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I rose and gathered the scarf and camo hat and put them in the envelope. I registered how difficult all this was for everyone.

  “I appreciate y’all trusting in me.” I smiled at my friends.

  Val let out a shuddering breath, “God, I miss her.” She started for the door. “I’ll find out if she left her watch behind when I check in on David tonight and see how he’s feeling about the new developments.”

  “You don’t need to do that. I’ll speak to him.” I was on my feet.

  She shook her head. “My mind is made up. Carol and I were best friends. He won’t find it odd for me to ask. I’ll share everything with the club when I find out the particulars. Now, I’m going home and getting plastered. This is all just too much, and if I don’t let loose, I’m afraid I’ll blow a fuse. I’ll see y’all Thursday.” She put her hand on my shoulder. “Walk me out.”

  The rain had cooled the temperature to the high fifties, and with the howling wind, it felt slightly chillier. Val had been quiet as I walked her to her shiny red BMW. Both of us kept glancing over to where the flickering of the television lights lit up the living room window of Ellen and Kevin’s place. I shivered and prayed the cap meant nothing. This was just too close for comfort. Yet I was fully aware that most murders happened by the hand of someone the victims knew and was close to. And the time frame worked out. Kevin and Carol would have lived under the same roof through high school. Kevin graduated only a year before we all did. She would know if he had something to do with the Jane Doe. Carol would know more than anyone else. My pulse raced.

  “I can’t believe this. Everything is spiraling out of control.” Val turned and hugged me, squeezing tightly.

  I couldn’t hide my shocked expression and was glad she was unable to see it. Val wasn’t as affectionate as the rest of us. In fact, she sort of reminded me of Mother in that way.

  “It’s going to be okay.” I hugged her back.

  She let out a throaty laugh. “Why do people say that when obviously the situation isn’t okay?”

  “I guess because we need it to be. If our brains don’t somehow normalize and find a way to justify what transpired, we fracture.”

  A dog began barking in the distance.

  She nodded. “Promise me you’re going to be careful. I know you’re eager to delve into this PI business, and I respect that. But you could make yourself a target by getting in too deep. They’ve already sent you warnings.”

  “I promise. You don’t worry about me. Sweet Mountain is still safer than the majority of cities in Georgia.”

  “And yet, look what happened to Carol. Right here in our sleepy little mountain town. You’re not as tough as you think you are. Or as invincible. You’ve never had to be. Be thankful.”

  She clearly was speaking from experience, and again I was reminded of Mother.

  “I hear you. And you promise me you’ll take care of yourself. I know how independent and strong you are; we all do.” I leaned back, holding on to her hands so she would be able to read my sincerity. “It’s okay to be weak sometimes, to lean on your friends. I know you, and I haven’t been as close as you and Carol were, but I’m here for you. We’re here for you.”

  Something flickered within her gaze. It moved so swiftly I couldn’t detect what it was. “Do you ever wonder what my life was like before I moved here?”

  Surprise overtook me, and I stumbled to respond.

  She smiled. “You’ve never asked.”

  “I … I figured you’d tell us if you wanted us to know.” In the beginning, I had wondered. I recalled the little dark-headed girl in pigtails, dressed in a pink dress, with white knee socks and patent leather shoes, sitting alone at lunchtime. Mother had warned me not to speak of her past or ask questions. It would be rude and unfeeling to upset the new girl at school. She’d been so quiet at first.

  I recalled the day Carol had decided to leave our lunch table and go over to where Val sat alone, eating her lunch. Carol pulled up a chair and chatted away. She gave Val a friendship bracelet. The two were inseparable after that, and then a few months into the school year, Val became a different child. The shy, timid girl had been replaced by an outspoken social butterfly.

  Val had a dazed expression. “My early childhood years were hell. My birth parents shouldn’t have been allowed to procreate.”

  I’d never seen Val as a victim before. Out of nowhere, tears began streaming down my cheeks.

  “No! Don’t weep for me. The one thing those assholes gave me was my iron will.” Iron—Mother always used that expression. “Weakness is an impossibility for me now.” A ghost of a smile played on her lips, and she glanced off. “Carol understood me. It’s why we were so close. She’s the only one in this town who ever asked about my birth parents and how I came to be adopted by the Heinzes.”

  “That must’ve been so difficult. A little girl in a strange new place.”

  She shrugged and her eyes glazed over. “The Heinzes were wonderful people. And this town offered security and safety. Life here was simpler, you know. I honestly thought I could live happily ever after here. Then, well, people just ruin things, don’t they?”

  I nodded. “Yeah, sometimes they do.”

  She blinked a few times, then turned and slid into the driver’s seat of the car. “I’ll call you.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  The next day, while at the office, Mel and I were having a cup of coffee and biscotti between her shifts at Smart Cookie. I’d contacted Judge Timms first thing, and he’d agreed to meet me at the office. I’d finally spoken to Chelsea as well. She hadn’t any information other than that she and Carol were tennis partners, and Carol had asked her to hand the envelope over to me if she had to leave town for some reason or another. I believed her. She had, however, expressed her annoyance with her mother-in-law.

  “So, you left a voicemail for Brad Jones? Weren’t you nervous?”

  I dunked her shop’s new flavor, pumpkin spice with white chocolate chips, into my dark brew. “It was early when I called, and no, not really. He’s a GBI agent, sure, but he’s just a person like you and me. He put a call out for help identifying victims.” I shrugged. “I’m answering his call. Plus, there’s a great probability he spoke with Carol.”

  “Makes sense. Still, I’d be nervous about being in a room with a man who’d seen that many horrors. It has to take its toll.”

  I ignored the fact she hadn’t seen the link between the agent and us. We’d seen a few horrors in our life as well.

  “Any more spooky texts?”

  “Nope, and I blocked the number, so I’m not expecting any.” It had felt good to add the sender to my blocked list. Sort of like a “Take that!”

  I had grit. I wasn’t helpless.

  “Good.” She let out a deep sigh of relief. “It’s all I thought about last night. Do you see Kevin killing anyone? I mean, his own stepsister?” She scrunched up her face.

  I finished chewing. “No. And I approached it with an open mind too. But what if we’re wrong?”

  “That’s bone-chilling.”

  We settled into silence.

  “Too many white chocolate chips?” She’d been waiting for me to comment.

  “Sorry.” I shook my head and put my fingers up to my mouth to cover how full it was. “It’s perfect. I’m going to have to hike every day if you keep bringing these to me.”

  Her brown eyes sparkled with pure delight. “Good. I needed something to focus on this morning. Experimenting with a new flavor did the trick. It didn’t exactly take my mind off all this, but it did help. I wonder how the rest of the Jane Does are holding up. Val seemed really shaken last night. Amelia too, but not to the extent Val was.”

  My shoulders rose and fell. “I hope so. I think Amelia will be okay. I’m worried about Val. I’ve never seen her so rattled.”

  “That’s the problem when a person appears to have nerves of steel. You never consider they’re breaking down.” She sipped from her mug and perched herself on the edge of m
y desk. “Well, actually, now that I consider it, appearances can be deceiving. Think about it: Val is a capable woman, yet she’s never actually worked. Amelia is different; she runs her medical transcription business from her home and still has time to organize dinner parties, host her husband’s out-of-town guests, and keep up with book club. So really, she’s the one with nerves of steel. And wow, besides you and me, she’s the most invested in all of this. Patsy—well, I have no idea what’s going on with her.”

  “Amelia is amazing. Patsy just has a lot going on with the twins, and Val has a job. She works in her parents’ flooring company.” I wiped my hands on my napkin.

  Heinz Flooring was big business around these parts, with locations all over the state. The corporate office had and would always be, according to the Heinz family, located right here in Sweet Mountain, which brought ample jobs to our residents.

  “Not really. She’s a sporadic employee at best. It’s almost like she pops in a couple of times a month to appease her family. Why wouldn’t she want to do something with her life?”

  “Mel, that isn’t fair.”

  “I know, I know. She had a troubled past. Her biological parents died in some fire. It’s awful.” She raised her free hand. “I’m just saying, she hasn’t chosen the life with a husband and two-point-five kids with a golden retriever either. Why?”

  “I don’t know, and it isn’t for us to judge. She had a hard beginning before she moved here. I saw clearly last night how she and Carol were so close.”

  “My point exactly. She clearly struggles, or wouldn’t she have pursued some sort of career? And now I’m wondering, since she and Carol were so close, why didn’t she leave the scarf with her? Maybe Carol didn’t think she could handle it. Why leave it with—” Mel raised her brows expectantly.

  “I’m not divulging that information, Melanie Smart.” I gave her a scolding glare.

  “You’ll have to tell the GBI guy and the police. Why not tell me?”

  “It’s not going to happen.” The last thing I wanted to do was gain a reputation for divulging client information.

  Melanie, like me, had the gift of gab. Sometimes her gift became a curse. Technically, neither Chelsea nor Mrs. Ross had been clients, but I’d given my word.

  “Oh, come on …”

  Judge Timms walked through the front doorway, and Mel slid to her feet while I allowed the chair to roll backward as I rushed to stand up and swallowed the last of my biscotti. “Judge Timms, sir.”

  “Good Afternoon, Judge Timms.” Melanie giggled a little and covered it up by faking a cough.

  I shot Mel a warning look. I loved her to death and understood her weird giggling quirk, but this man before us wouldn’t.

  “I beg your pardon,” she rushed to add.

  He nodded. “’Afternoon, ladies. Is Calvin around?” The heavyset man had thinning, wavy gray hair and a full gray beard in need of a trim. He had bags under his fawn-brown eyes and wore a brown tweed suit that didn’t appear as if it had just come from the cleaners. In his hand, he had a gallon-sized Ziploc bag.

  “No, sir. He isn’t at the moment. Um, I asked you here so I could speak with you.”

  He stroked his beard absently and glanced away. “Oh yes. I remember Calvin mentioning the case in Atlanta.”

  “That’s correct.” I gave him a small smile.

  His attention returned to me. “Valerie mentioned on the phone last night that you and Calvin were interested in searching for Carol’s last whereabouts via her devices. Something about your own personal IT specialists who might be able to find out more detailed information.”

  Val had majorly overstepped by dropping Uncle Calvin’s name. But I knew she was only trying to help.

  I moved around the desk. “That’s what I wanted to discuss with you. It’s possible if she had her devices on her at the time of her disappearance. We could see the last location where each device pinged. Perhaps gain some idea of who she might’ve been with.” I crossed my hands in front of me. “But I can see from the bag you have that she indeed left everything behind.”

  He nodded. “Yes, but what if we traced where she went before she went missing. Perhaps that would give me some idea what my poor wife got herself into. I offered to release my records to the police, and they agreed to contact my cellular provider, but once the coroner ruled her death undetermined, well, we no longer had a case that would warrant such records. They may have a preliminary report. I don’t know.”

  “You’re offering to release those records to us? And agree for us to contact Calvin’s IT specialists?” I didn’t technically know if Calvin had his specialists on the payroll per se, but I was betting he used him often enough they were on a regular pay-per-case basis. I felt confident I could enlist the services of the friendly man I’d spoken to.

  “I was and spoke directly to Calvin a few days ago, offering him the job at double his usual rate.”

  That I hadn’t been aware of. But I’d planned for this. I skirted around the desk and retrieved the print.

  “He claimed to be too busy and gave me the name of another private detective he trusted. I don’t know that man, and I don’t do business with someone I haven’t run a check on or am not familiar with personally.”

  “You can trust Lyla to handle it!” Mel piped up. “She has access to everything her uncle has. She just cleared her first case the other day. She’d do a terrific job, Judge Timms.”

  I scowled at Melanie. There hadn’t been another job, and she knew it. Her gaze quickly shied away from me.

  Turning to Judge Timms, I squared my shoulders. “Under the circumstances, I can understand how you might have reservations working directly with me, without Calvin, on this case.” I cleared my throat and plowed ahead, not wanting anything to deter his trust in my ability to do this job. “For more than one reason. The obvious one is I’m new here, but I have a vested interest in seeing justice be done in this case. Two, the fact that Carol went to my father for treatment.” I raised my free hand. “Although, I can assure you, there wasn’t the slightest impropriety between my father and Carol. It was strictly a doctor–patient relationship.”

  The judge studied me for a few long seconds, and something about his intense scrutiny made my skin crawl. “Your father and I had a long conversation, and my suspicions were put to rest.” Thank God Almighty for that. “And I might be willing to give you a shot. You seem to be a capable young woman, and Carol respected you and your decision to work here.”

  I felt genuinely stunned.

  I must have shown it because as he handed the bag over to me, he said, “If Calvin allows you to work my case, let me know. If not, I’ll come back and collect those. I’ll also have a file in a day or so that I’ll want to share with you. One of my underlings did a little investigating for me, and I should have everything we need to move forward. He doesn’t have the resources Calvin does, but he claims to have found some valuable intel.”

  “I understand.” I held the document out to him. “If you wouldn’t mind signing this authorization to release all records to this office.”

  He took the paper, giving it a once-over.

  I cast a glance over my shoulder to Melanie. She gave me a thumbs-up, beaming proudly when he grabbed a pen and signed the document atop my desk.

  Judge Timms handed it over and pointed his finger at me. “If Calvin agrees.”

  “Yes, sir.” I nodded as he turned to leave. “Um, Judge Timms.”

  He paused, and half turned in my direction.

  “I’m terribly sorry for your loss. Carol was one of a kind, and I’ll do my best by her.” I clutched the bag to my chest.

  “I believe that.”

  “But I must caution you, it might get messy. I may have to dig into your personal and private dealings. And there’s no guarantee either one of us will like what I find.” I insisted that our arrangement would be aboveboard.

  He couldn’t expect me to shy away from anything, no matter how insulting or emba
rrassing.

  “I understand how investigations work, Miss Moody.” He gave me a nod. “Feel free to reach out to me with any questions you may have. Contrary to popular belief, I want answers. I don’t care about the consequences.”

  I shuffled the bag to my left arm and extended my hand. “We’re in agreement then.”

  His large sweaty hand engulfed mine. “We’re in complete agreement. Now, let’s just hope Calvin is.”

  He left, and I turned around to face Mel, who had both her hands over her mouth, her eyes wide.

  “I can’t believe you lied like that. What if he wanted a reference? I should be so angry with you.”

  “You can’t be. This is what you wanted, and now you have complete cooperation from Judge Timms. It’s official for you to work on this case now.” She came around the desk and hugged me and sniffled. “Carol would be so grateful to you. Now I’ve got to go to work before I get all weepy again.”

  I fought emotion for a moment as well. “You’re right. We both need to get to work.”

  She waved goodbye as she left. “Love you.”

  “Love you too.”

  I left a detailed message for my uncle, explaining the specifics of the potential case. Until I heard a hard no, I’d work it as a definite yes. I began a file and followed that up with a call to the IT specialist.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  After the call, I had a good grasp of how our cell phones are traced. Cell phone towers in wide-open areas could provide service for up to a twenty-five-mile radius around the tower. Each of these cell phone towers had a precise location, with latitude and longitude coordinates. Each time a cellular phone attached to a particular cellular tower, the records indicated which sector the cell phone pinged and captured what was referred to as a call detail record.

  The big takeaway for me was that if your phone was on—and let’s face it, our phones were always on—they were constantly using data service, especially with all the apps we have running in the background. Therefore, we were all traceable.

  Another takeaway was it would take time to get our hands on the records, and since the police should have copies after being granted access from the judge, it might speed things along if I made nice with officers and asked for copies.