Page 71 of They Never Tell


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Ackerman elbowed Webb. “I don’t think it means anything, but I wanted you to see it just in case.”

“Snap a pic,” Webb said to Pete. “And make sure y’all bag me a few dog hairs.”

Other than that, the afternoon was fairly routine. Jace’s phone, a computer, a tablet, and several jump drives were seized, and the computer forensic techs promised to start on them right away. Jace actually spoke up for the first time when he saw the officer walk by with his items. “They aren’t gonna erase anything, are they? We have music and some important band stuff on there.”

Webb felt a twinge of sympathy for the boy. “You don’t have anything to worry about there, Jace. They don’t alter what they find. They may make copies, but the original materials stay where they are.”

Jace’s shoulders lowered, and his head drooped a little in relief. He didn’t say anything else, and Webb felt bad for him before reminding himself that he felt worse for Nyleah.

Two hours, a lunch break for Webb and Ackerman, and a buccal swab later, the guys were packing up and getting ready to call it a day when Officer Shannon Brown found something. A blue washrag.

Webb had seen one just like it at the clubhouse. More importantly, he had seen it in the upstairs bathroom where Nyleah was found. It stuck out in his head because of the unusual shade of blue. It was absolutely brilliant, like the ocean off the coast of Nassau, his vacation spot the previous summer. He’d seen three of them hanging in the bathroom, and they were arranged in such a way that there appeared to be a space from which one was missing. And it seems they had just found it under Jace’s bed.

One of the techs sprayed it with luminol, and it lit up like the fourth of July. And it wasn’t until he was putting the cuffs on him that Webb realized just how much he had been hoping Jace wasn’t the perpetrator. It bugged him that he even had that reaction anymore. He’d been at this for almost fifteen years. He was supposed to be seasoned. Hard. Unmovable. But this turn of events impacted him in a way he hadn’t expected.

Later that evening, when he was alone and in the shower, Webb cried for that awkward boy.

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

Eigerglaredatthewoman in front of him. She had turned on the waterworks—with no water—and he was not moved. “So then you admit to making false statements?”

Amanda Beardon sobbed, and yet again, no tears actually fell from her eyes. “I didn’t think it was false at the time, sir.”

“What does that mean, ma’am?”

“Maybe I was confused about what actually happened, I don’t know.”

The old man sighed and wished it was late o’clock so he could be in his Barcalounger with a cigar in one hand and a glass of Jameson in the other. He would need to unwind while Susan cooked and straightened up. They were hosting their grandbabies tomorrow, and he didn’t have time for this foolishness. “This goes beyond confusion, Ms. Beardon. You lied several times in your statement to police. Do you understand that it’s a crime to make false statements to law enforcement?”

“A crime? Seriously?” she asked before letting out another sob.

Oh please,he thought. “Yes, ma’am.”

“So what happens now?”

“Well, that young man is free to go on living his life, and you will likely be charged with a misdemeanor for the false statement. Additionally, I’ve notified your employer that you admitted to being involved in a sexual relationship with a minor.”

Her face darkened and her voice deepened. There were no more sobs to hear or tears to be seen. Or not seen. “You called the school?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“What is your boss’ name?”

“Excuse me?”

“Who’s above you? I need the name of the person you report to.”

“Okay. That would be Lieutenant Corbin Emerson.”

The woman was typing on her cellphone. “One ‘m’ or two?”

“One.”

“Excellent. Just what I needed. Am I free to go?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Without another word, Ms. Amanda Beardon stood and stormed out of Eiger’s office. He rolled his eyes and shut down his computer. As cases went, this one had come to a satisfying end.

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