AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Josie ran a new search. “He’s been clean since then.”
“On paper,” Gretchen muttered. “If his dad got him out of serious jail time with Anya—after what he did to her—God only knows what he’s gotten him out of since. It’s very rare for someone like that to just stop.”
Josie clicked out of his record. A shiver ran up her arms. “Maybe he’s gotten away with things for so long that he’s become brazen enough to brand and kill young women in the city where his ex-wife is now the medical examiner.”
“We’ll just see about that.”
TEN
The Bly Police Department was approximately ten miles from the Hadlee Family Farm. It was housed in a modern, gray glass-and-brick building on a few sprawling acres of land. It looked more like a recreation center than a police department, save for the handful of cruisers resting in the parking lot. Inside, a desk sergeant scrutinized their credentials and asked them to explain why they were there. Then, after they told him, he asked again. And again. Josie was growing impatient by the time a loud male voice boomed, “What the hell are you doing here? I told you everything you need to know. I know you reporters have to be persistent, but you have some nerve showing up here like this.”
Josie looked up from the desk sergeant to see a man in his mid-fifties approaching from a hall behind the lobby desk. Dressed in a dark blue uniform, the nameplate above his left breast pocket read:Grey. He pointed a finger at Josie. She looked behind her but there was no one else in the lobby. Looking back at his red face, she quickly put together what was going on. Josie had pissed a lot of people off in her line of work, but only her sister could produce that shade of red on a police officer’s face.
“I’m not who you think I am,” she told him.
As he got closer, she got a whiff of cologne, not unpleasant. “I know exactly who you are,” he said.
“I’m Detective Josie Quinn from the Denton PD. You’re thinking of my sister, Trinity Payne.”
He pulled up short, looking momentarily confused.
Gretchen said, “It’s true. They’re identical twins.”
Still not convinced, Grey looked to the desk sergeant, who shrugged. “That’s what her ID says.”
Grey appraised her once more. Josie turned her head and used her index finger to trace the scar along the side of her face. “My sister doesn’t have one of these. As you can see, not even copious amounts of makeup can completely cover it up.”
Grey took a step back and ran a hand through his thick salt-and-pepper curls. “I’m sorry. I—”
Gretchen said, “Do you watch Trinity Payne’s show?”
He looked away. “Sometimes. Listen, I’m sorry. I didn’t know she had an identical twin.”
Josie said, “Trinity mentioned she was looking into a case in this area.”
His eyes narrowed. “You here about that case?”
“Jana Melburn?” Josie asked, noting the small tightening of skin around his eyes when she said the name. “No. We’re here about Vance Hadlee.”
The desk sergeant, looking bored now, said, “They’ve got to serve a warrant over at the Hadlee farm. They’re looking for someone to go with them. The Chief was gonna send Belkin.”
Grey held up a hand to silence him. “No. Belkin’s busy. I’ll do it.” He moved closer and extended a hand, first to Josie and then to Gretchen. As they shook, he said, “Sergeant Cyrus Grey. I’m sorry for the confusion earlier. I can accompany you over to the Hadlee farm if you bring me up to speed on whatever it is you’re working on. Walk with me.”
They followed him into the suite of offices, Josie giving him the rundown. “Yesterday, in Denton, the body of a nineteen-year-old female was found on the riverbank. Her name was Sharon Eddy. She was a resident of Denton. There were no visible injuries to her person at the scene. However, on autopsy, our medical examiner found that she’d been strangled.”
Gretchen said, “There was also a mark on her body that leads us to believe that Vance Hadlee may have been involved in her murder.”
They passed a few offices, each with windows providing views inside. Some of them were occupied by officers in uniform and one was occupied by a woman dressed in civilian clothes. No one looked up as they passed. Stopping outside an empty office, Cyrus laughed. “Vance Hadlee? You’re kidding, right?”
Josie said, “We know he has a history of violence.”
Cyrus’s face darkened. He looked up and down the hall, but no one was around. “This about his ex-wife?”
“What do you know about his ex-wife?” asked Gretchen.
He pushed the door open and beckoned them inside. “I know he did a number on her when all was said and done, and that she stuck around long enough to make sure he paid for it.”
“Did he, though?” Josie asked. “Pay for it? He didn’t even go to prison.”
