Page 43 of Weight of Guilt

This man not only sounded like a liar, but he sounded like a bad liar. “So they brought him in again.”

“Twice. Both times he had his sister vouch for him. She claimed he was at her place by eight that night.”

He stored away that information. “Anything else?”

“There’d also been a minor complaint against him a few years earlier—a family two towns over accused him of lingering near their property after finishing a job, watching their kids play. Nothing ever came of it beyond an uncomfortable conversation with local police. Not enough to press charges on its own, but enough that it colored how seriously they took the discrepancy in his story.”

“In other words, there was no confession and physical evidence to tie him to the disappearance itself. There was just a shaky timeline and a prior complaint that never went anywhere.”

“Exactly. The case against him never got anywhere close to actual charges.”

Nash chewed on that update for a moment.

“But here’s the thing that’s going to interest you.” Deb kept going before Nash could respond. “Voss dropped off the map about a year after the investigation stalled. There was no forwarding address. No known employment anywhere in the system since.”

His heart thumped harder. “That is interesting.”

“Isn’t it?”

Nash’s jaw tightened as he thought through the implications. “You said he has a sister?”

“She’s his only family. She lives in Knoxville. Seems to be an upstanding citizen.”

“Good to know.” Nash looked out the kitchen window, past his own yard toward the cabin where a woman he barely knew lived.

“I’ll call you when I have more.” A beat of silence passed. “And Nash—go easy on asking around about this. If Voss really did disappear on purpose and something’s brought him back into the light, he could be dangerous.”

“Understood.” Nash thanked her and ended the call.

He stayed sitting there a moment longer.

Everett Voss.

His gut told him that this nightmare for the Loveless family wasn’t over.

It was only just getting started.

Chapter

Twenty-Two

Lunch was chicken tenders and chips. Christian had woken up, and he’d been quiet as he’d eaten with them.

They’d asked him if he’d remembered anything new.

He’d said no.

So, for now, they let him eat.

“This is good,” Christian said as he practically inhaled his chicken. “I don’t know the last time I had these. They’re delicious.”

“I’m glad you like them,” Nora said.

He ate for another few minutes before he set the tender on his plate. Then he looked at each of them, something hardening in his gaze.

“I want to see Mom and Dad,” he announced. “Are you going to let me do that today?”

The sisters all exchanged glances as the table went still.