Page 28 of Only Girl Alive

Collin’s eyebrows rose when Eve showed him the message.

“They hate gossip, or so they say.” She was trying to find humor in a humorless situation.

“Not gossiping travels fast here.” He looked out the window. “Some days, I hate this job.”

They were all worried about Hannah but there was little they could do. After a deep inhale, she dialed her brother with the call on speaker.

“Why would you bother the family?” Aaron bellowed as soon as she answered.

“You lied to me about Howard Wall going out of town.” She didn’t wait for his reply. “We have information that Hannah could be in danger. We need to at least see her even if she’s sleeping.”

“That won’t happen. Her uncle said Hannah is distraught and hasn’t spoken a word since she found out about the murders. Seeing a stranger would upset her worse. She also hasn’t slept until now and Howard is not disturbing her. He wants to consult a doctor before she’s interviewed. I guarantee she’s safe.”

It sounded plausible for anywhere but here. Going to a doctor took money out of church pockets. The hairs on the back of Eve’s neck stood up.

“You can make that guarantee?” she demanded.

“I can.”

“If something happens to Hannah, I swear you won’t walk away with a job.” As far as threats went, it would gain her nothing, but she couldn’t help herself. “Do you want to explain why you lied?”

Her brother laughed without humor. “Everything is a conspiracy theory with you. He came home early.” Aaron disconnected.

“You gave up too easily,” Collin objected as soon as Eve glanced at him.

“I had my reasons. My stepbrother didn’t ask about the evidence we have that would make us think Hannah was in danger. He didn’t ask because he knows who did this.”

Collin internalized his thoughts while heading back to the hotel and Eve did the same. They shared what they had with the team. No one felt Hannah was safe. The problem was Aaron would give plausible reasons to Family Services not to remove her. There was very little Eve could do at this point.

They knew Hannah possibly held the secrets that could unlock this case. Eve couldn’t get rid of her fear that Hannah might not be alive long enough to share those secrets.

Sixteen

Before they left for the Tanner home the following morning, the team had a quick meetup in Eve’s room. Ray had grabbed donuts so they promptly got high on sugar and caffeine before heading out. All but Clyde, who ate a protein bar. Collin drank a Red Bull to abide by the Word of Wisdom that didn’t allow coffee. He shrugged his shoulders when they teased him about the hypocrisy.

Eve, on the other hand, was thankful the fundamentalist sect had split from the Mormon church before the Word of Wisdom was strictly followed. She craved coffee and had since she was a young child. She figured it was one of the reasons polygamist wives and children were able to work all day.

Feel exhausted, here, have another cup.

Eve reluctantly ate a donut, knowing her butt was nothing like Bina’s and would not remain small on a steady diet of junk food. Her team stayed in shape but during a case, their diet was fast food and their exercise minimal. Eve longed for a home-cooked meal and a round at the gym. Soon.

Tamm called before they left.

“The news doesn’t have much. On a brighter note, they’re making the fundamentalist church out to be almost as bad as they actually are. At least they got something right.”

“Anything we need to know for the case?” Eve asked.

As embarrassing as it was, the media had a way of ferreting out information when people wouldn’t talk to cops. She didn’t worry about the news because she knew Tamm was a fanatic and would record every station.

“No, they’re running on misinformation juice,” Tamm replied.

“That juice could change today. Be ready.” Eve didn’t say why and Tamm knew not to ask. Some conversations were not appropriate over cell phones or even hard-wired lines. The molestation of a teenage boy and sexual assault of the wives would be big news. The autopsy passed through too many fingers and this information could be leaked at any time. Since she firmly believed Aaron knew about the assaults and abuse, Eve could only contain the knowledge with her team. If it worked in the church’s favor to release the news first, her brother would do so.

“I’ll let you know if things change,” Tamm said.

The call ended and once again, Eve was grateful she had someone back at base in their corner.

The drive to the house was even more somber than it had been the day before. Media swarmed and photographers came close, placing their cameras against the tinted windows. One of the officers, now at four for crowd control, lifted both tapes for the van and SUV as they slowly rolled through the courtyard entrance.

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