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Jess had enjoyed her free day but not as much as she’d hoped. Her breakfast at a noisy mall restaurant—scrambled eggs, hash browns, sausage, and pancakes—had been more than she could eat. Afterward, as she’d strolled past glittering shop windows, mingling with crowds, hearing the blare of Christmas music, and inhaling a too-sweet mélange of pine, candles, and cinnamon buns, she’d felt like an alien life form that had landed here from another planet.
With school canceled for the day, there were children and teens swarming everywhere—girls trying cheap makeup and jewelry, boys playing games in the arcade, little ones tagging after their mothers, whining for toys and treats they saw.
What was wrong with her today? Most of the time she loved children. Today they just made her want to run and hide. Maybe it was because she’d barely slept last night—or because she was still conflicted about Cooper.
At least she’d found a few sales. At GAP, she’d bought a pair of jeans, a black sweater, and a leather jacket on clearance. And she’d also found some dressy boots with kitten heels. At the gourmet candy place, she’d bought a dozen boxes of assorted chocolates, already gift wrapped, to have ready for giving. As an afterthought, she’d stepped into a bookstore and picked up a copy of the bestseller she’d been planning to read.
Loaded down with shopping bags, she’d carried her purchases out to her car and locked them in the trunk. By now it was around noon. But she wasn’t hungry enough to eat lunch, and it was too early to go home. Maybe she could find a good movie.
Leaving her car, she went back inside to the wing where the movie theaters were located. Most of the movies had already started or weren’t scheduled to start until later. Of the movies that fit her time slot, the likeliest one appeared to be a romantic comedy with a Christmas theme—girl comes back to her hometown for the holidays and meets the boy she broke up with in high school. At least it didn’t sound depressing. Jess paid for her ticket and found a seat.
Two forgettable hours later, the movie was over, and Jess had run out of excuses to stay away from the motel. At least she’d have something to read now. Or maybe she could nap and catch up on last night’s lost sleep.
A light, powdery snow was falling. She brushed it off her car, climbed in, and headed back to the motel. She turned on the radio, hoping to get some weather news, but there was nothing on the local station except Christmas music.
By the time Jess pulled into her parking slot at the motel, she’d decided to leave her purchases in the trunk. They would be cleaner and safer there than in her motel room. There was nothing to take inside but her purse, the book, and the bag of fresh-baked pretzels she’d bought after the movie.
She was fumbling in her purse for her room key when she noticed the yellow Post-it note stuck to the number plate on the door. Pulling it off, she read the scrawled message.
Call Sheriff Winston’s office. Urgent.It was followed by a phone number.
The note was damp, the ends curled, as if it had been on her door for a long time. Jess remembered the ringing phone she’d heard as she was leaving. She’d dismissed it from her mind, but what if it had been Buck, trying to reach her at the number she’d given him? The room phones had no voice messaging. When she didn’t answer, Buck must’ve called the front desk.
Urgent. She stared at the word, worry forming a sour knot in her stomach. What was wrong? What had she missed? Nerves quivering, she hurried into the room, snatched up the receiver, and dialed the number.
“Sheriff Winston’s office.” Jess recognized the voice of Helen Wilkerson, the longtime receptionist who’d served under every sheriff for the past twenty years.
“Helen, this is Jess Graver,” she said. “I just got a message to call this number.”
“Yes, Jess. Buck isn’t here, but I can tell you the reason he called you. Ed McCoy is out of jail. His cousin, the one he works for, posted his bail.”
“Oh, no!” Jess felt her heart drop. “Do you know where he is?”
“Not anymore. Ed was cautioned to stay away from the house and from his wife. But that’s no guarantee of anything. Buck wanted to see if you could locate Ruth and warn her that her husband is out. But that was this morning. I hope it’s not too late.”
“So do I. I’ll do everything I can. Tell Buck he can reach me here at the motel—for now.”
Pulse slamming, she ended the call. Images flashed through her mind—the brute of a man she’d met working on her house; his wife’s bruised face, swollen eyes, and battered limbs. Had Ruth really left him this time? Or had she changed her mind and stayed home?
Either way, Jess needed to make her aware of the danger. When she’d counseled Ruth in her office, she hadn’t thought to get the sister’s address or phone number, or even her name. But surely Ed would know it.
Maybe he’d already found her.
Going on Ed’s past behavior, if he knew she’d left—or even tried to—he’d be raging.
And what about Skip? There was no record of Ed’s hurting his children. But Skip wasn’t really his. And if he found the boy alone in the house, he could vent his anger on him.
Jess didn’t have the McCoys’ phone number. The closest number she had was Cooper’s. She could ask him to go and make sure the boy was safe.
Without hesitation, she punched the number into the phone and heard the ring on the other end—once, then twice.
Please, please pick up . . .
But the only answer was Cooper’s voice mail. Jess left him a terse message, asking him to check on Skip, then ended the call.
She was running out of options. But she had a card like the one she’d given Ruth, with the lawyer’s number on it. Sharon Blackerby had retired from full-time practice, but still did some pro bono work, mostly for needy women and children. Sharon had worked with Jess on other cases. If Ruth had called her, Sharon should have a number where she could be reached.
Sharon answered on the first ring. “What is it, Jess? You sound worried.”
