Page 95 of Love Takes Home

“One of Gin’s teacher friends at the elementary school said he’s been seen with Bethany McGraw.”

“She’s a fifth-grade teacher. Last year was her first one. She co-taught a class Harper was in. But she’s not from here. Her grandparents are. They own some property on Main and some acres out near Carmichael’s.”

“That would still match what Elle said about being a social climber, right?”

“Yeah. But what’s his endgame? Ginny didn’t have our parents’ money,” Davis points out.

“Maybe it’s not about money. Maybe it’s just the influence. If he’s dealing drugs, maybe he thinks a high enough standing will get people to look the other way.”

“What’s ANON think?”

“Daniel is talking to your DEA friend Mary today. They are going to share notes about the drug situation up and down the range. Maybe she knows who the mystery woman Keith was hanging out with is. Nate and I are digging more into his past. There’s got to be a connection somewhere and we keep missing it.”

“Did you ever figure out how he was connected to Elle’s guy?”

“Oh, they were connected. Looks like they even shared an apartment at one time in Diamond Cove. It would make sense the drugs in the guy’s system match the ones shoved down Lucas’s pants.”

“Do you think he’s just the delivery guy?” Davis asks, surprising me.

“My gut says no. He’s something else. But what?”

“And the mystery woman, what do you think her part is?”

“I don’t know. I mean, how do you just appear with no past prior to two years ago? How is that really possible? Her fingerprints don’t even exist in the system.”

“That just means she didn’t break any laws.”

“I still ask, how is that possible?”

“Easy. The FBI does it all the time. Poof! You no longer exist as you were, only who we make you to be.”

I hear Aaron start to cry in the background and we say our goodbyes. Something he said keeps itching my brain. The FBI can really make people disappear? Even their fingerprints? Next call is to Nate.

“Find anything?” I ask.

“Hello to you, too,” he responds.

“Hi. How are you? Did you take your morning shit? Do we fucking know anything yet?”

“That’s so much better.” He chuckles. “Not really.”

“I need to run something by you. It’s probably nothing, but I need to talk it out to see if it could be something.”

“Shoot.”

“Okay. We know the situation that happed with Ranger’s girl, Elle, right?”

“Yeah.”

“So, the guy? He knew Keith. That guy grew up in the system with his sister.”

“Okay.”

“If you’re in the system, aren’t your prints part of the file?”

“In most cases.”

“So, our Kara Smith wasn’t in the system. Or if she was, that record has been erased from existence.”

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