AllFreeNovel
Share Us
What if TJ had set it up to look like his daughter had run away or been abducted by a stranger? Vanessa had last seen her daughter around nine last night and then checked on her right before six this morning. That would have given TJ plenty of opportunities to remove his daughter from the premises.
If he’d removed her. She could be up in the attic or the basement. Vanessa had said they’d checked those places, but she hadn’t indicated that she’d done so personally.
In an investigation like this, the parents were always the first suspects, and then suspicion spread out like a tightly coiled wheel. Would the Jackson County police follow protocol and question him accordingly? Or would his council member position grant him special privileges?
“Mrs. Murphy—”
“Lisa,” she insisted.
“Lisa,” I conceded with an apologetic smile. “Did you see TJ Peterman leave his house last night or anytime in the middle of the night?”
“While I like to think I see everything, I do occasionally need sleep,” she said.
“So that’s a no?”
She nodded. “I didn’t see him leave, but…” She paused dramatically. “They have an alley garage. He could have gone out the back.”
She was right, and it was actually more likely. Still, that scenario didn’t account for the ladder marks on the ground next to the porch. “Do you think I could review your doorbell camera footage from last night?”
Her hand fluttered to her chest. “Oh dear, of course you can. But it doesn’t point anywhere near their house. I already looked up the footage, and it didn’t record anything suspicious.”
“Still,” I said carefully. “I’d like to see it for myself.”
“I’ll see what I can do.” She gave me an apologetic look. “I’m not the best at cutting and splicing and emailing.” She took another sip of her coffee.
She had no intention of sending it. But why? I definitely couldn’t force her to show me.
“Is there anything else you can think of that will help me find Ava Peterman?” I asked.
She turned sober. “Only prayer. I fear that child will meet the same fate your sister did.”
So did I.
I canvassed the neighborhood, but half the neighbors weren’t home and the other half either refused to talk to me or didn’t know anything. From start to finish, I didn’t see any police going door to door, questioning neighbors like I was doing.
Did they still believe this wasn’t a kidnapping?
My appointment with Chief Larson was fast approaching, so I headed back to my car, surprised to find the door unlocked. I was certain I’d locked it, more out of habit than on purpose, but it only took me half a second to figure out what had happened. On the floorboard by the gas pedal was the photo of me and Andi with the broken frame that had been removed from my dresser in the break-in last October. And written in print on the glass over the photo was a message to me.
Harper,
It should have been you.
Chapter 11
I stared at the message in shock.
The person who’d broke into my house months ago was here in Jackson Creek. Were they responsible for Ava’s kidnapping or had they just followed me?
I considered asking the neighbors if they’d seen anyone get into my car, but they’d already blown me off. I wasn’t going to get anything else from them.
Squatting next to the door, I tugged the sleeve of my sweater down and picked it up as I slid into the driver’s seat and stared at the message, sunlight reflecting off the glass. What did It should have been you mean? That I should have been kidnapped twenty-one years ago, or that I should have been taken instead of Ava? Or did it mean something else entirely?
The frame began to shake, and I realized it was because my hand was violently shaking. I dropped the frame in the passenger seat and gripped the wheel to steady my hands as I stared out the windshield. If this had happened in Little Rock, before the shooting, I would have called my partner Keith. We would have worked through it together. But Keith was a piece of shit, and I never should have trusted him. I had Louise, but I needed to see how my interview with Chief Larson went before I decided whether I wanted to loop her in.
The only time I’d felt this alone was after I’d lost Andi.
Tears burned my eyes, and the beginning of a sob clogged my throat, making it difficult to breathe. I dragged in a gulp of air. I couldn’t lose it here. Not across the street from Vanessa’s house. I couldn’t afford for anyone to see me break down, especially all of those officers inside.
