Page 45 of Crosshairs

“Continue, then, because I’d like to know the answer to that question as well.”

Linc leaned forward. “Do you own a motorbike, Drew?”

The teen’s shoulders drooped as he barely nodded.

“You want to tell us what you were doing at Rocky Springs?” Ainsley asked.

The room was quiet for a minute. “I snuck out at night and picked Hannah up on my bike. We rode up to the campground. Hannah said she knew this dude we could score some weed off of.”

Ainsley had to lean forward to catch his words.

“Did she?” Linc asked. “Score some weed?”

“I don’t know. We got into this argument, and I left her there.” He dropped his gaze to the table.

“What night was this?”

“Monday.”

“How about Tuesday night?”

“She asked me to take her back to Rocky Springs that night. Said she’d left her phone at that church the night before and wanted to get it.”

“Did you two argue Tuesday night?”

He looked up. “She lied to me, said she just wanted to grab her phone and leave. But when we got there, she didn’t want to leave.” He gave a side glance at his dad. “Mom and Dad went to this thing in Jackson, and I was afraid they’d get back early and find out I wasn’t there.”

She believed he was telling the truth to this point. “Look at me, Drew.” He turned. “Did you kill Hannah Dyson?”

Drew held her gaze. “No ma’am. I-I liked her, and I hope you find whoever killed her, but it wasn’t me.”

“Did you know she was pregnant?”

The boy’s face paled.

24

Austin Kingston leaned forward. “Did you get that girl pregnant?” he demanded.

Linc almost felt sorry for the boy as his mouth worked but no words came out.

Then Drew palmed his hands. “No way that baby could be mine,” he said, finding his voice. “I never slept with her. I mean, I’d heard around school she was ... but...” He shook his head. “Not me.”

“Then you won’t mind giving a DNA sample?”

“Tell me where and when.”

“We’ll have to think about that.”

Drew’s dad and his grandfather spoke at the same time.

“Did you see anyone else at Rocky Springs on Monday night? Or Tuesday night?” Ainsley asked.

He flinched at her blunt tone. His thumb went to his mouth, and he chewed his fingernail until his father shifted forward in his chair.

“Did you?” Austin’s voice was impatient.

Drew dropped his arms to the table and clasped his hands together. He was digging in, and this was getting them nowhere.

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