Mack studied the map that Chad had left behind at the site. It was an aerial map showing the lots of each place on the lake. Chad had marked out the exact location of both sites in relation to the highway and the lake. Then, with careful penmanship, he had drawn in the name of each owner with the letters T or O beside them. He frowned.
What kind of code was that?
The techs were busy packing up. Men were out, going from door to door and knocking on all the cabins. Finding out what anyone had heard or seen, if anything.
He doubted anyone had. It was a long time ago.
Glancing around, he realized there was a line of cabins on the right that he wanted to check out himself. Walking around the chaos, he headed in the direction of the first cabin. He remembered that sucker going up years ago. He'd been young, just in grade school. But his grandpappy and his pappy knew the family doing the building. Back then, everyone knew each other. Everyone helped each other.
This cabin had been built by a lot of hands and it was one of the earlier ones, before the place became fashionable.
He walked up the long pathway to the first cabin and knocked on the old wooden door.
As he looked back the long line of years behind him, he realized that last thing still hadn't changed.
Everyone still helped each other out.
Sometimes they had to.
CHAPTER 20
Chad arrived back at the campsite to find it virtually empty. The techs had gone and, although he could see Mack's truck, there was no sign of Mack.
He opened his phone and called him. And heard a phone go off a few feet away.
"I'm right behind you," Mack growled. "You should try looking first.
Chad rolled his eyes and closing his still ringing phone, turned to face the grizzled detective a couple of feet behind him. Mack appeared to being in a royal mood. "Where are we at?"
"Nowhere, as usual. No one saw anything. No one heard anything. No one knows anything."
Chad shook his head. Why wasn't he surprised? It was so typical of people, everyone kept to themselves. "Have you contacted everyone?"
"Everyone who's here. There are a good couple of dozen cabins empty at least."
"Give me the address of those not here and I'll track down the owners and call them."
"Nah, I'll do it. I know most of them anyway."
"Maybe it's better than if I do it. More official."
"They aren't murderers here," he snarled. "It's the dumb kids who like to visit that raise hell around here."
Chad glared at him. "We didn't raise any hell. We were quiet. Just out to have a nice weekend trip before the end of summer."
Mack didn't say anything but his lip curled down.
Chad tried to be reasonable. "Look, I know you consider this your backyard and blame us for bringing this mess to your doorstep, but we came there because of Bruce, remember? Your nephew?"
"I know who Bruce is. And that was the first trip you guys came here. But the curfew was too early for you, the place too crowded, so you headed to the far side of the lake next time, where you could cause some trouble."
"For the last time, we didn't cause any trouble."
"There was booze, and you were all under age, a girl went missing, now turns up murdered. What do you call that?"
Chad had heard it over and over again from so many people and it always pissed him off. There was no innocence for those living under the shadow of having gotten away with murder. That was a joke. He'd lived with that shadow for seventeen years.
He wanted out from under. And he wanted Mack to get the hell off his back.
"And let's not forget that you were at your cabin that weekend and for all I know you decided to walk on over and take out a young girl for yourself," he snapped, his voice harsh, cold. "Pretty easy to make the evidence disappear when it's your case, isn't it?"
As Mack's face darkened, he added, "How did it become your case anyway?"
"Because I was here when you idiots lost her." He scowled. "Someone had to take control after you punk ass kids trampled the place."
Chad snorted. "Right. And how come your search parties never found her body when it was here the whole time?"
"And how do you know it was? For all you know, she was held captive somewhere for a week or two, then killed. Unless your 'professional' can prove otherwise and I wouldn't trust her word, anyway."
"Hey, knock it off." Daniel joined them. "They can probably hear you two fighting on the other side of the lake, for Christ's sake."
Chad glared at the two of them. Daniel was Mack's age and been around just as long – if not longer. Daniel was good people but the older set tended to stick together.
"Whatever. Just make sure that those addresses of the ones you checked go down in the file, or you can bet your ass I'm going to be walking around and disturbing each and everyone here to find out who you missed and why."
He strode past, irritation and anger vibrating through him. Christ, would this never end?
"Hey wait up." Daniel ran behind him. "Take it easy, will you?"
"Why, so you can rag on me too?" Chad unlocked his truck door and opened it. The frame was jerked out of his hand.
"Calm the fuck down. You are not driving in a temper, and although Mack usually has that effect on people he works with, you should be used to it."
Chad glared at him, hating to hear the sense in the words. He struggled for control when he just wanted to drive away and tear up the pavement. But that was suicide.
"Fine, I'll calm down. But Mack is done accusing me with his sly digs. If he's got proof of my involvement, then he better pony up or I'll be heading to the captain myself. Mack couldn't nail this on me seventeen years ago when I was a scared kid and he can't now. But I'm not a kid anymore and I'll be god damned before he ruins my life any more than he has. He's a fucking asshole and the evidence points to him just as much as it does to anyone else. And you can bet I'll be taking that to the captain too."
Out of nowhere, Mack appeared, fury flashing on his bulldog of a face.
And he charged.
***
Meg checked her cell phone. "I have to run. Janelle is out of school now."
"And you're back at her old house?" Stacy made a shooing motion with her hands. "Go. Just come back tomorrow." She smiled and turned back to the work in progress.
Meg said, "Thanks. I'll be here bright and early."
She was already texting Janelle as she took off her lab coat and grabbed her purse from the locker where she'd placed it earlier. She could have stayed longer. Janelle wouldn't want to be coddled, but the fact remained they were still uneasy with their new living arrangements. She'd just as soon help make the adjustment easier. Janelle would also be happy to hear that Meg had spoken to Pete – at least, a little.
Janelle hadn't responded by the time, Meg made her way to her car. The traffic was surprisingly light. Still tired, she drove home carefully, grateful when she pulled into the garage and shut off the engine. She grabbed up her purse and cell phone and unlocked her door. Inside she checked her phone again. There was still no message from her niece. Glancing at the clock, she realized it was still a few minutes early. She could have driven to the school and picked her up.
A big yawn escaped her. She needed more sleep but it would ruin the night ahead if she tried to nap now. She'd go to bed at the same time as Janelle.
First, some food. She rummaged in the fridge and pulled out the fixings for a sandwich. She didn't know what Janelle'd had for lunch but chances were she'd be hungry when she got in.
By the time she had two sandwiches sitting and waiting, Janelle still hadn't texted. She picked up her phone and called. Her niece would either be staying late because of homework or was walking home. Hopefully, she could improve her marks now. Teachers hated it when the kids' cell phones went off, but it was after school now so Janelle shouldn't get into trouble.
The phone rang and rang. Irritated, Meg cancelled the call. Had Janelle left her phone at schoo
l or was she in detention?
Her stomach growled. Meg put on the tea kettle and sat down to eat her sandwich with her eye on the clock. Every ten minutes, she called but still got no answer. By the time she'd finished eating, she was dialing the school and had managed to catch the principal before he left for the day. "Hi, Meg, glad to hear from you. Janelle is doing much better these last few months." Meg winced. Janelle might have been doing better a few months ago but this last month with Pete – so not. "Good, I'm glad to hear that."
"Yes, I'm really happy for her," he said in a chatty voice. "She's had a tough year but she's handling it well."
"I've been waiting for her to come home this afternoon. She's not answering her phone. Have you seen her?"
"No. Not this afternoon." His voiced deepened. "I'm in the main office. Let me check the book." There were sounds of papers being turned. "Oh, here she is. It says she signed out twenty minutes early."
"She signed out?" Meg's throat closed. With great difficulty she managed to swallow and say, "Are you saying she left with someone?"
"Yes," he hastened to assure here. "I can't read the signature though."
"Oh, God."
"You didn't know?" His voice sharpened. "Who could she have left with?"
"I don't know?" Think, damn it, think. "She had a sleepover yesterday. Did Linette sign out as well? Maybe they were under the impression that it was to be for two days."
"It must be something like that." His voice lightened. "I'm looking through the names but it doesn't look like it. There's no sign of Linette having signed out."
Meg turned all business. "I need to see that signature. Stay there. I'm five minutes away."
"But—"
She hung up, lunged for her purse and keys and ran. She was close to twice her stated time but he stood in the office waiting for her.
"Here it is."
He pulled a book toward her, open with a page of signatures. He stabbed at one signature. She studied it. And realized it wasn't legible or familiar.
"Have you contacted her friends? That would be my first thought."
Meg held up her cell phone. "I'm dialing as we speak."
"Linette, hi, it's Meg, Janelle's aunt. Is she there with you?"
"No, she said you were picking her up early."
Meg's heart sank. She raised a trembling hand to her forehead, and working to keep her voice calm, she asked, "How did she know that?"
Silence. Then Linette said in a timid voice. "I don't know. I thought she got a text. But I don't know for sure."
There was a fumbling sound, and then she heard Linette call out, "Mom, can you talk to Janelle's mom."
Then an adult voice came on the phone. Deirdre said, "Meg, what's the matter?"
"Janelle didn't come home. There's an unreadable signature signing her out early from school."
"Unreadable," Deidre asked cautiously. "You don't recognize it?"
Meg choked back a sob, "No. I don't."
"Can you think of anyone who might have taken her from school? An uncle? A grandparent? And there's no reason to think it has to be a male. Is there an aunt or a best friend that could have planned a surprise?"
Meg's mind raced as she tried to come up with a logical reason for someone, anyone, to have gone anywhere with Janelle.
Deidre said tentatively, "Meg, what about Pete?"
"I thought of that," Meg said steadily and she had. "It's not his signature."
Another silence.
"Is there any reason why he'd try to hide his signature?"
"No, there'd be no need to. He's been in her life for a long time. There'd be no reason to try and hide it." Meg thought for a long moment, then blurted, "She isn't answering her cell phone."
"That's okay, the girls were playing games on their cell phones all last evening and they almost ran their phone batteries down. Janelle forgot to bring her charger last night."
"Damn." She cast a worried look at the principal who was still standing and waiting to help. "Okay, if she calls let me know."
"I will. And let us know when you find her."
"You bet." Meg hung up the phone and studied the signature again. There was no hesitation in the penmanship. Whoever had been using that signature had been doing it that way for a long time.
She lifted the book and handed it to the principal. "Can I get a photocopy of this page? Of the signature? Please."
"Sure. That, I can do." Happy to have a constructive way to help, he warmed up the machine and quickly laid it down and printed off a copy for her. "Let me know what else I can do."
She nodded. "I will."
"What are you going to do?"
She flipped open her phone. "Call the police."
And she dialed Chad's number.
***
Chad tossed Mack back several feet and surged forward to lift him off the ground and throw him back faster. His phone rang in his pocket. He ignored it, fury still riding him hard as he glared at Mack scrambling to his feet. Daniel stepped between them. "God damn it, Mack. What the hell are you doing?"
Mack lowered his head as if to plow forward again, a blood lust in his eyes. Daniel stepped toward him. "Back off. You're both on duty. So knock it off."
Keeping a wary eye on Mack, Chad stepped back a little and rolled his shoulders to ease the tension. As much as he'd like to pound Mack to the ground himself, it wasn't going to help. And one of them needed to keep their cool.
He'd had enough of Mack's goading.
Mack glared at his old friend, and then his gaze settled on Chad. His face turned fierce and for a moment it was as if time was standing still as they waited for Mack to choose his next move.
Chad watched his muscles tense.
Then, Mack eased back slightly and the dangerous moment passed.
As he watched, Mack turned and walked away.
Daniel took a deep breath, then muttered, "Stubborn bastard."
He spun all the way around to face Chad. "Why did you goad him?"
"Because I've had enough. For seventeen long years, I've listened to his accusations. I've had a gutful."
Daniel studied him for a long moment, then grimaced. "And maybe you should have done this a long time ago. But stay away from him now, until he cools off."
Chad said, "I'm going back to town. Better we work on different angles on this case."
Daniel nodded and walked away.
Chad hopped into his truck and headed back the way he'd come. He never should have left the damn city. Better he work the computer side of this investigation. Mack was okay on a computer, but he wasn't the best. Chad, on the other hand, knew he was good.
With any luck he'd be home in just over an hour and the need to get back pulled on him. He slammed his foot down on the gas. It wasn't until he hit the city limits and was only a few minutes from the office that he remembered the phone call. He blamed the confrontation with Mack for that.
He pulled out his phone and checked his message.
"Shit."
***
Meg drove home slowly, following the path Janelle would most likely have taken if she were going home. She searched every block, every crosswalk and even waited outside a small corner store until she was sure there was no sign of her. All the while, she waited for Chad to get back to her.
Inside her stomach acid churned her guts to sewage. Everything had knotted in fear.
Where was she?
She couldn't handle it if something had happened to Janelle.
She'd lost so much already. Immediately, she was assailed by guilt. She should be thinking of poor Janelle. She had to be scared, terrified.
"Please. Whoever you are, please look after my niece. Please don't hurt her," she whispered and her whispers became prayers that she barely recognized.
She pulled into the garage, her hands shaking so much she could hardly put the car in park. As she exited the car, she realized Janelle might have come home in the meantime or left a message on the phone. She ran inside. "
Janelle, are you here?"
The kitchen was empty. Meg ran through the main floor, then upstairs. "Janelle? Janelle!"
No answer. The house was empty.
She ran down the stairs to the phone and hit the button. There were no messages. Not one.
"Damn it, Janelle, where are you?" she wailed. Back in the kitchen she stared down at the sandwich she'd made earlier for Janelle. Her phone rang. She snatched it out of her pocket, hoping for a call from Janelle.
Chad. "Oh thank God. Chad, Janelle's not here. She was signed out from the school twenty minutes early. She got a text, at least according to one of her friends, who said I was picking her up early." She gasped out the words so fast, she couldn't catch her breath. Finally, she took several deep breaths to calm down.
"Take it easy. We'll find her. I'm sorry I didn't get this earlier. But I'm almost back in the office now and just walking down the hallway. Did anyone see her leave the building?"
"I don't believe so, without canvassing a school full of kids to find out. The school secretary had to leave early so the principal was doing double duty and wouldn't have been watching. He said he hadn't seen her this afternoon."
"Have you tried her phone?"
"Yes, but she's not answering it. More than that, she was at her friend's house for a sleepover and she forgot her charger."
"So she can't call, her phone is likely dead now or will be soon."
"Yes. I spoke to the mother and both girls ran their phones down last night."
"Okay, so I know you've been thinking about this, but who would know she's there? And who would be comfortable enough with a school setting to understand that they'd have to sign the child out?"
"I don't know but anyone familiar with the school or any school. It's pretty standard procedure in this day and age I imagine."
"Hmm. I need a recent picture and some basic description. I'll get an Amber Alert out immediately."
"Right." She hated this, but it was a necessity. She quickly gave him a physical description as her laptop turned on. "I'm powering up the laptop to find a digital photo to email to you."
"Good. And when you've done that, you are going to sit down and write me out a list of all the adults you know in town who know about Janelle and where she goes to school."
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