Page 67 of Seeking Evil

Jack checked the time on his watch. “It’s after midnight.”

“That doesn’t matter. Every second those women are missing we run the risk of them never returning to their families.” Those words were choked out. He couldn’t lose Sierra. Not like this.

“Alright. You and Cooper go with Patrick,” Jack said.

“I’d like to speak with Inez first if we can. She can give us some insight into Thoreau.”

“You should be safe to call her,” Patrick told him and yawned. “Inez is a night owl. She told me once that she rarely gets more than a few hours of sleep. I’m glad I was able to catch a few hours myself. I’ve got a feeling this isn’t close to being over.”

As they headed out to Patrick’s patrol, Zeke called the number Inez had given him. It rang once before Inez picked up. She sounded out of breath.

“It’s Zeke London. Did I wake you?”

“Oh, bless your heart for asking, honey, but no. I was in the other room away from my phone. Let me catch my breath.” A second later she asked if something was wrong.

“We’re on our way to the cabins now. Can we speak to you for a minute? It’s about Derek Thoreau, your handyman.”

“Derek? Well, whatever for?”

“We’ll be there soon.” He didn’t want to have the conversation over the phone.

“I’ll put on some coffee.”

Zeke smiled as he ended the call. Inez was a sweet lady. Her answer to being interviewed about her handyman was to offer them coffee.

It wasn’t long before Patrick slid into the parking space out front. Inez had the lights on and was waiting for them.

“Come in, come in.” She held the door open for them. “I’m sorry I haven’t heard from Terrance yet. I’m going to give him a piece of my mind when he does call.”

Zeke, Cooper, and Patrick piled into the cramped office space.

“Oh, my. With so many men in here there’s barely room to move around. Come back through to my sitting room.”

Zeke followed Inez, who had cups ready. While all Zeke wanted to do was dive into conversation, he respected that Inez had gone to the trouble of preparing coffee for them and thanked her for the cup she handed him.

“There are cookies. I’m afraid I don’t have much else to offer you in the way of refreshments.”

“This is fine, Inez.”

“Well, sit. All of you.” She took her favorite position on the sofa. Zeke claimed the spot next to her while Cooper and Patrick slipped into the two overstuffed chairs.

“So, tell me why you need to speak to my Derek?” She eyed the group before sipping her coffee.

Patrick ran their theory by Inez. “How well do you know Derek?”

She clicked her tongue. “As well as anyone can know Derek. He’s not exactly open to giving out information about himself, as you know, Patrick.”

The sheriff nodded. “We figured if anyone could tell us about him it would be you.”

She smiled. “That’s awfully kind of you. Well, he’s worked for me ever since I bought the place. Actually, Derek worked for the previous owner before me. I asked him once how long he’d been at the cabins. He said since he was fifteen. Can you believe that? He’s fifty-five now.”

“That’s a long time. He probably knows everything about this place.” Zeke wondered if Thoreau might have created a hiding place for himself to keep the women he took.

“It took years before Derek finally felt comfortable enough with me to share a meal. I figured he could use something warm and home-cooked. All he has in his cabin is a hotplate. I never see him go to the diner. In fact, I rarely see him go anywhere unless he’s fixing something.” She sighed. “I’m sorry, I can’t see him being involved in these disappearances, Zeke.” She addressed him.

“He would know how to get the women away from the cabins without you seeing him.”

“I guess, but he’s such a gentle soul.”

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