“Why would she do that?” A surge of defensiveness rose in him, for no apparent reason. He was supposed to remain objective in this. Then again, so was the chief.
Chief Rollins shrugged. “Why do people do anything? It could be a variety of reasons. For attention. For sympathy. If I remember correctly, some people thought Charity staged all of this herself. Maybe she’s just trying to start trouble.”
Charity staged it all herself? That was the most ludicrous idea he’d ever heard. “That’s an awful lot of trouble to go through to get a few minutes in the spotlight. Besides, I have the impression she doesn’t want any attention, that she’d just disappear if she could.”
“Then why did she come back?”
He shook his head. “To sell the house and move on. Besides, ten years is a long time to keep up a ruse. I still can’t comprehend why people might think she had something to do with her friend’s disappearance. She doesn’t strike me as the type.” He’d been in law enforcement for a long time; he was no rookie. He had a good gut instinct for these kinds of things, and he couldn’t imagine Charity being behind something like Andrea’s disappearance.
Chief Rollins unclasped her hands and leaned toward her desk. “Since we talked yesterday, I’ve been chatting with a few people in town about all of this. Charity was the last one seen with Andrea, and there was no evidence that anyone else had been in those woods. It’s Charity’s word that the entire case hinges on.”
He shook his head, trying to let all of that sink in. Something just didn’t sound right. “No other evidence? You’re telling me there were no footprints in the woods, even?”
“It was hard to say. Hunting season and all. There were a lot of footprints. Plus there was the fact that about four hundred volunteers scoured the woods looking for Andrea.”
“So any evidence would have been trampled,” he concluded.
“If we’re talking about footprints, then yes. But why was there no ransom note? No body? There was just nothing after she disappeared. Zilch.”
He needed to play devil’s advocate for a moment and prove to himself that he was being objective and not afraid of asking the hard questions. “Okay, let’s say Charity had something to do with it. What would she have done with Andrea?”
“People speculated for a while that Charity buried her.”
The thought seemed ludicrous. “Why would they think that?”
“She waited an hour to report Andrea was missing.”
“She fell and bumped her head. That’s her story. People think she’s lying and that during that time, Charity killed Andrea, buried her somewhere, and inflicted wounds on herself so she wouldn’t get caught?”
The chief nodded slowly.
“That’s a big charge. And if you think it through, Charity would have had to do a lot of planning, even to do something like that in a one-hour period. She would need a shovel, a means of killing Andrea. She would have had dirt all over her clothes, under her nails. Besides, based on her size, I doubt she could have dug but so deep.”
“I agree. I think the idea is far-fetched. The girl’s mom was never right in the head. Maybe it runs in the family. That’s what people assumed, at least.”
Joshua didn’t want to believe that. It sounded to him like people were grasping at straws. “What about the search-and-rescue dogs?”
“They lost the scent.”
He sighed. It wasn’t unheard of. Dogs lost the scent all the time. But the total lack of evidence in the case was astounding.
“Anyway, I do think that hat is interesting,” Chief Rollins said, obviously not as disturbed as he was at the facts of the case and its reappearance.
“Do you really think Charity saved Andrea’s hat all these years and put it out on her porch herself?” He tried to get a read on what the chief’s body language was saying.
“I’m not sure. Right now, all I want to know is if it’s really Andrea’s. Send it to the state crime lab. Let’s see what they find out.”
“It will take months to get results,” he argued.
“What else can we do?” The chief shrugged. She obviously didn’t think this was going anywhere.
A plan of action solidified in his mind. “I’d like to revisit the facts of the case. You okay with that?”
The chief twisted her head before nodding as if impressed. “I know this town would love some answers. Just proceed with caution. You never know exactly what kind of skeletons you might dig up.”
CHAPTER 5
The next morning, Charity felt a new determination to find some answers. Maybe going back to where this nightmare had begun would stir something in her.
After throwing on some shorts and a tank top and pulling her hair into a sloppy bun, she climbed into her sensible sedan—a ten-year-old model, but it was paid off—and started down the road. She crossed the bridge over a creek branching from the Perquimans and followed the road. Finally, she pulled off onto a gravelly patch of earth beside the woods.
Dread filled her as she stepped out. Flies buzzed around her, and the dank smell of the nearby stagnant water filled the air. Grass tickled her ankles, and the sun beat down on her shoulders, promising to scorch her skin if she wasn’t careful.
Shielding her eyes from the sun, she stared at the school in the distance. It seemed like a lifetime ago she’d been a student there. Despite how hard life was at home, she’d enjoyed the reprieve of being at school; she felt safe there.
It was a shame that a girl didn’t feel safe at home, but her mom’s choices had ensured that. Instead, Charity had excelled at academics. She’d been active in the drama club and vice president of the school’s service club. She didn’t get approval at home, so she’d worked hard to receive it at school.
After Andrea disappeared, that had all changed.
Her grades slipped. People looked at her differently—even her teachers. She couldn’t handle the responsibility of being VP of anything.
Charity let out a long sigh.
Turning away from the school, she glanced at the woods. A shiver ran up her spine and her throat went dry at the sight of this spot. This was where all her nightmares had begun.
She’d wished a million times that she could do it over again. She would have insisted she and Andrea wait for a ride. She wouldn’t have left Andrea when the man grabbed her. She would have paid more attention so she could have given the police more clues.
But it was too late to do any of that.
She stepped closer to the tree line. The landscape hadn’t changed much, except now the terrain seemed both thicker and murkier. Apparently, they’d had a rainy summer here in Hertford, and the woods proved it. Huge puddles lingered between the trees.
Charity closed her eyes a moment, traveling back in time.
She could clearly see Andrea. Her friend had that carefree look on her face that was always there. Her eyes had glimmered with adventure. Nothing had scared her.
“Do you want to walk through the woods?” Andrea asked.
The same sick feeling gurgled in Charity’s gut now as she remembered the proposition.
Why, oh why, couldn’t she have said no?
Charity still remembered her first step into the woods that day; she still remembered the fear she’d felt.
She felt it now.
Instantly, the man in the mask flashed into her mind. The image was so vivid it felt real. Charity pictured him standing behind them. Just staring.
Then, in that horrifying instant, he’d attacked.
So who was that woman Charity had seen yesterday? It couldn’t be Andrea. Certainly she hadn’t been hiding out in the woods just waiting for Charity to return.
But then who had sent that text message?
Nothing was making sense.
Charity sucked in a deep breath as something pulled her from her thought vortex. The sound was subtle—so quiet she thought she’d imagined it.
But she hadn’t.
It was a footstep.
Behind
her.
CHAPTER 6
“Charity White?”
Charity whirled around, trying to place the voice. A tall man with close-cropped dark hair, startling blue eyes, and a trim build came into view.
Instinctively, she stepped back. Reached for something. There was nothing but air.
“Charity, it’s me. Brody Joyner.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. “It’s been a long time.”
She released the breath she held and narrowed her eyes. “Brody?”
He grinned slightly. “The one and only.”
Her shoulders relaxed as she let out a feeble laugh. She’d overreacted. Again. She did that a lot. “I’m sorry. I didn’t hear you come up.”
“I was heading down the road and I saw you. At least, I thought it was you. Sorry about that. I thought you heard me pull over.”
Her gaze drifted to her car. Sure enough, a truck was parked behind it. How could she have missed that? Had she been that absorbed in her trip down memory lane?
“I was in my own world.” She paused, almost waiting to see the judgment in his eyes. When she didn’t, she continued. “I didn’t realize you were still in this area.”
He nodded, his eyes friendly. “I’m Coast Guard now, working out of Elizabeth City. I couldn’t believe it when I actually got stationed back here.”
Brody and Andrea had dated for two years. He was three years older, though, so he’d been gone during the time everything happened. Of course he’d come home and helped search and done all he could. But eventually he’d gone back to college. What else could he do?
Charity had always thought he seemed like a nice enough guy, but she’d never really known him that well. At times, she had felt second place to their relationship, which was why it was a relief when he went off to college. It had been selfish of Charity, but she’d had Andrea to herself for so many years.
“What brings you back here?” Brody asked.
She shrugged, not sure of the right answer. “I decided to take some leave from my work. I wanted to have some closure here. It’s hard when my mom’s house is in my name now and everything.”
His gaze sobered as he looked toward the woods. Charity knew exactly what he was thinking; Brody was no dummy. He’d put it together why she was standing at this exact spot.
“So this has nothing to do with Andrea?” he asked, his voice soft.
She swallowed, the motion causing her throat to ache. “I’ve prayed that I would have some closure with her also, but that possibility seems unlikely.”
“I’ve prayed the same thing for years.”
An idea suddenly began to grow in her mind. Charity had avoided all her friends after the incident; she’d never bothered talking to them about Andrea or what happened out of fear her mom’s words might be true. Everyone wishes it was you and not Andrea. But what if one of them knew something she didn’t? It was a possibility worth considering.
“Brody, this might sound like it’s out of left field, but did you ever have any theories about who grabbed Andrea?”
He let out a long sigh. “I’ve thought about it nearly every day for the past decade. The best conclusion I’ve been able to come to is that a random stranger grabbed her.”
“That’s what everyone seems to think.” She stepped closer. “I know this is going to sound weird, but do you know of anyone she was having problems with, Brody?”
Her question seemed to startle him, and his eyes widened. “I don’t know, Charity. It’s hard to say. She wasn’t acting like herself in the two weeks before she disappeared.”
“You weren’t here. How do you know?”
“I could tell from her voice when we talked on the phone. She tried to cover it up, but I knew.”
“Did you ask her about it?”
He nodded. “I did. She said she was disappointed with her dad.”
Charity remembered her confrontation with Andrea’s dad earlier. The man had a temper; everyone in town knew that. But could he have had something to do with Andrea’s disappearance? Charity found that hard to believe. What could his motive possibly be?
“Ron is having a hard time since Roberta died. I think she helped keep him grounded in the aftermath of all of this. Since she’s been gone, his temper has really flared up.”
Charity nodded. “I heard about the car accident. That had to be really hard on everyone.”
“It was. She was a nice woman.” He let out another sigh and rubbed his chin. “I wish I could help. I’d love to have some answers also, Charity. What happened still haunts me. I think it haunts everyone who knew Andrea.”
Charity smiled out of force of habit. The expression was more an attempt at gratitude than anything else. “Thanks, Brody. It was nice running into a friendly face.” He was possibly the first friendly face she’d seen since she’d been here other than Joshua.
“Anytime, Charity.” He reached into his pocket and handed her a card. “Here’s my contact information if you need anything. I wish you luck.”
***
Joshua spent his time between calls studying the old police files on Andrea’s disappearance and letting the facts stew in his mind. He reread the reports. Made a list of questions. Compiled a timeline.
As he stared at his notes, he heard the buzzer at the front desk beep and tried to ignore it. Lynn usually greeted anyone who walked in. When the buzzer sounded again, he stood and walked into the lobby.
A woman stood at the desk, wringing her hands together. She wore a colorful, shapeless dress that reached all the way to the floor. She was probably in her fifties, and her hair, black peppered with gray, was pulled into a neat braid. Joshua had never seen her before. Then again, he was new in town.
“Can I help you?”
“I was hoping I could speak with someone. Privately.” Her voice was so soft that he had to strain to make out what she was saying.
“Of course. Why don’t you come back to my desk?”
She nodded timidly and followed him down the hallway. He pulled out a seat across from his desk and then waited until she was seated before lowering himself into his chair. The woman looked nervous. Her gaze fluttered about the room, her lips parted, then squeezed shut, and she didn’t fully relax in the seat.
“Can I get you some water or coffee?”
She shook her head. “No, thank you.”
“What can I help you with?”
“I need to know what my options are.” She rubbed her lips together, her skin listless.
“For what?”
“If someone is . . . hurting me. Hypothetically speaking. If I report this person, will he or she go to jail?”
“There’s a good chance of that.”
She blinked silently for a moment. “What do you mean good chance?”
“It’s hard to say anything for sure, especially not knowing any details. Could you offer any other information?” In the background, Lynn stepped out from the supply room and waved an apology.
The woman in front of Joshua shook her head, unmistakable sadness in her eyes. “Not really.”
“Ma’am, if someone is hurting you, you should distance yourself from this person.”
“It’s complicated.”
He softened his voice. He’d had conversations like this more times than he’d like. “You shouldn’t be with someone who harms you.”
“What if this person who’s being hurt has no one else?”
“Then we can find her help. We just need her to file the report.”
She suddenly stood. “I can’t do that. I need to . . . I need to think. Figure things out. It’s not that easy.”
Joshua bit back the words he wanted to say. He couldn’t make the woman do anything she didn’t want to do. But he saw a world of pain in her and wished he could intervene.
“I should go.”
Before he could even get her name, the woman darted from his office and out of the station.
Their eerie conversation remained on his mind, though. Just what had all
of that been about?
He strode toward the lobby, his gaze remaining on the front door as if he hoped the woman might magically reappear. “Do you know who that was?” he asked Lynn.
She shook her head. “I can’t say I’ve ever seen her. Once in a while we have people visiting from out of town or stopping in as they travel throughout the state.”
Lynn seemed to know everyone in town. She’d lived here twenty years and was intricately involved in many groups and causes and anything social. She never forgot a name or a face.
“Everything okay?” Lynn asked.
He shrugged. “I’m not sure. I have the definite impression she’s in an abusive relationship. She just came in to ask questions.”
“As the saying goes, you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink. It’s a shame, too. Sometimes you just want to step in and help people. That’s not always possible, though.”
“Yeah, you’re telling me.” He shifted as his thoughts turned to Charity. She was another person he’d like to help. He just needed her permission to get involved, and it wasn’t likely she’d give it to him. But maybe if they could forge some kind of trust between them, she’d be more willing to talk. “I’m going to go give someone an update on a case. You know how to reach me if something comes up.”
Lynn nodded.
As soon as Joshua stepped onto the sidewalk, he glanced both ways, looking for a sign of the mystery woman who’d come into the station. There was no sign of her anywhere. Maybe she would stop by again before things escalated.
He climbed into his cruiser and took off toward Charity’s place. He wanted to talk to her—official police business. At least that’s what he told himself. But he wondered if there was more to it.
CHAPTER 7
Joshua pulled up Charity’s driveway, and before he could even knock on the door, it opened. Charity stood there, wearing shorts and a tank top, tendrils of hair clinging to her neck, and a sweaty glass of water in her hand.
His throat went dry at the sight of her. Even in stifling heat, the woman looked stunning. Yet she didn’t seem to realize how attractive she was.
Gone by Dark (Carolina Moon Book 2) Page 5
