“I did talk to Charlie Day,” Marlowe admitted, his voice softening as he said the agent’s name. “She’s identified one of Locke’s victims. The poor woman was from Sky Lake, so Charlie went there to investigate the circumstances around her disappearance.”
“Did Charlie say who the woman was?” Nessa asked, looking a bit peeved. “Did she give you a name?”
Shaking his head, Marlowe dropped his eyes and leaned back in his chair, giving Peyton the distinct impression he wasn’t telling them everything he knew.
But then, I haven’t told them everything I know either. Like how Veronica Lee hired Frankie and Barker to work on a case in Sky Lake.
Peyton looked at her watch, figuring Frankie would already be in Sky Lake. He hadn’t said how long he would be gone, and she hadn’t had a chance to speak to him after she’d run out to check on her mother the night before.
“Seems Sky Lake might be a dangerous place to visit,” Vanzinger said, looking at the list Nessa had written on the white board.
Jumping to her feet, Peyton moved to the back of the room, avoiding Nessa’s questioning gaze as she slipped out into the hall. Taking out her phone, she tapped on Frankie’s number.
“Peyton, what’s up?” Frankie said, answering on the second ring. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes, I just wanted to…to check on you.”
She suddenly felt foolish. Noises in the background made her think Frankie must be outdoors, somewhere near traffic.
“I’m all good,” he assured her, sounding distracted.
“What’s Sky Lake like?” she asked, unable to resist.
A car honked somewhere nearby as he hesitated.
“It’s a nice town,” he finally said. “Now, what’s going on?”
“Look, I probably shouldn’t say anything, but our task force has tracked several leads back to Sky Lake.”
Peyton looked over her shoulder, making sure the door to the briefing room was still closed.
“We think someone in Sky Lake had been working with both Donovan Locke and Diablo before they were taken down,” she said, wondering if she was doing the right thing. “If this guy is anything like the scum he was working with, he’s a very dangerous man.”
“Sorry, Peyton, a bus just drove by so I couldn’t hear you,” Frankie said, his voice raised over the traffic around him. “How about I call you back once I’m in a quieter place?”
“No, Frankie, I need to tell you something.”
“What is it, Peyton? I’ve got to go.”
Peyton’s throat constricted as she tried to speak.
“Peyton? You still there?”
“I’m here, Frankie,” she managed to say. “Just…be careful.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Frankie stuck his phone back in his pocket and tugged on Hunter’s sleeve, pointing across the street to a small white office building. Elegant script lettering across the wide front window spelled out Taggert Realty above a colorful flowerbox bursting with petunias, geraniums, and begonias.
“That’s June Taggert’s office,” Frankie said, pulling Hunter after him. “Let’s see if she’s in there. We can ask her what she remembers about Summer’s last day in Sky Lake.”
Hunter looked toward the town square where Veronica and Skylar had taken Gracie to stretch her legs before lunch. Dark clouds were gathering in the east, and it looked like they may be in for spring showers before the afternoon was through.
“Come on, it’ll just take a minute,” Frankie insisted, cutting across traffic as a car honked and squealed on its brakes.
Pushing through the door of the realty office, Frankie immediately recognized the dark-haired woman he’d met at the lunch counter during his previous visit.
June Taggert sat at a mahogany desk, head bent over a ledger. She looked up at the tinkling of a bell over the door, her eyes narrowing as she saw Frankie’s lanky figure step inside.
“Nice place you got here,” he said, plucking a brochure out of a rack by the door and flipping through it. “Too bad I’m not looking for a new house.”
“What are you looking for, then?” June asked coolly, standing up behind the desk. “Because I’m kind of busy today.”
Crossing the little room, Frankie nodded solemnly.
“I understand. I guess that’s why you never looked for your best friend after she went missing?” He clenched the brochure in his hand. “You were kind of busy?”
The door opened again before she could reply, and Hunter appeared in the doorway. June’s eyes rested on Hunter’s tall, lean frame with an appreciative gleam as she swept past Frankie.
“Welcome to Taggert Realty,” she said, her icy glare replaced with a flirtatious smile. “How can I help you? Are you looking to rent or buy in the area?”
“His name is Hunter Hadley, and he’s with me.”
Frankie felt a surge of satisfaction as June’s smile faltered.
“We’re in town to find out what happened to Summer Fairfax,” Frankie added. “You remember her, right? Your best friend?”
“All of a sudden everyone’s asking about Summer,” June snapped, turning back to the desk. “And I already told the FBI everything I remember.”
Shooting Frankie a warning look, Hunter moved in front of June, blocking him out.
“I know it’s upsetting to talk about, Mrs. Taggert, but we’re trying to help Summer’s family find out what happened to her.”
Hunter’s words seemed to soften June.
“Oh, I’m not married,” she protested with a rueful smile, arching an eyebrow. “At least not anymore. And you can call me June.”
Hunter returned her smile.
“What can you tell us about the day Summer disappeared, June?”
“Like I just told that FBI agent, Summer left town after she got in an argument with Beau,” she said, her voice tightening. “She left her parents a note saying she was going to California.”
June crossed her arms over her chest in a defensive gesture as Hunter moved closer and cocked his head.
“Beau? You mean Beau Sparks, Summer’s boyfriend?”
“Yes, back then Beau and Summer dated.”
She dropped her eyes and circled back around her desk, just as Frankie recalled something he’d seen in the brochure. He smoothed the crumpled paper and turned to the back cover.
“Says here Taggert Realty was formerly Sparks Realty.” He handed the paper to Hunter, his eyes on June. “Why would that be?”
June snatched the brochure and threw it on her desk.
“Beau and I got married after Summer left town.” Her words were bitter. “It didn’t last long. I now use my maiden name. Not that it’s any business of yours.”
Resting a restraining hand on Frankie’s arm, Hunter showed no outward sign of surprise.
“Okay, and Summer didn’t tell you she was leaving?” Hunter asked, his voice still gentle. “Or contact you after she left?”
“No, she didn’t tell me anything.”
Frankie studied June’s impassive face, sure the woman was hiding something. He couldn’t stop himself from voicing the one thought that kept running through his head.
“Doesn’t sound like you were best friends after all.”
A red flush rose in June’s cheeks, and she sucked in a deep breath.
“I think we’re done here. I’d like you to leave.”
Glaring at Frankie, Hunter shrugged and backed toward the door.
“We need to get going, anyway,” he said, gesturing for Frankie to follow. “Thank you for your time, Ms. Taggert.”
“I’ll meet you in a minute, boss.” Frankie kept his eyes on June. “I just want to ask this nice lady about a deal on some swamp land I might want to purchase.”
But Hunter had already pushed through the door. As it swung shut behind him, Frankie turned to face June.
“Come on now, June. It’s just me and you. Tell me the truth. What happened the day Summer disappeared?”
When Jun
e didn’t respond, he continued.
“Maybe you were glad she left,” he suggested, thinking through the possibilities. “I mean, that way you were free to chase Beau.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” June snapped, her voice cracking. “I was devastated when Summer left.”
Hearing the lie in her voice, Frankie shook his head.
“You weren’t devastated, were you?”
He was suddenly sure the words were true.
“Someone who’s devastated doesn’t just go on with life as if nothing happened. Not when a person they loved disappears off the face of the earth.”
Tears sprang to June’s eyes, but to Frankie they looked like crocodile tears. He bet they usually helped June get her way.
“Why are you saying these awful things?” she asked. “What have I done that’s so terrible?”
Skylar’s small, serious face appeared in Frankie’s mind, and a white-hot burst of anger filled him at the thought of all the poor girl had been through.
“Nothing, that’s what,” Frankie said between clenched teeth. “You didn’t do a damn thing. Not when Summer went missing. Not after she never showed up again.”
Shaking her head, June backed away.
“Summer just left…it was her choice. What was I supposed to do?”
“She didn’t just leave,” Frankie protested. “She was abducted and murdered by a serial predator. While you and everyone else in this town did nothing.”
June stared at Frankie in shock.
“That’s not true,” she forced out in a raw whisper. “That’s not possible. Now get out of my office.”
Frankie knew he’d crossed the line.
He wasn’t supposed to tell anyone about Summer, not yet. Only her father knew the truth about what had happened.
I think I better get out of here before I make things worse.
Turning on his heel, Frankie froze, surprised to see an older woman with grey curls standing in the doorway holding two coffees.
From the expression on her face, he imagined the woman had heard some of their conversation. Maybe all of it.
“Excuse me, ma’am.”
Frankie scooted past the woman with an awkward nod, leaving both women staring after him with open mouths.
Raindrops started to patter down around him as Frankie walked back toward the town square. He knew he’d made a terrible blunder, and it wouldn’t take long for everyone in Sky Lake to hear the news that Summer Fairfax was dead.
Chapter Twenty-Four
June took the coffee cup from Pearl Abbott and turned away, still in shock over Frankie Dawson’s claim that Summer had been abducted and murdered. She knew it couldn’t be true. She’d been with Summer that last night, and she knew what had happened. She’d lived with the guilt all these years.
“Would you mind handling the open house at the Granger’s this afternoon, Pearl?” she asked, trying to keep her voice steady. “I’ve got a migraine coming on. I think I’ll wrap up here and go on home.”
“Sure, just as long as you’ll be okay.” The older woman watched her with worried eyes. “I’ll get the signs and flyers from the back.”
Crossing to the door after Pearl had gone, June turned the deadbolt and slid the barrel lock into place. Pulling down the blinds, she leaned against the wall, drawing in a deep breath and allowing herself to remember what she’d tried so hard to forget for the last twenty years.
June surveyed the crowded room without feeling the satisfaction she’d expected. The small gathering Summer had arranged while her parents were out of town had turned into a full-fledged party. Half the graduating class at Sky Lake High School had shown up after the flurry of calls June had made earlier that day.
But her plan to get Summer in trouble with her parents hadn’t worked out as June had hoped. Her best friend hadn’t gotten mad or ordered everyone to leave.
Instead, Summer was flitting around the room like a silver butterfly, while Beau followed every graceful movement with his adoring blue eyes. Of course, Beau wasn’t the only one besotted by Summer. Most men’s eyes lingered on Summer when she was near.
June hated the way men would stop on the street and stare when Summer walked by, and it irked her that Summer seemed totally unaware of the effect she had on them.
But it wasn’t until Summer started dating Beau that June had begun to truly resent her best friend. As long as Summer was around, June knew she would remain invisible to the one person she desperately wanted to notice her.
Now, watching Summer once again light up the room, June decided she might as well make a last attempt to lure Beau away. She’d already done her best to convince Summer that Beau wasn’t good enough for her, hoping she’d have a chance if Summer broke things off.
But Summer had fallen hard for Beau and refused to be swayed. It was going to take more than words to come between the lovebirds. Perhaps alcohol would be a good start.
Picking up the half empty bottle of gin she’d been sipping from all night, June crossed to the sofa by the window. Beau sat alone, waiting for Summer to finish a giggling conversation with a trio of girls just arriving.
“Ready for a refill?”
June held up the bottle, and Beau lifted his glass. He kept his eyes on Summer as he down the contents in one gulp.
“What the hell was that?” he asked, coughing into his hand. “I was drinking water. I’m in training, you know.”
Laughing at his stunned expression, June refilled his glass.
“Come on, you’ve got to start acting like a college boy if you want to keep Summer,” she teased. “Real men drink gin, not water.”
Beau frowned and ran a hand through his tousled blonde hair. He took another drink from his glass just as a flash of blue lights lit up the window behind them.
Looking out onto the wide drive, June saw a black and white cruiser. The flashing lights on top illuminated the words Sky Lake Sheriff’s Department on the side of the vehicle.
“Shit, the cops,” Beau said, setting his glass on a side table and jumping up. “I better let Summer know.”
“Wait here,” June protested, grabbing Beau’s hand and pulling him back down. “If they take you in, you could lose your scholarship.”
Beau’s eyes widened at the thought of being arrested.
“I’ll tell Summer to handle it,” June said, her voice firm. “It’s her house, after all, and she’s the one who invited all these people.”
Within minutes Summer was standing by the police car. But she didn’t appear to be upset. Instead she was laughing it up with Sheriff Duffy and his new recruit, Archer Holt.
Summer had brought out cold bottles of soda for the men, offering them an apologetic smile as she explained she didn’t know why so many people had shown up, but that they’d all be leaving soon.
June watched through the window in irritation as the Sheriff’s car drove away with Summer waving after them. She could imagine the lecherous sheriff eyeing Summer’s captivating image in his rearview mirror as he left.
Turning back to Beau, who was still sitting on the sofa watching Summer through the window with puppy dog eyes, June felt a sharp pang of jealousy. There had to be some way to erase the lovesick look in his eyes.
“She’s got them all panting after her,” she said, forcing out a knowing laugh. “And Summer loves all the attention.”
Beau ignored the comment as he tried to stand up.
“She doesn’t appreciate you, Beau.”
Arranging her features in a sympathetic frown, she pushed him back onto the sofa and sat down next to him.
“It’s only fair that you know,” she murmured. “You deserve that much.”
“Know what?” he asked, suddenly suspicious.
June sighed and dropped her eyes.
“Summer’s gonna go off to college and leave you behind,” she said softly. “I figure she won’t think twice about you once she’s gone.”
Draining the liquid at the bot
tom of his glass, Beau shook his head.
“Summer told me nothing will change between us when she goes to college,” he said, slurring his words. “She promised we’ll still be together.”
“That’s not what she told me.”
June did her best to look sad.
“Summer would kill me if she knew I was telling you this, but you have a right to know. Once she’s at college, the guys will be all over her, and she’s looking forward to…well, to trying new things.”
Beau rubbed his eyes as June took a long swig from the bottle before pouring more gin into his glass.
Looking up to see Summer making her way toward them, June felt the room spin around her as she turned to Beau. This might be her last chance to make her move. She couldn’t lose her nerve now.
June lowered her lips to Beau’s, meeting his in a long, lingering kiss. She felt him stiffen in surprise, but he didn’t pull away.
She deepened the kiss, suspecting he was too drunk to resist, and that he was unaware Summer was standing only yards away.
Finally pulling back, June looked over Beau’s thick shoulder to see Summer standing still in shock, her face a mask of hurt and disbelief. Spinning around, Summer pushed her way through the crowd to the door and disappeared into the night.
Beau turned his head too late to see Skylar’s frantic exit, and June quickly hid the satisfied smile that appeared as he sank deeper into the sofa. Seconds later his eyes closed as June snuggled in beside him.
The next thing she was aware of was the cramping pain in her neck. Sitting up, she stretched and looked around, realizing she was alone in the room. The empty gin bottle rolled under her feet as she tried to stand.
Gaining her balance, June shuffled through the rooms, first upstairs, then downstairs. The house appeared to be deserted.
Wishing the pounding in her head would go away, she opened the front door and stepped out into the mild night. All the cars were gone, except for Beau’s little pick-up truck.
June’s heart raced as she crossed to look in the window and saw Beau slumped in the cab of the pick-up, his arm slung over his face.
She pulled on the doorhandle, but it was locked. Suddenly scared, she rapped sharply on the window. Beau flinched, then sat up straight, looking around in a panic.
Her Silent Spring Page 15
