“It’s nowhere near done.”
“Aw.” Jack made a pouty face and looked over Amy’s shoulder at the bowl. “It looks like it’s almost ready.”
“We still have to peel and chop the potatoes, add the dressing, and then stick it in the refrigerator for several hours to chill. You have a long time to wait.”
“That’s a little disappointing. I guess it will be worth the wait, though.” He moved his hand to Ivy’s back as he slid his gaze to Amy. “How are you doing?”
“Oh, I’m a nervous wreck,” she admitted, carefully placing the bowl on the counter. “I’m afraid to see Max. Ivy called him and told him I would be at the barbecue but … I feel horrible. This whole thing is such a mess.”
“Maybe it’s not a mess any longer,” Ivy countered, pinning Jack with a questioning look. “Did you find him?”
“He was definitely staying at the Pine Cone Motel,” Jack replied, moving to the table to collect a plastic bag. He’d been carrying it with the takeout and looked reticent as he turned back. “He wasn’t in the room at the time. We know he’s driving a blue Ford pickup truck. We’re not sure what year, just that it’s an F-150.”
“Will that help you find him?” Amy asked, concern etching lines onto her pretty features. “I mean … can you put one of those all points bulletins out for him?”
“It’s already done. His photo has been sent to all the news outlets. We’re actively searching. We just don’t know where he is at the moment.”
“There has to be something you’re not telling us,” Ivy argued, her eyes narrowing shrewdly. “You’re upset about something.”
“I don’t know that ‘upset’ is the word I would use,” he hedged. “The thing is, I need you to look at some photographs. We found them in Jeff’s room. He left his computer behind, too, and we’re going to go through that after lunch. These photographs are cause for concern, though.”
Amy kept her eyes on Jack for a long beat and then took the plastic bag. Her heart sank into her stomach when she realized what she was looking at. “Oh, my … how did he get these?”
Ivy abandoned the potato salad preparations and joined her new friend. “Can we take these out of the bag, Jack?”
“Yeah. We’ve already processed fingerprints on a few. You guys can look at those.”
Amy’s hands were shaking as she tried to open the bag, but Ivy offered her a helping hand. “Here.” Ivy was calm as she removed the stack of photos and immediately handed them to Amy. “When were these taken?”
“I don’t know.” Jack sank into a chair as Brian started removing containers of food and doling them out. “I was hoping Amy could tell me. You’ve been here six weeks, right?”
“Eight,” she corrected. “I spent two whole weeks hiding in Caroline’s house once we arrived. I was paranoid because I was sure he’d somehow followed me.”
“We can’t be certain until we take him into custody, but I’m willing to bet he figured out you were in Michigan,” Jack offered. “I don’t think he could find your exact location, though. I think he hired someone to take these photos. That’s why he had snapshots printed out instead of on a flash drive or disc. They were sent as tangible proof.”
“Who are you thinking?” Ivy asked, legitimately curious. “Who would help him?”
“We’ve been talking about that,” Brian interjected. “The safest bet would be a private investigator. My guess is he was going from region to region to search for her … unless he was aware of your parents’ friendship with Caroline.”
Amy immediately started shaking her head. “No. I know I never mentioned her. It’s not like we ever had a lot of heart-to-heart talks. The only reason I thought it was safe to flee here is because I was certain he didn’t know about her.”
“Then he’s flying blind and lucked out by finding an investigator who somehow managed to track you down,” Brian noted. “The thing is, all those photos are taken in your place of business. None are taken at the lake house … and none are of your son. Can I ask … did you take extra precautions when you were leaving the bar after your shift?”
Amy emphatically bobbed her head. “Every night, without fail, I drove twenty miles out of my way and took a roundabout trek to get to the lake house. I know it sounds ridiculous but that’s the only way I felt safe.”
“It doesn’t sound ridiculous at all. I think that’s what kept you safe. We need to figure out what private detective he hired. If you can recognize a face, then we can track that individual down and get answers from him.”
Amy wiped her wet hands on the seat of her pants. “I can try.”
“That’s good.” Brian pulled his phone out of his pocket. “There are four in the area who are known to advertise. I would assume Jeff would go with one of them because they’re the most visible.” He showed her a series of photos. In turn, she shook her head. On the third photo, though, she grabbed his phone and brought it closer to her face.
“I recognize him from the bar. He came in at least four or five times while I was there.”
Brian took back the phone and stared. “Darren Gibson,” he intoned, wrinkling his nose. “I’m not surprised it’s him.”
Jack was out of the loop. “What do we know about him?”
“He’s a jerk,” Ivy answered before Brian could. “He’s a complete and total jerk. Oh, he’s also a pervert, too. He got expelled when we were in high school because he put a secret camera in the girls’ changing room and was trying to sell the footage to the other boys in the school.”
Jack made a face. “I’m sorry but … what? Why isn’t he in prison?”
“Because his parents pleaded that he was a good kid who just got caught up in some terrible hormonal imbalance,” Brian replied. “I pushed for him to be prosecuted but lost. He got away with it. He was a slacker, though, and never amounted to anything. Being a PI was basically the only option he had.”
“Are you going to track him down?” Ivy asked.
“He doesn’t have an office,” Brian pointed out. “He works out of his car most of the time. I’m going to send a uniform over to his house, but I doubt he’ll be there. He’s a paranoid little turd. We can call him, but he won’t return the calls. We’re going to need to track him down on the road, and that won’t be easy.”
“I don’t understand how he doesn’t have an office,” Jack complained. “Who can be in the service industry like this and not have an office to meet clients at?”
“The sort of clients he takes on are the types that are perfectly happy meeting at a strip club or bar,” Brian answered. “He’s not helping anyone with any high-class problems.”
“That sounds exactly like the sort of person Jeff would hire,” Amy confirmed. “The sleazier the better in his book. He would especially like someone who was willing to work outside of ethical lines.”
“And that describes Darren to a tee,” Brian said grimly. “We’re going to have to put out a notice on the state police band to see if they stumble across him, too. I don’t know that we’ll luck out, but we have to try.”
Jack accepted the burger container Brian handed him and motioned for Amy to sit down. She looked to be lost in her own little world but acquiesced. She wordlessly took the container Brian handed her but didn’t open it.
“Did Darren ever say anything to you when he was in the bar?” Jack asked. “I mean … did he try to get personal information from you?”
“No more than anyone else,” Amy replied. “Most of the guys who came in flirted with me. I figured that was part of the job, though. Drunk guys think they’re so adorable that no one could ever turn them down.
“I ignored almost all of them and just smiled and served another drink when they asked,” she continued. “The only one I paid attention to was Max … and that was because he was different.”
“Different how?”
“He didn’t spend all his time staring at my butt and boobs. I mean … I’m sure he checked them out once or twice. When we were talk
ing, though, he was always focused on my face. He actually listened, although I made a point not to tell him anything.”
“I’m betting Darren tried to follow you from the bar more than once,” Jack said. “He probably even tried to figure out who you were staying with. Did you tell anyone who you were associated with in town?”
“No. Only Max, and that was a good week and a half after we started dating. It kind of slipped out. I warned him not to tell anyone, although I lied and said it was because I didn’t want guys from the bar following me home and hitting on me. He seemed to understand.”
“That sounds like Max,” Jack agreed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Basically, I think Darren delivered the photos to Jeff and told him where to start looking for you. He might’ve even been aware that you were going camping with Max. Did that information come out at work?”
Amy nodded, thoughtful. “I had to ask my boss for the weekend off. He didn’t give me any grief about it. A lot of the regulars teased me for going on a weekend trip with Max, though. Everyone there knew … although I’m not sure how they figured out what campground we were going to.”
“That wouldn’t have been hard to suss out,” Brian said. “Ivy and Jack weren’t keeping it a secret. I knew … Michael and Luna knew … half the people in town knew. Heck, Ava knew because she kept trying to talk Jack out of going camping.”
Now it was Ivy’s turn to make a face. “And why is that?”
“Because she wanted him to warm her sleeping bag instead of yours,” Brian replied, not missing a beat. “Get over it. She throws herself at Jack on a regular basis. He, however, is devoted to you and doesn’t give her the time of day.”
“I’m a good fiancé,” Jack agreed, smirking as he shoved a fry in Ivy’s mouth to make sure she didn’t go off on a tangent. “That’s not important now, though. Brian is right. Finding out which campground we were going to wouldn’t have been difficult. The question is: Why would Jeff bother going there? I mean … did he think you would have JJ with you? If so, he might’ve thought he had a chance to grab the kid and run when no one was looking.”
“There was no JJ, though,” Ivy pointed out. “He wasn’t there. Why stick around? Why kill Stacy and Becky?”
“I’m still on the fence whether or not he realized that Stacy wasn’t Amy,” Jack admitted. “The hair was similar enough that it convinced us she was the victim even though we didn’t see a face. He could’ve killed her in a fit of rage because he thought she was Amy … or he could’ve killed her as a message to Amy.”
“Which do you think?” Brian asked.
“I don’t know.” Amy’s voice cracked. “I feel he knew it wasn’t me, but I don’t know that it matters. Either way, she’s dead because of me. The other girl, too. I caused all of this.”
“You didn’t.” Jack was firm. “This is not your fault. Jeff is the sicko. This is his fault. He’s the reason all of this happened.”
“I can’t help thinking that I’m to blame.” Amy’s lower lip trembled. “Those women would still be alive if Jeff wasn’t searching for me.”
“You didn’t kill them, though.” Jack refused to back down. “You were a victim in all of this. You can’t blame yourself. All we can do is move forward, and that’s exactly what we plan to do. We’re not going to stop until he’s in custody and you’re safe. You have my word.”
Gratitude reared up and gripped Amy by the throat. “Thank you. You’ve gone above and beyond.”
“Not until we catch him we haven’t,” Brian argued. “Once that happens, I think there are a lot of people who will want to get in line to question him. I doubt that Stacy and Becky were his first victims. I’m sure there were more.”
“I think you can count on that,” Jack agreed. “Let’s start digging, shall we?”
IT WAS ALMOST FIVE BEFORE THEY packed up the photos and computer and moved it to the bedroom so prying eyes wouldn’t catch on that there was trouble. Ivy allowed Amy to freshen up in her bathroom and helped Jack scour the room to make sure they hadn’t left any clues out for her parents or brother to find.
“What do you think?” she asked, nervously gnawing on her bottom lip. “Do you think you’ll catch him soon? She can’t go back to that lake house until you do and I don’t think it’s safe to allow Max to wander around without knowing that there’s an enemy ready to move on him.”
Jack made an exaggerated face. “You’re the one who said it was up to Amy to tell Max what was going on.”
“And I stand by that.”
“You just said he needs to know.”
“He does.” Ivy was unflappable. “I’m hoping Amy gets up the gumption to tell him tonight … after she meets my parents and gets run through the gauntlet, of course. The sooner she tells him, the better. She still has to make the decision herself.”
“So … how does that play into what you just said?” Jack pressed. “If you’re worried about Max – and I think you have a right to be because I’m sure Jeff has done his research when it comes to the man sleeping with his wife – then we have to warn him.”
“Or we could just arrange it so they both get really drunk and have to stay in the extra bedroom downstairs.”
Jack’s mouth dropped open. “You cannot be serious.”
“Oh, I’m serious. The best way to keep Max safe is to force him to spend the night here.”
“Only you would think that’s a legitimate possibility.”
“What’s wrong with that idea? I’ll just keep serving him beer all night and Amy can pretend she’s drunk, too. They’ll be under this roof tonight. There’s safety in numbers. You can’t argue with that.”
He was incredulous. “I most certainly can. Your brother has to know the truth. I know you don’t want to push Amy into doing something she’s not ready to do, but this isn’t a normal situation. Your brother could get hurt if he doesn’t understand what he’s up against. I know you don’t want that.”
Ivy definitely didn’t want that. “No, I don’t. It’s just … she’s not ready.”
“I don’t think that matters now.” Jack was matter-of-fact. “This is bigger than any one of us. We’re all involved. Max is going to have to be told the truth whether you like it or not, whether Amy is ready or not.”
Ivy made a protesting sound, but she didn’t get a chance to argue because Amy picked that moment to appear in the room. Her eyes were clear, her blond hair brushed and ordered, and the smile she sent Ivy was small, heartfelt, and resigned.
“He’s right,” she said, her voice strong and clear. “Max has to know. I plan to tell him tonight.”
“You do?” Ivy was relieved despite herself. “I didn’t think you were there yet.”
“I’m not. In fact, it’s the last thing I want to do. I’m afraid that the moment I tell him he’s going to be out the door and running as fast as he can in the opposite direction. That’s something I don’t want to deal with … but I have to.
“Do you know what’s worse than your brother leaving me?” she continued. “Losing him for another reason. Jeff won’t hesitate to kill him. I’m actually surprised he didn’t try to make a move when you all went off fishing.”
“Why didn’t you tell us then?” Jack asked. “You could’ve warned us and it all would’ve been over in seconds.”
“I was so shocked to see him at the site that I didn’t know what to do. I was terrified … and for more than one reason. I thought he might be armed. I thought you guys wouldn’t believe me because I hadn’t spoken up sooner. That’s one of the things that he drilled into my head. People wouldn’t believe me because I had a chance early on to tell and I never did. Part of me believed that was true. Now that I know you better, I see that I was mistaken. I was too afraid in the moment to do anything, though.”
Ivy took pity on her. “It’s going to be okay. We’re going to figure it out. Are you sure you want to tell Max tonight? I think getting him bombed is an easy solution.”
Amy let loose one of her patented
giggles and rubbed her forehead. “I think it’s time. It’s better he knows now, even if he wants to leave. I know that’s a possibility. Heck, it’s probable he’ll do that. If he doesn’t, though, it will be a nice surprise. At least this way I know Jeff won’t be able to fool him into thinking they’re friends and get at him that way. I can’t allow that to happen.”
“You can’t,” Jack agreed, secretly relieved. “Here’s the thing: I think you should keep it to yourself as long as Luna and Michael are here. They’re going to be all over you as it is, so I think you should just get through dinner. Then we’ll find a way to maneuver them out of the house and leave you and Max to talk in private. We’ll take a walk in the woods or something.”
“I think that sounds like a smart plan,” Ivy said. “My parents are going to be gushing over you, but once the novelty of meeting you fades, they’ll leave without complaint. Once they’re gone, then you’ll have your moment. How does that sound?”
“Terrifying. It’s the right thing to do, though.”
“It really is. I’m glad you’ve come to this decision. I’ll be here to help you after the fact if you need it.”
“I appreciate it. I’ll never be able to repay what you’ve done for me.”
“You don’t have to repay anything. It was the right thing to do. Now, let’s check all the food and make sure that’s ready so we can get dinner on the table promptly. I’m guessing my parents will be early.”
“There’s something to look forward to.”
“You don’t even know the half of it.”
Seventeen
Max was through the door without knocking a full thirty minutes early. Ivy wasn’t surprised to see him. She expected him to come up with a reason for an early arrival … especially when he heard Amy was helping Ivy with the food.
“I brought pie.” He shoved a store-bought pie into Ivy’s hands without looking at her. “It’s blueberry. You like blueberries.”
Ivy cocked an eyebrow. “I do like blueberries,” she confirmed, slapping the pie into Jack’s hands when she noticed Max was starting to track his girlfriend across the room. “Come here.” She snagged him by the back of the shirt and yanked him back before he could escape in Amy’s direction. “Don’t go over there and smother her.”
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