I'll drive."

"You realize we'll have to drive to Buckhannon?" She asked.

"I don't mind. We can grab dinner." Steve shrugged.

"Okay, let me go change into street clothes. It will only take me a few minutes." She said and hurried to the small locker room in the back.

Steve sat down and looked at the papers covering her desk. She had looked at cases from several states but couldn't find one with a similar MO yet. Jerry had finally told her to knock off early since she had worked so hard all day. He looked up to see her hurrying back out of the locker room dressed in casual shorts and flip-flops.

"Okay, I am all ready to go." She said.

"We'll see you guys tomorrow." Steve said as he followed Trina out of the station.

They walked over to Steve's Silverado and he popped the locks so they could get in. She climbed in as Steve started the truck. He set the GPS for where they were going and headed out.

"You know, the Buckhannon police made themselves look pretty bad the past few years." Trina said. "Maybe that is one of the reasons I am working so hard on this case."

"What happened?" Steve asked.

"Well…..it got leaked out about one of their missing person's cases. A young guy, in his 20's, He had gone to the police trying to get a warrant taken out, claiming an illegal immigrant had threatened him. Buckhannon police didn't do anything with it, didn't take him seriously. Then he came up missing." Trina explained.

"That doesn't mean that the guy threatening is the reason he is missing. Although it doesn't paint the police there in the best light." Steve said.

"Yeah….then a few months later….the illegal immigrant was arrested after it was learned he had hired someone to kill a guy he thought was fooling around with his wife. Turns out there were rumors the missing kid was fooling around with the same lady. After that the Buckhannon police have come under fire." She said.

"Wow…..guess that would be a time where a lot of questions would be asked." Steve agreed. "But no police talk for a while. Let's focus on your barn."

She chuckled. "Okay that sounds good."

"I figure we're gonna need some metal flashing, roof caulking, roof nails…they should have it all." He said.

She chuckled. "How does a city boy know all this?"

"My dad taught me how to be handy. Said he wanted me to be able to take care of myself." Steve said.

"I wish my parents had taught me some of this stuff. Dad was a jack of all trades…so was mom. I think they thought they'd have more time with me." She said.

"I know you must miss them." Steve said.

"You know, sometimes I can hear my dad's laugh…or I'll say something and be like 'whoa dad just flew out of my mouth'." She chuckled, not even stopping to realize she was sharing private thoughts. "Like when I watch the Super Bowl and they are doing all those pre-game activities….with video packages, the overdone coin toss, all the guests etc I find myself saying 'If you cut out all this bullshit and just played the game, it would be half over by now.' And that was so my dad….he hated all the pre-game stuff at any sporting event….except the Kentucky Derby."

"Sounds like you guys were really close." Steve smiled.

"Oh yeah, he was the best. Called me and mom 'his ladies'." She chuckled.

2130 Hours

After their trip to Lowes, they had stopped at a small roadside food stand to get some dinner. Trina sat on the tailgate of the Silverado while Steve placed their order. It was mostly dark but some street lights helped illuminate the area. She was excited to finally be getting her barn fixed and was anxious to buy a horse and still wanted a goat.

Steve walked over, carrying their food in a box and sat down next to her on the tailgate. He handed her what he had bought for her to eat, a slaw dog and French fries.

"Good service here." Steve smiled at her.

"Good food too. I haven't been here in a while. I never could get Joe to come out here. Claimed he didn't like anything on the menu." Trina said and rolled her eyes.

"I don't know why he wouldn't listen to you about food, you certainly know how to cook and grow a garden." Steve tried to be encouraging.

"It wasn't just food. He wouldn't listen about anything I had to say. You know he nearly let his own dog die because he wouldn't believe me it had heartworms." Trina said as she unwrapped her slaw dog.

"He what?"

"He had this beautiful brindle pit bull. That thing was his baby, but the jackass was too stingy to take it to the vet. When we started dating, I noticed the dog was showing symptoms of having heartworm. I tried telling him that his dog was sick but he said the dog was just being lazy and wanting attention. Then he got this brilliant idea to give the dog pills to treat intestinal worms. I couldn't make that stupid man understand heart worms were not an intestinal worm. When I finally carried on enough that he let me take the dog to the vet, he was nearly dead…I'm sorry. I am sure you don't want to hear all about my anger and frustrations from that man." She smiled sheepishly.

"It's okay. I understand that you need to vent." Steve said.

"I don't want to spend my time with you talking about him. Besides, I am sure you don't want to hear about him all the time. I just have so much…..emotion…never mind. " She smiled. "So tell me, what other handyman type stuff can you do?"

"You can always talk to me." He assured her. "A little bit of everything. You know, get the sink to stop leaking, unclog a toilet, fix cabinet hinges, etc." he shrugged.

"I have never seen your little house in Parsons, what's it like?" she asked as he took a bite of his pulled BBQ sandwich.

"I am keeping it simple, nothing really fancy. It's comfortable and near the station…although I seem to always be in Davis these days." He winked at her.

"It's okay, I hear they like you at the Davis PD." She giggled.

Author's Note- Some clues, bonding and backstory in this chapter among other things. Not sure it came out like I hoped but here it is. Loving the feedback from my awesome reviewers. You guys rock! Thank you Debwood-1999, my guest reviewer, jcott3 (that was thrown in for the sake of showing bonding and that she is letting more of her personality come out as she gets more used to Steve), Batistasprincess, carlyrosanna83, and cinnamon muffin punk.