AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Is it our mom?” Cooper asked, his voice like sandpaper.
Cooper always acted like nothing mattered, but he’d been close to their mom. When she’d disappeared he’d been distraught, not bothering to hide his derision for their father. He’d been sure that Joel Winslow wasn’t telling the police everything he knew about his wife’s last day.
“I don’t know yet,” Finn said. “We’re doing all we can. There’s a team from the county forensic unit that’s working to make sure we find everything. It was the wettest June in a hundred years, and I think a lot of mud slid down the hill, uncovering some of the remains.”
“We’re talking to the people that found it,” Deputy Blake said. “Hopefully, we’ll know more soon.”
Zack and Finn had gone to school together until the age of fourteen. Finn’s parents had divorced, and his mother had taken him out of town, although he’d come back occasionally during holidays and summers.
Now Finn was back and in charge of law enforcement in Winslow Heights. From Zack’s limited view from far away, Finn had cleaned house and brought in a professional team of officers.
Prior to Finn taking over, the only way that the Winslow Heights sheriff’s department could be described was…amateur. Most of the people had received their jobs because of knowing someone in the town council. None were trained, and few took it seriously, except for Deputy Blake. He’d been to the police academy and was considered their best officer. He’d been involved in the community, even volunteering with the high school football team helping the coach. Eventually, new leadership had been voted into the council, and they’d decided to make much needed changes.
Finn had been brought in and all of the deputies had been let go except for Blake. He’d stayed on, seemingly happy to have a sheriff in charge that knew what he was doing.
“You do know,” Tate said, his voice rising. “I can see it in your face. You do know.”
Sighing, Finn shook his head.
“Okay, I don’t know for sure. How’s that?” His gaze swung to his deputy. “Can you help Steve with getting the statement? He’s still in training, and I want to make sure we do this strictly by the book.”
“Will do,” Blake said, nodding toward Zack and his brothers before walking away to join his co-worker.
“What do you know for sure?” Zack asked, looking over Finn’s shoulder. A stony-faced Joel Winslow was talking to a third deputy about ten feet away. Kim was crying, her face red and crumpled, her friends surrounding her. “Is there anything you can tell us?”
“There were personal items found as well,” Finn replied. “We need to go through them before I can say anything. In the meantime, the coroner is here, and the remains will be transported to the county morgue for examination. DNA will be run along with dental records. That’s standard practice.”
Finn’s expression softened, and he scraped his fingers through his hair, making it stand on end.
“I’m so sorry. I know that this is a terrible moment for your family. But we don’t know anything for sure. This could be something completely unrelated to your mom.”
“How many people have gone missing in Winslow Heights?” Tate demanded. “It has to be Mom.”
“More than one,” Zack reminded his brother.
“It could be someone no one even knows,” Finn cut in. “Maybe someone passing through town. This area is largely deserted, and if someone was walking around or even camping and they had trouble or were injured? No one was going to hear them. Plus, this place has terrible cell reception. They might not have been able to call anyone for help. This might not be foul play. We don’t know anything yet. You all need to hold it together until we do. There’s no sense in getting upset about something that might not be what you think it is.”
“You’d do the same,” Cooper said quietly, his gaze fixed on their father who was now walking towards them.
“I probably would,” Finn conceded. “But it wouldn’t be the wise thing. Until we know something for sure, we all need to slow down. Follow the procedures. We’ll know soon enough. I have your mother’s DNA, dental records, and a description of what she was wearing that day right down to her handbag and shoes. Your mom’s case was never closed officially. We’ll be able to make a definite call if it’s her. We just need time to do our jobs.”
“Why is she here?”
Cooper was staring at Kim who was still crying.
“She’s Mom’s sister,” Tate replied, his tone quiet. “Of course, she’s going to be upset.”
The expression on Cooper’s face said something entirely different.
“Let’s not turn on each other,” Zack said. “We need to hold strong here.”
He was the oldest. It was his job to pull them together.
Apparently, their father had finished talking with the deputy and was now approaching them. Zack immediately tensed, bracing himself for what he knew was about to happen. It was like a speeding train coming right toward them. He couldn’t stop it.
“Sons,” Joel said. “I’m glad you’re here.”
Cooper and their father rarely had anything nice to say to one another, even before Lily Winslow had disappeared. Today would be no exception. They simply butted heads constantly.
