by C. M. Sutter
“So far, we haven’t learned anything new. One person we spoke with is a married woman whose husband is a long-haul truck driver. She didn’t seem to know much about the neighborhood activity. Unfortunately, we probably made her more worried than anything else. Another woman was the typical farm wife that said she talked to the cops on the day Reanne was found. She didn’t have any more to offer. There was also an executive guy we spoke with. He lives in a fancy-schmancy gentleman’s farm and had to buzz us through the gate to enter. He didn’t seem like the type that paid attention to the goings-on around him. He said he’s out of town a lot. We saw farmers working the fields at a couple of other places. The only thing that could be a possible lead is the farm on Division.”
“Okay, that’s something.” Clark rubbed his red eyes and squinted. “Damn allergies. I want to be updated as soon as you talk to the people at that farm. I don’t care if it’s an actual lead or not, just let me know either way.”
“Roger that, boss,” I said.
“All right, let’s call it a day. Go home and relax. Rest that foot, Jade, and we’ll start fresh tomorrow. Hopefully something will pop, and we’ll apprehend these sickos before the weekend is over. Jade and Jack, you’re on that farm before anything else. If nobody is home, track down the owner. What’s his name again?” Clark asked.
“Mr. Miller, boss, and he lives at Meadowbrook Manor in Grafton.”
“Good enough. Okay, good night, guys.”
“Night, boss,”
We packed it up and left the bull pen. Jack and I were the last ones out. We passed Jamison and Horbeck coming in as we were leaving and updated them about our door-to-door interviews.
“So, are you going straight home?” I held the handrail for support as I walked down the outer steps. We headed to our parked cars in the lot.
“I guess so. Maybe I’ll hit a drive-through for some chicken wings or something. How about you?”
I looked at my watch. “It’s early. I think I’ll go to Joey’s and hang out with Amber for an hour or so. She was supposed to have tonight off, but somebody called in sick. I was looking forward to Chinese, but now I don’t have any dinner plans. Come with me. Joey’s food is better than drive-through anyway.”
“Yeah, that sounds good. What’s with Amber’s extra hours?”
“Joey asked her if she’d work full time. She agreed but only until school starts in the fall. She’s taking all the hours she can for now.”
Jack nodded. “Okay, I’ll meet you there. Drive carefully.”
“Yes, Mom.” I pulled out of the parking lot and headed west at the lights. Every time I turned into the parking lot at Joey’s, the flashbacks of Doug abducting Amber returned. I shook the images out of my head and knew that, in time, they would diminish. I caught Jack’s flashing blinker right behind me as I glanced up at my rearview mirror. We both turned in and parked close to the door. At this time of day, the beer crowd hadn’t arrived yet. I was thankful that I didn’t have to walk very far. Jack and I entered and sat at the closest of three empty tables. Amber stood behind the bar, filling a pitcher of beer, and waved hello. I was looking forward to a couple of Scottish ales and a delicious, greasy hamburger with a side of home fries, garnished with the usual dill pickle spear that I would give to Jack. I loved spicy brown mustard, and my burger would be slathered in it.
“You know you’re predictable, don’t you?” Jack said as he arranged himself on the chair.
“What the heck does that mean?”
“You don’t even pick up the menu. I already know your meal is going to be the same as always.”
“Yeah, so? Why mess with perfection? I’m not a foodie anyway, and the burgers and fries here are the best in the county. Scottish ale? That’s like mother’s milk to me.”
Jack laughed out loud. “You’re a crazy one, Jade Monroe.”
I grinned. “Blame it on my folks.”
Amber made a quick stop at our table. “Hey, guys. I didn’t know you were coming in. Your timing is perfect—not too busy yet.” She kissed each of us on the cheek. “Sorry about dinner, Sis. Are you guys eating here?”
“Sure am. I’m hungry, and Jack is always starving.”
Amber laughed. “I’ll send Pete over to take your order. I’ve got to get back to the bar. Talk to you guys later.”
“She seems to be doing well,” Jack said after Amber was out of earshot.
“Yeah, she’s one tough girl.”
“I wonder where she gets that.” Jack picked up the menu. “Now, what am I hungry for?”
Chapter 50
Jack turned the wand on the blinds on the south-facing windows to reduce the glare coming into the bull pen. We were all seated at our desks by eight o’clock. The aroma of a fresh pot of coffee brewing filled my nostrils. I poured out the tepid coffee leftover in my travel mug and washed it out. A handful of Styrofoam cups sat on the counter, waiting to be filled. Chances were, we would be knocking on doors all day, and I made extra coffee to take along.
The lieutenant received a courtesy update from Colgate before we headed out that morning. He was told that the police from the Riverwest area had expanded their search. They were still hopeful they’d get some leads in Carley and Gina’s disappearances. According to Colgate, after the press conference and the news report, a hotline had been set up by the families. They even had their own search parties going, but so far, nothing had panned out. I wasn’t surprised and didn’t think either girl was in the Milwaukee area anymore. Colgate wasn’t sure, but they were still actively looking.
We finished our morning powwow with Clark, filled our cups, and left. Jack and I started back at Division Road, and Billings and Clayton picked up where they left off yesterday.
“I hope somebody is home at the rental, if that’s even the right farm. That paint outline has been weighing heavily on my mind.”
Jack nodded and lifted his travel mug. He took a gulp of coffee. “We’ll be there soon.”
Within ten minutes, Jack slowed at the rusty mailbox at the end of the driveway.
“Hang on a second.”
He shifted the cruiser into park. “What?”
“Humor me. Will you just look in the mailbox quickly? By some off chance there could be something inside.”
Jack checked his surroundings and made sure no front-facing windows from the house were visible. He got out, ran to the box, and pulled the door open. With his six-foot frame bent over, he peered inside, then he slammed it shut.
“Nothing.”
“Damn it. Okay, let’s see if anyone is home.”
Jack drove in slowly and parked in the same spot he had yesterday.
“Hmm… no cars again.” I opened the passenger door and got out.
Jack pushed off the steering wheel and grabbed the top of his open door. He pulled himself out and elbowed the door closed. We walked up the sidewalk, just like yesterday, except this time a nice-looking man came outside and met us halfway.
“Hi, there, what can I do for you?” He stuck his hand out to shake ours. “I thought I heard a vehicle pull in. I’m Luke.”
His surprisingly friendly demeanor caught me off guard. I shook his hand. “I’m Sergeant Jade Monroe”—I pointed at Jack—“and this is my partner, Jack Steele. We’re from the Washburn County Sheriff’s Department.”
He nodded. “Nice to meet you.”
He stared at us and waited as if he didn’t have a care in the world. I couldn’t get a good read on him yet.
“We’re canvassing the area, Luke, and talking to residents.”
“Okay. What can I help you with?”
“Have you noticed anything unusual out here? Any strange people, newcomers, weird carrying on, that sort of thing?”
“No, can’t say that I have. What’s this in reference to?”
“Nothing really in this area, but a deceased young woman was found recently about ten miles from here. Heard any gossip out this way?” I asked.
“Wow, that’s terrible, but no, not at a
ll.”
“So, how long have you lived here?” I reached in my breast pocket, pulled out my sunglasses, then slipped them on.
“Well, let me think about that for a second. I’m pretty sure my folks bought this place when I was a toddler. I guess I’d say twenty-five years or so.”
I gave him a long stare. “Really? This isn’t a rental home?”
Luke chuckled. “Nope, not at all.”
“Where are your folks now?” Jack asked.
“They’ve been out on the road for the last two weeks. They travel the Midwest to different art fairs four times a year. Mom and Dad are pretty talented artists. My mom paints still life on canvas, and my pop is a woodworker. He makes furniture and decor.” He pointed back at the woods behind the barn. “See the woods back there?”
We looked in the direction he pointed at and nodded.
“A lot of the furniture my dad has made came from that forest.”
“Uh-huh.” I walked to the end of the porch and glanced at the ground. The outline was gone. “Looks like you’ve been busy this morning.”
“Sorry, I don’t follow.”
“Nothing, just early, that’s all. It looks like the grass has just been cut.”
He laughed. “My bad. I guess I like a freshly mowed lawn. Actually, I cut the grass yesterday evening.”
“So, what do your parents drive when they go from show to show?” Jack asked.
“They have an RV. It’s seen better days, but Dad keeps it in pretty good shape.”
“When do you expect them back?”
“In a week or so. Anything else?” Luke’s eyes darted from Jack to me, then back to Jack.
“Yes, your last name, please, and your folks’ first names.”
“Yeah, sure, it’s Parker. My mom and dad are Bethany and Gerald.”
Jack wrote that down and handed Luke our cards.
“Okay, thanks for your time. If you notice anything out of the ordinary, please give us a call.” I nodded at him and we left.
“Will do. Thanks, officers. Have a nice day.”
Jack and I walked back to the cruiser and got in. Jack backed up and started down the driveway. I gave Luke a long stare as he stood on the porch and watched us leave.
“What do you make of him and his story?” I asked.
“Hard to say. He seemed friendly enough and not at all nervous talking to us. I didn’t notice anything actually suspicious about him. Are you getting a different vibe?”
“Not sure. I guess the jury is still out.” Then I told Jack that I’d brought a couple of Granny Smith apples along. “Want one?” I reached into the plastic bag on the floor well and pulled out two apples. I handed one to Jack.
“Thanks.”
I took a bite of my apple. “Yeah, he seemed unusually friendly. I’ll admit, he’s a good-looking guy, that’s for sure.”
“What? Now you want to rob the cradle?” Jack raised his eyebrows at me.
“Don’t be ridiculous, I’m just stating the facts. I don’t think it’s considered robbing the cradle if the person is three or four years younger than me.”
“Oh, so you’ve already calculated your age difference?” Jack laughed.
“Whatever, I was just making an observation. Anyway, he’s either lying or that was the wrong house. That still leaves the paint outline. Damn it, why didn’t I take a picture of it?”
Jack shrugged. “If the parents are actually artists, they must work with a lot of paint and stain.”
“True enough, but I’ve never heard of an artist that paints still life with spray paint, or a woodworker that does, either.”
“If it makes you feel better, we can look up the property owner’s name in the county records,” Jack said.
“Great, so what’s the address? Was it on the mailbox?”
“Nope. Out here it’s going to be one of those with the north and south or east and west coordinates. That’s probably why it isn’t on the mailbox. It’s too long. As a matter of fact, I didn’t see anyone’s addresses on the mailboxes out here.”
“Well, somebody has to know. Still, something about Luke Parker isn’t sitting right with me.”
Chapter 51
Jeremy picked up his ringing phone that sat on the passenger seat. He looked at the screen—Matt was calling.
“What’s up?” He slowed the van and clicked on his left blinker.
“Where are you?”
“Just turning off Highway 60, why?”
“Find a different way home. The damn cops were here. They just left.”
“What the hell?” Jeremy checked his side mirror, then he pulled back out into traffic. He needed a minute to think. “What did they want?”
“They were snooping around and checking door to door. They mentioned Reanne.”
“Shit. They couldn’t have been city cops. It’s out of their jurisdiction.”
“Son of a bitch, that’s why she looked familiar to me. It was that sergeant we saw on TV. It was probably her damn medical boot that distracted me.”
“Medical boot?”
“Yeah—whatever, I know it was the same woman.”
“Crap—they’re getting too close. We’re going to have to pack it up and move on. Open the barn doors and make sure nothing is in the way. I’m going to park in there. We have a lot of thinking to do, and I want to hear everything they said to you. I’m taking the back way around. Go upstairs and watch out the windows in both directions. I need to know the coast is clear before I turn in. I’ll call you back in five minutes.”
Jeremy hung up and pounded his fist on the dash. He’d wanted to get rid of Megan before they left the area. Now everything had changed. They’d have to either take her along or put her in the ground with Beth and Carley.
He made four turns before he ended up on Division Road. The farm was a half mile farther south. Jeremy hit the name Luke on his contact list, and Matt’s phone began to ring.
“Yeah, the coast is clear in both directions as far as I can see.”
“Okay, good. Are the barn doors open?”
“Yep, pull in—you’re good to go.”
Jeremy sped up and headed for the farm. Gravel kicked up on both sides of the driveway when he turned in. He pulled the van into the barn and got out, then he closed the heavy wooden doors at his back. He ran up the driveway to the sidewalk and into the house, then he locked all of the doors and drew the blinds on every first-floor window.
“Okay, sit down and tell me everything.” He grabbed two beers from the refrigerator and sat at the kitchen table. He twisted the cap off the bottle and threw it across the room. It hit the stove and bounced to the floor, where it spun before falling over.
Matt sat and began from when the cruiser pulled into the driveway. “I know it was the same unmarked black cruiser I saw yesterday after the Tennessee guy took Liz. They’ve obviously been snooping around since then. They said they were canvassing the neighborhood and talking to everyone.”
“I wonder if they stopped at the house yesterday. If they did, they might have seen the paint outline. Maybe that’s why they came back.”
“Don’t know, but it’s gone now. What proof would they have?”
“Yeah, you’re right. A paint outline isn’t proof of anything. It would only be their suspicion, and that’s if they actually were here.” Jeremy ground his fingertips into his temples and yelled out. Cage tucked his tail and left the room.
“I gave them my fake name and didn’t even mention that a brother existed. I said my mom and dad were artists and they were gone doing the art-fair shows.”
“How did you hold up?”
“Fine. I’m not about to let those pigs rattle me.”
“Okay, good. There’s no time to sell Megan now unless I list her right away at a bargain-basement price. I really don’t want to take her with us.”
“Let’s do it now, then. I’ll get her ready.”
Jeremy nodded and finished his beer. “I’ll put her on a two-hour auct
ion. If she isn’t sold by then, she’s dead.”
Chapter 52
We had already left the last farm on Division Road. We turned right on Elmwood. I looked at the map and checked off the houses we had been to. Other than Luke Parker, nobody answered their doors.
“Don’t you think it’s weird that a mom and dad would leave a grown son alone without a vehicle to use for weeks on end? And why would he be there anyway? Shouldn’t he have a job?”
“Yeah, definitely, but how would he get to a job without a vehicle? It isn’t like he can go far on a bicycle.”
“Precisely my point. I’ll admit, something about him sticks in my craw.” I checked the map again when we reached the next intersection. “Okay, Highview Drive must be the left turn just ahead. Let’s see who these new owners are.”
The farmhouse was vacant, but a small trailer sat on the edge of the driveway. The man that greeted us said he was the handyman hired by the new owners to restore the house. He was living alone at the site but had a crew that came in to help every day. By the looks of it, there were at least five guys on the roof.
“Sir, why do you stay overnight in the trailer and the rest of your crew comes in during the day to work?” I asked.
“The new owner wanted it that way. I guess there are some unsavory characters around here.”
I cocked my head. “Really? What have you heard?”
“I haven’t heard anything. The owners said they were told some kids have been toilet papering properties, knocking down mailboxes and the like. They wanted me to stay out here as a deterrent so expensive building supplies don’t go missing, if you know what I mean. I don’t want my tools to disappear either.”
“Have you seen or heard anything since you’ve been staying here?” Jack asked.
“Nope, it’s been real quiet except when my crew shows up. We’ve just started on the roof, but I guess you can see that.”
I nodded. “Okay, thank you, sir.” I handed him our cards, and we left.
“You know, we still didn’t locate the house that’s supposed to be a rental. It doesn’t look like any of them on Division are.”
