Page 13 of Husband Missing

“Jesus, Dad.”

“If she wasn’t always cleaning up your messes, if you hadn’t run this build so irresponsibly, that kid would be alive, and we wouldn’t have protests?—”

Mace’s voice rose to a shout. “The protestors didn’t kill her, Dad! I’ve run this project just like every other one before it. This isn’t on me!”

“Both of you stop this instant,” said Tilly icily.

Josie took the break in their family spat to ask another question that was bothering her. “Gina didn’t have her purse with her. Do you know where it is?”

Mace turned around and pointed to a row of small lockers at the opposite end of the trailer. “In one of those. That’s where she stored it this morning.”

“Gina was here to do all this stuff,” said Turner. “Did she take notes or photos?”

“She did,” said Mace. He walked over to the table Shirley had been using earlier and shuffled some blueprints around until he came up with a clipboard. “She jotted her notes down here. She used her phone to take pictures.”

Turner took the clipboard from him and flipped a few pages before setting it onto Shirley’s desk. “Was Gina having issues with anyone on the site?” he asked.

“No,” Mace answered. “This was the first time she was here.”

“We’ll need a list of all employees who were on the site today,” Josie added. “Any independent contractor. Anyone who might have delivered or picked up materials.”

“Anyone who set foot on this site today,” Turner added.

Denton PD would interview as many of those people as possible when they were done here but the list would ensure they didn’t miss anyone.

Mace’s eyes widened. “You think one of my guys did this?”

“We have to look at every possibility,” said Josie. “How about Gina’s private life? Does she have a boyfriend? An ex who might have been giving her a difficult time?”

“No,” Mace and Tilly answered in unison.

Clint cleared his throat. “She divorced her husband ten years ago. They haven’t talked since.”

Turner fished his phone out of his pocket but didn’t look at it. Josie’s dirty look went unnoticed. His thumb caressed the power button as if he was itching to bring the screen to life. Was he bored with this case already?

“No one who might have been stalking her?” Josie continued.

All three Phelans shook their heads.

She didn’t think Gina had been targeted for personal reasons, but she had to rule it out. Killing an intimate partner and staging the scene to make it look like they were the victim of a random attack was not uncommon.

“Did Gina have any jewelry on today?”

“She knew not to wear jewelry to a build,” said Clint.

Behind him, Mace rolled his eyes. “Except that necklace. Remember, Dad? She always wore it. Mom gave it to her for her fortieth birthday.”

Tilly met Josie’s eyes. “Was it taken?”

“I believe so.”

“This was some kind of robbery?” Mace asked. “Gina was mugged?”

“Could be,” said Turner. “Was the necklace valuable?”

Tilly answered his question but held eye contact with Josie. “Yes.”

“If you’ve got any photos of it,” Josie said, “that would be helpful.”

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