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The name and information sounded familiar, but I couldn’t place him. “It’s like we were saying earlier, I didn’t exactly hang with those kids. Did he start out as law enforcement somewhere else?”
“I’m not sure about that, but I think his last job was selling office equipment in Jonesboro. He said he’s in training here, whatever that might mean.”
It didn’t mean much. As lax as the Jackson Creek department was, I would hope they’d have an orientation program for all of their new officers. Every department ran things differently. I had a million questions about why he’d come back to Jackson Creek, let alone to work as a low-paying police officer, but now wasn’t the time. “Did he say anything else?”
“Not much, but I invited him out to Scooter’s for a beer tonight. I thought maybe you’d want to drop by and talk, casually, of course.”
“Of course,” I repeated, my head spinning. It would be great to have someone on the inside giving me information about the case, but I doubted that was what would happen. Drew was more likely to talk to Nate without me, and I told him so.
And I had my mother’s required dinner to attend. There was no way I was getting out of that if I wanted to keep living in the apartment over the garage.
“He might not talk tonight,” Nate continued, “but after he gets to know you, he might be more forthcoming tomorrow or the next day.”
I wanted to tell him that I couldn’t wait for information, but I needed whatever I could get.
“What time are you meeting?” I asked.
“Seven.” I heard the smile in his voice. “We’ll be there a few hours. Burger and beers, maybe catch whatever game’s on TV.”
“I thought it was just beers,” I countered.
“Then show up around seven-thirty for just beers,” he said. “I’ve set the groundwork. The rest is up to you.”
“I have a dinner at seven with my parents. The soonest I can be there is around eight.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll still be there.”
I resisted the urge to sigh. The thought of going to Scooter’s tonight raised the hairs on the back of my neck, and if I were honest, I knew why.
James Malcolm.
But I couldn’t let him stop me from doing what needed to be done. “I’ll be there. I’ll see if my friend Louise wants to join us there so it doesn’t look too awkward.”
He laughed. “Sounds like a plan. See you tonight.”
After we hung up, I checked my phone screen and saw I’d missed a text from Vanessa.
Call me ASAP. I’m in the bathroom and can’t stay in here long.
I quickly called her back, and she answered on the first ring, her voice a half whisper.
“I don’t have long. Every time I try to get a moment to myself, my mother hunts me down.”
“I’m sorry,” I said as I opened my notebook to jot down whatever she had to tell me.
“Casey LaRue and Ainsley Sumpter are Ava’s best friends. Millie is Casey’s mother. She’s agreed to let you speak to Casey at four, after she comes home from school. Millie is eager to help any way she can.” Her voice turned bitter. “Ainsley’s mother is another story. She won’t let you speak to Ainsley, but she did agree to talk to you before she leaves to pick her daughter up from school.”
“Did she say why?” I asked. “Is it because she doesn’t want to speak to me?”
“No, it’s more that the girls had a falling out a week or so ago, and Lori has always taken her daughter’s battles personally.”
Now I really wanted to talk to Lori Sumpter. “Do you know why they had a falling out?”
“Ava said it was over something stupid. Like who sat by who at recess. It’s hard when there’s a triangle of best friends.”
“So Casey, Ainsley, and Ava are all best friends?”
“It’s more like Ava is the anchor, and she’s best friends with both girls, but if I’m honest, I feel like Ava started growing apart from Ainsley before their fight. She and Casey have more in common.”
