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While Gretchen maneuvered her SUV onto the interstate, Josie spoke with dispatch. After hanging up, she said, “Dispatch will call the Bly Police Department and let them know that we’re on our way and would like one of their officers to accompany us to execute the warrant. There’s something else. I think.” Josie hesitated. “I’m not sure if I should even mention it.”
Gretchen gave her a quick glance. “What is it?”
“You know how I don’t believe in coincidences, right?”
“That I do.”
“Bly is in Everett County,” Josie said.
“So?”
“Trinity’s been visiting. She’s actually looking into a case in Everett County right now for her show. The town could be Bly.”
“Did she tell you what the case involved?”
“We didn’t get very deep into it.” The file folder atop Trinity’s laptop flashed through Josie’s mind. “I just know it was the Jana Melburn case.”
“You think it could be related to the Sharon Eddy murder in Denton?”
“I’m not sure. It seems unlikely. Trin said that Melburn’s older foster sister, Hallie Kent, contacted her producers about the case months ago. Kent had been trying to get her attention for a long time. On the other hand, without a deeper dive into that case, it’s hard to say whether or not it’s related to Sharon Eddy’s murder—or to Anya.”
“But we can’t discount the connection. Trinity on a case in the same county where we’re now pursuing a lead?” Gretchen said. “That’s too coincidental. We’ll have to ask Anya if she’s familiar with it. You want to call Trinity now? Get a rundown?”
Josie tapped against the Mobile Data Terminal. “No. We’ll be in Bly soon. I think we should prioritize finding out everything we can about Vance Hadlee and his farm.”
Gretchen made a noise of agreement and focused on the road.
Josie switched back and forth between the MDT and her phone, running various searches and reading off her findings as she went. “The Hadlee farm is two hundred acres. Takes up a good bit of the southwest corner of Bly, according to these property records and map. It’s been owned by Dermot Hadlee for nearly thirty-five years. It was originally owned by his wife’s family. Her name was Susanna Blount. It was the Blount Family Farm for generations. As far back as these records go.”
“When did it switch over to the Hadlee Family Farm?” asked Gretchen.
Josie read off the year. “Maybe that was the year they got married.” Josie did some calculations in her head, based on Vance’s age. “No, this would have been when Vance was about six or seven years old that it changed over.”
“After Susanna left her family,” Gretchen said.
“She abandoned a farm that had been in her family for generations, and her own children,” Josie said. “Her life with Dermot must have been pretty bad. Maybe the proverbial apple didn’t fall far from the tree.”
“We may never know,” said Gretchen. “But if Dermot still owns it, then he’s stood by his decision not to hand it over to his son.”
“Looks that way. Dad didn’t give him the farm but he’s still living there,” Josie said. Turning back to the map, she added, “Gretchen, looking at all the structures on this farm again, I think we should call one of the guys to come help with the search warrant.”
Gretchen said, “Do it.”
Josie made some calls, first to Noah, then to Mettner. It was Mettner who insisted on coming in early for his shift so he could help them. “I caught the Eddy case,” he told her. “Let me do it. Noah can stay and pick up any other calls that come in while we’re in Bly.”
Josie didn’t argue. She called Noah back and he agreed with their plan. When Josie hung up, Gretchen asked, “Can you pull up a photo of this monster?”
Josie moved to a police database to pull up Vance’s driver’s license. As expected, he did not look like a monster at all. The worst ones never did. They looked just like everyone else, hiding their capacity for evil beneath a veneer of normal. Vance was no different with his square face, sharply cut jaw, long, straight nose. His central heterochromia wasn’t visible in the photo. His eyes simply looked brown. His hair was also brown, now graying at the temples, slicked back from his face. The only hint that something unpleasant lurked beneath the surface was the corner of his mouth lifted in a smirk. Josie tapped a finger on the screen and Gretchen took a quick glance at it.
“What else can you find on him?”
Josie went back to searching. “Eighteen years ago, he was a star football player for Bly Hollow High School. Hmm. Looks like his dad, Dermot, coached the team back then.”
“Dairy farm, town council, high school football coach,” said Gretchen. “Dermot had his hands in everything.”
Josie kept searching. “I don’t see anything else here about Vance other than a bunch of articles about his high school football exploits.”
“Criminal record? Beyond what Anya told us about?”
