Page 48 of Scorched

She took it and looked at it, tracing the emblem with her finger and reading his title out loud. “Lieutenant Declan Briggs, Boone County Emergency Services.” She looked up at him. “You’re a firefighter?”

“Yes, ma’am. What’s your name?”

“Denise James. What’s your sister’s name?”

“Macy. She owns a coffee shop in the town we live in.”

“What about your mother? Does she live near you? Cole only said they weren’t together anymore. I tried a few times to get him to talk about his life before we met, but he just told me it was in the past and to shut up.”

That sounded like his father. “Mom’s dead.”

“That’s actually why we’re here, Ms. James,” Seb said. “Sherri Briggs was found murdered a few days ago. We’re trying to track down her last known whereabouts so we can find her killer.”

“Oh my goodness! You think Cole had something to do with it?”

“We’re not sure. We’re just exhausting every angle. Why? Do you think he’s capable of murder?”

She snorted and readjusted the dog. It now sniffed the air around them, assessing the newcomers. “I think he’s capable of just about anything.” Her eyes shifted to Declan. “I don’t know how much you remember about him, but your father is slick. He could talk a bird into buying an airplane.”

“I was a teen when he left. I remember his silver tongue. He had a temper too.”

“Yeah. I know.”

Declan frowned, feeling for this woman. “Why did you keep taking him back if you knew what he was like?”

“Because he’s my kids’ father. I should have left him not long after I met him, but I got pregnant with Michael. I was young—only eighteen—and had nowhere to go. Cole supported me. At least until he ended up in jail. I swore when he got out I wasn’t going to let him back into our lives, but he would sweet talk his way in the door and then I was lost. Hannah came after his first release from prison. Jessie after the next one. I learned my lesson after she was born and made sure I was current on my birth control this time. I don’t need any more mouths to feed.”

Anger swelled in Declan’s chest, building to a fury that his dad continued to take advantage of this woman. She wasn’t blameless, but he played to her weakness.

“Do you know where he could be?” Seb asked.

“A bar. Some dark alley, shooting up heroin. Hell, he could be dead for all I know. He took off out of here in March. Haven’t seen or heard from him since.”

“Assume he’s alive. What bars did he frequent? Did he have any friends he might contact?”

She rattled off a few names and gave them a couple bars to check out. Seb typed them into a notepad app on his phone.

“I’m sorry he’s such an asshole,” Declan said as they prepared to leave. “And I would still really like you to call me sometime. Macy and I would love to meet the kids.”

She smiled. “I think they’d like to meet you, too. Michael could probably use a stable man in his life.” A troubled frown creased her forehead. “He’s a little too much like his dad. He had a few run-ins with the law in high school. Thankfully, he’s kept his nose clean since he left for North Dakota. As far as I know, anyway. He doesn’t call home as often as I’d like.” She shook off the melancholy on her face and smiled again. “I wish the girls were home. They’re at school, though.”

He wished they were home, too. He had more sisters! Macy’s face floated through his mind, and he couldn’t help but wonder how much they looked like her. She favored their mother, but she had the same shape to her nose as their dad, as well as his height. Declan had his dad’s build and some of his features, but his hair and eyes were all his mom. Truthfully, he was glad he didn’t look more like the bastard.

“We’ll get together soon,” he promised her. “Thank you for the information. If you need anything, please call me.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” She hesitated. “When the girls get home, if they want to talk to you, can I call you?”

“Absolutely. You can even FaceTime me. And if you give me a heads-up, I can get Macy in on it too.”

Denise beamed. “Well, I guess we’ll probably talk to you later, then.”

“Sounds great. Take care.” He backed off the porch, waving as he turned to go back to the car. His hands felt numb as he pulled on the door handle. He sank into the seat and buckled his seatbelt, watching the house. Denise went back inside.

Seb started the engine, pulling away from the curb. “You okay?”

“Fuck if I know. He had a whole other life. We never heard from him again after he left. I can’t see him being involved in Mom’s death. Not now. He kept coming back to that woman, but he never had any contact with us once he left for good. Why would he suddenly kill her now?”

“I think you’re probably right, but we still need to look into every angle. Maybe it’s something from their past that’s come back to haunt them. He could be dead too.”

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