Dylan leaned back in the chair and crossed his legs. “That is what Bret Robertson does. He drugs women, rapes them, and takes a little memento so he can relive the thrill over and over.” None of the reporters knew about the keepsakes Dylan had found in a shaving canister with a fake bottom in Robertson’s house. The FBI had been able to keep that information secret.
He gave her some time to take in the information. Then he asked, “Did Bret Robertson rape you? Were you wearing the necklace the night he drugged you, and then took advantage of you?”
She slammed her fist on the table. “I told you Bret Robertson never raped me.”
Placing both feet flat on the floor, Dylan leaned in close. “Miss Callicutt, I know you’ve been through a traumatic experience, but you have to help me.” He took her hand. “Robertson is making a deal with the DA. He is going to walk if you don’t help me keep him behind bars. He will rape again.”
She jerked her hand away from him. “I have no idea what you are talking about. Bret Robertson has never touched me.” He had been doing this job long enough to know when someone was lying. Without any doubt, Tonya Callicutt was one of his victims.
Again she stood but this time she was angry. “Get out of my apartment. Never come to my home again.” She gestured toward the door.
He had to say something to convince her to help him. “Robertson attempted to rape my girlfriend. He slipped ecstasy in her drink, carried her to his bedroom at the frat house where he resides, and attempted to rape her. He was with Chad Grey when he murdered Tiffany Swift. It was Robertson who drugged her and raped her first. Do you want a monster like him to remain on the streets? Who will be his next victim?”
Hysterical tears streamed over her cheeks. “Get out!” Once again she pointed at the door and shouted louder, “Get out!”
In that moment Dylan knew it was useless. Because of his impatience he had made a major blunder. No matter what he said she wasn’t going to admit Robertson raped her. He placed his card on the table. “If you change your mind, please give me a call. If you don’t feel comfortable talking to me, there is a female agent at the bureau that will speak with you.”
Defeated, he walked out the door. He failed and now it was possible Robertson would be released. He had to find a way to keep him behind bars. Lacy would not spend her life wondering if Robertson were hiding in the shadows watching her. He needed to find enough evidence to put him away for life.
****
Sitting in the campus cafeteria waiting for Michelle, Lacy popped a french-fry in her mouth then licked catsup off her thumb. She decided she needed something besides a salad today. Covered in salt and catsup for flavor, she grimaced. Now she would have to spend time at the gym. She hated the gym. All those sweaty bodies wearing spandex in one place wasn’t very appealing. Maybe she would go for a jog instead.
She let out a loud sigh. Even though she and Dylan had reconciled, she still worried about their relationship. They were so different. It seemed she was always on edge and took out her frustrations on Dylan. She was mostly at fault because of her feelings for Bret. She hated him and wanted to make sure he went to prison for life no matter what she had to do to make it happen.
“That’ll put fat on your hips.”
That sugary voice ruined her appetite. She pushed her plate away and glared at Malory. “What do you want?” Tension caused the back of her neck to ache.
She plopped into the chair beside her. Today her choice for color was orange. A bright, pumpkin colored shirt almost blinded her. Malory’s gorgeous dark hair was draped over one shoulder giving her a seductive appearance. It was obvious why men were attracted to her. Everything about her screamed, I’m hot and love sex.
“Just to catch up. How are you doing?”
Lacy wiped the salt and catsup from her hands with her paper napkin before dropping it on top of her plate. Resentment tightened her belly. “Go away.”
“The cat has claws. I’m glad to see you have decided to take up for yourself. I guess Dylan is responsible for your change in attitude.”
“I’m not having a conversation with you about Dylan.”
She smiled, “I know he was never really interested in me. No hard feelings.”
Again Lacy asked, “What do you want?”
“I miss Michelle. She won’t speak to me because she feels like you and I are enemies.” She held out her hand. “Can we be friends again?”
Lacy never budged. “We’ve never been friends. I tolerated you because of Michelle. I don’t like you, never have.”
Malory dropped her hand. “At least you’re honest. I like the new Lacy better. You’re no longer boring. Maybe that is why Dylan is attracted to you. You went from a timid, scared little rabbit to someone with some fire and spark in your veins.”
In a firm voice, Lacy stated, “I am not having a discussion about Dylan with you. In fact I’m not having any discussion with you. Stay away from him. He is mine.”
Malory propped her elbow on the table. “I’m just trying to help with the investigation. I don’t like what Bret did to you. He deserves to rot in prison.” She pushed the photo across the table. “The name of the owner of the bracelet is on the back of the picture.”
Surprised she didn’t use the photo of the bracelet as an excuse to meet with Dylan, she asked, “Why didn’t you call Dylan and give it to him?”
A look of pain crossed her face. It was obvious she was in love with Dylan. “I have my reasons.” She pushed away from the table and stood. She propped her huge orange purse on her shoulder. “Is Michelle okay? I worry about her.”
“She’s hanging in there. The publicity has been rough on her. Reporters are always hounding her for an interview.”
“Tell her I asked about her.”
It was an effort, but Lacy smiled. “I will let her know we talked.”
Malory looked at the photo of the bracelet still in Lacy’s hand. “I hope that will help.”
“Thank you.” The moment Malory disappeared, Lacy stared at the gold bracelet in the photo. There was nothing special about the bracelet. She turned the photo over and read the back, Sherry Wallace, 226 Malcolm Road, Durham, NC.
How had Malory determined the bracelet belonged to Sherry Wallace? She prayed Sherry would be more forthcoming than Tonya Callicutt. They were running out of time. Bret would be making a deal with the DA any day. She would always be looking over her shoulder if he was released from prison.
****
Lacy sat in front of Donald and Megan Cooper’s house. It was a large two-story brick house with a circle drive. Black shutters banked the windows. The home was lovely and inviting. In the center of the yard was a riot of bright, vibrant flowers. Dogwoods lined the outside edge of the driveway. The dogwood blooms had long since died, but the leaves were full and dark green.
She wondered if Elizabeth grew up in the house before she left for college. Did she play in the backyard with her dog? Her parents must have been worried sick when she went missing. As time passed and they knew their daughter wasn’t coming home, that worry turned to grief.
Richard’s plane landed an hour ago and Grace was picking him up at the airport. Together they were going to try to convince them to let him try to find Elizabeth’s body. The DA told Dylan they were making a deal with Bret today. They had to find the body before the deal was finalized.
She called Dylan. It went straight to voicemail. Maybe he was still trying to locate Sherry Wallace. Last night he had gone to her house in Durham, but she never came to the door.
Beth had gone with Josh to help convince the DA not to make the deal with Bret until tomorrow. She was going to tell him they had some new leads that could be detrimental to the case. They needed more time.
Grace and Richard pulled to the curb in front of her Jeep. She got out and placed the huge photograph book on top of her car hood. She threw her arms around Richard as soon as he emerged. “Thank you so much for coming.”
He looked tired and ragged. H
is eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep. The shadow of a beard gave him an unkempt look. “Sorry, I haven’t had time for a shower.” His clothes were stained and rumpled.
“How did it go? Did you find the body?” Lacy didn’t even know the name of the person he was trying to locate. It helped not to put a name with a missing person. She didn’t want to know. All she knew was Richard had been in the mountains of California for a week.
“Yes. Now it is up to the FBI to find out who murdered her. They suspect her husband.”
So it was a woman. “I’m glad you were successful.”
“It was rough terrain. I’ve slept in a tent for a week. Whoever killed her went to a lot of trouble to hide her body. Most of the search took place on foot. They suspect her husband took her on a camping trip, and pushed her off a cliff. Not satisfied with just killing her, he buried her body hoping no one would find her.”
Being a psychic had to be depressing. She couldn’t imagine the pain he dealt with on a daily basis. The sound of her heart pounding in her ears was deafening. “I’m nervous.”
“Not many people believe in psychics. It may take some convincing.” He cast his eyes toward the Cooper’s impressive house. “Because of my appearance, she may not let us past the front door. I look like a mountain man.”
“Sorry I didn’t give you time to shower and put on clean clothes.”
“It’s okay, Lacy.” Richard took her hand. “Are you ready to get this over with?” He also seemed nervous.
Grace took her other hand. “We’ll be with you.”
Lacy grabbed the photo album. Grace asked, “What’s in the book?”
“You’ll find out soon enough.”
Together they walked up the sidewalk and knocked on the door. Megan Cooper opened the door a couple of inches then froze. With a curious expression on her face, she asked, “What do you want?”
“May we come in?” Seconds passed as she stood there wondering if she should allow them entrance. Her eyes stopped on Richard and Lacy feared she would slam the door in their faces. He did look like a man of unsavory character with the slight beard and rugged clothing. “It’s important.”
Finally, she opened the door wider and stepped to the side so they could enter. Megan didn’t invite them farther than the foyer. “This is Grace Wilson and Richard Lewis.”
Instead of offering her hand in greeting, she gave a slight nod of her head. “Nice to meet you.”
Obviously, irritated with their visit, she crossed her arms and waited for an explanation of why they were there. “Can we come inside and talk.” Lacy added quickly, “It’s very important.”
They followed Megan to the living room. Everywhere she looked were pictures of Elizabeth. From childhood to adulthood, photos were arranged on tables, the mantle, and wall. It was obvious Megan Cooper had adored her daughter. It was so painful to look at the photos, she forced her gaze to remain on Megan.
A multi-colored sofa and matching chair sat in the middle of the room. Richard waited until all the ladies were seated before he sat next to Lacy. She placed the photograph book on the coffee table.
“What is the purpose of this unannounced visit?”
“I hope you don’t think me rude for not calling, but I was afraid you would refuse to see us.” Lacy wrung her hands in worry. “Bret Robertson is making a deal with the DA today.”
“Yes, I know. Our lawyer notified us of the proceedings.”
“He is asking the DA to drop all charges against him. It is possible he will be released before his sentence is completed.”
Sympathy showed on Megan’s face. “I’m sorry, Lacy. I know what he did to you was horrible, but I want my daughter to come home. I want to have a funeral and bury her at the church next to her grandparents. I want the not knowing to end.”
“That is the reason we are here.” She took her time to choose her words carefully. She held her hand out toward Richard. “Richard Lewis is a psychic. He can help you find Elizabeth.”
It took a moment for Megan to respond. Her eyes shifted to Richard. “You have no idea how many quacks have called and shown up at my door and promised they could find Elizabeth. I went as far as to pay a lady $1,000. It was a waste of hope, time, and money.”
“I’m not asking for money, Mrs. Cooper.” He held her gaze. “It will not cost you one cent. I am here as a favor to Lacy.”
Still not too keen on the idea, she still remained quiet. Lacy took the photograph book from the coffee table and placed it in Megan’s lap. “Here is all the evidence you need.” She opened the book and began to read the newspaper articles, all of them about Richard. The room was awkwardly silent as she skimmed through article after article about Richard’s amazing ability at finding the living and dead. She flipped through the last few pages and then dumped the book onto the table.
Megan placed her hands over her face. “I can’t do this again. It was devastating to watch the last psychic stand in this room and tell me Elizabeth was buried in a shallow grave in the park across from the bar where she disappeared. Hours spent digging and searching for naught. I won’t go through that again.”
Lacy pulled Megan’s hands away from her face bringing them to her beating heart. “Richard looks like he has spent two weeks in the wilderness because that’s exactly where he has been. He was on a mission in the mountains of California to find a woman that had been missing for a long time. The authorities had exhausted every lead so they called in Richard. Please give him a chance. Bret Robertson is going to get away with what he did to me. He raped other women and he will rape again. I beg you to at least let him try.”
She jerked her hands away from Lacy. “Do you have any idea what you are asking of me?”
“A guilty man will go free. Deep down I think that bothers you as much as it does me. We can’t let him hurt another woman. We can stop him.”
While she considered Lacy’s request, she drummed her fingers on the top of the side table at the end of the chair. Lacy feared she would refuse to give Richard a chance. With one quick slash of her hand toward the door, she ordered, “Please, get out of my house.”
Richard and Grace peered at Lacy to see her reaction. She refused to budge. She gripped Megan’s hand. “Please, Megan. All I’m asking for is a little of your time. I will do anything short of murder to make sure Bret Robertson does not get out of prison. Please, help me. I tried to help you when I went to see Bret. Now I’m asking for a favor in return.”
Her eyes shifted to Richard. “Do you think you can really find Elizabeth’s body?”
Reaching over, he gave her wrist a hard squeeze. “I will do my best. As you’ve seen in the articles, I have been successful many times.” He gave her a hard stare. “I will not lie. Sometimes I can’t make a connection, but I will do everything in my power to locate your daughter’s body. While there are many articles about my success, there are more times I failed. Let me attempt to find your daughter.”
“What do you need?” Her voice was quiet but without warmth.
Still, Lacy felt a little hope. The rest was up to Richard.
Chapter Seven
Lacy watched Richard standing in the middle of a pasture twenty miles from the Cooper’s home. Years had passed since the pasture held animals. Broom straw and weeds grew choking out most of the green grass. A few scraggly pine trees scattered the area. There wasn’t a house within a mile so it would be the perfect place to dump a body. Thick forest was on all four sides of the pasture. He turned west and shut his eyes, then east, north, and last south. He held a bracelet, a scarf and a necklace in his left hand that had once belonged to Elizabeth Cooper. He was tired and barely able to put one foot in front of the other. Still, he had a look of determination on his face.
After doing her research on Richard’s amazing abilities, she discovered he only used one object for Psychometric readings. When Megan gave him three personal objects, he never objected and used all three. He opened his eyes and looked at the photo Megan had given hi
m of her daughter which he held in his right hand. It had been Christmas, the last time her mother had taken a photo of her daughter. She was sitting on the sofa, the Christmas tree dripping with ornaments and lights in the background, opening gifts.
For hours they had been tramping around in the area following Richard. Megan shoved her sweaty, red hair out of her face. Eyes showing her anger, she snapped, “This is ridiculous.” She stepped in a hole and almost fell. She fought to stay on her feet. She placed her hands on her thighs and all but screamed, “I can’t believe I’m doing this! I must have lost my mind to let you talk me into believing this might work!”
“Richard explained it might take a long time. Have patience.”
Her phone rang. She looked at the number. “It’s Donald.” As she had the other five times, she ignored the call. What was she going to tell her husband? I’m in the woods with a strange man trying to find Elizabeth’s body. She felt as if she were in a horror movie.
Richard pointed toward the trees to the south. “She is there.” Energy renewed, he jogged up the hill and they all chased after him. If he didn’t get some results soon, Lacy feared Megan Cooper would become livid and insist on going home. But then they could continue the search without her. They had the scarf, bracelet, necklace, and photo. That was all Richard needed to locate her remains. She had confidence in him. She had seen with her own eyes what he could do with his amazing abilities.
Richard disappeared in the trees. He was like a hound that had gotten the scent of a raccoon. Lacy stayed back with Grace and Megan. The last thing they needed was to get lost. The sun was setting low in the sky and it would be getting dark soon.
When they could no longer hear him moving around in the forest, Grace cupped her hands to her mouth. “Richard!”
“I’m over here!” Together, they moved through the deep forest toward his voice. Limbs slapped at them from low hanging branches in their excitement to find Richard. When they saw him, he was on his knees under a huge sycamore tree. He placed his hands in the dirt and dead leaves. “Elizabeth Cooper is buried here.” By his expression he could see every horrible thing that happened to Elizabeth. He was seeing what Chad Grey did to her. Unspeakable pain showed on his face.
Blood of the Falls (Twelve Oaks Farm Book 4) Page 9