Page 35 of Jina

Erma chewed her lower lip. “We, uh, thought Brad was staying with a friend.”

“Which friend?” That detail had not been in the initial report, making him think they were making it up. “I’d like to chat with him or her.”

“Wade Adams,” Erma said. “We called Wade before notifying the police to report him missing, but Wade hadn’t seen him. Wade lived here in Peabody at the time.”

He jotted the name down, secretly thrilled to have another potential suspect in Brad’s murder. “Anyone else? Did your son have a girlfriend?”

“Not that I know of,” Erma replied. “He dated a few different girls, but none were serious.”

“Do you have their names?” he pressed.

“Oh, that was such a long time ago.” Erma’s hands twisted in her lap. “I don’t recall their names.”

“What about you, Mr. Crow?” He looked directly at Henry. “Do you know of any girlfriends or other friends that I can get in touch with?”

“I worked long hours at the bar,” the older man said bluntly. “I didn’t pay any attention to Brad’s friends, female or otherwise.”

“Why did you wait three months to notify the police?”

“You have to understand, Brad was an adult.” Erma’s expression was pained. “He could do what he wanted. We assumed he’d moved in with Wade and had gotten a different job. Then we thought he must have moved to a new city.”

He wasn’t sure he bought their story. Most parents would still maintain contact even after a fight, wouldn’t they? “Do you still own the bar?” He asked the question, despite already knowing the answer.

“No, we sold it early last year,” Henry said. “We barely scraped by during the pandemic, and to be honest, I was tired of working so many hours. I drive a school bus now, and Erma cleans houses. We make ends meet.”

Staring at his notebook, trying to come up with additional questions, a strange wave of apprehension washed over him. Instantly, he thought of Jina and her decision to head out to the strip mall. It was tempting to rush through this to join her, but he forced himself to make sure he’d covered all the bases.

“Why did you assume Brad had headed to Madison?” he asked. “Did he know someone there? Maybe a former classmate?”

“Oh, uh,” Erma faltered, glancing at Howard. “I don’t remember if Brad specifically mentioned Madison or if that’s just where we assumed he’d go. It’s a much bigger city than Peabody.”

So was Milwaukee, which was closer. Brad’s parents weren’t being nearly as helpful as he’d anticipated. He watched Erma closely, wondering if she’d known or suspected her son had been stalking Jina and possibly other young women too. If he could prove that the guy had been a stalker, his suspect pool would widen exponentially.

“Do you have any of Brad’s personal things here? I’d like to go through them.”

“We got rid of Brad’s things a long time ago,” Henry said bluntly. “He didn’t have much, and there was no reason to keep them.”

Again, he found that odd. He hadn’t gotten rid of Renee’s clothing for a solid year after her death, and he’d known she wasn’t coming back. Would a parent really toss the only items their missing son had left behind? Especially when they didn’t know whether he was alive or dead?

“I really need you both to think back to those days before Brad disappeared. Even a small detail may help me figure out what happened to him.”

“How did he die?” Erma asked. He was a little surprised it had taken her so long to ask. “Was it some sort of accident?”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t say for sure what happened to your son. It could have been an accident, or someone may have hurt him on purpose.” He watched Erma’s expression closely. “That’s why I need to know the names of his friends and enemies.”

There was another long pause as they mulled this over. Finally, Erma spoke up. “Our bar manager at the time was Ian Muller. I don’t think he and Brad were enemies exactly, but I know Ian wasn’t happy when he heard Brad wanted his job.”

“Ian wouldn’t hurt Brad,” Henry protested. “He knew his job was secure.”

“Where is Ian Muller now?” he asked, jotting the name in his notebook. “Does he still work the bar?”

“Yes, of course.” Erma seemed surprised by this question. “Ian and his wife, Amy, bought the bar from us.”

“Okay, thank you.” He tucked his notebook away and drew out a business card. “Please call me if you think of anything else. I really need to find out who did this to your son.”

Erma took the card. “Thank you, Detective.”

The older couple followed him outside. Sliding in behind the wheel, he considered heading out to the bar to talk to Ian Muller. At this time of the night, the place would still be open. Yet concern for Jina overruled his common sense.

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