“Did he mention Austin again?” I pushed.

Samuel was silent for a long moment before he answered.

“He told me Deputy Parker had been asking him a lot of probing questions lately.”

“What kind of questions?” I pressed.

“Questions about what Brandon had seen on the mountain, and whether he had shared his suspicions with anyone else in town,” Samuel said.

My heart was hammering so violently against my chest that it physically hurt.

“Did Brandon still trust Austin at that point?” I whispered.