“Don’t take any notice of Naomi, dear,” he said over his shoulder. “She hasn’t been herself lately.”
Ignoring the big man’s words, Marie crossed to a table where drinks and snacks had been laid out. She picked up an oatmeal raisin cookie and poured herself a cup of tea. Adding a splash of milk and two tablespoons of sugar, she sank into an empty chair, trying to block out the conversations around her, her thoughts returning to Ruth and Candace.
“The devil lurks everywhere you know. Even here…. right here among us…"
Ma Verity’s shrill words interrupted Marie’s thoughts as everyone in the meeting hall turned to stare.
“Calm down, Ma,” Jacob said, taking his mother’s arm. “We’re safe here and I won’t let anyone hurt you. You go get some rest.”
Judith hurried over in response to Jacob’s words, her strong arms supporting Ma Verity’s stooped frame as they slowly left the room. The momentary silence that followed was soon shattered.
“You say we should guard against strangers, Brother Jacob?” Priscilla Putnam stepped forward. “Then why’d you bring that Sister Candace here in the first place?”
A hush settled over the crowd as Jacob pulled himself to his full height and glared at his mother-in-law.
“Sister Candace didn’t come here at my invitation, and she’s gone now. Nothing more needs to be said.”
He stared around the room, his face hard.
“Anyone who has a problem with that can talk to me privately. Now, please, get back to work, and remember, no strangers get past the gates without my okay.”
As the crowd dispersed, Marie watched Jacob pull Eli to the side. They exchanged a flurry of hushed whispers, then Jacob hurried from the room. She assumed he’d head for his office as he did each day. She wondered what he did behind the closed door. What was he hiding?
The image of Jacob shoving the big carryall into the truck stuck in Marie’s mind as she moved toward the exit. Something was going on, but what?
An icy wind cut through Marie’s sweater as she stepped outside. She looked up at the sky, hoping to feel the warmth of the sun on her face, trying to make sense of everything that had happened in the last few days.
Would Jacob try to stop me if I just opened the gate and walked out?
She looked toward the fence and the narrow road beyond.
And what if I told him who I am, and who my father is?
Somehow Marie knew that whatever secret Jacob was hiding, the last person he’d want nosing around would be a Willow Bay police detective.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Pete Barker was standing in the driveway when Leo Steele pulled up in his BMW. Frankie Dawson slouched beside him in the passenger seat. As he lowered his window, Leo noted the drawn look on Barker’s face and the bags under his eyes. The stress of searching for Taylor was leaving its mark on the retired detective.
“You in a hurry, Barker?” Frankie called, leaning over Leo to look at Barker. “Aren’t you gonna invite us in for a cup of tea?”
Leo opened his door to step out, but Barker put up a hand to block him, foregoing his usual sarcastic comeback at Frankie’s remark.
“We don’t have time to mess around,” Barker said, opening the door to the BMW’s backseat and sliding inside. “There’s another psycho hunting girls in Willow Bay, and I need to find Taylor.”
Leo regarded Barker in his rearview mirror, wondering if the older man was making a bad joke, or if he’d been drinking. It was pretty early in the morning for alcohol, but he had been depressed lately.
Frankie turned in his seat and stared back at Barker.
“Are you on crack again, Barker?”
“I wish I was,” Barker said, strapping on his seatbelt. “Then maybe I wouldn’t have to accept that this is really happening. But I saw it on the news. And I confirmed it with one of my sources in the department.”
Leo turned off the car. He twisted around to look back at Leo with raised eyebrows.
“I haven’t seen the news yet,” Leo said, his mind whirring. “I’ve been up to my eyeballs preparing for the Hernandez bail hearing later today.”
Frankie threw Leo an impatient glare, then turned back to Barker.
“So, spill the beans, man. Who died?”
“The bodies of two young women have been found in the last twenty-four hours,” Barker said bluntly. “They managed to keep a lid on the girl they found yesterday since it was discovered outside of town, but the one this morning was hanging off the East Willow Bridge. Reporters have already got hold of that one.”
Leo’s neck was beginning to ache. He turned around and once again consulted the rearview mirror.
“There’s something else to all this, Barker. What is it? What’s got you so worked up?”
“The girl they found yesterday was a friend of Taylor’s from high-school.” Barker met Leo’s eyes in the mirror. “Her body was found out by Highway 42.”
The words stunned Leo, and even Frankie seemed speechless for a minute while the implication sunk in.
“So, a girl’s body was found out by the CSL commune?” Leo asked slowly. “A girl your Taylor knew?”
Barker nodded, his face grim.
“Yeah, her name was Candy Newbury. She was a good kid.”
Leo’s brain was already making disturbing connections. If Taylor knew the victim, and if the victim had been found in proximity to the last place Taylor had been seen…
“What about the other girl?” he asked, refusing to jump to conclusions. “Is there a known connection between the victims?”
Barker nodded, scratching the stubble on his unshaven chin.
“I don’t know her name, but apparently she was friends with Candy. She’d gone to Eden asking for help, but…”
Barker paused, as if he just realized who he was talking to. He put a hand on Leo’s shoulder and squeezed.
“Maybe you can call Eden and get more information? Find out who the other victim was?”
Leo’s heart sank at Barker’s words. If Eden knew the victim, she would be heartbroken.
Could the girl under the bridge be the unexpected arrival Eden had mentioned? The one she’d been trying to help?
A terrible question came to him.
“Does Eden even know the girl has been killed?”
Barker dropped his eyes.
“The police haven’t released the girl’s name pending official ID and notification to next of kin,” he admitted. “So, Eden probably hasn’t been informed yet.”
Gripping the steering wheel with both hands, Leo forced himself not to take his frustration out on Barker. The man was suffering enough. It wasn’t his fault Eden once again faced the devastating news that one of the women she’d tried to help had been senselessly killed.
“I’ve got to go tell her,” Leo said between gritted teeth. “I can’t let her find out from someone else.”
“But I told Hank and Dooley that we were comin’ for an airboat ride,” Frankie protested. “They said they’d take us ‘round back of the commune like Barker wanted.”
Leo shook his head, pushing the button to unlock the doors.
“Get out, Frankie. You and Barker can go there now, and I’ll catch up with you after I’ve had a chance to talk to Eden.”
Huffing indignantly, Frankie got out of the car. Leo waited for Barker to climb out of the backseat and join Frankie on the driveway before he pulled out into the road and headed toward Eden’s house.
✽ ✽ ✽
Eden opened the door before Leo had a chance to knock. Her newly installed security system alerted her anytime movement was detected on the driveway or around the yard. She could then access an app on her cellphone to view a live video stream of the exterior. Leo had helped her select the system in the aftermath of her niece’s kidnapping, so he wasn’t surprised to see her already waiting for him.
“I thought you were going with Barker to look for his daughter,” Eden said, foregoing a greeting, her voice wary. “Wh
at’s happened to change your plans?”
Knowing it was pointless to delay, Leo reached out and took her hand, wanting to comfort her, wishing he could soften the blow.
“Let’s step inside. Barker just told me something that I think you need to hear.”
Eden nodded and stepped back to let Leo into the foyer. She turned to him with worried eyes, gripping his hand in hers.
“What’s is it, Leo? Has something happened at the school? Has something happened to Hope or Devon?”
“No…nothing has happened to the kids,’ Leo assured her. “But a body’s been found, and Barker seems to think it was a…a girl you were helping.”
Eden stared at Leo, then produced a sad sigh.
“I know about Candace Newbury already. Her friend, Ruth Culvert, came to Mercy Harbor. She’s the one that told us about Candace. She’s staying at the downtown shelter.”
Leo shook his head, his face grim.
“No, Eden. Two girls have been found in the last twenty-four hours. Candace Newbury was found out by the Cottonmouth Preserve yesterday, but the other girl was discovered just this morning. She…her body…was found underneath the East Willow Bridge.”
“Another girl? But, who…?”
Leo could see the alarms going off in Eden’s head. She spun and ran to the kitchen, grabbing her cellphone off the table and tapping hard on the display. Holding the phone to her ear, her wide, scared eyes met Leo’s.
“Reggie’s not answering. She must be in with a patient. She has office hours this morning.”
Quickly tapping in another number, Eden activated the phone’s speaker and laid it on the counter. The call connected; they heard traffic and people shouting in the background.
“Nessa? It’s Eden. Is it true? Did you find Ruth? Is she…dead?”
Leo held his breath, hoping that Barker had gotten his information wrong. Maybe it had been a mix up. Maybe the girl on the bridge was some other poor woman.
“We found a girl, but we haven’t made an official ID yet. And as you know, I personally never met Ruth Culvert, so I can’t be sure it’s her, but…hold on a minute, Eden.”
Leo drew Eden against him as they both stared at the phone. Eden tensed as Nessa’s voice came back on the line.
“Sorry, but the ME needs my help. I’ve got to go.”
“Please, just tell me if it’s her,” Eden begged. “Is it Ruth?”
Nessa lowered her voice.
“The woman we found is of average height, very slim, with shoulder-length red hair. She’s wearing black jeans and a white blouse. Her shoes look…homemade.”
Eden closed her eyes and sagged against Leo.
“We’ve confirmed that Ruth Culvert is not in her room at the shelter, and…well, the condition of the body leads us to believe that the perpetrator is the same person responsible for Candace Newbury’s death.”
Eden reached for the phone, her hand shaking.
“Then it really is her. Ruth is…gone.”
“I’m sorry, Eden. I hate for you to find out like this. I shouldn’t have said anything.” Nessa’s voice was resigned. “Are you going to be okay? Are you alone?”
Leo cleared his throat.
“I’m here with her, Nessa. I’ll stay with her as long as she needs me. And, thanks for being straight with us. I know you could get in trouble.”
“Don’t worry about it, Leo. I’m already in so much hot water a little more won’t make any difference.”
After ending the call, Leo looked down at Eden, not sure what to say. Once again she was heartbroken, and once again he felt helpless to do anything about it.
Pulling away, Eden straightened her back and wiped her eyes, before crossing to the counter where she kept her purse and keys.
“Eden, where are you going?”
The angry, determined set of her jaw worried him.
“There’s nothing you can do for Ruth now,” he said, realizing too late how insensitive the words sounded. “What I mean is-”
“Actually, there is one thing I can do.” Eden wrenched the door to the garage open, turning to glare back at Leo. “I can find the bastard who did this.”
Leo followed behind Eden, standing in the cold garage as she opened the garage door and climbed into her white Expedition. Duke appeared beside him, his eyes sleepy, as if all the commotion had disturbed his nap. Eden lowered her window and leaned out.
“Watch Duke for me, Leo,” she said, her voice hoarse. “I don’t want anything to happen to him.”
“At least let us come with you, Eden,” Leo called out.
But she was already backing down the driveway.
“Don’t worry, boy.” Leo patted the dog’s head. “She’ll be back.”
After the Expedition had raced away, Leo pushed back thoughts of Oscar Hernandez’s bail hearing and followed Duke inside.
Chapter Twenty-Three
By the time Eden reached downtown, a cold drizzle had started to fall, and she realized, too late, that she’d left home without a jacket or an umbrella. The parking space reserved for her in the garage under Mercy Harbor’s administration building was only two blocks away from the shelter, but it would seem much further in the icy rain.
Deciding to park in a metered space on the street just outside the shelter, Eden sat in the car’s cozy interior, watching the raindrops trickle down the windshield, trying to gain control over her emotions. She already regretted her reaction to Leo’s news; she shouldn’t have taken her grief out on him or driven off in a huff. She couldn’t risk acting badly in front of Reggie or the women in the shelter.
A sharp rap on the passenger side window made Eden jump. She released a high-pitched scream at the sight of a small figure standing beside the Expedition.
Reggie’s dark eyes stared through the rain-spattered glass, and she motioned for Eden to unlock the door and let her inside the warm car.
“What are you doing out here?”
Reggie frowned, revealing a delicate pattern of fine lines around her eyes. She took in Eden’s thin blouse and raised an eyebrow.
“And where’s your coat?”
“I left in a bit of a rush,” Eden said, her mouth suddenly dry. “Leo came by and told me some…upsetting news.”
Reggie cocked her head and sighed.
“I’m afraid I’ve got some bad news as well, and there’s no way to put this gently. Ruth snuck out of her window last night. She’s not come back yet.”
Eden ignored the heavy lump in her throat.
“I know,” she said, reaching for Reggie’s small hand. “The bad news Leo told me involved Ruth.”
Reggie’s frown deepened.
“What do you mean? How would Leo know that Ruth’s gone?”
Rain trickled like tears down the window behind Reggie as Eden struggled to find the right words. It was harder than she’d expected.
Now I know how Leo must have felt when he told me.
She hoped Reggie would be able to handle the news about Ruth better than she had.
“The police found a body this morning, hanging from the East Willow Bridge,” Eden choked out. “A very thin young woman with red hair. Based on the description I’d already given Nessa, they think it’s…Ruth.”
Reggie froze, then clamped both hands over her mouth, muffling a gasping sob as she shook her head from side to side.
“Why…who…?”
Reggie’s voice broke, and she dropped her hands, staring into her lap with a tortured expression.
“I shouldn’t have forced her to remember what happened and then just left her alone. I should have stayed with her.”
“It isn’t your fault, Reggie. If you want to blame someone for Ruth’s death, then blame the monster that killed her.”
Reggie stared over at Eden with wide, red-rimmed eyes.
“Killed her? Are you saying she…didn’t…it wasn’t…suicide?”
“No, the police are convinced Ruth didn’t kill herself. They’re calling it a homicide. The
y believe the same person who killed Candace Newbury somehow got to Ruth as well.”
The remorse in Reggie’s eyes blazed into anger as Eden’s words sunk in. Wrenching open the car door, she stepped out into the cold air, the rain now just a light sprinkle, and looked back at Eden.
“I’m going to Ruth’s room to see if I can find out what happened.”
Having come to the shelter for just that reason, Eden now wondered if they should wait for the police. She looked out at the gray sky. Rain could erase trace evidence left behind. Even a civilian like her had seen enough detective shows on television to know that. It would be too risky to wait. The one clue to finding Ruth’s killer may be washing away even as they stayed there talking.
“Okay,” she said, turning off the engine. “Let’s go catch a killer.”
✽ ✽ ✽
The window across from Ruth’s unmade bed was still open, letting in a mist of cold, wet air that clung to Eden’s bones as she surveyed the room.
“Her shoes are gone,” Reggie said, opening the closet. “But the dress she came in is still in here.”
Eden crossed to the window and stared out over the lawn toward the river. The rain had stopped, but an army of sullen, gray clouds blocked the sun. She raised her hand to the window latch, then hesitated. Best not to touch anything. There could be fingerprints or other evidence that would help the police.
“No sign of damage. I’d say it was opened from the inside.”
Eden bit her lip, trying to picture the room as it had been when she’d left the evening before. She knew the window had been closed against the falling temperature, but had it been locked?
“And there’s nothing inside the room that would suggest a struggle,” Reggie added. “In fact, there’s nothing here at all except Ruth’s dress. It’s like she just vanished.”
Leaning out of the window, Eden saw a faint imprint in the mud below. It looked like a footprint, but she couldn’t be sure.
“I see something outside,” she said, turning to Reggie. “I think it might be Ruth’s footprint. Or someone else’s.”
Reggie didn’t waste time asking questions. She spun around, rushing down the hall and out the back door onto the lawn. Eden followed her out, stopping abruptly several few yards from Ruth’s window.
Catch the Girl Page 14