Page 57 of Lost Lake
“Didn’t say that. Just said I’m not involved in drug trafficking, and I respect Kenna’s privacy.”
“Your concern for my friend is new. Since when do you care about not spreading any gossip about her?”
“Since I spent a lifetime dodging gossip. Not an easy thing to live with.”
A noise behind Gabe, had him turning.
El left the house and walked toward him. He held up a finger and took a few steps away for privacy. “You know the way to stop it.”
“You mean the way you did? Run and hide?”
“I’m not hiding. You all know where I am. But yeah, man, I ran away from it as fast as I could, and I’ve never regretted my decision.” Didn’t mean he hadn’t suffered because of it. As the memories came back, Gabe cleared his throat. “If you want, you can leave too.”
“Where would I go, and what would I do at my age?”
Shocker of all shockers, he sounded as if he was actually considering it. “You could start by coming to live with me, and we’ll figure out what you’ll do from there.”
“After all we’ve been through, you’d let me stay with you? That’s hard to believe.”
“If you leave that life behind and go legit, I’ll do everything I can to help you.”
Silence filled the phone for a long moment. “I’ll think about it. And I’ll ask around to see who’s spreading the rumors you heard.”
“Thanks. Mary James mentioned it to me, and she said not to look further than my family.”
“I don’t know who she still talks to around here, but I’ll find out and let you know.”
Feeling better about his brother than he had in a long time, he ended the call and pocketed his phone. He joined El, but with Mary watching and listening to them from her open front door, he didn’t speak until they got into the car.
The moment the doors closed, he shared his conversation with his brother. “I might be a fool to believe him, especially that he might want to change. Guess that says I’ve never given up on them.”
El sat silently for a moment. “It’s like our relationship with God. He’s our father, and He never gives up on us no matter what we do. Once we turn away from our sins, He’s right there where we left Him with open arms and ready to forgive us.”
“Yeah. I guess you’re right. I’m not sure I can open my arms just like that with Brad. I’ll need to see some evidence that he’s changed before I can welcome him that warmly.”
“I get it. It’s that whole trust thing that we both need to change. Even more difficult because of our time in law enforcement.” She let out a long breath. “But maybe that’s just an excuse. An excuse not to be like Jesus.”
Gabe stared at Lucy’s backpack. “Could be, but I don’t think it is in a missing-child investigation. We wouldn’t be doing our jobs if we didn’t suspect everyone connected to her. And in this case, that would include my brother. Maybe my whole family.”
In her cubicle, El sat behind her desk and relaxed her shoulders. She’d been trying to hold them up since before dawn to look like she knew what in the world she was doing. She’d been surrounded by people all day. People asking questions. Peoplewanting answers. People looking to her to find this missing child and a killer loose in their community.
And now, after dropping Gabe off at his vehicle, she was blessedly alone in the detective bullpen. Sure, other areas of the office weren’t closed for the night, but staff in her department had gone home to grab some sleep or were working in the field.
But was it a good thing to be alone? Or would she let difficult memories come back and raise doubts about her abilities? Bring back the guilt that had barely stayed at bay? Or would she trust God? Trust He knew what was best for her, and that no matter what happened in this investigation, His will would be done.
“Oh, man. So much easier said than done,” she whispered to the dark and empty place.
She couldn’t waste any more time thinking about what that might mean.
She signed into their department’s system. Her first task. Check the electronic murder book to see if anyone on the team had logged any developments. Several calls had come in from the public claiming they’d seen something Friday night, but Ulrich had already investigated and ruled them out. Also listed were the names and addresses of people deputies had talked to, but nothing indicating a lead. The only other item noted was the boat cushion belonging to Howard Mason, and she needed to update the log on that.
Took her a couple of hours to record the day’s incidents, but she finally finished and pushed her chair back to slide across the aisle. She entered the cubicle dedicated to their ViCAP terminal. Trying to summon positive thoughts, she entered her password.
The screen unfolded in front of her, and she typed in search parameters, starting with a wide base. She would move to more specific factors if needed. She entered location details, starting with the state of Oregon. Next, she addedfemale strangulationusing the same two methods used to kill Kenna.
She sat back while the computer churned, looking for any matches.
The search returned four investigations in the past three years. More than she’d expected to locate. She printed a list, then added restraints, like specifically textured zip ties with a serrated or ribbed inner surface.
