Never Let Go

by Elizabeth Goddard

  “Do I know you?” His voice gurgled.

  “We’ve never met, no. I came here to talk to someone about Marilee Clemmons. Do you know her?”

  A confused expression shadowed his eyes and he slowly shook his head. “Can’t say that I do.”

  Willow could hardly contain the disappointment that gripped her. But she continued. If only she could get him to talk about something, maybe important memories would surface. “I’m a genealogist and visited the cemetery up the road. The Haus name I saw on one of the tombstones was spelled H–A–U–S. Is that how you spell your name?”

  He tried to angle his head back at Kim, who remained behind him, as though she would know. Then he reached for his mouth with a trembling hand as if commanding it to speak. “Yes. People don’t know how to say my name. Never did. It’s pronounced ‘hoss,’ not ‘house.’”

  Willow offered a soft laugh. “You’re not alone. As someone who has studied genealogy, I know something of family naming conventions. It happens all too often. Tell me about the man in the grave?”

  She hoped the topic would get him talking about his family and then back around to remembering that he knew Marilee.

  “That’s my father in the grave.” His voice wavered with uncertainty. Willow sensed he still hadn’t decided if he could trust her.

  With the deepest respect, she patted his hand. Her heart went out to him. Many people left in nursing homes were lonely. It broke her heart, but often families didn’t have the resources to care for their elders themselves.

  Mr. Haus started talking about his family just like she had hoped. Arms crossed, watching from a distance, Austin stood against the wall. She shook off the sudden self-consciousness and listened intently to Mr. Haus’s story.

  “My great-granddaddy worked the cattle drives. But my grandpa never cared for it. Settled in Jackson Hole, working at a mercantile. My daddy worked with hunting outfitters. As for me, I got me a good construction job. And my sons”—he held up two fingers—“I have two of them. Nothing I did was good enough. They hardly come to see me anymore.”

  “I’m so sorry to hear that, Mr. Haus.”

  He grinned and winked at her, grabbing her hand. “But you—you can come see me as often as you want.”

  The man had turned feisty and was flirting with her. Willow giggled. “Oh, I’d love to come as often as I can, but I don’t live here.”

  His expression shifted, surprise evident in every wrinkle. “Oh? What brings you here then?”

  Now was the time to bring up Marilee again. “I’m looking into something for a friend who lost someone.”

  He stared off into the distance, his silver brows pinched. “I lost someone. I lost a friend. She worked here.” He twisted around in his wheelchair to stare at Kim for confirmation.

  She nodded.

  “Was Marilee your friend, Mr. Haus?”

  A tear leaked out of the corner of his red-rimmed eye. “She took care of me. No one else is gonna take care of me.”

  He tried to roll his wheelchair away from Kim.

  “Now, that’s just not true.” Kim clung to the handles, her intention clear. “We’re all here to take care of you.”

  Willow stepped back. She hadn’t meant to agitate him.

  “Marilee knows my secret,” he whispered.

  Kim began wheeling him back to his room, speaking in calming tones.

  Austin rested his hand on Willow’s shoulder. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

  “No, wait. I want to apologize to Kim.”

  Austin headed for the door and waited.

  Kim’s shoes squeaked back down the hallway. She appeared surprised to see that Willow was still there. Just before she headed into another patient’s room, Willow called out. Kim frowned, then approached. “Look, I have work to do.”

  “I wanted to apologize. I didn’t mean to upset him.”

  “I know you didn’t. I appreciate that you took time to talk to him. I wish I could have warned you he gets like that. He has dementia. He only has one son, not two.” Juggling a clipboard and a banana, she rubbed her cheek against her shoulder.

  “Is it okay if we come back and talk to him?”

  Kim looked at her clipboard as she walked away. She called over her shoulder. “I suppose that’s up to him.”

  Chapter thirty-five

  When she and Austin approached the Jeep, Willow noticed a slip of paper stuck under the windshield wiper. It flapped in the breeze. They both had spotted it at the same moment and both reached for it, but she was quicker. Before she opened the paper, they both glanced around.

  “Let’s get in the car first,” he said.

  Inside the vehicle, Willow opened the note and read it out loud.

  “If you keep looking, if you tell anyone, her death will be on your hands. Her life depends on you now.”

  Willow gasped for breath. She opened the door and bolted from the car and into the parking lot, where she bent over her thighs to suck in air. If she kept going, she was going to get Jamie killed.

  “It’s not fair!” You hear that, God?

  The pavement rolled and blurred. Whoever left the note was probably watching her reaction now. The thought that someone had followed them to this nursing home overwhelmed every nerve ending in her body.

  Austin’s strong arms wrapped around her. “Willow. Willow, calm down, please. I can’t stand to see you like this.”

  She tried to shrug free. “Leave me alone.”

  “No, I don’t want you standing out here in the open. We need to leave. Now.” His voice left no room for her to argue, but she tried anyway.

  “Just let me catch my breath. I need a moment, okay?” She couldn’t get enough air. “What are we going to do?”

  He guided her to the vehicle. “Later, we can look at security camera footage to see who left the note, but I have a feeling this person wasn’t that careless. But right now, we’re going to get back into the Jeep and get out of here.”

  She climbed inside and shut the door. She’d made a complete fool out of herself. “I’m sorry.”

  “No need to apologize. It’s no less disturbing to me.” Austin started the engine and steered the Jeep out of the parking lot.

  Maybe more disturbing to him since he was supposed to protect her. “Where are we going?”

  “Away from here.”

  “Whoever left that note has been following us. Who is it?”

  He watched the rearview mirror. She’d noted he was always on the lookout, so she couldn’t understand why he had missed their tail, but she didn’t want to accuse him. Now wasn’t the time for that discussion.

  On the console, a plastic bag held the note. Everything was evidence to him. He couldn’t stop collecting it.

  “We have to end the search, Austin. He’s going to kill her. And we’re so close to finding her. What am I going to tell Katelyn?”

  “We have to tell the sheriff. He can contact the local FBI too, who can then decide to reopen the case. And don’t worry, we can make it look like we’re going to give up on the search while we hand over this information.”

  Willow hung her head. “That will take time. Too much time.”

  “Possibly.”

  “How do we make it look like we’re giving up? Do we leave Wyoming?”

  “We’re close to finding her, Willow. That much is obvious. I need time to think.”

  “We can’t just walk into the sheriff’s office and hand over the note. That could also be a death sentence for Jamie. So what do we do next?”

  “I’m going to take us back to Heath’s. I want you to breathe and relax. We’re going to find her, Willow. And I’m going to figure out who has been following us. Maybe he hasn’t been following us at all, but because we’re going to the right places, he knows where we’ll be. This means we’re getting closer.”

  “Doesn’t he realize that leaving us notes tells us we’re on the right track?”

  “He must be desperate.”

  W
ould the guy who’d broken into her cabin try again? Would he kill her this time? Chills crawled over her. She rubbed her arms and looked out the window. “Who have we met along the way that we could add to our list of suspects?”

  “Let’s think this through slowly and methodically.”

  Willow pressed her head against the seat back and closed her eyes. “So we have a name. What sort of name is Charlie for a girl?”

  “Good call coming up with Charlotte in front of Nurse Kim. But the name Charlie. Maybe that’s the point. Her name makes it sound like she’s a boy.”

  “I think you’re right. I can’t believe we’re so close to finding her.” But what exactly would they find? “There’s something else at play here. Mr. Haus said Marilee knows his secret.”

  “That could be taking us off track,” Austin said. “The nurse said he has dementia. It could be nothing at all. Remember, he thinks he has two sons.”

  “It could be connected, see? We believe Marilee abducted Charlie, and Mr. Haus says Marilee knows his secret.” She stared out the window. “But everything has changed now with the note. Anything I do could be construed as continuing the search.”

  “Right. Everything has changed. But we can’t give up on finding Jamie . . . Charlie. I’m just not sure yet how to continue without putting her in danger. But we’ll figure it out.”

  “But will we figure it out in time? Why is someone just leaving notes now when in Seattle someone was trying to kill me?” Someone who succeeded in killing JT. Willow clenched the armrest. She couldn’t wait to find this person and make sure justice was served.

  “That’s a very good question. When we get back to Heath’s house, we’ll get on the internet and find out as much as we can. Why don’t you call Dana and give her an update? Find out what she knows too. Maybe we’ll pack up and make it appear that we’re leaving tomorrow and hand the note off then.”

  “If only we could figure out where Charlie is so the sheriff can protect her. We need her picture to go with the name so we can be sure that she is even Katelyn’s daughter. Maybe we could get her DNA if we could get into her house and work the case like that.”

  “One thing at a time, but I think the notes are confirmation that Charlie is the one. We don’t want to tip this person off. I’ll figure out how to inform the sheriff. Just give me time to think.”

  Time. Something they were running out of.

  “I was watching you back there. You were a whiz with Mr. Haus.”

  She regarded him. Why was he complimenting her now? Trying to calm her frazzled nerves? Did he think that would work? Hmm . . . “What can I say? I love anyone who can remind me of JT.”

  Watching the road and the rearview mirror, Austin managed a cute triple-dimpled grin. He must have a clue how that grin affected her. Why else would he brandish it now?

  When he looked her way, esteem registered in his gray eyes. She turned her attention to the scenery. Once she and Austin were able to put their past aside, they actually began working well together. Not something she needed to linger on.

  The conversation with Mr. Haus still fresh on her mind, Willow thought about JT. If he had lived, would there have ever come a time when he would have stayed in a nursing home? If he had, he would have put a brand-new spin on the old adage “The life of the party.”

  Mr. Haus seemed like a nice old man. She wished his son would come visit him.

  “Marilee knows my secret.”

  What had Marilee known? Whatever it was, did it get her killed?

  FRIDAY, 5:11 P.M.

  EMERALD M RANCH

  Back at the ranch, Heath met them at the door and introduced Evelyn, his adopted grandmother/housekeeper. Willow warmed to her immediately. Did Heath know what a treasure he’d found in this woman? By the adoration blooming on his face, yes. Yes, he did.

  “Can I help you in the kitchen, Evelyn?” she asked.

  “Oh, heavens no. You’re Heath’s guest. If I need help, Heath can help me.” Evelyn squeezed Willow’s arm. “You go upstairs and freshen up. Supper will be served in half an hour.”

  “Are you sure? Because I’m happy to help.”

  Evelyn chuckled and winked. “Maybe next time.”

  Willow did as she was told. After freshening up for supper, she gathered in the dining room with Heath and Austin. She still hadn’t heard back from Dana, except a text saying she would send along an image shortly. Willow’s phone buzzed just as Heath carried lasagna into the room and set it in the center of the table.

  “Excuse me, I need to look at this.” Willow pulled up the image Dana had sent.

  Austin hovered over her shoulder. “Is that her?”

  “Do you even have to ask?” Willow smiled. “She looks like the image of Katelyn in her twenties. This updated version could help us more than the outdated photos on milk cartons that have been circulating for years. But look, the artist included different hairstyles to help us.” She scrolled through the pictures.

  Evelyn and Heath stood at the table and waited.

  “I don’t mean to be rude, but we just got the forensic artist’s compilation of what this girl should look like in her twenties.” Willow flipped her phone around so they could see the image. “Someone abducted her twenty-one years ago. No one knows where she is.”

  Chapter thirty-six

  Except Heath.

  His heart scrambled around in his chest. He knew the girl in the image. He knew where she was, and that she was hiding. He’d been the one to help her hide.

  He also knew there was going to be trouble. Part of that resided with him.

  Because what he didn’t know was who had hired Austin and Willow to find Charlie—a girl who didn’t want to be found.

  He needed to redirect their attention while he recovered. Figured out what he should say and what he shouldn’t. “Well, why don’t we eat before it gets cold, since Evelyn worked so hard. We wouldn’t want to disappoint her.”

  While they plated their food, Heath worked to compose himself, appreciating the training he’d received as a Green Beret. He could almost be grateful for the experience of living under a brutal alcoholic father. Heath had learned to maintain his composure under the worst circumstances.

  He’d count this situation among those.

  He and Austin were finally reconnecting—heck, he’d go so far as to use the word reconciling. But Austin and the genealogist had been hired to find Charlie. Too many questions swirled around her mother’s murder. And considering Clyde’s relationship with Marilee, and that Clyde was Sheriff Everett’s cousin, something smelled like too many dead salmon floating on the Grayback River. Heath had sworn to keep Charlie’s secret while she searched for her mother’s killer. She stayed in a cabin just under two miles up the trail. Close but not too close.

  Heath might never have considered helping Charlie, going to such lengths, if he hadn’t already been through a similar tragedy. He’d befriended a young mother at a church he’d attended near Fort Carson, Colorado, where he’d been based. She’d had a restraining order against her ex-husband, but that hadn’t been enough. Heath had assisted her in finding a place to stay but had made the mistake of sharing her location with a friend. If only he hadn’t.

  Her husband found her and almost beat her to death. Heath showed up in time to stop the man, but he blamed himself. He wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice—he wouldn’t give Charlie up without good reason. He’d die before he’d let anything happen to her.

  “How’s the food?” Evelyn’s question yanked him back to the present.

  “Excellent, as always,” he lied. The lasagna was probably wonderful, but it tasted like cardboard at the moment. Not her fault. His stomach had soured at the revelation of who his brother and the genealogist had come to find.

  Austin and Willow went on about the lasagna, even the elk meat sauce, and thanked Evelyn. Smiling, she sauntered back into the kitchen. Willow claimed she’d hired Austin, but by that hope brewing in Austin’s eyes when he looked
at her, Heath suspected much more was going on. If Austin had found someone and fallen in love, Heath couldn’t be happier for him. Even a little envious. But his inner demons wouldn’t let him do the same.

  “I hope you’re paying her what she’s worth.” The teasing gleam in his brother’s eyes singed his heart. He wanted to be forthright but not yet. He couldn’t reveal Charlie’s secret. Not until he had all the facts.

  Aware that Austin was studying him, he tilted his head to the kitchen. “I can’t afford to pay her what she’s worth.” He paid Evelyn plenty, but she was a priceless gem.

  Finally, after he forced down an entire plate of lasagna—Evelyn would worry if he didn’t—he figured it was time to dig deeper. For his own peace of mind and for Charlie’s safety. “Tell me about the person who hired you to find this girl. What do you know about him?”

  He couldn’t imagine that Clyde or Sheriff Everett had hired these two—especially since they’d come all the way from Seattle. Made no sense. What was going on?

  “Well, I suppose we’ve already shared with the sheriff,” Willow said, “so you might as well know. I don’t usually share clients’ information. For their privacy’s sake, you understand.”

  Heath set his napkin on his plate, waiting for an explanation.

  “A family member has been searching for her a long time. It’s . . . complicated.” Willow hesitated. “I might as well tell you—her mother has been looking for her.”

  The lasagna churned in his gut. Her mother was dead—she couldn’t have hired them. Heath fought the urge to bolt from the table and pace. To blast these two for taking this assignment. Finding out who had hired them could help solve Marilee’s murder, but he had to play this right to prevent them from tipping off the murderer.

  “You say her mother has been looking for her.”

  Austin pushed his plate forward and clasped his hands on the table. “She was abducted from a hospital twenty-one years ago.”

  This was too much. Heath wanted to run from the table. Instead he eased away. He wanted to rail at them. Instead he said nothing.