Page 124 of Long Gone

I stared at his back as he walked away. He was so full of contradictions I got whiplash trying to keep up.

While I could have used a nap, I got to work instead.

I sat at his desk and opened his laptop and entered his password. I couldn’t believe he had just given it to me. It was tempting to snoop through his files, but even though he’d given me permission, I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I doubted he’d have anything helpful to the case on here. He definitely wouldn’t have anything to do with J.R. Simmons. So instead, I started researching J.R. Simmons.

When he’d been arrested and then murdered four years ago, the entire state had been in shock—but I hadn’t paid much attention. I’d been firmly invested in my own cases. So I gave myself a crash course on what had been posted about him in the press.

It appeared he hadn’t been on the state police’s radar for long. Not much was known about his fall from grace, but it had all come to a head in Fenton County when Simmons had allegedly kidnapped a Fenton County woman, Rose Gardner. The details were pretty nonexistent about why he’d done such a thing. The rest of the story was even stranger. He’d murdered a man—Mick Gentry, a Fenton County large animal vet—in front of multiple eye-witnesses, including law enforcement, which had led to a charge of second-degree murder. No kidnapping charges had been filed, but I knew it wasn’t uncommon to arrest someone on a single charge and then add others later. With murder charges, Simmons would have faced a hefty bail, or if the judge had deemed him dangerous to society or a flight risk, he could have been held without bail.

One article mentioned that the woman Simmons had kidnapped, Rose Gardener, was the girlfriend of the Fenton County Assistant District Attorney, Mason Deveraux.

Had Simmons kidnapped Deveraux’s girlfriend because the Assistant DA was building a case against him?

Did Malcolm’s interest in Hugo Burton’s case have something to do with what happened in Fenton County? J.R. Simmons had been part of both. I needed to know more about what happened there and how it might tie into this case.

I needed to talk to Mason Deveraux. But would he talk to me?

There was only one way to find out.

I looked up the Fenton County Courthouse, but Deveraux wasn’t listed as the DA. It appeared he’d been replaced by a woman named Marsha Poindexter nearly four years ago. A further search revealed he’d moved to the Arkansas Attorney General’s office. He was now lead attorney in the criminal department. There was a phone number for the general line listed on the website, so I decided to see if I could talk to him.

After some runaround, I finally got a gatekeeper at the criminal department and asked to speak to Mr. Deveraux about a case he’d handled in Fenton County.

“And who may I ask is calling?” the woman asked in a bored tone.

“My name is Harper Adams. I’m a licensed private investigator, and I’m looking into a case that involves a man named J.R. Simmons. Mr. Deveraux filed murder charges against him in Fenton County.”

“I’m sure the Fenton County DA’s office can help you with anything you need to know,” she said, making it clear she was the end of the line.

“Actually, I think Mr. Deveraux will have more information given Simmons kidnapped his girlfriend at the time, Rose Gardner.”

The woman paused. “And what exactly is it that you want to know?”

Interesting. Had there been other calls about this case?

Guilt stabbed me in the gut as I cast a glance at the closed office door and lowered my voice. “I need to know what involvement James Malcolm had in the case. I’m currently investigating a case with ties to J.R. Simmons, and I think Malcolm might be involved.”

She hesitated. “I can pass along your request to Mr. Deveraux, but he’s preparing for a trial and might not even see the message until next week.”

“That’s fine.” While I felt a sense of urgency, Hugo Burton had been dead for over five years. A week wasn’t going to make any difference. I shifted in the desk chair and pain radiated outward from my stitches. Then again, my life might be on the line. “Maybe add that I’m investigating a missing man named Hugo Burton in Lone County, and I think J.R. Simmons had some involvement in his disappearance and murder.”

“I’ll be sure to add it to the message. Now if I could get your contact information…?”

I gave her my name, phone number, email address, and my license number to prove I was legit.

When I hung up, a sense of dread hung over my head, and I felt surprisingly slimy. Had I just thrown Malcolm in front of a moving bus?

Six months ago, I wouldn’t have had any qualms with reaching out to the former ADA and requesting information about people related to a case. I wouldn’t feel like I’d betrayed someone who didn’t want to be labeled as a friend, but in many ways had acted like one. But then again, I’d already firmly acknowledged I was no longer that woman.

I’d just made a huge mistake.

Chapter 28

As I began to freak out, I reasoned that Mason Deveraux had moved on with his life. If Rose Gardner had been his girlfriend, and it hadn’t worked out, there might be hurt feelings in the mix. And the chances of him discussing a case of a personal nature with someone who wasn’t in law enforcement were slim to none.

He probably won’t call me back.

I took several deep breaths and the panic faded. Even if he called back, I’d find out more about Simmons and downplay anything to do with Malcolm.

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