At the Tumbleweed Café, all anyone wanted to talk about was the missing teenager, Donella Abernathy. They stopped by the table to chat with Sam, asking his opinion of the case and what exactly Rayna might be doing to bring the girl home.
When the third group of men left, Parker shook his head. “I’m going to see if I can organize a search,” he said. “Get people together and fan out, looking for any clue where Donella might have gone.”
Sam looked up from his eggs and bacon and studied him. “That’d be a bold move.”
“Would it?” With a shrug, Parker turned his attention to the last of his pancakes. “I’m tired of having people eye me like they’d like to string me up.”
“By the balls,” Sam finished for him, a gleam of humor in his eyes. “I’m not sure what kind of reaction you’d get, saying you want to go searching.”
“I don’t care.” Though Parker did. “What’s more important is finding that girl. And who knows, if I do something proactive, it’s possible people might stop looking at me that way.”
Sam considered him over the rim of his coffee cup. “Go for it,” he finally said. “I don’t see how it could hurt. And who knows, you might help.”
Though Parker hadn’t been asking for permission, he always appreciated his uncle’s insight. “Would you like to participate?”
“Now you’re thinking.” Sam grinned. “With both me and Rayna vouching for you, people can’t really doubt you.”
“Maybe not,” Parker allowed. “But that wasn’t why I asked. You know people. I don’t. I could really use your help. I’d like to start the search this afternoon, around two.”
“In the heat of the day? Why not wait until morning, when it’s cooler?”
“Because I’m not sure how much time Donella has,” Parker said. “From what Rayna has said, the first twenty-four hours are crucial.”
“True. Point taken.” Sam pushed to his feet, tapping on his water glass with his fork. “Everyone, listen up,” he drawled.
The restaurant went silent. Even the sound of the cutlery clattering on plates stopped.
“My nephew here, Parker Norton, and I are putting together a search for Donella Abernathy. I’ll have a map drawn up, sectioned into coordinates. Anyone who wants to participate, meet up at the steps of city hall at two today. We’ll be assigned areas to groups of four or five, depending on how many people show up to help. Tell your friends, your neighbors. Let’s get this girl back home where she belongs.”
At first, no one spoke. Looking out over the group of diners, Parker saw some thoughtful looks and a few frowns, but as people started talking again, he swore an undercurrent of excitement rippled through the crowd.
“You just might have got yourself a search party,” Sam said. “I’ll help you get that map and get it marked off in sections. We need to pick up some air horns, too—maybe we can borrow some from Jason at the Army Navy Supply Store.”
“Air horns?” Wondering if Sam was teasing, Parker eyed the older man.
“Yeah. That way, if anyone finds her, they blow the horn to alert the rest of us.”
The waitress came by and dropped off their check. Parker grabbed it, shaking his head as Sam reached for his wallet. “It’s on me,” he said. “You drove.”
Sam thanked him. “We’re going to stop by the office supply store. I’ll need to make some copies once I make a map of Getaway and divide it into sections.”
After they finished running errands, they stopped back by the motel so Sam could take a nap. When Parker teased him about that, Sam winked. “My lady friend keeps me up all night,” he said. “I’ve got to get my beauty sleep one way or another. I’ll pick you up at one thirty or so.”
Once Sam had disappeared inside his room, Parker hopped on his bike and went for a ride. He left Getaway behind and took the interstate, cruising past sunbaked fields and flat farmland that stretched for miles.
By the time he turned around to head back to Getaway, he felt ready to tackle anything. Including finding a missing girl while she was still alive.
Grabbing a couple of tacos at the drive-through for lunch, he ordered extra for Sam. Once back at the Landshark, he spotted Sam dozing in a lounge chair by the pool. At least his uncle had pulled the chair under one of the large umbrellas so he wasn’t melting in the hot sun.
He opened his eyes when Parker walked up. “You smell like Mexican food.”
“That’s because I stopped for tacos. I got you a couple, if you’re hungry.”
Sam sat up. “I could eat.”
They ended up sharing a shaded picnic table and having their lunch outside in the heat. Sam barely even seemed to perspire, while Parker started wishing for air-conditioning ten minutes after sitting down.
Evidently, Sam noticed. “We’re going to head out in half an hour, if you want to go back to your room and get ready. I’ll meet you in the parking lot.”
“Sounds good.” Not bothering to hide his relief, Parker went straight to his room.
A few minutes in the ice-cool air-conditioning helped tremendously. He changed, going for plain T-shirt and jeans, along with his most comfortable boots, since he knew he’d be doing a lot of walking. He crammed a Dallas Cowboys cap on his head. By the time he had to meet Sam, he felt a hundred percent restored, ready to face the baking Texas heat again. He filled his water jug, grabbed a small bag of almonds and stuffed them in his pocket, and headed out the door. He put on his Ray-bans as he went.
Sam waited, Stetson pulled down low, lounging against his car, once again oblivious to the hot sun. He looked up as Parker approached, and grinned. “Looks like you’re ready to do some hiking, except for one thing.”
Perplexed, Parker eyed his uncle. “What’s that?”
“Your hat.” Sam pointed. “It should be a Texans cap.”
Parker laughed. “I guess we’ll just agree to disagree.”
Sam harrumphed and unlocked his car. “Let’s go.”
Parker eyed the older man’s alligator boots. “Are those comfortable enough to do this kind of walking? I’d hate for you to ruin them.”
Now it was Sam’s turn to laugh. “Boy, I ain’t searching on foot. I’m too old for that. I plan to wait at city hall—central base—and let people report their progress.”
Shaking his head, Parker smiled. “Can’t say I blame you. I just hope we get enough people to man a proper search. If we don’t, we’re just going to have to double up on quadrants.”
“Oh, you’ll have enough people,” Sam said. “Even if they just show up out of curiosity to see you. But people in this town care, and everyone wants to find that poor girl.”
“I do, too,” Parker replied. “And I sure hope you’re right.”
When he and Sam pulled up at city hall, Parker eyed the ten or so gathered people and sighed. “Well, I’m thinking you were wrong. But at least a few of them showed up.”
“It’s early yet.” Ever the optimist, Sam held up his stack of notecards. “I need at least twenty-four, so I can have six groups of four. With you and I, we’re halfway there.”
Parker spotted a patrol car, parked discreetly over to the side. “Looks like Rayna sent some of her people out here.”
“It’s policy,” Sam replied. “Just in case. You never know if things might go south.”
“Go south how?”
Sam only shrugged. “No idea. Look.” He pointed. “There’s two more. See. I told you you’d have enough people.”
“Should we go join them?” Parker eyed the assembled group, eager to get going.
“Not just yet.” Sam glanced at his watch. “We’re early. Let’s keep an eye out and see how many more show up.”
Eyeing the bright blue, cloudless sky, Parker wondered why Sam didn’t want to stand around in the sun since he seemed to love it so much. Either way, Parker was good sitting in the air-condi
tioned car a few more minutes, especially since the outside thermometer showed 102. Typical Texas heat. Since he’d lived here almost his entire life, he’d gotten used to it, though he couldn’t honestly say he enjoyed it.
A few more people walked up. Checking his watch, Parker touched Sam’s shoulder. “I’m going to go meet up with them.”
“Wait just one second.” Sam pointed. “A bunch of pickup trucks just pulled up. Looks like the same group that got together in the motel parking lot. I sure hope they’re not here to start any trouble.”
Concerned, Parker said, “Me, too. But I’m going to act like everyone is here for the right reason—finding Donella Abernathy. That’s what really matters.”
“Agreed.” Sam pushed open his door and got out. “Are you coming or not?”
Nodding, Parker followed his uncle.
As they approached the assembled group, Parker saw more and more people arriving from the parking lot. Five minutes remained until the announced meeting time, and as he counted at least thirty people, he knew they’d have enough to split into the agreed-upon areas.
Sam wandered among the small crowd, shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries. Everyone appeared generally glad to see him; a testament to his popularity even after he’d retired and moved away.
Again, Parker eyed the parked patrol car, wondering who Rayna had chosen to send to keep an eye on the search. He couldn’t help but wonder if she might have even come herself. He did a quick head count, surprised to realize there were close to fifty people.
At exactly two, Parker climbed up on the steps and used one of the air horns Sam had insisted they buy. The strident sound certainly got everyone’s attention.
“Thank you so much for coming out to help search for Donella Abernathy,” Parker began. “We’re going to split up into smaller groups and search assigned areas. Sam and I drew up some quadrants, so we’re going to ask you to pair up in groups of eight people. There will be a couple of people left over. If you can’t figure out where to go, come see me.”
Obligingly, people started to move around, aligning themselves with friends or neighbors. Sam had taken a seat on a metal bench, watching it all with a benevolent smile.
Parker finally relaxed somewhat. He hadn’t realized until now how tense he’d been with the uncertainty of how his attempt to help would be perceived.
Apparently, Rayna had gotten the message out that he’d been cleared.
“All right, everyone,” Parker called out. “Looks like we’re just about ready. I’m going to come around and hand out your area assignments.”
“You.” A woman’s voice rang out, her tone strident and accusing. “I saw you with Donella the day she disappeared. And I heard you were contacting her and a bunch of other girls up at the high school.”
Stopping in his tracks, Parker frowned. “I’m not sure who you think you saw, but it wasn’t me. I’ve never met her. And as to the rest, someone else was using my picture on social media. I’ve been investigated and cleared. Now, let’s get back to the map and the search quadrants, why don’t we?”
“No.” She crossed her muscular arms. “I don’t think any of us should have to take orders from someone like you.”
“Come on, now,” Parker urged. When he’d anticipated any problems, he sure as hell hadn’t foreseen this. Did people just make up stuff in order to fan the flames of gossip?
It definitely appeared that way.
The burly woman cocked her head, eyeing him like she might be considering whether or not to take a swing. “We need to force the sheriff to lock this man up. Who’s with me?”
To Parker’s disbelief, the crowd began to shift into two groups instead of eight. Clearly, there were those who sided with her, and those who did not.
Why wasn’t Sam getting involved in this? A quick glance at the older man revealed his uncle still sitting, watching quietly, apparently completely unconcerned.
“Lock him up,” someone murmured. A few others picked up on that and repeated it.
Fine. Parker straightened his shoulders and lifted his chin. “We’re here to find a missing girl,” he reminded them. “If you want to gossip and tell lies about me, do it some other time. Now please, sort yourselves out into groups of eight people or so. Once you’ve done that, I’ll hand out the search areas and we can get this show on the road.”
* * *
Rayna could tell, even from inside her squad car, the instant the mood changed in the small crowd gathered near the city hall steps. One moment, the slowly growing group had been milling around while Sam passed out assignments, and the next, they appeared to be taking sides.
Heart pounding, Rayna took a deep breath and got out of her car. Strolling nonchalantly up to the crowd, she kept her ears open for some sort of hint as to what was going on. Less than ten seconds later, she got it.
“That’s why you’re trying to organize a search,” a man wearing an Astros cap shouted, his face red. “To distract us from the fact that you’re the one who took her.”
Whoa, Nelly. Rayna eyed Parker, who seemed torn between anger and explanation. He seemed to settle on the latter. “I didn’t take her. I wanted to organize this search so we could find her and bring her home, before anything happened to her.”
“Lies,” a frizzy-haired older woman with no makeup shouted. “I saw you talking to her. I know you’re the one who grabbed her. I know it.”
“Elizabeth Green,” Rayna called out the woman’s name. “Mind telling me exactly what’s going on here?”
Finally spotting Rayna, Parker froze.
Face red, Elizabeth stormed over. “I know he’s your boyfriend, but you need to arrest him.” She pointed to Parker, her finger trembling. “We can’t allow a serial killer to be trying to organize us to search. That would leave poor Donella no better than dead.”
The group that had begun gathering around them murmured agreement. Rayna shook her head and took a deep breath. “First off, Parker Norton is not a serial killer. I’ve already established the fact that he’s not the one who tried to contact the high school girls. Were you not aware of this?”
Instead of backing down, Elizabeth only narrowed her eyes. “I wasn’t, but that doesn’t matter. I saw him talking to Donella the very day before she went missing. Now, explain that.” Several of the onlookers muttered similar accusations.
Shocked, Rayna kept her face expressionless. “Parker?” she asked, turning to face him. “Is there an explanation you’d like to offer?”
“I don’t know Donella,” he said. “As far as I’m aware, I’ve never met her.” His crossed arms and closed-off expression told her he didn’t expect to be believed.
Elizabeth glared at him, clearly fulfilling his expectations. “Liar,” she snarled. A few other people shouted out other, even less complimentary names.
“Okay, people.” Rayna kept her voice firm. “That’s enough. Elizabeth, do you have any proof that it was actually Parker you saw with Donella?”
Slowly, the other woman shook her head. “Proof like what?” she asked sullenly.
“Any other witnesses?”
“Well, Donella. But clearly, she’s not here.” Elizabeth smirked, her blue eyes hard.
“What time?” Rayna asked. “What time did you see Donella having this conversation?”
“I don’t know. After school. Maybe around three. Yesterday.”
“Donella never got on the school bus to go to school that morning,” Rayna said. “The school marked her absent. Now you’re telling me you actually saw her after school?”
For the first time, Elizabeth wavered. “Um, I...”
The boisterous crowd went silent.
“Did you or did you not see her after school, Elizabeth?” Rayna pressed. “This could be very important information and we’d need to get it to the FBI as soon as possible.”
Face red
, Elizabeth looked down. “I didn’t see her,” she mumbled. “I just...”
Rayna waited, but the other woman didn’t appear to want to finish. “You just what?”
“Wanted him arrested.” Elizabeth pointed a trembling finger at Parker. “We all know he’s your lover. But you shouldn’t give him special privileges due to that.”
With an effort, Rayna kept herself calm. “I don’t give him any special treatment,” she said. “Believe me when I tell you that he has been thoroughly investigated, both by my department and by the FBI. He’s been cleared of all wrongdoing.”
“Oh,” Elizabeth responded, her voice very small. “May I go now?”
Though Rayna briefly considered giving the woman a lecture on the dangers of lying to the sheriff, she also knew Elizabeth had likely had enough public humiliation to last a lifetime. She nodded, unsmiling, and watched as Elizabeth hurried away to her car.
“As for the rest of you,” she said, making sure her voice carried. “Don’t you have a search to get to? Parker, I’ll step back and let you continue what you were doing.”
Something flickered in his eyes—relief or gratitude, she couldn’t tell—and he nodded. “Thank you.”
He turned and faced the crowd. “Since no one seemed interested in forming groups, I’m just going to count off and assign them.” He pointed to one person at a time, stopping when he got to eight. “You’re group number one. Here is your assigned search quadrant. And use this air horn to let everyone know if you locate her.”
Rayna watched as he did the same thing with the next eight people, and the next. She finally retreated back to her squad car, gladly getting inside and turning the engine on so she could let the AC run. She eyed Sam, still sitting on the metal bench, clearly basking in the hot sunshine. As long as she’d known that man, he’d loved the summer heat.
Texas Sheriff's Deadly Mission Page 19