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The conversation had been effectively ended, and Dante understood. His family history was riddled with crap he’d packed away and planned never to think about again.
They didn’t find anything remarkable at the rental. No abandoned car—the Honda had been towed away—no convenient clues left behind. But the murky daylight did expose sloppy footprints around the property and under the windows, along with scratch marks on the door handle where they’d tried to get inside.
They returned to the cruiser but before getting inside again, Dante glanced up and down the quiet residential street.
“Where would he go? André said he took off, jumped a fence, and was gone.”
“More houses that direction.” Lani gestured to the east. “And a bit further on, the edge of forest land. There’s a trail that leads around it to the high school. No one reported a prowler, but let’s drive over that way.”
Lani took a route Dante wasn’t familiar with, passing by Cooper Mansion before heading southeast along a road between the last of the houses and the trees.
“What’s up with the mansion?” he asked.
At one point, the structure had been majestic, a masterpiece of Victorian architecture, but it had long ago fallen into disrepair. Windows were broken, shutters sagged. It looked like something out of a horror movie.
“Oh,” Lani said airily, “just another reminder of our not-so-illustrious past. Grandfather donated it to the town as soon as he had possession. There’ve been all sorts of plans for the place, but they always fall through. I heard there’s new grant money available, so maybe the city can finally bring it up to code. I mean, I guess it was nice to donate it, but with the amount of work it needs, it was a fairly empty gesture.”
“Is it haunted too?”
Lani snickered. “I guess you’ll have to stay overnight there and find out.”
“Nah, I’m good.”
They rounded a corner and abruptly Dante knew exactly where they were. He and André had driven this block earlier that morning.
“Deputy Trent lives down that block.”
“Yep.” Lani nodded. “He does. With all those creepy gnomes too.”
“How easy would it be for a person to get from my street to Trent’s by cutting through?”
“Pretty easy if you were fit and fast. Lots of folks around here have dogs though.”
“It was pouring last night. I would think dogs would be inside, or in kennels anyway.”
She waggled her head knowingly. “Most likely.”
True, there were people who left their dogs out in all weather, day or night. Bastards.
“But Trent’s sister said she hadn’t talked to him in a few days.”
“His sister? Last I knew, she was living in Chehalis. But Trent and I aren’t close, so what do I know?”
“Would you be willing to stop by and talk to her? Since we’re in the neighborhood. Maybe she’ll tell you something that she wouldn’t tell André?”
“Sure, why not?”
Dante waited in the car this time. Just like earlier, it took several moments for the sister to come to the door. While Lani spoke with her, Dante focused on the sister’s body language. Was she hiding something or just uncomfortable with the cops stopping by twice in less than an hour while still in her pjs? He wasn’t sure.
“Well?” he asked when Lani slipped back behind the steering wheel.
“She basically told me the same thing she told you. Hasn’t spoken to Trent in a day or so.”
Lani started the engine and they pulled away from the curb. Dante looked back at the house. A slat in one of the blinds was askew, as if someone had tugged on it so they could see out. She could be curious, or she could be hiding something.
They spent another forty minutes driving up and down most of the streets of Cooper Springs and not seeing anything suspicious.
“This isn’t getting us anywhere, but I needed to do something,” Lani said. “Let’s head back to the station.”
