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“My thoughts exactly. I believe Renee Robinson is not just an irresponsible teenager who forgot to tell her mom where she was. Bill Flanders wants to use her to hurt Marie, and we need to find her now.”
“I agree. I’ll call Mrs. Robinson and get more details right away and send out an alert to all the officers in the area. With her history, I should have taken her more seriously.”
His statement piqued Owen’s interest. He’d assumed Wanda’s call to the station would have eyes rolling at the dramatic worries of a drug-addicted woman who was known to cause problems, not garner more attention.
“Why should you have taken her more seriously? I know her history of drug use. Has she had issues with dealers harming her or her children to get money or send a message?” He’d seen it before—addicts who took more than they could afford to pay then suffered the consequences later.
If Marie’s suspicions of why Erica Zyler had researched her mother were true, her inability to pay her debts could be what led both her daughters to danger. Marie would be crushed if her mom’s addiction put Renee in harm’s way, and she wasn’t there to keep her sister safe.
A beat of silence pulsed on the line. “No…there are other reasons. Reasons I can’t go into right now.”
Owen opened his mouth to ask more questions but knew it’d be a waste of time. “Make your call to Wanda, and I’ll be in touch.”
Marie shot to her feet and knotted her hands at her waist. “I want to go home. I need to be with my mom, and maybe there’s something I can do to help.”
Hesitation slowed his response. He needed to be close to town to work the case, but if Bill went back to his hometown, it couldn’t hurt to pay a visit to Jackson Hill. The drive wasn’t too long, and if he could help find Renee it’d be worth the time spent away from the case.
“I’ll drive you. Gather your stuff and I’ll get Nora ready. We’ll leave as soon as we can.”
Appreciation shone through her panic, and she threw her arms around his neck. “Thank you.” Pulling back, she pressed her lips to his than hurried off to the guest room.
His phone rang in his hand. A beat of hope pulsed through him. Maybe Renee had already been found. “Wells, here.”
“Deputy Wells, we found Edward Jones.”
Adrenaline pumped through his veins. If they had Eddy, they could find Bill, and hopefully, Renee. “Good, bring Eddy to the station for questioning.”
“We can’t do that, sir. Edward Jones is dead.”
19
Owen pushed the gas pedal to the floor and flew down the gravel lane. Loose pebbles pelted the side of his car, and rain crashed down on his windshield. The wipers sped back and forth, unable to keep the hoard of rain from blocking his view. Breaking at the end of the driveway, he swiveled his neck to check for traffic then peeled onto the dark, wet road.
He’d already placed a call to his dad and Tommy, who would meet him at the address he’d provided, and Katherine was on her way to the house in case Pappy woke. Marie and Nora were with him, ready to head back to Jackson Hill as soon as he finished with the death scene.
“I can’t believe he’s dead,” Marie said from the passenger seat, her voice barely audible against the onslaught of rain pounding against the roof. “He was so young.”
A twinge of sadness twisted his stomach, but he ignored it. He couldn’t let his sympathies for a young man caught up in a dangerous game cloud his judgement. “I feel bad for his mother. First her husband, and now this.”
“What does this mean for Renee?” She groaned. “Does asking that make me an awful person? A boy is dead, and I’m worried about how that affects my sister.”
Owen tightened his grip on the wheel, needing to keep control of the speeding car on the water-covered road. “It makes you human, and I don’t know what it means for Renee.”
“Do you think Bill killed him?”
Owen shrugged. “Maybe. Or it’s whoever else is involved in this mess. We’ve asked a lot of questions the last couple days, pushed a lot of people. If we got too close to the truth, someone besides Bill might have snapped—felt pressured to make a move to get us off their trail.”
“Patricia,” Marie said on an inhale of breath. “You asked her about the bow. It had to tip her off.”
Owen nodded and turned toward town.
The house Eddy was found at wasn’t far from Patricia’s home. He still didn’t know what had alerted the police to anything suspicious in the residence, but his nerves trembled to find the answers. Ignoring the speed limit signs posted at the city limits, he raced forward.
His tires caught on a large puddle of water swallowing the street, and his vehicle skid to the side. He took his foot off the gas and let the car slow, the tires regaining their grip on the asphalt.
The sound of heavy panting caught his attention, and he glanced at Marie. She pressed one hand against her heart while the other held a death grip on the door handle. Her eyes were squeezed shut, and her pale skin shone bright in the dark car. “Are you all right?”
She nodded, still not opening her eyes.
