CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Jace instinctively turned the radio down when a line of brake lights appeared before him. He grimaced as he slowly pressed on the pedal to slow his Range Rover.
Damn it.
He tapped the display in the middle of the dashboard to bring up his list of contacts via Bluetooth. Choosing Mitch’s name amongst his siblings, he waited impatiently for his older brother to pick up the line. There was a benefit to knowing the sheriff in Blyth Lake, and Jace wasn’t above using that contact when the need arose.
“What’s up, Jace?”
“Are you in town?”
The chances of Mitch being anywhere else, even his new home, were zero to none. The man had always been a workaholic, and this important role he’d undertaken would get all the attention it deserved.
“No,” Mitch replied, his irritation evident. “I’m out at Raymond Dixon’s ranch, trying to get him to see reason. Is there an emergency?”
“No,” Jace answered, thinking better of asking his older brother to have lunch at the diner to watch over Shae. He was being overprotective, just as she’d said multiple times before. She was in a public place, surrounded by old friends and neighbors who would never allow something to happen to her. They’d all know to keep a close eye on her due to the circumstances. “It’s nothing. What’s going on over at Raymond’s place?”
“The son of a bitch is holed up in his house with his girlfriend, claiming that she told tell the police that he was the one who killed Whitney Bell and those other girls.” It was clear that Mitch didn’t believe that for a second, but something had to have happened to cause Raymond to do something so crazy. Then again, Raymond always did have a screw loose. “Apparently, they got into a fight over whether or not Worcestershire sauce should be kept in the refrigerator. One thing led to another, and Celeste threatened to tell the police he murdered Whitney.”
Jace was glad that traffic had come to a full stop in the left lane or else he probably would have driven into the median. Mitch had to be pulling his leg.
“You’re joking, right?”
“I wish,” Mitch muttered, a breeze aiding in the distortion of his words. “Celeste freaked out when she realized she’d pushed the crazy bastard a little too far. She called Patty, and now the Dixon ranch is surrounded by my deputies. Raymond is demanding in writing that we believe his innocence before he lets her out of that house. And trust me, Celeste will have a bag in her hand when she does, because I refuse to let her go back to that asshole. I never liked the son of a bitch, anyway.”
Jace truly hoped Mitch could get Celeste to see reason. She was older than they were by quite a few years and had always been nice in her own way. It appeared that side of her had been wiped away after all the years spent with someone like Raymond. Granted, the threat she issued was quite disgusting and downright abhorrent. Responsibility for who they turned out to be lay at both their feet.
Bottom line? They weren’t good for each other.
“I’ll let you go to deal with the crazies.” Jace was thankful he had no desire to enter the type of career that put him in the path of uncontrollable events and insane people. “Good luck. It sounds like you’re going to need it. Oh, and Worcestershire sauce should be refrigerated. You know, in case you still need to settle that argument.”
“No, it doesn’t,” Mitch replied with irritation that bordered on downright anger. “It says no such thing on the label. I forget that you can be an ass sometimes.”
Jace would have argued that Mitch was thinking of their baby brother, but the line went dead.
Priorities.
There was no doubt this argument would come up again at some point, but it certainly wouldn’t end in a hostage situation.
Jace gradually lifted his foot off the brake pedal when the bumpers in front of him began to slowly roll forward…no more than twenty feet. Damn it. Another glance at the clock on the dashboard told him there was no way in hell he was going to make that lunch meeting.
It wasn’t like anything had happened over the course of the last few weeks. In fact, it had been a little too quiet. From his understanding, Deputy Wallace was murdered on Noah’s property right after Sophia Morton’s body was found inside his house. It wasn’t long after that when Lance discovered the pictures of many missing teenage girls. Add on Whitney’s disappearance and subsequent murder, though her body had yet to be recovered, it was practically a nonstop true crime television series.
Shae’s sudden appearance in town clearly rattled the responsible party into taking a calculated risk that had paid off in waves. Leaving the ankle boots Emma had been wearing the night she disappeared was sick and twisted, but the threat had been well received.
Was that why the son of a bitch was lying low? Or was it something else?
Had Shae gotten too close before that night?
It was something to think through on his drive home. Shae had been taking every precaution he’d asked her to take since she’d been staying with him. She was meeting his uncle in a public place with people who would watch out for her wellbeing. There was no reason to call in reinforcements, but what could it hurt to have either Noah or Lance stop in at the diner to pick up some lunch?
Jace had brought his Range Rover to a complete stop in the middle of the highway. He didn’t hesitate to shoot a quick text to Lance, asking for the favor. Noah was most likely up at the lake with the Schaeffers working on those new cottages that Rose had switched contracts on with regards to the renovation companies.
Once that was done, he began going through the events of the afternoon he’d first arrived home. It was the same day that Shae had come to town, so who had she interacted with that would cause the killer to take such deliberate action and risk getting caught in the process?
The answer to that question brought him back to what his brothers believed this entire time—someone they all trusted and had known their entire lives was a murderer.
*
“And you told this to Sheriff Percy the next day?”
Shae had always known that Jimmy Webb had been an eyewitness the night of her sister’s disappearance. For the longest time, there had even been rumors that Jimmy had been the one responsible. No one had proven otherwise, yet the community had somehow managed to sweep that accusation under the rug when it became too much to bear. After all, how could someone who’d been born and raised in Blyth Lake be responsible for something so evil?
“Yes, which is why Percy scoured those woods from top to bottom.” Jimmy pushed away his lunch plate to make room for the coffee the waitress was about to set down in front of him. Sure enough, Molly was right there with the standard porcelain cream mug that had been a staple of this diner since the day it opened. “Thanks, Molly.”
“Can I get you a cup of tea, Shae?” Molly’s tone contained that particular pity Shae had come to loathe. She’d chosen the location due to the safety of the place, but she should have realized that meant word would get out and every seat in the diner would be taken for a chance to eavesdrop on her conversation. “I had Cassie get that English Breakfast tea you tried to order your first night here.”
Cassie was the daughter of the infamous Annie Osburn. Both of their past deeds had been fodder for the gossip mill, so one would think they would take special care to treat others with respect. Who knows? Maybe that’s why Cassie had ordered Shae’s favorite tea.
“I’d like that, Molly,” Shae responded with a tight smile, wanting more than anything to get back to her conversation with Jimmy. “With milk and sugar, please.”
“Coming right up.”
Molly departed, but her absence only highlighted those patrons sitting at the counter listening to every word uttered. Every click and clank of the silverware touching the plates of those eating lunch were amplified as everyone waited to hear what Jimmy said with bated breath.
“Shae, I drink. It’s a known fact that I go on a bender a couple of times a month.” Jimmy took a sip of his coffee with no remorse in how he lived his life. He set the mug down with a thud. “I’ve spent time in jail. I wasn’t the best son, brother, or uncle to my family. I’ve been divorced twice, and they’ve rightfully taken me to the cleaner each time. I own my mistakes, but let me make one thing perfectly clear. I know what I saw that night, and that was your sister walking down Seventh Street before—for some unknown reason—heading back into the woods.”
“What do you think happened to her?” Shae asked, truly wanting his opinion. “My parents never got over the pain of losing her. At times, it seemed that they’d even forgot they had an older child. Not that I blame them. We all dealt with our grief in our own way.”
“I think someone snatched her from that area, just as the police suspected from the get-go.” Jimmy’s face was leathered from years of drinking and working odd constructions jobs here and there in the blazing sun, but the disgust written in his features was unmistakable. “I’ve gone over and over that night, recalling each and every vehicle parked on Main Street and Seventh Street. There wasn’t a car or truck that shouldn’t have been there.”
Shae understood what Jimmy was trying to convey to her, but she was still left in the dark as to who was responsible for abducting Emma. Jimmy believed there was someone walking among them whose soul was as black as the ace of spades.
“The cemetery is on that end of town, so I couldn’t tell you if someone parked in the lot and got her out that way. Then there’s the fact that she could have gone back to that bonfire. Who’s to say one of those teens didn’t do something they regretted, trying their best to get rid of the evidence.”
It was obvious that Jimmy was waiting for her to deny that scenario from the way he looked at her over the rim of his mug. He took a drink, which reminded her that Molly should be returning to the table with a cup of tea. Shae bought time before addressing his supposition, because she personally knew the majority of those teens in attendance that night.
A quick look toward the kitchen had Shae noticing that Molly was setting the tea bag, creamer, and sugar next to a steaming cup of water on a tray. Calvin, Harlan, and Chester were eating quietly at the counter. Sheriff Percy had a booth to himself in the corner, though she had to remind herself that he no longer deserved that title.
Miles Schaeffer was having lunch with his two older sons on the other side of the diner. Their relationship certainly hadn’t been what some would say was on solid ground for quite some time. Given the fact that Clayton Schaeffer had almost burned Lance’s house down with him in it didn’t help matters any. Wes seemed to be the one keeping the peace. That wasn’t surprising, given that Chad was nowhere to be found to do the job himself lately.
It was Billy Stanton’s presence that bothered Shae the most. He was having lunch with Julie. It was common knowledge that the two of them were involved, but their newfound relationship was still mind-blowing. Julie had been distraught the day after Emma’s disappearance, as had Brynn. They had both witnessed Billy admitting to the police that he had only danced with Emma that night because he felt bad for her to have such high hopes of winning him over.
Billy’s behavior and disregard of the fact that a girl’s life had possibly been in jeopardy was nauseating and something that Shae would never be able to forgive.
“Here you are, hon.” Molly transferred everything on the tray to the table. She caught on to Shae’s line of vision, though she didn’t say a word about the rich kid trying to fit in with the regulars. “Let me know if either one of you would like dessert. Cassie just baked some apple, peach, and cherry pies.”
Jimmy maintained his gaze on Shae as they both allowed Molly to leave without ordering a slice of homemade pie.
“Everyone accounted for one another that night, Jimmy,” Shae reasoned, having gone over the statements of each individual multiple times over the years. “I realize they could have lied, but I would imagine a guilt like that would eventually rot a person from the inside out.”
Shae had enough experience in her line of profession to know what that kind of mistake could do to a person psychologically. Now calculated murder? That was another exponential multiplier in and of itself several orders higher.
Shae began mixing in the right amount of sugar with a dollop of milk. She continued to come up with questions as she stirred the contents round and round.
“You mentioned that you were walking home from the Cavern.” Shae tapped her spoon on the rim before setting it down on the plate. “Did anyone else leave around the same time?”
“No. There was only a handful of customers left. Jeremy Bell, of course.” Jimmy rattled off a few names, leaving Shae to believe he was telling the truth by saying that night continued to haunt him to this day. “Miles Schaeffer. Harlan and Chester. Calvin left earlier that evening so that he could take his fishing boat out before the sun rose over the water. Tiny, of course.”
“What about Byron Warner?” Shae recalled Jace mentioning that Byron couldn’t drive into the city to provide Nick with a keg. It caused her to wonder why. “Was he at the bar that night?”
“I believe he and his father stopped in to have a drink for the old man’s birthday, but they were out of Dodge well before midnight.” Jimmy drained the rest of his coffee. “I can’t tell you who is responsible, but I don’t doubt that someone we all know took your sister and those other girls. I don’t trust anyone in this town anymore, and neither should you.”
Shae tried to stop Jimmy from reaching for his wallet, but it was of no use. He stood before tossing down a twenty and some additional ones to include a tip.
“Thank you for talking with me, Jimmy,” Shae replied softly, wishing she had more questions and that he had some answers that made any kind of sense. Why had Emma gone back into the woods? Had she been meeting someone? “I do appreciate it.”
“Anytime, Shae.” Jimmy looked down at the floor in what Shae assumed was some type of regret from his follow up statement. “I don’t speak to my nephews and niece, excluding the occasional greeting here or there. I know you and Jace are close. He’s a good man. A lot better man than I am, that is for certain.”
Shae wasn’t sure what Jimmy was trying to say, and she never got the chance to ask. He lifted his ball cap from the side of his chair, adjusted it just so, and walked out the door. As if someone had let the air out of a balloon, everyone began talking at once. Not to Shae, but to each other in hushed tones.
The reprieve allowed Shae to drink the rest of her tea while going back over everything she and Jimmy had talked about during their lunch. She’d learned nothing new, but that wasn’t unexpected. Jace had said weeks ago that Jimmy was drunk that night and couldn’t recall anything other than seeing someone walking down Seventh Street. The way the rumor mill had churned, Jimmy could have either been the guilty party or he’d completely fabricated seeing Emma that night just for the attention.
After this lunch meeting, Shae didn’t doubt Jimmy’s honesty about what he believed he saw that night. Emma had emerged from the woods only to turn around and run back in.
A jingle of the bell from above the door indicated someone entering the diner, and Shae wasn’t all that much surprised to see Lance. She had honestly expected someone from the Kendall clan to stop in long before this point.
“You can tell Jace that I’m completely fine,” Shae said with a smile, lifting her tea cup in greeting. “Your uncle left a minute ago. You probably saw him on the street. I was going to stop at the bar to see Brynn before heading back to Jace’s house. Can I expect to see you there?”
“First, Jace is only looking out for your safety.” Lance took the seat Jimmy had just vacated, holding up a hand toward Molly. He must have ordered takeout as a way to cover for his presence. “Second, Brynn is up at the lake visiting Rose. She wanted a second opinion on the paint picked out for those cottages she’s having renovated.”
The topic of the recent renovations up at the lake had Shae looking over Lance’s shoulder toward the Schaeffers. It was a shame that Clayton had to go and ruin such a big contract. He’d panicked and made some poor decisions, all because he’d assumed Detective Kendrick might wrongly believe he was responsible for killing Whitney Bell.
“Every choice has a consequence.” Lance had apparently swept the diner to see who was in the vicinity. He didn’t appear the least bit empathetic to what the Schaeffers were going through. “It wouldn’t surprise me if Clayton and Wes are losing quite a lot of business because of his recent arrest.”
“You think they’ll be asking Miles to take them back into the family business?”
“Maybe.” Lance was holding out some cash for Molly as she handed him a bag with two Styrofoam containers. “It won’t be easy, and they’ll have to abide by his rules or hit the road. I know for certain that Noah won’t take any crap from any of them.”
If it was one thing about a small town, it was that everyone’s dirty laundry was strewn all over for all to see. Shae didn’t envy the Schaeffers the stigma of such family drama being the grist for the rumor mill.
“Like I said,” Shae repeated, knowing full well that Lance would call Jace and let him know that she was safe and sound. “Jimmy and I had an interesting conversation, and now I’m going to hit the ladies room before heading home.”
Shae cringed when she said that last word she’d sworn she would use in the proper manner. Jace’s house wasn’t her home.
“Drive safe, Doc.”
Shae grabbed her purse off the back of her chair and headed toward the restroom. She utilized the facilities and was washing her hands when she could hear the telltale beep of her phone, letting her know that she received a text.
Taking the time to dry the water droplets from her hands, she eventually dug into her purse to find that she’d missed a call from her parents. The text was from Brynn.
Meet me up at the lake near Cabin Nine. I found some old photos that might be of interest.
Shae’s breath hitched in her throat at the significance of the message, though she did try to contain her excitement. Nothing ever seemed to pan out for her when it came to finding new information pertaining to her sister’s disappearance.
She quickly pressed the phone button that would initiate the call. Lance had mentioned that Brynn was up at the lake, but what kind of photos had she found while visiting Rose? While the line continued to ring, Shae tossed the paper towel in the garbage can and slung her purse back over her shoulder in her haste to hurry out of the diner.
Lance must have grabbed his order to go, because he was no longer sitting at the table. It was also interesting to note that most of the customers had paid their bills and left as well, especially seeing as they no longer had a conversation to listen to in order to gain some dirt.
“You’ve reached Brynn. Leave a message or you know where to find me.”
Shae lifted a hand in parting to Molly, who was cleaning the used dishes off the counter. She used her left hand to open the glass door and stepped outside, instantly wincing at the light drizzle of rain that had come from the grey clouds above.
Great.
She left a brief message after the predictable beep, letting Brynn know that she was on her way. Shae dropped her phone into her purse so that it wouldn’t get wet, exchanging one item for another. She quickly pressed the unlock button on the key fob and opened the driver’s side door.
Old pictures. That could mean nearly anything.
Shae shouldn’t get her hopes up, but a tinge of excitement ran through her as she turned the key in the ignition. There had been speculation lately that the summer camp was a connection between the victims, especially given that Sophia’s body was found here in Blyth Lake.
What if there was something in those pictures that proved that theory right?
Would Shae finally get answers to the questions that had haunted her for the past twelve years?