Page 140 of Timid (Lark Cove 2)

My eyes welled with tears, but I fought them back. As I blinked the moisture away, Jackson’s face was one of utter disbelief.

He’d been preparing for bad news all week. He’d been mentally imagining the worst possible situation because he had always expected to be found guilty.

He didn’t trust in justice.

But today it was on our side.

I wanted to leap across the table and hug Sheriff Magee. Instead, I just held Jackson’s hand tighter, letting the immense joy in my heart chase away the last of my fears.

“So, that’s it?” Jackson asked.

The sheriff shook his head. “Not exactly. I still need to find a killer, and to do that, I need some help.”

“With what?” Jackson asked.

The sheriff slid out another paper from the folder. He spun it on the table and pushed it closer for Jackson and me to read.

It was a list of phone calls. I didn’t recognize any of the numbers and they all had out-of-state area codes.

“What’s this?” Jackson asked.

“Your mom’s phone records. I’ve been digging into her finances this past week and came across her cell phone payment on a credit card. The number was awfully high for a single line, so I got ahold of the phone company. Turns out she was paying for two phones

even though we only found one in her car. The second one is registered to Ryder Page with an incorrect birthdate.”

“But Ryder doesn’t have a phone,” I told him.

“I remember you telling me that. Are you sure?” the sheriff asked.

“Positive.”

“Okay.” Sheriff Magee nodded. “Well, this phone number sent out a few texts the morning of November seventeenth. If you’re sure it wasn’t Ryder, then I’m inclined to believe it was your mother.”

“But you didn’t find that phone with her?” Jackson asked.

“Nope.”

“Then where is it?”

“That’s the life-in-prison-sentence question. Whoever has that phone is probably the person who killed her.”

Jackson’s jaw ticked, but he stayed quiet as Sheriff Magee leaned his elbows on the table.

“Look, here’s my theory. Your mother came up here and asked you for money. You denied her, but she didn’t leave town. I didn’t find a charge for a hotel room on her credit card so my guess is she slept in her car. Maybe she stuck around to try and ask you for money again. Maybe she was going to try and contact your brother. I’m not sure. But during that time, she was in communication with the person who murdered her.”

Jackson rubbed his jaw. “It actually surprised me that she didn’t try harder to get some money. I didn’t know her, but after she asked me for that three thousand bucks and I said no, she didn’t put up as big of a fight as I’d expected. When I drove off, I would have bet my boat she’d be back.”

“Do you know of anyone who might have wanted to kill your mother?” the sheriff asked.

Jackson blew out a breath, sinking back into his seat. “No. I hadn’t seen her in years. Like I said, I didn’t know her.”

“But we know someone who did,” I whispered, looking up at Jackson. “Ryder.”

“With Melissa gone, you’ll be appointed his legal guardian,” Sheriff Magee said. “I know he’s just a kid, but we need all the information we can get. With your permission, I’d like to talk to him.”

“I get to be in the room.”

“Of course.”