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“Can you drive? I can’t think.” Annie climbed into the passenger seat. “My office is closer, and Kade will help too.”
He didn’t want to let on how rough he felt. “Yep.”
She needed him to be 100 percent, and he was determined to be. If only he could spare her this pain. He started the truck and drove out to her office at the Kitchigami Wilderness Tract where he parked beside Kade’s truck.
Kade, his brows drawn together in worry, met them at the front door. “Bree called me, and I’ve put out a memo to all the rangers to be on the lookout for Kylie. How else can I help?”
Annie gave him a quick hug. “Thank you. We want to find out what we can about Sarah’s past. Who she might know, who might have helped her if she called. Sean is dead, and I don’t know anything about her other acquaintances.”
“I’ll run some queries while you do the same.”
Kade darted off to his office and Annie led Jon to hers. “There’s a spare laptop in the closet. It’s not connected to any official government sites, but you can check around on the internet and see if you find anything.”
Jon nodded and went to pull it out. At least it would keep him busy while they waited to hear from Mason. Prayer was their best weapon right now.
***
Annie sat back on her sofa and rubbed her aching head. Every second that ticked by without Kylie created an eternity of pain in her heart. There was very little on Taylor Moore, at least not her Taylor Moore. There had been thousands of hits at first, but she’d narrowed them down to some credit reports, an online résumé, and her mother’s obituary.
“Nothing,” Annie said.
Jon looked up from the chair across the room. “Nothing at all?”
“From what I could find, Sarah led a very quiet life with that woman who took her. Becky Johnson. Why didn’t I ask more questions when Sarah was around? There might have been some stray comment I could follow now.”
“You were so busy with your caseload, there was no time for social chatter with her.”
“All I have are a few comments about her rigid mother’s upbringing. That doesn’t give me much.” Annie looked back at her computer. “The mom. What can I find out about her? Could there be a family friend who might have helped?”
She went back to the search and heard the clicking of Jon’s laptop keys as well. Maybe one of them would turn up something on Becky Johnson. They had to. They’d been at this for an hour and were no closer to any kind of lead. Mason should be calling with some instructions soon too. Statistics showed the first three hours were critical, and they were already through one third of that time.
Taylor’s mother, Becky Johnson, was an only child according to the obituary. Her only surviving relative was one nephew, Sean Johnson. What all did Annie know about Sean? His parents were dead, and he’d been an only child too. He was well known intown and had worked as a contractor in many of the Rock Harbor homes. They hadn’t suspected the darkness in his soul until they were confronted with it.
What else might she discover about him? She typed in his name, and the hits began filling her screen. She grabbed a notebook and pen to jot down the information.
He was an avid fisherman and hunter, having won several contests over the years. He’d been head of several organizations in town, including a well-known youth-mentoring program. On paper, he looked like a fine, upstanding citizen, but in reality, he was a murderer.
“What do you know about Sean?” she asked Jon.
He stopped and closed the laptop lid. “He loved surfing and was a good swimmer. Hard worker and great with his hands.”
“What do we know about his activities and acquaintances?”
Jon’s forehead wrinkled, and he drummed his fingers on the laptop lid. “What about his hunting partners? He was a big-time hunter.”
“Did you ever hear him mention who he went out with?”
“Lonnie Fox and Glenn Hussert were fishing buddies, but I don’t know about hunting.”
“Glenn is running for office, so I suspect there’s nothing to be found in his background. What about Lonnie?”
“During the investigation into the previous murders, we discovered Lonnie’s got a rap sheet from his teen years, mostly small-time offenses like breaking and entering and a couple of fights. The charges were dropped. He’s a truck driver now, mostly local. Hauling gravel and dirt for one of the businesses in town. And no other priors for the past ten years. He’s kept his nose clean.”
Nothing stood out. “What about women Sean dated? We know about Lissa Sanchez. Did you ever hear of any other women in connection with him?”
“Half the town. He was a player and dated a lot of women for a short time.” He lifted the laptop’s lid. “What about Lissa? Sean’s relationship with her caused the breakup with Lonnie Fox. Do we know if they continued to see each other?”
“No, but maybe we can find out. A chat with Lissa would be in order. Sarah would be more apt to turn to another woman for help.”
