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Lacey stood and placed her hands on her hips. “It might. Surely no one’s really touched the car. I mean, did they clean it up before putting it on display?”
Catelyn shook her head and grimaced. “No, the parents wanted the kids to have the full shock value if they looked at the air bag close enough. Although with the roof caved in the way it is, you can’t really see much unless you’re right up on it.” She explained, “When the car hit the tree, the top part of the tree broke off and fell on top of the vehicle.”
Lacey winced. And Bethany was possibly inside? The thought made her feel a little sick.
“And,” Mason offered, “they usually display it in front of the school with crime tape sectioning it off to keep people away from it. So, it’s not unreasonable to think that the car hasn’t been touched since the wreck.”
“But what about the weather?” Daniel asked. “I mean it’s been rained on.” He shook his head. “I don’t think you’d get much from forensics.”
Without meaning to, Lacey let her gaze meet Daniel’s. His hard brown eyes bored into hers and she shivered. What was he thinking? He’d been on edge since they’d all entered his office.
Was he afraid she’d bring up his past lies about her right there in front of everyone? She certainly wanted to. She lifted her chin and narrowed her eyes refusing to look away. He shifted first then dropped his gaze to the photos still on the table.
Mason placed a hand on her arm, and she jumped. He said to Catelyn and Daniel, “I think it’s worth a try. Even being out in the elements, there still might be something on the inside. Or even in the trunk.” He firmed his jaw and nodded. “Let’s do it.”
Catelyn shrugged. “Fine with me. I’ll get the forensics people to get the car themselves and tell them what we need.”
She exited the room leaving Lacey alone with the two men. Daniel notched his chin at Mason. “Why are you so interested in this case?”
Mason just looked at his friend while Lacey held her breath. “A lot of reasons.” He cut his gaze toward her. “How’s your head?”
Absently, she touched her cheek then winced. “Fine. Or it will be in couple of days. So, what’s the next step in finding Bethany?”
“I think we need to talk to Georgia again while we wait for the forensics team to get finished with the car.”
Lacey crossed her arms and hugged herself. “Then we go back to the high school?”
Mason shook his head. “No, I think it would be best to catch her at home this time.” He grabbed the pictures of Kayla’s wreck and shoved them back into the folder. Placing it back on the desk, he said to Lacey, “Come on, we need to see Bethany’s room. Then we can see about talking to Georgia.”
When Catelyn returned, they filled her in on the plan and the foursome left the station to climb into two separate cars. Lacey and Mason into his and Catelyn and Daniel into the police vehicle.
Ten minutes later, they pulled up at the curb of Lacey’s parents’ house. After a brief explanation to her parents as to the reason she was home with the police in tow, Lacey led the way down the hall to Bethany’s room. Her parents hovered in the background, but stayed out of the way and didn’t pepper Lacey or the others with questions.
Lacey silently pushed the door open and sucked in a deep breath. How she wanted to open the door and have Bethany fuss at her for not knocking.
Stepping inside, the detectives swept the area first with their eyes, then snapped on gloves and began going through Bethany’s personal things. Mason handed her a pair of the gloves. “I guess I know better than to ask you to wait in the hall. Besides, we might have questions for you.”
Lacey raised her fingers and wiggled them. “I’ve already been through this room a dozen times,” she protested. “My fingerprints are everywhere.”
Mason shrugged. “Then if we find something, we’ll rule your prints out and don’t have to worry about ours. And maybe we’ll find something new that you haven’t touched yet.”
As she pulled the gloves on, her stomach clenched at the invasion of Bethany’s privacy. Her daughter would have a stroke if she knew, but if it would help find her…
Mason’s expression caught her attention. He looked like a kid at Christmastime who’d been told all the toys under the tree were his. She knew he was taking in every detail of Bethany’s room. Only, in spite of the gloves, he was looking at it from a father’s perspective instead of as a cop.
It made Lacey take another closer look at the room. After a short Goth stage, Bethany got into elegant. Gold trimmed curtains and matching bed spread, a canopy and throw rug all saidclassy.Lacey had gotten the material at a thrift store and together she and Bethany had made every piece. She sighed and stroked the comforter. She and Bethany had been so close during that time. Now…
He walked to the end table and picked up a picture. “She likes to ski?”
Lacey laughed and stood beside him, breathing in his nearness, her heart rejoicing at his presence. Then breaking at the cause of it. “Oh, Bethany…” she whispered, tracing a finger over the girl’s big grin. She looked right at home on the pair of skis, the blue in the jacket making her eyes brighter than the blue of a clear summer sky. “She loves it. The lady who we rented an apartment from used to take Bethany to church where she got involved in the youth group. One year they went skiing when she was about twelve. She’s been hooked ever since.”
Pulling in a deep breath, he replaced the picture and moved on to the shelves over her desk. “Karate trophies.”
“Yes.” She grinned. “It seems like every Saturday, we were road-tripping it somewhere. She hasn’t done as many competitions lately.” Lacey frowned and muttered, “She hasn’t wanted to.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, how did you pay for it—the lessons, the competitions, everything?”
Lacey felt a flush cover her cheeks and narrowed her eyes. “I worked for it.”
